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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 36 |
| 1877 | 27 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 34 |
| 1884 | 20 |
| 1885 | 31 |
| 1886 | 27 |
| 1887 | 23 |
| 1888 | 17 |
| 1889 | 58 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 84 |
| 1892 | 88 |
| 1893 | 104 |
| 1894 | 142 |
| 1895 | 176 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 9 |
| 1899 | 36 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 66 |
| 1904 | 41 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 22 |
| 1909 | 70 |
| 1910 | 13 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 16 |
| 1915 | 15 |
| 1916 | 27 |
| 1917 | 13 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 3 |
| 1923 | 8 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 3 |
1,298 stories matching whether
- Newport Votes on Whether the Saloons Stay
With 254 voters registered and temperance workers canvassing the streets, Newport prepares for a close local-option election that could shut down licensed saloons.
- The Fight Over Suffrage for Mixed-Race Citizens
Territorial legislators debate whether citizens of mixed white and Indigenous heritage should be granted the right to vote.
- The Snohomish 'War Path'
A rowdy night at the Snohomish riverfront ends in a knife fight between a local drunk and the city marshal.
- A Sausage Maker’s Body Washes Ashore at Priest Point
Charles Honick had been missing three weeks. A boy found him on the beach, and Olympia’s police chief and coroner went to see whether foul play was involved.
- The Mystery of the Drowned Man’s Missing Fortune
In July 1870, Seattle’s probate court launched a frantic investigation into whether $2,000 vanished from the pocket of John Filfe, who drowned in Puget Sound days earlier.
- The Disappearing Lake
Residents are baffled as the waters of Surprise Lake suddenly recede, leaving property owners high and dry.
- The Mayor's Veto of Arbitrary Police Power
Mayor Ronald strikes down a vehicle regulation ordinance, arguing that delegating absolute control to police officers oversteps the law.
- The Fever Mystery in North Yakima
Local doctors clash with state officials over whether an outbreak is malaria or typhoid fever.
- Seattle Fights for the China Trade
Local business leaders scramble to ensure Puget Sound, not Portland, becomes the primary terminus for a new trans-Pacific steamship line.
- The Ghost of the Burned Cabin
A suspected insurance fraud case grips 1892 Seattle after a mysterious fire leaves charred remains and a missing man in question.
- The Dual Life of Bremerton’s Mayor
A federal inquiry into whether an electrician-turned-mayor could serve two masters while policing the local saloon trade.
- The Water Wars: Why Seattle Should Settle with Benezette Williams
As the city prepares to sue a private developer for rights to its own water and sewer plans, this editorial argues that compromise is cheaper than litigation—and essential for public health.
- The Midnight Deadline for Local Vice
New state laws targeting gambling and the 'earnings of a fallen woman' arrive this Wednesday, leaving the city wondering if this time the crackdown will stick.
- The Struggle for a Central Union Depot
As Seattle rapidly expanded, competing railroad interests vied for the prime waterfront site at the foot of Main Street, mirroring modern battles over urban infrastructure and transit hubs.
- A Territorial Judge, a Killing, and a Governor's Bad Appointment
A grand jury has charged Judge E. C. Fitzhugh with murder in the death of Andrew Wilson, turning a territorial appointment into a test of Governor Stevens's judgment.
- Jailed for a Malicious Complaint, Freed by the State Supreme Court
A Pierce County jury found George Locke not guilty and decided his accuser, Leonard Permstick, had complained maliciously. The court ordered Permstick to pay $275.85 in costs or stay in jail—until the Washington Supreme Court ruled the commitment void.
- The Rising Cost of City Progress
An editorial analysis questioning whether the tripling of street improvement spending under the current administration is delivering value to taxpayers.
- A New City Charter Would Let Spokane Bill You for Water Whether You Use It or Not
Council Bill No. 77 would hand the city sweeping power over water works — including the right to tax any lot that merely fronts a water main, used or not, and to charge a tenant's bill to the landlord.
- The Commissioner's Confusion
Local official E.C. Houston faces a political crisis after hesitating to take his seat, leaving his tenure in doubt.
- Street Preacher Faces Trial for Pioneer Square Sermon
A street orator's right to speak on public planking sparks a debate over whether the Salvation Army's influence creates a double standard for public space.
- A Woman Claims the School Office — and the County Lets Her Keep It
Miss Ella Guptill takes the superintendent's records while the state Supreme Court decides whether a woman may hold office in Washington.
- The Price of Independent Journalism
The Post-Intelligencer faces a libel suit for investigating city contract corruption.
- The City’s 17-Year-Old Bad Debt Problem
Tacoma voters will decide at the upcoming spring election whether to honor $48,000 in outlawed street improvement warrants that have accrued triple their value in interest.
- Spokane's Year-Long Franchise War: Will the Railroads Get In Without a Public Vote?
After more than a year of bitter fighting over the North Coast and Milwaukee railroads' applications to enter Spokane, the City Council appears ready to grant franchises without the terminal rate clause — leaving open whether voters get a say.
- The Dynamite Murder of Tacoma: A Mob’s Verdict
In the early hours of January 1890, a Tacoma man was dragged from jail and hanged by a vigilante mob for blowing up a house and killing a sleeping family. The Seattle press offers a chilling reflection on whether such 'swift justice' is ever truly justified.