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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 31 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 36 |
| 1892 | 51 |
| 1893 | 84 |
| 1894 | 73 |
| 1895 | 84 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 8 |
| 1899 | 8 |
| 1902 | 3 |
| 1903 | 43 |
| 1904 | 26 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 20 |
| 1909 | 53 |
| 1910 | 8 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 13 |
| 1914 | 21 |
| 1915 | 15 |
| 1916 | 42 |
| 1917 | 18 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 8 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1928 | 1 |
741 stories matching commiss
- Judge Burke: Washington cannot borrow a dollar to build its capitol
Answering Populist weeklies that accused the capitol commission of planning to sink the state a million dollars into debt, commissioner Thomas Burke said the law allows exactly one funding source — 132,000 acres of granted land — and no taxes at all.
- Summer Storms Cut the Juice
A severe thunderstorm fried local electrical transformers, leaving the White Bluffs pumping plants idle for three days.
- Tacoma’s Push for a Commission-Style Government
Local reformers demand a new city charter to operate municipal governance like a private corporation.
- State Commissioner Murdered in Olympia Office
A fatal shooting in the state industrial insurance commission office leaves a high-ranking official dead.
- The Tragedy of the Basset Fortune
A wealthy Seattle scion, accused of murdering a bartender, is found legally insane by a commission.
- State Inspector Calls the Idaho Washington Northern the Best Railroad in Washington
After a complaint about dangerous track north of Newport, a state inspector rode the line and pronounced it first-rate — and praised the railroad commission as a bargain for taxpayers.
- The Tacoma Water Swindle Turns Ugly
A forged document leads to a heated confrontation between city officials and powerful local interests.
- Who Gets to Build Tacoma's Harbor?
Ex-Governor Semple said the money was secured, but a state land commission hearing and waterfront lawsuits showed rival plans and private claims still controlled the tideflats.
- City Council Blocks Charter Reform
Tacoma councilmen stall special election for new commission-style government to protect existing political machines.
- The World's Fair Statistical Fiasco
King County scrambled to prove its economic worth to the Chicago World’s Fair commission, while local officials grumbled about the impossibility of gathering honest numbers from suspicious business owners.
- Department Stores Evade New Minimum Wage
Employers in Washington state find a loophole in the new $10 weekly pay law by cutting hours to avoid mandated rates.
- The Political Circus of 1908
Local news satirizes the convoluted web of political machines, patronage, and special interest groups fighting for influence in Whatcom County.
- The Puyallup Lands Went on Sale and Almost Nobody Bid
A congressional commission put 1,100 acres of Puyallup reservation land on the block outside Tacoma, appraised at $30,000. Two days in, roughly $3,000 had been taken — and the Indians on the land were already organising their own counter-sale.
- City Hall Battles County Over School Warrant Funds
Tacoma officials move to secure $16,000 in school warrant payments, challenging the County Treasurer's refusal to honor the debt.
- Stevens County Tried to Tax the Railroad at Nearly Double. It Cost $12,000.
The state supreme court ruled the commissioners had no business overriding the state tax commission's valuation of the Spokane Falls Northern — and the county treasury paid for the lesson.
- Puyallup Tribe Demands Accountability
A committee of twelve Puyallup tribal leaders issued an ultimatum to land commissioners they claim are avoiding open discussion of reservation rights.
- Railroad Giant Rejects Farmers' Plea for Wheat Shipping Aid
A desperate effort to route Eastern Washington's record wheat crop eastward to avoid a shipping bottleneck at Puget Sound is crushed by Northern Pacific officials.
- A Legislative Cleanup for Washington's Tide Lands and School Lands
A joint committee found no corruption in the state land office but recommended abolishing costly local tide-land appraisers, trimming the land cruisers, and centralizing public-land oversight.
- The Struggle Over Seattle's Early Park System
City commissioners argue that selling the centrally located City Park could fund a sprawling, water-front recreation area on Lake Washington.
- City Hall's War Over the Fire Chief
The Seattle City Council rejects the fire commission's nominee for chief, escalating a power struggle over the city's charter and municipal control.
- The Forgotten Spokane Tribal Council of 1887
A federal commission's frustrated attempt to settle tribal land disputes in Spokane Falls leads to a reluctant agreement brokered by a Catholic missionary.
- Colville's Orchard Boom Outpaces Local Logistics
Thousands of new fruit trees are ready for harvest, but the town lacks the infrastructure to pack and sell the crop.
- Richland Ferry Sinks in River Accident
The local crossing between Richland and Pasco is out of commission after an unexplained mid-week sinking.
- German Dignitaries Shocked by Seattle's Sophistication
Members of the German Imperial Commission visiting the World's Fair dismiss European rumors that Seattle is a lawless, wild frontier.
- The Piano Salesman and the Farmer Who Could Not Read English
A salesman is accused of talking a wealthy Russian immigrant into signing $2,500 in notes by passing them off as harmless commission contracts for five pianos.