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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 42 |
| 1878 | 35 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 34 |
| 1884 | 26 |
| 1885 | 57 |
| 1886 | 31 |
| 1887 | 30 |
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 71 |
| 1890 | 20 |
| 1891 | 71 |
| 1892 | 175 |
| 1893 | 140 |
| 1894 | 188 |
| 1895 | 233 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 8 |
| 1899 | 48 |
| 1900 | 8 |
| 1902 | 6 |
| 1903 | 85 |
| 1904 | 70 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 18 |
| 1909 | 99 |
| 1910 | 20 |
| 1911 | 12 |
| 1912 | 9 |
| 1914 | 16 |
| 1915 | 15 |
| 1916 | 19 |
| 1917 | 12 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 9 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,730 stories matching action
- A Seattle Wife Sued Her Husband for Beating Her. The Court Said She Couldn't.
Judge Osborne ruled that a married woman could not maintain a damages action against her husband for assault—even after testimony of a fist to the eye and kicks with heavy boots—sending the case to the state Supreme Court.
- A Wife's Testimony Was Enough: Supreme Court Reverses Divorce Denial
The Washington Supreme Court ruled that a wife's own account of cruelty and habitual drunkenness could justify a divorce, reversing a lower court that had dismissed Nellie Lee's case.
- The Doctors Declare War: Seattle's Health Board Orders the Schools Shut as Scarlet Fever Spreads
Backed by a city attorney's opinion, the board of health gives the school board an ultimatum — close the Rainier and South schools by nine o'clock Friday morning or the police will do it for them.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- City Hall Showdown: Council and Reformers Clash Over Charter Revision
A heated joint meeting of the city council and civic organizations debates whether to call a special election for a new city charter, with accusations of bullying and claims of wasted taxpayer money.
- Fifty Shingle Men March Up the Hill—and Back Down Again
Seattle's shingle manufacturers spend a full day fixing prices, then panic and rescind the whole scheme in the final five minutes.
- The Mint Saloon Loses Its License—and City Hall Braces for Court
The council confirmed a new police commissioner, reappointed officials, revoked the Mint Saloon's license over loud legal objections, and set Pike Street on the road to vitrified brick.
- The Dark-Lantern Courthouse Deal That Split Benton County
Two defeated commissioners pushed a $125,000 courthouse bond through in thirty minutes, and Kennewick's editor saw a county-seat conspiracy — and a raid on the taxpayers' treasury.
- The Judge, the Stenographer, and the $2,000 Bill the County Refused to Pay
A Yakima County water-rights trial dragged on for weeks. When the judge tried to stick taxpayers with the stenographer's tab, the state Supreme Court stepped in and said no.
- The Lease a Husband Had No Right to Sign
A Tacoma mercantile firm stopped paying $500-a-month rent, arguing the leased property was community property and the wives had never signed. Washington’s Supreme Court said the lease was not absolutely void—but the tenants had rights too.
- The Treasurer They Refused to Seat
A thousand men packed Seattle's Armory to demand that John W. Maple take office as county treasurer, threatening a tax strike against King County commissioners — until a collection plate emptied the room.
- A Dollar for Three Children: Newport Officers Rescue the Zink Children
After their mother’s death, Maggie, Ruth and Clarence Zink were found underfed and living among loggers; a Spokane children’s home and a Christmas box intervened.
- The Color Line at the Temple: Seattle’s Masonic Order Faces National Backlash
As the Grand Lodge of Washington convenes at the Masonic Temple to debate racial segregation in its ranks, telegrams from across the country reveal a deep national fracture over 'Negro Masonry.'
- The Temple of Thought: Snohomish Builds Its Own Athenaeum
A visiting orator declares the new Snohomish Athenaeum a 'temple of science, literature, and art,' rising from the wilderness to preserve the intellectual legacy of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Tacoma Republicans Who Refused to Knife John McGraw
A Pierce County party committee tried to block the state ticket. A rival Harrison Club fired back with a mule-team metaphor and demanded candidates pledge loyalty.
- Eighth Ward Republicans Revolt Over County Delegate Math
A packed Seattle club meeting denounces the King County Republican committee's apportionment and votes to carry the fight to every ward.
- The Court Could Make Commissioners Act—But Not Tell Them How
A mandamus bid to split Martin's Creek precinct fails, with Judge Lichtenberg ruling the board already acted within the law.
- The Gambler’s Shield: How Seattle Saloon Keepers Dodged Mayor Moras’ Purge
When Chief Justice Burke urged the city to revoke liquor licenses from gambling dens, the Common Council refused—citing legal technicalities and protecting the very establishments the mayor wanted shut down.
- Scarlet Fever Shut Seattle's Schools—Then the Board Cut Teachers' Pay
In May 1895 a health order ended the school year early. The same meeting slashed salaries, eliminated music and drawing, and triggered a board member's furious dissent.
- ‘Rule or Ruin’: A Territorial Lawmaker Turns on Governor Stevens
Confined to his room with a cold, a member of the Washington Territorial Legislature answers his critics — defending his right to name the governor's unpopular appointees and accusing a ruling clique of trying to shut the rest of the territory up.
- The Battle for the Rainier-Grand Hotel
Federal marshals forcibly remove a hotel operator as a bitter legal battle over a lease expiration reaches a breaking point.
- The Letter That Asked: Is Olympia's Street-Tax Ordinance Even Legal?
A citizen signing himself 'Marius' argues that the city's method of charging property owners for street paving and grading violates due process — and warns that if the assessments collapse in court, every taxpayer in town will pay for it.
- The City Council’s Policing Scandal
Seattle’s city leadership sparked outrage in 1886 by refusing to support the Mayor's dismissal of a police officer accused of gross negligence.
- The City Balked at the Price and Walked Away From the Jury
Facing a jury ready to award thousands for a lot Seattle wanted for a street extension, the city's corporation counsel dismissed the condemnation suit rather than pay what he judged too much.
- Sunday Closing Fight Hits the Fruit Fair
Walla Walla's religious organizations challenge the management's decision to keep the local fruit fair open on a Sunday.
Also about this, in other words
- The Labor Movement's Internal Conflict
An AFL organizer condemns 'direct action' agitators, arguing that evolutionary methods are the only path to lasting worker success.
- The Drumbeat of Intervention
As the U.S. leans toward war with Spain, the Adams County News editor scolds local rivals and calls for an immediate, principled recognition of Cuban independence.
- The Whole Thing
A heated clash between a city councilman and the acting mayor erupts over procedural power struggles.
- The Rules of the Game: How Seattle's First Lawyers Codified the Fight for Land
When the Washington Territorial legislature overhauled the rules of civil procedure, they essentially wrote the blueprint for how Seattle’s developers and land speculators would battle over the city’s footprint for decades to come.
- The Campaign to Defeat the Eight-Hour Day
As Washington prepares for a series of initiative votes, a new business-backed league emerges to lobby against labor reforms, starting with the proposed eight-hour workday.
- Washington Moves to Ban Picketing
A legislative act aims to criminalize labor picketing, targeting those who stand near businesses during strikes or disputes.
- The Political Battle Over Washington's Direct Democracy
Employers and labor unions clash over initiative measures aimed at worker protections and corporate regulation.
- The Textbook Battle of 1889
A territorial judge intervenes in a shady school board maneuver, protecting a private contract against a chaotic board meeting.