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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 26 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 13 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 16 |
| 1889 | 26 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 33 |
| 1892 | 57 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 42 |
| 1895 | 86 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 20 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 8 |
| 1909 | 33 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
560 stories matching approv
- The Attorney General’s Power Grab
A critique of Attorney General Jones’s refusal to approve the bonds of the state land commissioners, arguing he has overstepped his constitutional authority.
- The Populist Takes the County Treasury
After a long bond fight, J. W. Maple finally took control of King County's money—and the temporary treasurer resigned rather than stand in the way.
- Uncle Sam Sells a Fort: Fort Townsend Is Set Adrift as Seattle Angles for the Garrison
President Cleveland approves transferring the old military reservation to the Interior Department for sale, clearing the way for a new post at Magnolia Bluff.
- Tacoma Sealed Its Waterfront Deal With a Telegram
The city council approved a tide-land plat after railroad and land-company officials promised rights-of-way and waterways—over dissenters who wanted more than long-distance assurances.
- Tacoma Council Refuses Wright’s $100,000 Water Bond
A standoff between the city and a private contractor over water bonds and 'raids' on piping infrastructure.
- Federal Control Tightens Over Indian Land Income
A new government order mandates that lease money from Indigenous lands be held in restricted accounts, limiting how landowners can access their own funds.
- A Streetcar Franchise on the Line Over Naphtha Power
A citizen charges the Olympia street railway is violating its charter with an unsafe naphtha motor and neglected trackwork at Fifth and Main.
- Voters Approve New Columbia Irrigation District
Kennewick community moves to take control of private canal systems to secure agricultural future.
- The Corruption of the City Council
Mayor John N. Nickols of Tacoma is arrested and indicted for soliciting a $10,000 bribe to approve ordinances ratifying city contracts.
- City Council Refuses to Pay Artist for Civic Illustrations
A local disagreement over the value of public records erupts into a debate about the council's reliance on 'malignant' journalism.
- Voters Approve Bridge and Sewer Bonds
Tacoma voters select nine councilmen and approve massive public works spending during a low-turnout election.
- The Governor Vetoes the Anti-Vivisection Bill
Washington's governor refuses to sign a sweeping ban on animal dissection in public schools, arguing that medical progress and anatomy lessons depend on it.
- The Unauthorized County Hospital Scandal
Taxpayers sue King County officials for constructing a hospital on the county farm without voter approval or budget authority.
- The Most Expensive School Bus in Washington
A railroad foreman in School District No. 32 gets a creative, if costly, solution for his son's commute.
- Washington’s Delegation Divided Over New Federal Military Expansion
As Congress approves a billion-dollar, five-year military preparedness program, Washington State representatives split their votes amid concerns over regional equity and industrial policy.
- Newport Wins a Court District—Now It Needs the Judge's Signature
Stevens County commissioners vote to split the county in two and name Newport as the eastern district's court town, contingent on Judge D. H. Carey's approval and a promised city hall.
- The Fight for the Sunnyside Belt Line
Residents are firing back at rumors of railroad abandonment, insisting their fertile soil promises a profitable future for the Northern Pacific.
- Governor McGraw Says No to Cheap Textbooks and a Cascade Road
Washington’s governor vetoes a state textbook scheme and a Naches Pass road appropriation, warning that both would waste public money—and that cheap books are not the same as good ones.
- The Great Legal Squabble of 1871
A simmering territorial dispute over the 'Big Wigs'—the lawyers and judges—debating exactly when a law becomes a law.
- The Power to Seize: A New Law reshapes Seattle
A sweeping new state law gives cities unprecedented authority to condemn private property for public projects, fundamentally changing the relationship between the city and its citizens.
- The Great Olympic Club Schism
A power struggle over prizefighting and instructor hiring tears Seattle’s athletic club in two.
- The Woman They Unseated: A Contested Election in Port Angeles
A Populist woman won the county school superintendent's race, a judge ruled her election illegal, and a filing deadline left the door open for her return.
- The Centennial Lottery Gamble
In 1876, the Washington Territorial Legislature authorized a public lottery to fund a wagon road across the Cascade Mountains, marking a desperate and creative approach to frontier infrastructure.
- The Lottery That Wasn't: A Commissioner's Moral Standoff in 1876 Seattle
While the county board approved a gambling license for Val Wildman to fund a road project, one commissioner filed a formal protest, declaring the legislature's authority void and refusing to legitimize vice.
- The Wage War at City Hall
Mayor Boyd locks horns with the city attorney over a mandatory $2.25 daily wage for city contract workers.