Washington
Washington’s ferry system steers toward less choppy waters | HeraldNet.com
Leaders of Washington State Ferries know their navigation of the nation’s largest public ferry system is frustrating those most reliant upon it.
Riders want stable service at levels they enjoyed before the pandemic. It’s not been possible with a lack of boats and too few workers continuing to cause delays and canceled sailings.
But in a community meeting Monday afternoon, the agency’s top brass sought to convey hope to 200 participants that the collective ship is moving, slowly, in a better direction.
Hiring of new employees is outpacing those retiring or leaving and a process for building five new hybrid-electric vessels is finally launched.
“A year ago we were in crisis. Now, we’re in recovery,” said Steve Nevey, the new assistant secretary for Washington State Ferries. “None of the challenges we face are easy. It’s going to take time to get the system where it needs to be.”
He and a half-dozen other agency executives spent most of the two-hour public meeting Monday answering questions on topics ranging from the building of those hybrid-electric ferries to drivers cutting boarding lines to efforts to restore service on all routes.
One positive sign is cancellations dropped from 1,128 in the first quarter of 2023 to 493 in the same period this year. Two weeks ago, the system went a full week without a canceled sailing due to a lack of crew, which had not happened in months, ferries officials said.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it but help is on the way,” said John Vezina, director of planning, customer and government relations.
The ferry system has 21 car-carrying vessels in its fleet, of which 15 are presently in service on a reduced schedule. Five aging boats are undergoing maintenance and one is in drydock for conversion to hybrid-electric propulsion.
Those five new hybrid-electric boats are critical. Last month, the agency began a search for potential builders as Washington will accept bids from shipyards nationwide for the first time in more than half a century.
As envisioned, bids are due in January with one or more contracts getting awarded in February 2025. To get boats delivered faster, the state is prepared to split the contract between two low bidders so that two shipyards could go to work simultaneously.
This could get two vessels delivered as soon as 2028 – still a full decade since the state last added new ferries to its fleet. Those first two ferries will serve the Clinton/Mukilteo and Seattle/Bremerton routes.
Why those routes? They are shorter and are better set up for charging infrastructure, and to access the requisite utilities, officials said during Monday’s meeting.
As for the cost, Matt von Ruden, who oversees the ferries electrification program, said it is estimated it will take between $230 million and $275 million to build each boat “but the market will determine the cost.” The Legislature has set aside $1.3 billion for the purchase.
With a competitive bidding process anticipated, he said he is confident the final price offer “will be the best cost.”
Some participating in the virtual meeting asked if it would be quicker to build diesel-powered ferries like ones on the water now. The simple answer is “no,” said Nevey.
“We don’t have a design right now. We’d have to start a design from the start,” he said. Lawmakers would need to change the law – the state ferry system is operating under a directive to electrify its fleet – and provide funding, he said.
“It is not faster. Hybrid-electrics is the quickest path to getting new ferries,” he said.
One of the first subjects broached was what more can be done to curb the criminal act of ferry line-cutting by drivers. It is a traffic infraction and can result in a $139 ticket.
But that’s only if a law enforcement officer sees it happen. Ferry employees are not empowered to issue tickets, Vezina said.
“We all know because we’ve all seen it. We are constrained by state law of what we can do,” Vezina said. Hopefully, those who follow the rules can take a deep breath when it happens and “accept there are people who are going to do this.”
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WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office released video of deputies using a drone to track down a man wanted for damaging a car.
On Saturday, May 30, a 911 caller reported a man damaging a car outside their home on Southwest 179th Avenue in Aloha. The sheriff’s office said it was reported the suspect, 21-year-old Santos Paulino Castro-Ramirez, was punching the car.
Deputies used a drone to follow the suspect as he ran toward Southwest Barcelona Lane. The sheriff’s office said Castro-Ramirez then entered a white SUV that did not belong to him on SW Barcelona.
Deputies arrested Castro-Ramirez. He was booked into the Washington County Jail for first-degree burglary and attempt to commit a crime – second-degree theft.
Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
Beirut, Lebanon – On Tuesday, representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC – the first session of a two-day round of negotiations that Lebanese negotiators hope will end an invasion of their country.
The negotiations, which started at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), come as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon pushes deeper than at any point since the year 2000 and as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade attacks. Israel has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
With the war raging on, what do Lebanon and Israel have to discuss and will the talks lead to an end of the Israeli assault?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What will Israel and Lebanon discuss?
Similar to past meetings, the two sides are ostensibly looking to come to some kind of deal following fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with strong doubts it will be achieved.
Lebanon’s government is still pushing for a total ceasefire. However, as talks started, Israel was striking various parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon is also trying to get Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south, so that more than 1.2 million displaced people can return home, and so the state can resume finding a way to disarm Hezbollah and rebuild areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
Israel is meanwhile looking to get assurances that Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, a prospect analysts say Israel knows is complicated by the continuation of its military operations and occupation of swaths of southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel appears to be trying to fuel sectarian tensions inside Lebanon, leading to chaos and internal strife.
What has happened so far?
An initial meeting took place in April between Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States. A second round took place in May with a larger delegation on both sides.
On Friday, a meeting took place with Lebanese and Israeli military representatives, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, is not involved in the meetings.
Israel claimed the two sides found common ground in that they both wanted to see Hezbollah disarmed. Some Israeli officials suggested there may soon be trade agreements and an exchange of tourists between the two countries. Lebanon, however, said it preferred to find a deal closer to the 1949 armistice agreement between the two countries.
In the last meeting, Beirut reportedly outlined the damage done by Israeli attacks since the 2024 ceasefire agreement and presented detailed maps showing homes destroyed or razed by Israel.
Is there a chance for a ceasefire?
That remains to be seen, but for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military would continue attacking Lebanon.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced that attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would resume, despite a ceasefire. Apart from two targeted attacks, Israel has not struck the suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, since April.
Iran, which has attempted to include Lebanon in a wider ceasefire between themselves, on one side, and Israel and the US on the other, then intervened by threatening to attack northern Israel.
US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to stop Israel’s attacks. He announced another ceasefire, after his previous announcement of one between Israel and Lebanon on April 16, after claiming he had gotten the approval of Netanyahu and spoken to Hezbollah.
“There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.
But attacks from Israel and Hezbollah are continuing.
How do Lebanese people feel about the talks?
Not everyone is on the same page.
Some Lebanese support the talks and say they are the only option the state, which has little leverage, has. Among those who believe direct talks are the best way forward are Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“There is no option other than negotiation,” Aoun said in a statement on Tuesday.
Others, however, oppose direct talks. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies, Hezbollah, have said indirect talks are preferred and that negotiations cannot be conducted while attacks are ongoing.
How are Iran and the US connected?
Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, killing the country’s longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is Hezbollah’s primary benefactor, and two days after Khamenei’s assassination, Hezbollah fired six rockets towards Israel on 2 March.
Hezbollah’s response brought a huge response from Israel, who have crossed the Litani River – the supposed buzzer zone in southern Lebanon it had created – towards the Zahrani River.
Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel had never stopped attacking Lebanon, while Hezbollah had only responded once in December 2024.
Iran has attempted to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal it has with the United States and Israel, who say this theatre is not part of the agreement.
Although Trump has now announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel twice, the invasion of southern Lebanon continues.
Are there other actors involved?
Gulf states have also intervened. Saudi Arabia has been working behind the scenes to get Lebanon’s leadership – Aoun, Salam and Berri – on the same page. Meanwhile, analysts say Saudi Arabia and Qatar engaged the Trump administration to stop an escalation in Lebanon.
The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 1 drawing
02-42-47-57-58, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 1 drawing
11
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 1 drawing
8-6-0
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Winning Match 4 numbers from June 1 drawing
07-08-09-18
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Winning Hit 5 numbers from June 1 drawing
03-10-28-32-33
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Winning Keno numbers from June 1 drawing
04-05-08-14-16-17-23-24-27-28-31-32-38-43-45-47-51-58-65-66
Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from June 1 drawing
05-09-10-15-21-26
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 1 drawing
02-07-35-44-57, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
Olympia Headquarters
Everett Regional Office
Federal Way Office
Spokane Department of Imagination
Vancouver Office
Tri-Cities Regional Office
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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