Politics
Washington state mask mandate ends March 21
Gov. Jay Inslee announced lifting the order after seeing COVID-19 cases consistently decline for weeks.
Melissa Santos
Melissa Santos is formerly a Crosscut staff reporter who covered state politics and the Legislature. She came to Crosscut from The Seattle Times editorial board, where she wrote columns and opinion pi
Latest work
Politics
Banning toxic chemicals in cosmetics moves forward in WA
'This is a banned chemical, it's a known carcinogen — and here we are putting it on the faces of women.'
Politics
Adding pot shops to improve social equity hits snag in WA Legislature
To help more people of color enter the legal pot industry, some want the state to allow more cannabis stores to open. But in Olympia, the plan is a tough sell.
Politics
How big a makeover does WA redistricting need?
The process the state uses to redraw its political districts could get more transparent. But some say bigger changes are needed.
Politics
New WA police accountability laws likely to see change
Tweaks aim to address police claims that the new laws were confusing, but families of police shooting victims say changes would roll back reforms.