On September 27, 2002, the Pacific Maritime Association, representing shipping and stevedoring employers, closes all 29 ports on the West Coast during a contract dispute with the International Longsho...
On September 29, 2002, Gertrude Murphy (1903-2002) dies at the age of 99. She was the last resident of Lester, a small community located along the upper Green River, near Stampede Pass.
On November 1, 2002, King County Executive Ron Sims announces that, due to budget cuts, 24 county parks are scheduled for closure today. Five of these parks are to remain closed unless ownership is tr...
On November 5, 2002, the Chief Seattle Council, Boy Scouts of America, revokes the membership of Assistant Scoutmaster Darrell Lambert, who had declared himself an atheist. Lambert is an Eagle Scout a...
On November 5, 2002, Washington voters soundly reject the state Legislature's Referendum 51 transportation plan and gas-tax increase while narrowly approving Tim Eyman's Initiative 776, which caps sta...
On November 15, 2002, state Senator Jim West (1951-2006) from Spokane is named Senate majority leader. In the previous session, West had been the Senate minority leader, but in the fall elections the ...
On December 13, 2002, the United States Army Corps of Engineers issues to the Port of Seattle a 404 Permit to begin filling wetlands within the area designated for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport...
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia breaks up over Texas during its return to Cape Kennedy from a 16-day scientific mission in orbit. All seven astronauts aboard perish, including pilot US...
On February 15, 2003, thousands of citizens join an enormous march from Seattle Center to the International District to protest plans for war against Iraq. Estimates of the number of Seattle participa...
On March 4, 2003, the City of Pasco apologizes to artists Sharon Rupp and Janette Hopper, the culmination of lawsuit brought by the artists after their works submitted for display at Pasco City Hall a...
On March 16, 2003, at approximately 4:45 p.m., an Israeli army bulldozer runs over Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), who stood in the way of...
On March 31, 2003, Spokane Valley instantly becomes the state's ninth largest city when incorporation becomes official. The new city, which encompasses a number of communities and districts between Sp...