On July 24, 1994, lightning ignites a forest fire in the Wenatchee National Forest at Tyee Creek that will burn for 33 days before it is contained. The fire destroys 35 homes and cabins, but many more...
On August 20, 1994, the first issue of Real Change, Puget Sound's Newspaper for the Poor and Homeless, hits the streets in Seattle. It is sold by licensed vendors who are, for the most part, themselve...
In the fall of 1994, the Washington grain train begins rolling. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington State Energy Office have purchased and repaired 29 used rai...
On September 30, 1994, the City of Newport Hills (later Newcastle) takes form. Residents of Newport Hills had voted to incorporate as a city on November 2, 1993. This became the fifth new city in King...
On October 27, 1994, the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board adopts Resolution EB-94-01, ending the search for a new airport site to supplement Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport,...
On October 31, 1994, Gary Zarker takes over as Superintendent of Seattle City Light. Mayor Norm Rice nominated Zarker after the resignation of Superintendent Roberta Palm Bradley, who had the job for ...
On November 8, 1994, Washington voters re-elect Republican Slade Gorton (b. 1928) to his seat in the U.S. Senate. As part of a nationwide Republican landslide, five of the state's incumbent Democratic...
On November 18, 1994, the Metropolitan King County Council approves a new Comprehensive Plan to guide and regulate growth and land development in the county. The Plan is one of many measures required...
On December 21, 1994, Federal District Court Judge William L. Dwyer (1929-2002) upholds the Northwest Forest Plan, in a key National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) court decision. The case has import...
On December 21, 1994, President Bill Clinton announces the Northwest Forest Plan has met legal standards. "The plan approved today will provide for a sustainable level of timber harvesting, while prot...
When Martin Pang sets fire to his parents' Chinese frozen-food warehouse on the night of January 5, 1995, the blaze kills four Seattle Fire Department firefighters, the worst loss of life in SFD histo...
On January 28, 1995, the Regional Transit Authority commences a public demonstration of commuter rail service between Everett, Seattle, Kent, and Tacoma, which is part of a proposed "Sound Move" plan ...
On January 30, 1995, the Kirkland Library opens in its new location, which is adjacent to its old location in Peter Kirk Park. The new facility, built at a cost of $4.2 million and designed by Zi...
On March 9, 1995, Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro (1943-2025) joins with Governor Mike Lowry (1939-2017) to launch a "Free Lolita!" campaign. Lolita, a killer whale, or orca, has been h...
On March 14, 1995, voters approve reopening Seattle's Pine Street to vehicular traffic by a 60 percent majority. The street has been closed between 4th and 5th avenues since 1990 and used by pedestria...
On March 14, 1995, voters in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties reject a $6.7 billion regional transit plan. The Regional Transit Authority proposal for rail and bus transit improvements win majorit...
On March 22, 1995, Group Health nurses, organized by 1199 Northwest, engage in a one-day walkout. Group Health management responds by informing the nurses they are not to report to work for a week, w...
On April 28, 1995, John W. Marshall and Christine Deavel open a bookstore in Seattle devoted exclusively to poetry and poetry-related titles. Open Books: A Poem Emporium is one of two such bookstores ...
In May 1995, scientists from Seattle's Hope Heart Institute publish the results of studies proving that so-called "healing cells" found on the inside walls of artificial arteries come from the bloodst...
On July 12, 1995, The Seattle Times reports that agreement is near between the Muckleshoot Tribe and the City of Seattle in which the tribe agrees to give up its claim to the 151-acre surplussed naval...
In July 1995, Group Health Cooperative launches an automated appointment, registration, and patient accounting system. The system solves the daunting problem of serving hundreds of thousands of consum...
On July 21, 1995, opponents of a controversial law that would restrict land-use regulation and require government to pay for reduced property values caused by some regulations submit more than 230,000...
On July 21, 1995, some 400 artists, students, faculty, staff, friends, and family converge at the Pilchuck Glass School outside Stanwood in Snohomish County to celebrate a school milestone: 25 years o...
On August 10, 1995 a funeral and memorial service is held for State Senator Calvin "Cal" Anderson (1948-1995). Anderson, Washington's first openly gay state legislator, died on August 4 from an AIDS-r...