Residents of the Puget Sound region know that December in Western Washington is a pretty wet affair. Parents may not feel super excited to take their kids outside for hours on end. But a growing number of preschools make it their mission to educate kids outside, even in the sogginess of a Pacific Northwest winter. And one scientist from Washington State University is trying to measure possible health benefits from outdoor play.

Felicia Dixon is 33 years old and has been incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women since 2004. That’s a long time to not be able to use the internet. Washington prevents people in prison from using the web because of security concerns. Dixon entered prison before social media really took off.

High rates of mental illness. Younger involvement in the juvenile justice system. A higher likelihood of being homeless as a young adult. Those are some of the troubling findings of a recent report examining outcomes for youth, especially girls, involved in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems in Washington.

There's been a steep increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness in Washington in the past decade, and research shows that students without stable housing often struggle in school. Now, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said she plans to introduce a bill aimed at helping these students.

Since 2012, the number of children in foster care in Washington has climbed more than 20 percent , with almost 9,000 kids and teens currently in out-of-home placements. The state lacks enough foster homes and some foster children have had to sleep in hotels . A new initiative in the Puget Sound region called Fostering Family aims to raise awareness and let people and businesses know about different ways to help.

In recent years, there’s been growing attention to the issue of food insecurity on college campuses, as more students from low-income backgrounds enroll. According to research, food insecurity is associated with lower grades, poorer health and conditions such as depression . Seattle Pacific University, a Christian university based in the North Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, has been selected to take part in a pilot program to offer free meals to students in need .

The abrupt closure of the Art Institute of Seattle earlier this year caused upheaval for hundreds of students. That’s not the only higher-education institution to close in recent years – the for-profit ITT Technical Institute had three campuses in Washington and shut down in 2016 . Now, three state agencies have created a centralized complaint portal where postsecondary students can report concerns.

When you think of the big drivers of Washington's economy, the first things that come to mind may be the state’s corporate behemoths such as Boeing, Microsoft or Amazon. But in a new report , the University of Washington is highlighting its role as an economic engine.

Julia and Nancy Glen grew up in Tacoma. Now, the sisters have captured their love for the city in a new illustrated children’s book, " Tacoma Adventures ."

Back in 1988, the Seattle school district had a problem on its hands. Black third graders were underperforming their white classmates in reading by 29 percentage points. It was a glaring disparity, and it was getting attention. That’s the year that Keisha Scarlett started at Garfield High School in Seattle. Today Keisha is still at Seattle Public Schools, and so is the disparity — in fact, the gap has gotten even bigger.