April 30, 2026 at 9:47 am Gov. Bob Ferguson has agreed to a $4,000 settlement to resolve an ethics probe into his decision to invite a former top aide to fly with him on a state plane last year. Under the proposed stipulated settlement with the Washington State Executive Ethics Board, Ferguson agreed to pay the civil penalty, with $2,000 suspended, as long as he commits no violations of ethics laws for two years. The board in January found “reasonable cause” to believe Ferguson had violated state ethics law by bringing Mike Webb, his longtime former aide, on a State Patrol aircraft last June during an official visit to the Tri-Cities. Webb, the governor’s former chief strategy officer and trusted political adviser, was not a state employee at the time. He had resigned last March after allegations that he’d created a hostile workplace for some women in the governor’s office.…