More Seattle-area seniors seek property tax relief as living costs mount
More Washington homeowners have a chance to save on their property tax bills this year and thousands are taking local governments up on the offer. After a recent state law change, a long-standing property tax break program for older homeowners and people with disabilities is now open to people with higher incomes, making more Washingtonians eligible. Counties across Washington have long offered property tax discounts for low-income homeowners who are at least 61 years old when they apply or unable to work because of a disability. The program exempts homeowners from certain levies. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)
Washington’s ‘parents bill of rights’ law partly on hold
A judge decided Friday to press pause on part of Washington’s new “parents bill of rights” law. It comes as the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington leads a legal challenge to get the law thrown out. The plaintiffs say the measure undermines school-based support for LGBTQ youth, and that the law as written violates the state constitution. The law was created through the state’s initiative process after gaining support from thousands of voters and top Republicans in the state. The Legislature enacted the parents rights initiative, I-2081, alongside two other initiatives earlier this year. Continue reading at KNKX. (Daniel James )
WA mobile home complaints over rent hikes, policies surged in 2023Mobile home residents in Washington filed twice as many complaints to the state alleging unlawful rent increases, unfair policies or maintenance problems in 2023 compared to other recent years, according to the latest report from the Attorney General’s Office. The program’s 2023 report listed an unprecedented 731 complaints from tenants – up 28% from the previous year’s 572 and double the approximately 360 complaints filed in 2019-2021. Landlords also filed three complaints in 2023, down from 10-20 in other years. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Grant Hindsley)
Axios
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Sluggish spring home sales stalk Seattle
Charted: Abortion travel distances, two years after Dobbs
Columbian
Details of the 15 fatal law enforcement shootings in Clark County since 2020
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Everett Herald
Snohomish County to start ‘kicking gas’ in push for all-electric homes
News Tribune
A Puyallup student was assaulted in bathroom stall. Did district disregard warnings?
Puget Sound Business Journal
Deal makes hundreds of First Hill rentals affordable for the long term
Seattle Times
More Seattle-area seniors turn to property tax relief as living costs mount
Yellen announces efforts to boost the housing supply as high prices create a crunch
Skagit Valley Herald
Regional drug task force gives crime stats update
State completes tsunami strategy for Port of Anacortes
Murray, Larsen introduce bill to reauthorize local marine conservation program
Spokesman Review
Spokane County begins planning for 2025 budget; positions and discretionary spending may be cut
To ease the historic trauma of boarding schools with a new campus, the Salish School of Spokane found an unlikely partner: Catholic Charities
WA State Standard
Judge blocks parts of WA’s new parental rights law
WA lands commissioner wary of federal plan to kill thousands of owls
At one of Washington’s oldest newspapers, deep cuts and an uncertain future
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
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KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Redmond police are using drones to respond to 911 calls
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Parts of Washington state parental rights law criticized as a ‘forced outing’ placed on hold
Jury awards more than $13 million to ultramarathon athlete injured in fall on a Seattle sidewalk
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Used electric vehicle prices plummet in Seattle, falling below gas cars
Washington drivers face hefty fines for dummy passengers in HOV lanes
Seattle Public Library begins network restoration after ‘ransomware event’
KNKX Public Radio
Washington’s ‘parents bill of rights’ law partly on hold
Forest preservation plan that maintains logging still angers industry
In their own words: What young people wish they’d known about social media
KUOW Public Radio
Seattle’s surprising place for housing bargains: Downtown
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KXLY (ABC)
Spokane gas prices continue steady decline, down almost a dollar since last year
Washington Insurance Commissioner asks insurance companies to extend benefits for wildfire vicitms
FOX13 TV
Wind-driven fire burns down 3 homes in Washington’s Douglas County
Web
Crosscut
WA mobile home complaints over rent hikes, policies surged in 2023
MyNorthwest
Attacks against Community Transit drivers reveal potential troubling trend
King County deputy found not guilty of assault after allegedly punching handcuffed suspect
West Seattle Blog
UPDATE: 2 people shot at Duwamish Head, 1 man dead