Lawmakers to take on fentanyl, housing in Inslee’s final legislative session
Lawmakers return to Olympia today to address housing, climate change and the fentanyl crisis in an abbreviated legislative session that marks Jay Inslee’s final one as governor. During a session preview this week, the Democratic governor described climate as the biggest long-term issue he wants to address this session. He referenced his six grandchildren and his fear about what the environment will look like when they’re his age. Continue reading at Associated Press. (Lindsey Wasson)
Recycling 101: What to know about sorting in King County
Got questions about recycling that fresh-fruit packaging or envelopes with plastic windows? We’ve got answers. Times editorial board members and Opinion columnists Melissa Davis and Josh Farley made a malodorous examination of what happens to King County’s recyclables. They both grew up with bottle deposits and came away with revelations to solve family disputes about what is actually recyclable and only aspirationally so. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Josh Farley)
‘Co-Living’ bill would revive a nearly extinct affordable housing type in Washington cities
Should cities in Washington state allow people to live in small rooms with shared kitchens and sometimes shared bathrooms? That’s a question state lawmakers will consider in a hearing on Monday, Jan. 8. Sixty years ago, people in Seattle could rent tiny apartments, just big enough for a bed and a little sitting area. A few older buildings like that burned down, and in the 1970s and 80s, many cities made them illegal. State Rep. Mia Gregerson, a SeaTac Democrat, wants to bring them back, so that people on limited incomes can live near their jobs again. Continue reading at KUOW. (Joshua McNichols)
Associated Press
Lawmakers to take on fentanyl, housing in Inslee’s final legislative session (Jinkins, Wellman, Trudeau, Doglio)
Aberdeen Daily World
Coastal lawmakers meet in Aberdeen ahead of session (Van De Wege, Tharinger, Chapman)
Axios
Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX-9 planes grounded globally after hole torn open midflight
Fentanyl, housing, highways top Washington lawmakers’ agenda (Jinkins, Liias, Fitzgibbon)
Bainbridge Island Review
Public safety must be a priority, legislators say (Liias, Jinkins)
Bellingham Herald
As overdoses surge, here’s where to get Narcan and how to use it to help save a life
Overdose fatalities surged in Whatcom County in 2023. How many involved fentanyl?
Alaska Airlines grounds all Boeing 737 Max-9s after hole blows open in cabin during flight
Columbian
Cap-and-trade, climate change return to the 2024 WA Legislature (Doglio, Mullet)
Everett Herald
Boeing seeks a safety-rule exemption on 737 Max jets
What’s on the agenda for Snohomish County legislators? (Robinson, Liias, Lovick, Berg, Cortes)
Comment: Do public officials control own social media spaces?
Editorial: Finland model for state to reduce traffic deaths (Liias, Lovick)
The Inlander
What to look forward to in Washington’s upcoming legislative session (Riccelli, Billig)
Journal of the San Juan Islands
Open Letter to Senator Lovelett (Lovelett)
News Tribune
Washington state facing an increase in spread of the new coronavirus variant, flu and RSV
New York Times
The Income Gap Jeopardizing Retirement for Millions
Olympian
2024 WA LEGISLATURE PREVIEW: Q&A WITH STATE LAWMAKERS. ASK YOUR QUESTIONS (Billig)
Peninsula Daily News
State sees rise in overdose deaths
Family grieves after fentanyl deaths
Puget Sound Business Journal
Alaska Airlines grounds 65 Boeing jets, cancels flights after blowout
Construction in for a ‘mixed’ 2024 as spending slows in private sector
Salish Current
Legislator priorities in the 40th and 42nd Districts: mental health, housing and more (Shewmake, Rule, Timmons, Ramel)
Seattle Times
Harrell wants to revise Fort Lawton housing plan by adding units
From a state clam to car tab discounts, lawmakers’ agenda takes shape (Fitzgibbon, Mena, Nguyen)
So many bills, so little time: What to watch in the WA Legislature’s 2024 short session (Jinkins, Billig, Liias)
Editorial: WA must stay the course on culvert removal to save salmon
Editorial: The 2024 legislative session: A packed agenda in a busy political year
Opinion: Rise in homelessness reflects a governance crisis
Opinion: Recycling 101: What to know about sorting in King County (Fey, Berry)
Spokesman Review
Washington’s right-to-counsel law alters the eviction process
As Washington’s pandemic protections ended, evictions soared
Spin Control: Here’s how to keep tabs on the upcoming legislative session
Washington state’s legislature convenes Monday. What’s in store this year? (Robinson, Billig)
‘Exponential change brought to life’: How educators are using artificial intelligence to teach
Opinion: An essential resource for our schools
Tri-City Herald
WA suspends license of owner of 4 Tri-Cities massage parlors over felony charges
Washington taxpayers paid nearly $700,000 for boulders to deter return to encampments
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
WSF drops ferry restoration plan, now estimates 2028 for resuming full service
Washington Post
Why decades of progress in cars’ fuel efficiency is ending
Yellow school buses are going green with a $1 billion investment
WA State Standard
Washington Legislature will kick off 2024 session today
WA not meeting Medicaid lead testing requirements for kids, audit finds
Wenatchee World
2 flu deaths reported in Chelan, Douglas counties
Modern Policing | De-escalation, mental health and body cameras
Whidbey News-Times
Bill targets military housing tax exemption
Yakima Herald-Republic
Filipino Community Hall in Wapato now on National Register of Historic Places
Yakama Nation Fisheries receives grant funding to realign highway near Leavenworth
Mobile home park residents near Moxee raise concerns about water and cost increases
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Washington State Ferries releases contingency plans for when new vessels may arrive
Flight delays, cancellations impact hundreds of travelers at SEA after 737 Max 9 grounding
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Local impact worsens as FAA grounds 737s in response to Boeing MAX emergency landing
Year-round standard time, public safety, and more: What’s on the table for state lawmakers in 2024 (Dhingra)
Muslim community mourns rideshare driver and ‘relentless volunteer’ who was gunned down in Edmonds
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
‘Everyone is fed up’: North Seattle encampment returns months after city outreach efforts to clear it
KUOW Public Radio
FAFSA delays are straining families and colleges
New mental health teams are hitting the streets in downtown Seattle alongside police
‘Co-Living’ bill would revive a nearly extinct affordable housing type in Washington cities
‘Astonishing’ increase in car theft charges as juvenile criminal cases surge in King County
(Gregerson)
WA lawmakers lay out priorities heading into 2024 session as ballot initiatives loom (Jinkins, Ormsby)
Washington State Ferries confirms passenger fears: Service disruptions will continue for years
NW Public Radio
Reactions from PNW on nationwide directive to protect old-growth forests
Web
Cascadia Daily News
Salmon, agriculture among Whatcom executive’s priorities in next 4 years
Opinion: ABC Recycling’s scrap metal plan: 30 jobs at what cost?
Crosscut
The Washington Legislature kicks off today. Here’s what to watch (Robinson, Ormsby, Jinkins, Trudeau, Liias)