Hogtying people soon to be outlawed in Washington; Spokane police already abandoned controversial practice
Hogtying people could soon be banned in Washington with a bill headed for the governor’s desk. This year’s legislation draws from the death of 33-year-old Manuel Ellis, who told Tacoma police he couldn’t breathe after they hogtied him face down on the sidewalk in 2020. The bill unanimously sailed through the Senate in early February before securing an 89-7 vote in the House on Feb. 28. Following amendments in the House, the Senate granted approval on Monday and sent the bill to the governor. Continue reading at The Spokesman Review. (Jesse Tinsley)
Big bills, tense debates, lawmaker departures: Takeaways from Washington state’s 2024 legislative session
Washington’s 60-day legislative session has ended. Spirits were high in Olympia Thursday as lawmakers adjourned “sine die.” Several new policies and millions of new dollars are going toward core issues like schools and behavioral health, including increases in special education funding and support for tribes leading the response to the state’s opioid crisis. Democrats also approved a slate of firearm legislation and a utility and natural gas bill that stirred up controversy in the final days. Continue reading at KUOW. (NW News Network)
WA Legislature revs up plan to electrify 10,000 school buses
Washington is poised to start transitioning its more than 10,000 school buses from diesel to electric, to cut the carbon pollution getting into kids’ lungs and our environment. “It is as much about healthy kids as it is for the environment. … I understand the anxiety about this big change, but we can’t wait any longer. Our children’s future depends on this,” said Rep Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, who introduced House Bill 1368 to make this commitment to switch from diesel to electric school buses. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Amanda Snyder)
Capital Press
Seattle solar company seeks to sidestep Eastern Washington county
Columbian
Daylight saving begins soon. When will it ever end?
Patients could face out-of-network costs if Legacy Health, Regence negotiations fail
New projects headed for Southwest Washington as lawmakers approve capital budget (Stonier)
Everett Herald
How did Snohomish County lawmakers’ bills fare in Olympia? (Cortes, Ortiz-Self, Liias)
After culvert bursts, 23 Tulalip Reservation residents stranded
Everett police seek $300K for controversial gunshot detection sensors
‘Outpouring of support’: Trooper’s memorial, motorcade set for Everett
Mining company appeals closure, says site near Everett school not ‘unsafe’
Letter: Thanks to lawmakers for passing octopus farming ban (Peterson)
News Tribune
WA lawmakers fall short on housing as 2024 legislative session adjourns (Heck, Jinkins, Billig, Hunt)
WA lawmakers OK supplemental capital budget. Here are some funded Tacoma-area projects
Peninsula Daily News
Nearly $5M in state proposal for Sequim CTE project (Tharinger, Wellman)
Puget Sound Business Journal
SBA’s Lender Match tool gets upgrade
Share of small-business owners with $100K-plus in debt rises
Seattle Times
Most WA courts aren’t requiring mandatory fees from convicted sex buyers (Orwall)
WA Legislature wraps up with bills on the cutting room floor, half of initiatives cleared (Jinkins, Fitzgibbon, Ormsby, Nguyen, Mullet)
Opinion: Our traffic safety culture is broken. Working together will fix it
Editorial: Seattle City Council sets boundaries on protests. It’s about time
Spokesman Review
Washington’s 2024 legislative session wrapped up Thursday. Here’s a look at how the day went (Billig, Ormsby)
Hogtying people soon to be outlawed in Washington; Spokane police already abandoned controversial practice (Mena, Trudeau)
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Traffic concerns chief for residents at briefing on Walla Walla tax increment area
Wenatchee World
Washington Court of Appeals upholds Confluence Health COVID-19 vaccine lawsuit dismissal
Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Council removes two advisory committees from city government, changes 3 others
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Yes, Washington still observes Daylight Saving Time – here’s why
Democrats, Republicans say there’s reason to celebrate 2024 session (Jinkins)
PNW colleges see ‘explosive’ increase of students enrolling in environmental studies
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Downtown leaders rally for a transformative 2024 amid drug crisis challenges
Report highlights issues with delayed justice in King County’s sexual assault cases
How will Washington’s new Parents Bill of Rights impact your student’s privacy? (Santos)
Narcan could be available to counter fentanyl overdoses at every WA public school (Kuderer)
KUOW Public Radio
Here are the big takeaways from WA’s 2024 legislative session (Billig, Mullet, Van De Wege, Dhingra, Kuderer, Randall, Bateman, Riccelli)
King County Council members push back on criticism over handling of asylum-seeker crisis
As asylum-seekers flow into Washington, state lawmakers earmark $32.7 million for housing, immigration services
Web
Crosscut
WA Legislature revs up plan to electrify 10,000 school buses (Senn, Wellman, Nguyen)