WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Monday, July 7

Armida Rivera at a neighborhood clean-up event with the Latino Community Fund along the Yakima Greenway in Yakima on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Emree Weaver for Cascade PBS)
In Yakima, COVID-era farmworker strikes continue to have impact
It was workers’ rights activism on a scale not seen in decades in the Yakima Valley, and it galvanized public goodwill and support. Five years later, it’s still having an effect. More farmworkers now realize how influential their voices can be, said Edgar Franks, political director of Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, a farmworker union based in the Skagit Valley. Franks and his union colleagues assisted Yakima-area workers during the 2020 strikes. “We always understood policy isn’t eno ugh,” he said. “Sometimes you need people on the ground to make things happen.” Continue reading at Cascade PBS. (Emree Weaver)


KXLY
Washingtonians may see credit score boost as medical debt removed from reports
Washington residents may see their credit scores improve this year following new legislation that removes medical debt from credit reporting.The bipartisan law, signed in April, eliminates medical debt from credit score calculations in Washington state. “Medical debt accounted for over 50 percent of all credit collections so now that medical debt isn’t impacting credit reports any longer it allows everyone to have more access to positive financial products,” said Jessica Golladay, vice president of consumer underwriting at STCU. Continue reading at KXLY. (KXLY)


Data: Learning Policy Institute; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios
Washington state schools left waiting for $137M in federal funds
States are missing billions in federal education funding that was expected to be accessible on July 1 but has yet to be released by the Trump administration. Why it matters: In Washington state, an estimated $137 million is being withheld, which amounts to 15.6% of the state’s federal K–12 education funding, according to the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The big picture: The Department of Education’s funding delay has exacerbated the uncertainty for after-school, summer and other programs, leaving schools in limbo, advocates and policy experts say. Continue reading at Axios. (Kavya Behera)


Print

Axios
Seattleites divided on digital kiosks in public spaces
Trump bill’s health effects won’t be felt until after midterms
Washington state schools left waiting for $137M in federal funds
Washington state braces for SNAP cuts under Trump spending bill

Capital Press
Yakima irrigation outlook steady, but steadily poor
Declaration of Independence stands the test of time
Washington court sets hearing on cap-and-trade suit
Agriculture secretary pledges quick action on farm labor
Agencies cancel re-do of Columbia River system environmental impact statement

The Daily News
Mississippi, Columbia rivers grain exporters join forces
Cowlitz County has 122 service providers. Can Longview help fill gaps, overlap?
After six years, 32K boulders and $172M, Columbia River jetty rehab almost done

Everett Herald
New report highlights child care challenges in Snohomish County (Cortes)
Comment: Keep county’s public lands in the public’s hands
Editorial: Dire results will follow end of LGBTQ+ crisis line

International Examiner
Chinatown-ID prepares for influx of hundreds of thousands of soccer fans attending FIFA in 2026
Tuyen Than, the new Executive Director of the CID Business Improvement Area, is here to build reciprocal community in the neighborhood through its challenges and opportunities

Kirkland Reporter
King County jail audit finds issues in behavioral health services

News Tribune

Americans get ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ tax cuts
It was supposed to be Tacoma’s 2nd psychiatric hospital. Here’s its status
Rules of the Road: When you and your bike are stuck at a stubborn red light

Northwest Asian Weekly
Ferguson denies pardon for Tuan Phan
Call to action in search for Jonathan Hoang

Peninsula Daily News
Project SAFER aims to help those with disabilities
Summer meal programs help out families in Jefferson County

Puget Sound Business Journal
Amazon’s Seattle property values take a hit

Seattle Medium
DOJ Sues Washington State Over Child Abuse Reporting Law Affecting Priests

Seattle Times
Why is Seattle-to-Bellevue light rail still delayed?
Behind Microsoft’s layoffs: A new attitude shaped by AI
Seattle’s population passes the 800,000 mark, state data shows
Pierce County sheriff’s effort to partner with ICE sets up conflict
WA’s drought deepens and the summer forecast offers no respite
American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds
Comment: Seattle’s housing needs defy easy fixes, but some are coming

Spokesman Review
What Trump’s big bill means for clean energy in Washington (Fitzgibbon)
Stevens County housing project opens early, sheltering people facing homelessness
WA juvenile facility accused of forcing youths to ‘urinate in plastic containers’ in cells

Washington Post
U.S. measles cases reach 33-year record high as outbreaks spread
Why some fear government data on the U.S. economy is losing integrity

WA State Standard
Washington’s historian closes the book on a storied career in a melancholy mood
Smaller nuclear reactors spark renewed interest in a once-shunned energy source
Idaho banned abortion. Three years later, minors and seniors struggle to get routine care
After six years, 32,000 boulders and $172M, the Columbia River jetty rehab is almost done


Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
What Trump’s big bill means for Washingtonians
Seattle to Bellevue rail opening planned for early 2026
Median home price in Washington climbs to $670,000

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
One dead, five injured in Sedro-Woolley shooting
One dead following SR-507 police pursuit in Yelm

KNKX Public Radio
Addiction specialists come together in Everett to reach more patients

KXLY (ABC)
Elderly Spokane man ran stop sign, killed in crash on Highway 2
Firefighters issue final Siegel Fire update with containment at 93%
Washingtonians may see credit score boost as medical debt removed from reports

NW Public Radio
A night at the ballpark


Web

Cascadia Daily News
Point Roberts residents to county executive: ‘We’re getting nothing’
Opinion: Our energy grid is fragile and strained; let’s move beyond NIMBYism to strengthen it

Cascade PBS
$50,000 bail, no contact set in King County Assessor stalking case
In Yakima, COVID-era farmworker strikes continue to have impact

The Urbanist
Promised Lake Washington Boulevard Traffic Calming Remains Uncompleted
Op-Ed: Cascadia’s Awakening — Building a Region That Works for All

West Seattle Blog
TRAFFIC, WEATHER, ROAD WORK, TRANSIT: Post-holiday Monday info