Top Biden official to lead Washington’s largest state agency
Gov. Bob Ferguson on Thursday announced the hiring of a Biden administration executive to lead the state Department of Social and Health Services whose programs serve nearly a quarter of Washington’s population. Ferguson chose Angela Ramirez, chief of staff to former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, to guide the department that oversees vocational rehabilitation, long-term care, behavioral health treatment and developmental disabilities services. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero)
WA resumes EV charger program after court rules against Trump pause
Washington state has resumed a program to build a network of electric vehicle chargers that the Trump administration had withheld funding for earlier this year. A federal judge in Seattle in June ordered the Trump administration to restore the funding, in response to a lawsuit brought by Washington and other states. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Hal Bernton)
Idaho’s latest anti-drag crusade began with a falsehood, lawsuit says
The claim — a drag queen exposing his genitals to children — was so incendiary, so horrifying that the Idaho Family Policy Center demanded voters change the law to “address these vile sexual exhibitions in places where children are present.” But when Coeur d’Alene prosecutors reviewed unedited video of the drag performance at the city’s 2022 Pride in the Park festival, they concluded there had been no exposure of genitalia — nothing illegal, nothing to charge. A year later, a jury reached the same conclusion in a civil suit, awarding $1.1 million to the performer, Eric Posey, after finding that a right-wing blogger had defamed him by accusing him of indecent exposure. Continue reading at InvestigateWest. (Kaye Thornbrugh)
Aberdeen Daily World
Bear Gulch Fire expands to 7,360 acres
Ecology opens public comments for Cosmo Specialty Fibers remediation
Axios
Seattle braces for rare August atmospheric river
Which Seattle-area industries rely most on noncitizen workers
Capital Press
USDA plant inspectors challenge exclusion from union rights
Odds tilt in favor of winter La Niña, National Weather Service says
National FFA sees record membership, Northwest and California all grow
Columbian
Anxious about tariffs, Clark County families get early start on back-to-school shopping
Battle Ground adopts new policy to curb students’ cellphone use; Ridgefield and Washougal in the process
The Daily News
Split Longview council passes 15% trash rate increase
Kelso schools lose staff through attrition after $2.3M cut from budget
Castle Rock housing development changes from multifamily units to single-family
Appeals court upholds Stuffys II COVID fines; Longview diner focused on reopening
Everett Herald
Department of Ecology extends drought funding
Everett council approves $360,000 for new ‘skate dot’
Lynnwood holds special budget meeting during summer recess
Islands’ Weekly
Healthy smiles, healthy community: Hot topics in oral health
Library levy lid lift approved by wide margin | Where possibilities thrive, now and into the future
Journal of the San Juan Islands
Nature Nugget: YCC upgrades the Patos Island lighthouse and trails
The San Juan Preservation Trust launches effort to protect 30 acres on San Juan Island
Kent Reporter
SR 18 to close over Tiger Mountain summit Aug. 15-18
Overnight lane closures coming near Kent on SR 99 at SR 516
Kitsap Sun
Bear Gulch Fire on Olympic Peninsula continues to grow
Gap in West Sound coverage of naloxone sites means pharmacies, health care fills need
Mercer Island Reporter
King County Metro adding more than 900 weekly bus trips, improved 2 Line connections
New York Times
Judge Halts White House Effort to Defund Schools With D.E.I. Programs
Tribal Colleges Rely on Federal Funding. Their Leaders Fear the Trump Years.
Northwest Asian Weekly
Proof of belonging: Asian American citizens carry passports amid ICE fears
Interpreter denied, protection orders ignored: Chinese American women and advocates say legal system continues to fail them
Puget Sound Business Journal
$274M project breaks ground in Bothell
Companies brace for higher health-care costs
Apartment construction in Puget Sound region has shifted
SBA is stepping up one aspect of its Covid-era collections effort
Renton Reporter
What’s going on around Renton? | Aug. 14 edition
Seattle Times
King County takes next steps toward crisis center on Capitol Hill
WA resumes EV charger program after court rules against Trump pause
Tri-City Herald
NAACP gets ‘safe space for advocacy’ after 75+ years in Tri-Cities
Protesters to rally in Lacey Aug. 16 against Trump’s redistricting ‘power grab’
Comment: The role of local government should have in immigration enforcement
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
Islanders celebrate, commemorate belonging
VHS educator named Washington history teacher of the year
WA State Standard
Top Biden official to lead Washington’s largest state agency
With more self-driving cars on the road, states put more rules in place
Immigration crackdown intensifies in D.C. under Trump order for federal control
Happy birthday, Social Security. Unless Congress acts, full benefits end in 7 years.
Washington interpreters demand state address more than $280K in missed payments
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
On thin ice: A closer look at Pacific Northwest’s glaciers
Lawyer: Visa issue led to ICE detention of Everett mom from New Zealand
With I-5 closure ahead, WSDOT urges alternatives — are commuters listening?
Former Seattle police officers who attended Capitol riot described it as peaceful, docs show
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Nordstrom asks these employees to return to office 4 days per week
Seattle tech layoffs: Oracle cutting 161 jobs amid AI investment push
WA AG’s Office: Judge blocks use of Medicaid data for immigration enforcement
Judge strikes down Trump administration guidance against diversity programs at schools and colleges
KUOW Public Radio
First-class flights and resort booze. WA Commerce failed to oversee ed grant, audit finds
Religious groups pressure retail pharmacies, including Costco, not to carry abortion drug
NW Public Radio
Washington state is getting three new ferries, and they’re hybrid-electric
Federal judge hears arguments in ACLU lawsuit against HHS about Head Start
Juez federal escucha argumentos en demanda de ACLU contra HHS sobre Head Start
Fewer Canadians are visiting the US. Here’s how business owners in one border town are reacting
Web
Cascade PBS
Yakima voters to decide on $6M levy to cover 2026 city deficit
Scientists monitor the loss of vital eelgrass plants in Salish Sea
InvestigateWest
Idaho’s latest anti-drag crusade began with a falsehood, lawsuit says
MyNorthwest
Judge blocks Medicaid data use in immigration enforcement
The Urbanist
Sound Transit’s 2 Line Is Even More Popular Than We Thought
Op-Ed: PCC Provides Model for State Rail Ownership in Washington State
West Seattle Blog
TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, ROAD WORK, TRANSIT: Friday + weekend notes