Welcome to 2020 – and to some new laws in Washington
Jan. 1 means more than a new year with toasts at midnight and a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne.” It also means new laws. Although most new Washington laws passed by the Legislature take effect 90 days after a session ends, some are always delayed until Jan. 1 or later to give residents, businesses and state agencies a bit more time to prepare. Some taxes went up, some new regulations started, some programs ended. Continue reading in The Spokesman Review. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)
A remarkable year in photographs
View in The Washington Post. (Shealah Craighead/AP)
Report: Washington State Patrol singles out Native American drivers
Twelve years ago, academic researchers working with the Washington State Patrol raised a warning flag: Troopers were searching drivers from minority communities, particularly Native Americans, at a much higher rate than whites. They recommended additional study. That was the last time the WSP conducted a substantive analysis of the race and ethnicity of drivers searched by troopers. Continue reading in The Spokesman Review.
Associated Press
Another executive departs as Boeing tries to correct course
Washington state to investigate claims over failed expansion
Forest Service wilderness fee plan gets negative comments
Washington workers can soon access paid family leave benefit
Don’t drink and drive, lawmaker says. Then he drove into a ditch.
Washington state law requires student vaccinations by Jan. 8
Hiring at Hanford lab targets dangerous radioactive waste
Coast Guard suspends search for 5 missing crew in Alaska
Fish and Wildlife moves to partially dismiss wolf suit
Black guest at Portland hotel sues over ‘no party’ promise
Judge sanctions Washington state prosecutor for misconduct
Tobacco purchase age increases to 21 in Washington state
Aberdeen Daily World
Retired truck driver takes wheel as Aberdeen mayor
Corps dumping sand to guard against breach near jetty
County backs “Blue Zone” study looking at reversing poor health trends
Commentary: This year, can you let trust win out over hate?
Commentary: Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers’ greatest fear
Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
The PNW rumbles again, as another earthquake just struck closer to Bellingham
Washington state law requires student vaccinations by Jan. 8
Hiring at Hanford lab targets dangerous radioactive waste
Thousands flee Australia’s coastal towns as raging wildfires close in
Bothell Reporter
WA lawmakers propose capping insulin costs at $100 a month (Keiser, Cody)
Columbian
Vancouver teen’s slaying revives hate-crime discussion (Wylie)
In Our View: States must step up to ban assault weapons
In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: I-5 Bridge funds; vaccine data
The Daily News
ICE removes case over Cowlitz County youth detainees to federal court
New car seat requirements begin Wednesday
Cowlitz County unemployment stays relatively steady
Jim Walsh aims to pass bill protecting citizen information in 2020 session
Daily World
Local legislators to speak at Greater Grays Harbor legislative send-off Jan. 10 (Van De Wege, Takko, Chapman, Tharinger, Blake)
Everett Herald (subscription required)
Last year, he was in a coma. This year he got a flu shot
Constant change: Here’s what happened in business in 2019
Washington workers can soon access paid family leave benefit
Everett leaders want closer look at transit finances, merger
2020: Light rail, ferry terminal and possible transit merger
Everett might allow three more cannabis stores
Washington minimum wage earners are about to get a raise
Plastic bag ban in Snohomish arrives on New Year’s Day
Election quirks: Drop boxes, tossed ballots, fickle voters
State crime team proposed to work on cold rape, murder cases
The year’s top local stories according to opinionated readers (Habib)
Comment: Decade of climate science is confirming worst fears
Commentary: What’s needed to make room in the inn for homeless
Commentary: Cherry Point regulations could harm local economy
Viewpoints: The underlying illness threatening Obamacare
Commentary: Yes, you’re free to use ‘they’ as a singular pronoun
Editorial: A look back at The Herald’s opinions for 2019
Editorial: A few more resolutions to keep in 2020
The Hill
Trump signs bill to eliminate rape kit testing backlog
The Inlander
Student vaccination data shoddy in Washington state schools, according to audit
Islands’ Weekly
County considers marijuana grow options
Sales tax increase for emergency radios could be in next election
County seeks comment on housing assessment
Ferries holds first-ever digital meetings
Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
No vacancy: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard dry docks busy in 2020 and beyond
Navy considers shipbuilding cuts for upcoming budget
News Tribune (subscription required)
What will 2020 bring for the apartment tax exemption in Tacoma? Wait and see.
Who’s in, who’s out and who’s on top: Major employers list for Pierce County
Editorial: If Washington is a nanny state, so be it. These four new state laws show 2020 foresight
New York Times
How Big Companies Won Tens of Billions of Dollars in New Tax Breaks
Here’s how businesses are able to hide the effect of overseas tax havens.
As Tens of Thousands Died, F.D.A. Failed to Police Opioids
Opioid Deaths Rise When Auto Plants Close, Study Shows
As More Mothers Fill Prisons, Children Suffer ‘a Primal Wound’
‘It’s creepy’: Unexplained drones are swarming by night over Colorado, Nebraska
Olympian (subscription required)
Homelessness, downtown Olympia development and traffic drove reader interest in 2019
U-Haul will stop hiring nicotine users in these 21 states starting in February
Peninsula Daily News
EYE ON CLALLAM: Public hearing set on redirecting revenue to housing
EYE ON JEFFERSON: Port Townsend planning commission to consider housing code amendments
Deadline approaching for Planning Commission applications
New car and booster seat regulations go into effect in 2020
Puget Sound Business Journal
Why the impact of the Trump taxes remains partly hidden
U.S. population makes fewest gains in decades, Census Bureau says
How big companies won new tax breaks from the Trump administration
California’s new privacy law is tough. How far will companies go to comply?
New UW master’s degree to support state’s growing need for science technicians
In the U.S., an angioplasty costs $32,000. Elsewhere? Maybe $6,400.
Why 2020 could be a very busy year for US bank mergers
The FAA wants to start tracking drones’ locations
Layoffs, hiring freeze hit Boeing 737 Max suppliers before factory production halt
Sound Transit to spend majority of its $3.1B 2020 budget on light rail expansion
Study examines evolving airline industry over past decade
Trump says US-China trade deal will be signed on January 15
Markets in 2019: You couldn’t lose money if you tried
Renton Reporter
WA lawmakers propose capping insulin costs at $100 a month (Keiser, Cody)
Seattle Times (subscription required)
Our top stories of 2019: Boeing 737 MAX, record snowstorms, free college ‘game changer’
Thanks for the gifts of integrity, charity and grit (Orwall)
Student Voices: Why Washington state should make dual-enrollment programs free for al
Op-Ed: Washington is safer because of its sanctuary status
Light-rail riders can expect more crowded, less frequent trains as downtown track construction begins
Three big changes should benefit Washington workers beginning in 2020
Coast Guard suspends search for 5 fishermen after Seattle-managed crab boat sinks in Alaska
Editorial: Stop state corrections’ pattern of failure
Editorial: Helping all kids on the road to adulthood
Unseasonably warm day coming, but brace for ‘fast and furious’ Seattle weather after that
King County’s longtime chief criminal deputy prosecutor retires as a new generation moves into leadership roles
CES, the tech industry’s big show, to feature keynote from Ivanka Trump
Seattle Promise program expands to all Seattle public high schools
Storms this week expected to add needed depth to Washington snowpack
With $2M in cuts looming, Shoreline Community College may shutter popular dental hygiene program and clinic
Seattle-area home prices higher than last year for third month in a row
Redmond Town Center sells for $192 million
Three outgoing mayors reflect on King County’s astounding growth
Seattle Weekly
WA lawmakers propose capping insulin costs at $100 a month (Cody, Keiser)
Swedish Medical Center nurses could send notification of strike by year’s end
Washington’s vehicle emission check program ends Dec. 31
Who owns King County forestlands?
Skagit Valley Herald
Anacortes School District asks state to make a change
Refinery cancels xylenes project in settlement agreement
County appeals state timber harvest plan
Skagit Transit increasing pass prices
Sedro-Woolley School District borrows money to address shortfalls
Studies give insight on plight of orca whales
Skagit County opens Mount Vernon senior center to homeless
Spokesman Review
Welcome to 2020 – and to some new laws in Washington
More negotiations scheduled as nurses closer to striking at Providence locations statewide
BSNF train derails into the Kootenai River; crews work to contain spill
Report: Washington State Patrol singles out Native American drivers
Spokane veteran accused of firing at unmarked car questions undercover police tactics
Cars get trapped in tumbleweeds on Washington state highway
Tri-City Herald
Clallam County to divert tax to housing (Chapman, Tharinger)
USA Today
The U.S. raid that left dozens of Afghan children dead
These 7 states are introducing notable law changes in 2020
‘The age of mass shootings’: US mass killings hit record high in 2019
Suicides, hunger, violence: What really happens in ICE custody
Vancouver Business Journal
VBJ’s 2020 Business & Economic Forecast
Outlook strong for Port of Vancouver USA
Vancouver mayor appointed to state Tax Structure Work Group
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
WA lawmakers propose capping insulin costs at $100 a month (Cody, Keiser)
Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Editorial: Local Democrats, Republican lawmakers serve public well with forum
Editorial: Using your turn signal is not optional
Editorial: Bipartisan effort in Congress helps community newspapers
Washington Post
A remarkable year in photographs
America’s marijuana growers are the best in the world, but federal laws are keeping them out of global markets
Potential clash between U.S. and Iran averted as embassy siege ends
Amid California’s power woes, a beacon of energy shines from one tribe
The signal of human-caused climate change has emerged in everyday weather, study find
Opinion: A deceptively edited video of Biden signals what’s coming
A top exec pushed Google to commit to human rights in China. Then Google pushed him out, he says.
Amazon threatens to fire critics who are outspoken on its environmental policies
This Ohio city is known for aiding the homeless. Now officials are asking how they can bear the cost.
U.S. Army bans TikTok on military devices, signaling growing concern about app’s Chinese roots
The 2010s were a lost decade for climate. We can’t afford a repeat, scientists warn.
America’s schools are more diverse than ever. But the teachers are still mostly white.
With Trump’s farm bailout came surprising profits, but little help for the neediest
‘I killed Jennifer’: Doorbell camera captures a man confessing to his sister’s stabbing, police say
Trump administration’s compromise vape ban provokes public health outcry
Perspective: Don’t blame Trump for the rise of right-wing conspiracy theories
Yakima Herald
Radio KDNA — voice of the farm worker — surpasses 40 years
What is the future of Washington state’s forests? Endangered marbled murrelet seabird caught in fight
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
U-Haul won’t hire nicotine users in 21 states, including Washington
These new Washington laws are now in effect
KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Updated state seatbelt law means changes for kids, parents
Washington’s smoking age rises to 21
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Paid time off now available for Washington workers when most needed
Sawant to launch effort to create new tax on big business
New bill would force repeat offenders into mental health treatment
KNKX FM
Puget Sound orcas have a lot to say. This woman is almost always listening.
KUOW FM
U.S. Population Growth In 2019 Is Slowest In A Century
Some foster children have new homes, but bigger crisis in Washington state remains
Federal Judge Dismisses Former White House Aide’s Lawsuit Over Congressional Subpoena
Census Bureau Finds Latinos, Asians Sensitive To Now-Blocked Citizenship Question
Q13 TV (Fox)
Washington state’s new Paid Family Leave law takes effect
Snowplows used to remove tumbleweeds that blocked Washington highway for hours
Web
Crosscut
Four Washington teen activists explain how 2019 became the year of youth climate action
Journalists of color deserve more support. Here’s how Seattle can help.
Homeless and sick: One Seattle man’s path shows the slow pace of progress
King County’s political isolation is the story of 2019
The decade progressives started fighting for themselves
10 of the wildest discoveries Washington scientists made in 2019
New year, new policy: Seattle Public Library no longer charging late fees
Pacific Northwest forests fit trifecta for curbing climate change — if we stop logging them
Feds target Seattle transportation projects as part of criminal inquiry
Queen Anne & Magnolia News
District 7 councilmember delivers UpGarden reprieve during swearing-in ceremony (Tarleton)
Seattle P.I.
Fish and Wildlife moves to partially dismiss wolf suit
Slog
The Seattle Public Library Goes Fine-Free
Illinois and Michigan Making Midwest Cannabis History