State regulators seek $364,000 in fines from Seattle’s school bus carrier for years of safety violations
Washington state regulators found more than 600 safety and procedural violations by school bus carrier First Student in the past two years, dozens of which persisted for years after company officials were warned of the infractions. The company repeatedly failed to screen drivers for drugs and alcohol, cleared employees to drive before they’d even completed an application for employment or a history of their driving records, provided false information on driver records and allowed some vehicles to continue running even when seats weren’t securely attached, according to a complaint from the state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Courtesy of Kennedy Leavens)
Many women remain out of the workforce. How can employers get them back?
Employers struggling to fill open slots and recruit new workers often find themselves missing one crucial part of the workforce — women. The American economy gained 467,000 jobs in January, but women got just 40.3% of those jobs. While it would take six months of growth at that level to gain back nearly all the 2.9 million jobs the economy lost since the pandemic began, it would take women nearly 10 months to recover the 1.8 million they lost in the same time. Overall, there are more than 1 million fewer women in the labor force in January 2022 compared to February 2020. Continue reading at Puget Sound Business Journal.
Local Ukrainians anxious about families, fate of homeland
As Russian troops continue to advance into Ukraine, news from the frontlines has Ukrainians in western Washington on edge. The Ukrainian Association of Washington State says there are about 100,000 people of Ukrainian descent in the state. Many are closely monitoring headlines and calling their families overseas as they fear for the fate of their homeland. Families like the Lozynskas are thinking about loved ones back in Ukraine. Continue reading at KIRO 7.
Associated Press
Proposed tax on Washington state fuel exports angers neighboring states (Liias)
Aberdeen Daily World
SBA providing Grays Harbor County with flood aid
Editorial: City leaders face tough decisions on Regional Fire Authority
Bellingham Herald
What’s next for the waterfront after WWU, Port scrap development project?
WWU requests funding from Whatcom County Council for Longhouse
Whatcom property tax would fund child care, early childhood education
The Daily News
Port of Longview set record last year with $14.6 million in income
Public comment opens for county Solid Waste Management Plan
Cowlitz County commissioners approve resolution opposing income tax
Woodland considers reversing course on marijuana retail ban
Everett Herald
Reform, penalties settle lawsuits over state redistricting
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Housing Hope to build affordable housing near Edmonds church
By the numbers: Largest taxpayers in Snohomish County
Bloomberg Comment: Trump shouldn’t escape prosecution as Nixon did
WaPo Comment: The clarifying anger of a grieving Black mother
Editorial: State’s redistricting panel needs more than tweaks (Pedersen)
New York Times
Stocks fall and oil prices jump as markets reel from Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Peninsula Daily News
Clallam County count of homeless starts Thursday
Two more COVID-19 deaths reported in Clallam County
Jefferson County homeless count begins Thursday
Port Townsend Leader
Jefferson County Public Health has free COVID test kits, masks
Puget Sound Business Journal
Report: State’s space industry has more than doubled in last 4 years
Many women remain out of the workforce. How can employers get them back?
University endowments soar in fiscal 2021 with 31% average returns
Seattle Medium
CWU Board Of Trustees To Pursue More Equitable Practices By Adopting Executive Order
Washington State’s Secretary Of State Addresses Racial Disparities In Voting Ballot Rejections
Strickland Lobbies For More Emergency Funding For HBCUs
New Resource For Renters And Landlords As Eviction Moratoria Concludes
Seattle Times
State regulators seek $364,000 in fines from Seattle’s school bus carrier for years of safety violations
WA redistricting commission to pay fines, make reforms after violating open-meetings law
As peak moss season begins in WA, here’s what you need to know
Seattle suburbs like Kenmore eye tenant protections as homelessness threat looms
Opinion: Community planning for climate resiliency needs to start now
Opinion: WA Democrats, you’re proving your tax critics right (Kuderer, Das)
Skagit Valley Herald
Sedro-Woolley mayor names salary commission members
Proposals to change planning policy make their way to Skagit County commissioners
South Seattle Emerald
Cold Weather Shelters, Recovery Fund For Rainier Valley Businesses, & More
State Considers Clean Energy Equity Program
Washington State Zine Contest Adds Community Voice to Library Collections
Tri-City Herald
Attempt to oust Richland School Board president over COVID mask rule ‘nitpicking’ fails
Gov. Inslee supports wind farms ahead of Horse Heaven decision during Tri-Cities visit
1,500 demand ‘immediate resignation’ of 3 Richland school leaders in wake of mask vote
Boiler explosion guts Hermiston potato chip plant
Richland school board may be heading for another shakeup
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Taxes for residents in the Walla Walla School District decrease in 2022, College Place to follow next year
COVID-19 case numbers ‘dropping like a rock,’ Walla Walla Valley health official says
Finalists for Walla Walla High School principal job introduced to community
Washington Post
Russia launches attacks across Ukraine; Biden vows ‘consequences’
Ukraine’s Zelensky to Russians: ‘What are you fighting for and with whom?’
Catching up on the Russia-Ukraine crisis? Here’s the background you need to know.
Now is the time to remember what Fox’s own lawyers said about Tucker Carlson
Yakima Herald-Republic
Letter: Legislators should invest in early childhood learning
Letter: Stories about the Yakama Nation are local news
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Animal sanctuary applauds state court’s ruling that animal cruelty can be domestic violence
Racial slur graffitied on Parkland woman’s home
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Russia attacks Ukraine: Zalensky says Russia trying to seize Chernobyl
Local Ukrainians anxious about families, fate of homeland
Noose found hanging at North Seattle fire station
Seattle extends outdoor dining program through 2023
Biden denounces attack, says ‘Russia alone is responsible’
Proposed tax on WA fuel exports angers neighboring states
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Some King County communities will have much larger property tax bills this year
What’s being done to shelter Seattle’s homeless during cold weather?
Seattle Fire investigating after noose found inside Bitter Lake fire station
Washington state to pay $3.75M after inmate dies of cancer
Fewest Americans collecting unemployment aid since 1970
KUOW Public Radio
Can’t We Just Eat Those Invasive Crabs Until They’re Gone? (Probably Not)
Pandemic updates for Seattle: City Council could extend eviction moratorium past February
The U.S. looks to replace a derogatory name used hundreds of times on federal lands
KXLY (ABC)
Senate to discuss healthcare safe staffing standards bill on Thursday (Riccelli)
Sen. Murray to speak with Spokane restaurant owners on relief for small businesses
‘It’s a problem nationwide’: New proposed Washington house bill aims to stop catalytic converter thefts
NW Public Radio
Visitors React To Palouse Falls Closure
Richland Student Directs Film Debuting On Amazon Prime
Point In Time Counts In Columbia Basin
WA Dems Ignore Complaints About Out-Of-State Gas Tax
Tri-Cities Prepare For Homeless Count
Q13 TV (FOX)
Washington armed with funding, federal support to combat worsening wildfires
Web
Crosscut
WA prison officials push back on bill to limit solitary confinement (Peterson)
MyNorthwest
Light snow falls overnight across Seattle area as cold snap winds to a close
Seattle continues to struggle with police staffing, increase in crime
Republicans threaten to walk away from Columbia River Bridge project in fuel tax dispute
Concrete strike negotiations resume with federal mediator Thursday
State Department of Agriculture makes plans to eradicate invasive Japanese beetles
Interim Bellevue police chief tagged to fill role in full-time capacity
UW Medicine residents stage walkout at Seattle hospitals Wednesday
‘We’re here to stay’: Activists continue to block removal of Seattle homeless camp
West Seattle Blog
FOLLOWUP: More Lowman Beach shore-restoration progress
WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: More late-night light snow
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: One month away from two years of closure