Supreme Court kicks off new term with North Idaho couple’s case that could limit reach of Clean Water Act
The Supreme Court on Monday kicked off what promises to be another contentious and high-stakes term with oral arguments in a North Idaho couple’s case that could see the court’s conservative supermajority roll back federal protections for the nation’s wetlands. At issue is what exactly counts as “waters of the United States,” which are protected from pollution by the Clean Water Act of 1972. In previous cases, the high court has agreed the law applies to wetlands – which play important roles, including flood control and filtering pollutants – in addition to “navigable” bodies of water. But in a muddled 2006 decision, the court’s nine justices split three ways, leaving conflicting “tests” for lower courts to apply in deciding if a wetland is protected. Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review. (Pacific Legal Foundation)
People experiencing homelessness may lose decades of life
People experiencing homelessness in King County may die decades earlier than their peers in the broader community. That’s one takeaway from a recent report from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office on some of the deaths that have occurred among people living unhoused over the past decade. The Medical Examiner’s office doesn’t investigate all deaths in the county, only those that are unexpected, sudden, violent, suspicious, or where the cause of death is unknown. Over the past 10 years, the office has investigated 1,429 deaths of people presumed to be homeless. Additionally, as is true in the overall homeless population in the county, Black and Native people were overrepresented in the deaths investigated by the office. Continue reading at KUOW. (Megan Farmer)
$500M-plus from opioid deal starts heading to Washington
The first payments from a $518 million settlement with the nation’s three largest opioid distributors will begin reaching Washington communities in December, providing much-needed cash officials can use to hire first responders or direct toward prevention, treatment and other services, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Monday. Over the last two decades, the deaths of more than 500,000 Americans have been linked to overdoses of opioids, including both prescription pain killers and illicit drugs such as heroin. Deaths have recently skyrocketed from the spread of illegally produced fentanyl. Continue reading at The Associated Press.
Associated Press
Washington wildfire human caused, evacuation orders lifted
$500M-plus from opioid deal starts heading to Washington
Bellingham Herald
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Columbian
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Courier-Herald
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Everett Herald
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News Tribune
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Olympian
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Puget Sound Business Journal
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Seattle Times
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Spokesman Review
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Supreme Court kicks off new term with North Idaho couple’s case that could limit reach of Clean Water Act
Comment: Fight over social media’s role in terror content goes to Supreme Court
Opinion: Faith leaders unite in condemning Idaho’s abortion ban
Tri-City Herald
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Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Hot, dry September brings minor drought conditions back to parts of Walla Walla County
Washington Post
Trump’s lawyer refused his request in February to say all documents returned
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Supreme Court debates narrowing protections in Clean Water Act
Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima County, communities around the state to receive funding from WA opioid deal
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Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
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KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
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KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
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KUOW Public Radio
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Q13 TV (FOX)
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Web
MyNorthwest
Pierce County breaks ground on its first new transit center since the 90s
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