‘Deeply flawed.’ Why a reset button on Pierce County airport talks could be up for debate
Some Washington state lawmakers seek to restart the three-year process that resulted in rural Pierce County becoming a contender for Puget Sound’s next major airport. The commission is expected in June to recommend to the Legislature a location for potentially siting a two-runway airport. To others, this would delay homing in on any specific site for at least a few years. Starting over would simply mean kicking the proverbial can down the road and again delaying the inevitable need for additional commercial passenger and cargo transportation in the region as officials try to meaningfully respond to projected near-term capacity issues at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. “It’s a crisis, and we need to own it and face up to it,” state Sen. Karen Keiser said. Keiser, D-Des Moines, sponsored the bill that created the commission and directed it to single out a potential landing spot for a new airport, which, if tapped for Pierce County, could see as many as 20 million annual passengers.. Continue reading at The News Tribune. (Cheyenne Boone)

Local nurses ask for support from local government leaders over staffing crisis
Oakes was one of several nurses who spoke during the Dec. 13 city council meeting. According to a news release from UFCW 3000, the largest union in the state, nurses from Providence Centralia and St. Peter hospitals planned to speak to Thurston and Lewis county government leaders this week about the staffing crisis in both places. Providence St. Peter nurse Helena Smith said she and the other nurses asked the council to support the safe staffing legislation being introduced in the 2023 legislative session. Last year, House Bill 1868, aimed at establishing minimum staffing ratios for hospitals among other things, passed the House but failed in the Senate this year. If hospitals can’t meet their staffing ratio goals, they may have to close down services. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Thurston County Board of Commissioners)

Rep. April Berg Named Chair of Finance Committee
Washington House Democrats announced this week that Rep. April Berg (D – Mill Creek) will chair the House Finance Committee. Berg is the first Black committee chair in the history of the Washington State Legislature. Berg will chair the committee that addresses revenue while striving to create an equitable, stable, transparent, and just tax structure for the state. “Taxes should be unbiased. Although numbers do not see color, the codification of numbers into revenue policy has historically been unfair to marginalized communities.” Continue reading at Seattle Medium.