WA lawmakers debating ways to address surging traffic fatalities
If you have spent any time behind the wheel since the pandemic began, you’ve surely noticed people driving more aggressively and way too fast. That correlates with a rise in traffic fatalities that last year reached levels not seen since the 1990s in Washington state and Oregon. State lawmakers in Olympia are debating a suite of possible new responses. Those include authorizing photo radar in highway work zones, prohibiting right turns at many red lights, and lowering the breathalyzer limit to convict for drunk driving. The traffic safety proposals the lawmakers described would tackle the problem from a number of angles. Continue reading at KNKX. (ODOT)
‘Right to repair’ bill would give consumers access to parts, info needed to fix their electronics
Washington residents are going to have a chance to speak out on whether they should have choices on how to repair their own electronics. The issue is called “right to repair,” and some bills offering those rights will have public hearings this week. Lawmakers supporting the right to repair bills say such repairs can be costly and sometimes lead to just replacing the device. Rep. Mia Gregerson said that such a measure could help save taxpayers money when governments need to make device repairs. Continue reading at My Northwest. (KIRO7)
Washington and Oregon may regulate the wild West of crypto mining
More than a dozen cryptocurrency mining operations call Grant County, Washington, home. The swell of crypto mining interest in the region was driven by some of the cheapest hydropower in the U.S. produced by the Grand Coulee and other dams. So the utilities in central Washington used tiered power rate increases to manage the high electricity usage that is characteristic of the industry. Several years of bitcoin’s boom-and-bust cycles later, environmental regulations around crypto mining have remained relatively sparse in Washington and the rest of the Pacific Northwest. Even at state agencies tasked with environmental protections beyond emissions, such as water quality or e-waste disposal, spokespeople echoed a common refrain that they have little or no specific insight into the impacts of bitcoin mining. Slowly, that’s beginning to change. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Erick Doxey)
Bellingham Herald
Governor pitches plan to borrow billions to address the housing crisis in WA (Billig)
Testimony again heard on psilocybin-assisted treatment. Can a bipartisan bill get passed? (Salomon)
Capital Press
Washington denies new capital gains tax also taxes income
Columbian
Like I-5, Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge needs to be replaced
Missing middle housing bills back on Legislature’s table (Bateman, Trudeau)
Regional Transportation Council receives $300K Safe Streets grant
Everett Herald
No right turns on red gets a look, a bid to expand sports betting arrives (Liias)
Despite controversy, Lynnwood opioid treatment center opens its doors
With 747 out, Boeing to open new 737 Max line at Everett’s Paine Field
Comment: Economists failed middle-class Americans on inflation
The Facts Newspaper
City of Seattle’s Food Equity Fund now accepting proposals
Kitsap Sun
Lawmakers eye reforms to address special education students sent out of state (Wellman, Wilson)
News Tribune
Tacoma warned of active TB case; TPCHD could seek court order after patient declines meds
New York Times
U.S. Plans to End Public Health Emergency for Covid in May
Olympian
‘Unacceptable’ death threats allegedly sent over Tenino sex offender home, Sheriff says
PSE planning a program to move homes off natural gas. It’s already getting pushback
Puget Sound Business Journal
Air Force orders 15 more KC-46 tankers from Boeing
Seattle apartment rents up 8% yearly, but increases appear set to slow
Seattle Times
WA settles sexual harassment case at Monroe prison for $600,000
UW’s Sisterhood Initiative aims to build community for women of color
Feds will give Seattle $25.6 million to help fund Sodo safety improvements
Opinion: The anesthesiologist assistant model is not a good fit for WA
Skagit Valley Herald
Research continues on pinniped predation in Salish Sea
Spokesman Review
Washington Legislature considers bill to lower blood alcohol limit to 0.05% for DUIs (Lovick)
Legislature looks to clean Spokane River PCBs with new proposal to regulate the chemicals (Billig, Ormsby)
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Bill aimed at changing traffic stops intended to reduce fatalities, increase racial equity (Street)
Gov. Inslee weighs in on potential Bellevue school consolidation
Recovery advocates aim to reduce stigma surrounding opioid treatment center
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Boeing bids farewell to an icon with delivery of last 747 jet
Lawmakers debating bill that would limit law enforcement’s ability to make ‘low-level’ traffic stops (Street)
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle police chief gives statement on fatal crash that killed 23-year-old grad student
Funding cuts made to safety project on street where woman was killed by Seattle police car
KNKX Public Radio
Movies set, but not filmed, in Washington are common. That might start changing.
WA lawmakers debating ways to address surging traffic fatalities (Lovick, Fey, Ramel)
KXLY (ABC)
WA bill aims to teach kids about underrepresented groups (Wilson)
Q13 TV (FOX)
Washington communities get $9M to reverse trend of traffic fatalities
Web
Crosscut
Washington and Oregon may regulate the wild West of crypto mining (Senn, Doglio)
Homeless services could face cuts in WA’s 2023 legislative session (Macri, Alvarado, Wilson)
Geekwire
Privacy bill aims to protect health data on apps and websites in Washington state (Slatter)
Land Line
Restroom access for truckers on Tuesday’s agenda for Washington lawmakers (Stanford, Keiser)
MyNorthwest
Labor unions, residents see economic impact with new Boeing assembly line coming to Everett in 2024
‘Right to repair’ bill would give consumers access to parts, info needed to fix their electronics (Gregerson)
Pluribus News
Democrats eye data privacy in abortion rights protections push (Slatter)
West Seattle Blog
FOLLOWUP: Local legislators co-sponsor two bills to keep boats further away from endangered orcas (Nguyen, Fitzgibbon)