Finnish president to address Washington Legislature on Monday
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will visit Olympia on Monday, his first stop in a five-day tour across the United States. During a short visit, Niinistö will meet with Gov. Jay Inslee and give an address to a joint session of the state Legislature. Inslee and other representatives from Washington businesses and local governments visited Finland during a trade mission to the Nordic countries in September, which focused on energy, technology, sustainability and climate change. Inslee will receive Niinistö at the Capitol on Monday morning, after which the president will give a joint address to the Legislature and deliver remarks with Inslee to members of the media. Inslee and Niinistö will again discuss the two governments’ partnership on technological research, port modernization, clean energy and sustainable forestry, according to the governor’s office. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (Office of the Governor)

3 years since the pandemic wrecked attendance, kids still aren’t showing up to school
Before the pandemic, about 8 million U.S. students were considered chronically absent, according to the research group Attendance Works. That’s when a student misses 10% or more of the school year. By spring 2022, that number had doubled to around 16 million. Federal attendance data only comes out annually, so it’s hard to get a full picture of where things stand at this point in the school year, but Hedy Chang, the executive director of Attendance Works, says she hasn’t seen the kind of recovery she’d hoped for. Students who are chronically absent are at higher risk of falling behind, scoring lower on standardized tests and even dropping out. And as often happens in education, students who struggle with attendance are also more likely to live in poverty, be children of color or have disabilities. Chang worries the kids missing out on school are the same ones who need it the most. Continue reading at KNKX. (Jon Cherry)

Washington needs more than 50K new homes a year to keep up with population growth
A new report from the Washington State Department of Commerce found that the state needs to add 1.1 million homes over the next 20 years to keep up with expected population growth. That averages out to more than 50,000 new units a year and Commerce said half of those homes need to be affordable for low-income residents. State lawmakers are hoping to address the state’s housing shortage during the current Legislative session. More than a dozen bills have been introduced that lawmakers say will help reduce barriers to housing of all types. House Bill 1110 aims to expand middle housing by lifting local zoning laws that ban multi-dwelling homes like duplexes and townhouses. Senate Bill 5466 could create more housing near transportation centers. “As we continue to invest in transportation services across the state, it’s important that more of our neighbors are connected to the routes that will make their commutes easier,” said Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), who sponsored the bill. Continue reading at KOMO4. (KOMO Photo)