As WA State Ferries cancellations, delays continue, here’s what to know
Despite incremental improvements to ferry service in Washington state over the last year, a hectic Memorial Day weekend, replete with mechanical issues and crew shortages, highlighted the fragility of the nation’s largest ferry system. Lawmakers have pledged more than $1.5 billion over the next 16 years to build four new hybrid electric boats and to preserve those still in use. The Tillikum, as well as several other boats, is due for retirement, but is being kept afloat with nearly $20 million a year in maintenance costs. Lawmakers also approved budget increases in 2023 to cover a labor contract, new vessel construction and more training. The biennial transportation budget, passed this year, includes more than $20 million for scholarships, training, recruitment and overtime to ease the pain of crew shortages. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)
AG sues makers of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ that have seeped into drinking water
Companies involved in making and selling firefighting foam used for decades in Washington hid potential health risks from chemicals in the product, contributing to drinking water pollution around the state, according to allegations in a lawsuit Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed on Tuesday. Washington has already spent millions of dollars dealing with water tainted by the chemicals and these costs are expected to climb as testing reveals even more contamination. So far, nearly 200 water sources have tested positive for PFAS, according to state Department of Health data that the Attorney General’s Office pointed to. According to the Attorney General’s Office, groundwater testing near a military training center in the Yakima region, one of the areas noted in the new lawsuit, has found PFAS contamination that is more than 1,300 times the new threshold EPA has put forward. The lawsuit asks the court to force the companies to pay for past and future expenses stemming from the pollution, for things like water treatment, remediation and monitoring. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty Images)
‘988 saved my life’: local man shares how quickly-growing crisis line helped him overcome
Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end, but one local lifeline is continuing to grow: the 988 crisis lifeline number that launched last summer (a shorter version of the 10-digit suicide prevention hotline) has seen a 49% increase in calls, according to one local call center leader .Michelle McDaniel, Chief Executive Officer at Crisis Connections, where many 988 calls are routed, said her local call center has seen demand grow dramatically in the last ten months. As a result, they’re looking to hire and retain more trained crisis counselors. Continue reading at KING5.
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