WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Tuesday, July 30

(Left to right) Executive Director of Housing Consortium of Seattle-King County Patience Malaba, Seattle City Light Chief Customer Officer Craig Smith, Commerce Director Mike Fong, and Gov. Jay Inslee at today’s press conference announcing the Washington Families Clean Energy Credit. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Commerce

Hundreds of thousands of homes to receive $200 Climate Commitment Act electricity credit
The Department of Commerce today announced the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program. This program provides a $200 energy bill credit to eligible electricity customers across Washington and is funded by the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). More than 675,000 low- to moderate-income electric utility customers throughout Washington state, or approximately 20% of all residential customers, are eligible for this program. Continue reading at The Courier-Herald. (WA Dept. of Commerce)


Image of the Seattle skyline with the Space Needle on the left and Mount Rainier on the right.

Washington prepares to roll out tax break for office-to-housing conversions
Cities in Washington are eager to see underused office buildings converted to housing. A new state tax break could help. The Legislature approved a law this year to allow developers to defer sales and use taxes if they convert existing structures, like office buildings, into affordable housing. The Department of Revenue last week continued the process of finalizing the rules for how that incentive would work. It said it anticipates having preliminary guidance in August. Cities could start implementing the program after that. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Getty Images)


Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., center, chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., far right, and members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus at an event calling for access to abortion medication at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

New report details Dobbs’ grim effect on PNW health care access
While Washington is a state that has done everything it can to keep abortion safe and legal, the changes in other states are taking a toll here. Washingtonians are traveling to Oregon for abortion care they can’t get locally due to mounting out-of-state demand. And delayed abortions in California translate into delays all the way up the West Coast, pushing providers to a breaking point. Continue reading at Crosscut. (J. Scott Applewhite)


Print

Capital Press
Chicago company plans solar project in Benton County
USDA proposes rule aimed at cutting salmonella contamination

Columbian
Flyers espousing hate speech left on cars in Hazel Dell
Gray wolves to remain on state endangered list after 5-4 vote
Fort Vancouver Assisted Living might be turned into drug treatment center
9 Safeways in Clark County will be sold as part of Kroger-Albertsons merger plan; buyer says no stores will close

Courier-Herald
Hundreds of thousands of homes to receive $200 Climate Commitment Act electricity credit

Everett Herald
Monroe prison guard sentenced to prison for killing roommate
Group sues to stop south Everett Pallet shelter on vacant city property
Downtown trail is first step in making Stanwood a walkable destination
Community rallies around son of ex-Snohomish County prosecutor killed in crash
Comment: Guns aren’t as useful for self-defense as thought

High Country News
When the dams come down, what happens to barge traffic?

Kitsap Sun
Bremerton audit finds hundreds of unlicensed rentals, calling quality into question

News Tribune
FDA discovery might make you think twice about getting that tattoo
Vehicle hits hydrant, causing water main break at Puyallup intersection, officials say
Is homelessness an ‘emergency’ in Pierce County? The county executive doesn’t think so
Starting this August, WA State Parks is setting a stricter limit on how long you can camp

New York Times
More States Are Passing Book Banning Rules. Here’s What They Say.
Senate Passes Child Online Safety Bill, Sending It to an Uncertain House Fate

Olympian
Low- and moderate-income WA residents to be eligible for state Clean Energy Credits
Starting this August, WA State Parks is setting a stricter limit on how long you can camp

Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle-area college beefs up its ‘extended reality’ lab
How Washington winemakers are bucking the trend of declining sales
CrowdStrike outage may cost billions. Here’s what businesses should do

Seattle Times
Thousands fewer WA kids were evaluated for special ed during pandemic
Senate passes bill to protect kids online, make tech companies accountable for harmful content

Spokesman Review
Study finds wildfire smoke exposure increases dementia risk
Stevens County town reaches final phases of completion for schoolhouse restoration
Spokane County to join imminent lawsuit over shortage of space in state juvenile detention facilities

Washington Post
Congress will probably have to punt to keep the government open in October

WA State Standard
Thousands of WA households eligible for $200 credit on their electric bills
Washington prepares to roll out tax break for office-to-housing conversions (Hasegawa, Chopp, Gregerson)
A WA teen was trafficked by a man she met on Tinder, she says. She’s still waiting for justice. (Dhingra)

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Auburn police say 4 people were shot in ‘planned ambush’ at bus stop
‘Most important evidence I’ve seen in 5 years’ I What a newly leaked Boeing document could reveal
‘It’s something I can’t walk away from’ | Search underway for remains at site of former Indian boarding school
Some Republican officials in Washington are calling VP Kamala Harris a ‘DEI hire.’ Here’s why that is racist (Taylor)

KNKX Public Radio
Wildfire smoke may be worse for your brain than other air pollution, study says

KUOW Public Radio
Washington is offering $200 to some residents to help pay electric bills
The Stranger newspaper sold to former state legislator Brady Walkinshaw
Attention Washington college students: There’s still time to apply for federal aid

Web

Crosscut
New report details Dobbs’ grim effect on PNW health care access
Lawsuit filed against WA AG office for withholding public records

MyNorthwest
Invasive green crabs linked to decline of shrimp, clam populations

The Urbanist
Are Trolleybuses Being Forgotten in Metro’s Rapid Transition to Battery Buses?