WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Monday, September 16

A significant share of renters spent at least 30% of their income on housing costs last year.

Half of America’s rental households considered cost-burdened
Although a slowing rental-housing market may mean more concessions and even rent cuts in some locations, effectively half of America’s renters currently are considered cost-burdened. That’s according to one-year estimate data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey released last week. It found 21.1 million renters spent 30% or more of their income on housing costs last year — a reference to a commonly used threshold for housing affordability. That volume represents 49.7% of the 42.5 million rental households in the United States. Continue reading at The Puget Sound Business Journal. (Getty Images)


Incarcerated people walk the grounds at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

WA prisons sent 100 staffers to Norway. The goal: A humane system
Sgt. Alexandrea Collecchi knows all about the dangers of prison. Last year, the sergeant was offered the chance to head a team that is part of a multimillion-dollar effort advocates believe will make Washington’s prisons safer. It does not involve tighter restrictions, heightened surveillance or more fencing. Its operating principle: humanity. The effort looks to Norway, which in the 1990s transformed its prison system in response to frequent riots and high recidivism. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)


A student holds their phone in their hands

WA districts are banning student cellphone use. Here’s how it’s going
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released guidance in late August recommending that schools update their cellphone policies to limit use by the start of the 2025-26 school year amid a wave of research on the harmful effects of smartphones and social media. But many Washington districts are already instituting cellphone policies that restrict or ban use in classrooms. Policies differ across districts, but the goal remains the same: prevent distraction, improve mental health and get kids offline. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Tim Robberts)


Print

Associated Press
Boeing strike extends a new era of labor activism during workplace decline
WA state tries to block Albertsons and Kroger deal to avoid past merger issues

Bellingham Herald
$7.3 million state grant will go toward cleanup of contaminated Bellingham Bay site

Capital Press
Climatologists predict weak La Nina this winter
EFSEC approves Horse Heaven wind and solar project
Environmentalists tell 9th Circuit CAFO rules must be tightened

Columbian
New WA State Fair memorial honors Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII
Legislative candidates report rampant vandalism, theft of campaign signs in Clark County
Is state cutting down its ‘legacy’?: Conservationists want to curb the logging of old-growth trees

Everett Herald
Ending the Boeing strike won’t be easy. Here’s why.
How ‘clean’ is clean enough for recyclables? Waste experts weigh in
Comment: Coordinate efforts to prevent substance abuse, suicide
Comment: Give taxpayers details on state workers’ contract deals

Kitsap Sun
Olympic College opens its new Shops Building
Bremerton nursing home dinged for outbreak, review of state records shows

News Tribune
Pierce County parents say kids are riding overcrowded buses, sitting four to a seat
Opinion: Pierce County shouldn’t wait until it’s too late. Install school metal detectors now

Puget Sound Business Journal
Half of America’s rental households considered cost-burdened
Goodwill plans $100 million housing project on Tacoma headquarters property

Seattle Times
In reform effort, WA prisons sends more than 100 staffers to Norway

Skagit Valley Herald
Port of Anacortes receives grant to strengthen cybersecurity

Spokesman Review
210-unit apartments underway near downtown Spokane

Tri-City Herald
WSU Tri-Cities enrollment sees post-pandemic rebound. But it’s not all good news

Washington Post
Boeing machinists: Strike is a now-or-never moment
Why House Republicans still can’t manage to fund the government
Tech giants fight plan to make them pay more for electric grid upgrades

WA State Standard
WA districts are banning student cellphone use. Here’s how it’s going
‘We want what’s fair’: Boeing workers on strike in Washington take to the picket lines

Yakima Herald-Republic
New map shrinks size of Terrace Heights annexation; council will hear more Tuesday

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Boeing considers temporary furloughs amid machinists strike
2-year-old girl hospitalized after 3-year-old sibling accidentally shoots her, police say

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Lawsuit to block Kroger-Albertson merger goes to trial Monday
Boeing CFO considering temporary layoffs, announces hiring freeze ‘at all levels’
Gets Real: ‘My food is not poison’: coalition fights rhetoric of ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
WSDOT unveils new HOV and transit lanes on SR 520 in Montlake
Boeing faces $3.5 billion loss as strike continues, workers demand fair compensation
Washington anti-trust lawsuit to block proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger begins monday

KNKX Public Radio
Big border plans come with anxiety and opportunity
What’s at the core of WSU’s new apple variety name delay?

KUOW Public Radio
Despite opioid epidemic, drug court enrollment is down. King County hopes to change that

Web

Cascadia Daily News
State approves loan funding for Cornwall Avenue Landfill cleanup
In Washington, you can vote from jail — or upon release from prison
Skagit County may prohibit large energy projects on vulnerable agricultural land

Crosscut
Washington Labor & Industries interpreters file wage-theft lawsuit

MyNorthwest
Bonney Lake shooting after trailer theft leaves two dead, suspect at large
Port of Seattle: Outage was ransomware attack; ransom hasn’t been paid

The Urbanist
Seattle’s Stay Out Orders and Encampment Sweeps Continue Trend toward Criminalization