WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Monday, September 23

U.S. Navy veteran Juan Javier Pedroza, 44, is a resident at Community First! Village outside Austin, Texas. “This place saved my life,” he said. (Ilana Panich-Linsman / Special to The Seattle Times)

WA county to replicate Texas’ huge solution to homelessness
A 20-minute drive east of downtown Austin, past RV parks, a golf course and empty land, the city quickly fades into a suburban and rural landscape. There, within a 51-acre compound, sits Community First! Village, a 540-unit development that resembles a retirement community. Officials in Pierce County, with the second-largest homeless population in the state, are betting tens of millions of dollars this style of housing will bring people inside who would remain on the streets otherwise. They’ve purchased 90 acres to construct a 285-home community. It will be the largest housing development for homeless people in Washington. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ilana Panich-Linsman)


An empty classroom. (Dan Forer/GettyImages)

How a tool built in Washington is helping schools fight absenteeism
With student absenteeism at record highs, more Washington districts are using a tool developed by researchers at Washington State University to help get kids back on track. It’s called “WARNS” — or the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students. About half of Washington’s districts will use the tool this school year: a projected 146 of the state’s 295 districts, up from 90 in 2019. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Dan Forer)


A student uses a smart phone during their lunch break at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, which allows phones at lunch but otherwise has a district-wide ban, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Jason Redmond for Cascade PBS)

Learning curve: WA schools grapple with new cell phone policiesPeninsula is part of a movement across the country toward school cell phone bans that seems to be accelerating this year. School districts are attempting to address parents’ and educators’ long-standing concerns about the harmful effects of devices on children. In the light of recent school shootings, however, the idea has attracted pushback from parents who would prefer students maintain constant contact with the outside world. In August, the state superintendent told school districts to make a plan to curtail classroom cell phone use by fall 2025. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Jason Redmond)


Print

Associated Press
Americans can order free COVID-19 tests beginning this month

Aberdeen Daily World
 No charges after police standoff de-escalated

Axios
California to ban all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores

Capital Press
WDFW removes two wolves from NE Washington pack
Washington court scuttles King County’s law on wineries

Columbian
Vancouver ceremony to remember victims of homicide
“Moment of joy”: I-5 Bridge Replacement Program releases environmental impact statement
Clark County could see home prices go up as more buyers tempted by lower mortgage rates, experts say
“Give us the dollars to do the work, and we will do the work”: Clark County nonprofits balance transparency with trust”

Everett Herald
Bothell to host 12th annual Sustainamania
Free mobile clinic fills ‘huge need’ on Casino Road
Boeing girds for long strike as gig economy gives workers clout
‘Give them a chance’: The fight to bring salmon back to Edmonds stream
Comment: Fentanyl overwhelmed Oregon’s approach to addiction

Indian Country Today
Colville tribal citizens left on the hook when Indian Health Service doesn’t pay medical bills

Journal of the San Juan Islands
San Juan County Receives $1.5Million from Governor to Support Local Transportation Infrastructure

Kitsap Sun
Unemployment claims in Washington increased last week
Homes in Kitsap County sold for lower prices recently: See how much here

News Tribune
How much did AG Ferguson pay to prosecute the Manny Ellis case? Here’s what records show

Puget Sound Business Journal
Former Washington Gov. Dan Evans dies at 98

Seattle Times
The ‘gray ghost’ of WA’s rivers struggling to survive
WA county to replicate Texas’ huge solution to homelessness

South Whidbey Record
Oak Harbor police to receive State funding for gun storage

Spokesman Review
Spin Control: State’s highest court last stop for challenge to homeless camping law
Spokane County Commissioners to host three public roundtables on 2025 budgeting process
Spokane child psychiatrists are in short supply as the nation’s youth mental health crisis persists
The Spokane Fire Department cut its fire academy this year due to budget woes. Here’s why it saved future layoffs

Washington Post
The public health consequences of public housing failures
Dan Evans, Washington state governor and U.S. senator, dies at 98
House moves toward averting a shutdown, sidestepping a Trump demand
California lawsuit says ExxonMobil lied about plastics being recyclable in ‘decades-long campaign of deception’

WA State Standard
How a tool built in Washington is helping schools fight absenteeism
Replacing I-5 bridge will aid drivers, displace some homeowners in WA and Oregon

Yakima Herald-Republic
After two years of drought in the Yakima Basin, could relief be on the way?

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Yes, the federal government is bringing back its free COVID-19 test program
Boeing angers another union by asking to include SPEEA employees in furloughs
Police say several groups responsible for over 10 recent robberies in South Seattle

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Zip Shuttle pilot coming to the City of Arlington
First electric firetruck in the state coming to Redmond
Alaska Airlines outage causes brief ground stop in Seattle
Dan Evans, three-term Washington governor and U.S. senator, dies at 98
Hydrofoil ferry? Kitsap Transit’s vision to replace diesel ferries gets state funding
Pierce County warns of false school threats circulating online, urges public to report

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Boeing employees continue strike as negotiations stall
Climate change impacts apple quality, ripening times across US
Aerospace engineers union rejects Boeing furlough request during strike
Washington mourns loss of Dan Evans, former governor and U.S. senator

KNKX Public Radio
Limited impact seen on Whatcom housing market from new real estate rules
Woman’s lost testimony raises concerns about King County sexual assault cases
Pierce County’s system for delivering homeless services is a mess, a consultant says

KUOW Public Radio
Kids targeted in string of south Seattle muggings
How rich Seattleites can lease public land through a program meant to protect it
Off the Charts: More people are returning to the office. Is Seattle traffic about to get worse?

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane community embraces new bike bus program for West Central kids

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Fifth judge helps, but judicial needs still exist in Whatcom County
Inside the conflict office dedicated to finding attorneys for jailed clients
A decision from the state Supreme Court could turn justice system into legal chaos

Crosscut
Learning curve: WA schools grapple with new cell phone policies
Climate Pledge Arena to pay over $477K to settle hidden fees case

MyNorthwest
WA Employment Security Dept. wants to hire nearly 100 workers as paid leave applications skyrocket

The Urbanist
Seattle’s Trolleybus Fleet To Get New Supercharged Batteries
Home in Tacoma Rezone Advances, Comment Period Nears End
Opinion: Seattle’s Banishment Zones Are Misguided, Public Space Guardianship Offers Fix