‘A tool to control the thoughts and actions of people’: New Washington law seeks to stop book bans
Book bans in public schools and libraries all over the United States have been fueled in recent years largely by dozens of conservative activist groups working to suppress books about LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Last March, the state Legislature passed a law meant to slow efforts to ban books in Washington’s K-12 schools. The new law forbids public schools, charter schools and some tribal schools from banning books or other instructional materials just because they include stories of legally protected groups such as LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Continue reading at The Spokesman Review. (Tribune News Service)
More than half of Washington’s electric vehicle rebate funding is used up
Around 3,300 Washington residents have snapped up state-funded rebates to lease or purchase electric vehicles since the subsidies became available about two months ago. Funding for the program, which launched on Aug. 1, is expected to run out in October if people continue tapping the rebates at the current pace, according to Steven Hershkowitz, the state Department of Commerce’s clean transportation program managing director. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Getty Images)
Building housing in downtown Seattle just got easier
Soon, developers will have an easier time building apartments in downtown Seattle. That’s because the City Council voted 8-1 to exempt residential projects there, along with hotels and research labs, from a time-consuming process called “design review.” Design review meetings are one of the main places the public can weigh in on the impact of new buildings on their neighborhood and demand changes from developers. The city needs more housing, especially in downtown Seattle where experts say more residents would help offset the economic impact of remote work. Continue reading at KUOW. (Megan Farmer)
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