Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections
Officials in blue states are vowing to build a “firewall” of reproductive health protections as they anticipate federal and state attacks on abortion access under the Trump administration. A number of states have passed “shield laws” designed to minimize the legal risks for people who provide or access abortions. But just eight states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — protect abortion providers from legal action regardless of where their patient is located. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (John Moore)
Washington state increases Veteran-Owned Business spending by 152% in 2024
The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is celebrating a 152% increase in spending with Veterans-Owned Businesses (VBOs) in this fiscal year. The increase represents a $27.5 million increase over the past three-year average and a result of Executive Order 22-01, which promotes equity in public contracting. This achievement can be attributed to the WDVA for their collaborative work with state agencies to increase contracting opportunities for VOBs. Continue reading at KIRO 7. (WDVA)
The case for converting vacant offices to congregate housing
Using a “flexible co-living” model in office to residential conversion projects could significantly cut costs and open up new opportunities for creating affordable housing in downtown business districts, according to a study recently released by The Pew Charitable Trust and Gensler, a global architecture, planning, and design firm. Recently the Washington State Legislature and City of Seattle have passed legislation in favor of congregate housing. In compliance with state law, congregate housing can be permitted in all multi-family zones in the city, including low-rise zones. Continue reading at The Urbanist. (Neiman Taber Architects)
Aberdeen Daily World
Lightning strikes Saron Lutheran in Hoquim
Seismic planning for Aberdeen schools draws officials’ interests
Axios
How growth is fueling the Eastside’s transformation
Redmond’s shift from bedroom suburb to urban hub
Pacific Northwest pummeled by deadly storm system
Bellingham Herald
High-Speed Rail Plan Pushed For Pacific Northwest
Capital Press
$2 billion USDA initiative aids specialty crop producers
EFSEC overrules county, approves solar panels on farmland
Dungeness crabbers sue WDFW over GPS boat monitoring program
Washington ranchers: Process too hazy for clear decisions on wolf removal
Everett Herald
‘A brutal hit’: Everett library cuts will lead to reduced hours, staffing
‘It almost killed me’: Bomb cyclone wreaks havoc in Snohomish County
Commentary: County budget proposal deserves clear explanation
The Inlander
State law now allows for more traffic cameras. Spokane decides to dedicate its resulting revenue to new ideas.
Immigrant communities and the nonprofits that help them prepare for a potential shift in immigration policy
Spokane Public Schools begins a new era, naming schools after a Holocaust survivor, a Japanese American teacher and a Chicano art professor
Kitsap Sun
Whooping cough surges, vaccination rates have declined across Washington
Wind storm takes out power to thousands, cancels Bainbridge Island schools
Suquamish Tribe opens Clearwater Market near Poulsbo, first off-reservation venture
An ecology worker noted her ferry receipt coated in chemicals. Now WSF is phasing them out
News Tribune
Ambitious effort to bring more housing to Tacoma’s neighborhoods passes City Council
New York Times
Should gay couples worry about their benefits under Trump?
Puget Sound Business Journal
Local visitors returning to downtown Seattle
Why the construction outlook for 2025 looks ‘cloudy’
What another Trump term might mean for housing affordability
Seattle Times
Inslee execs exit as Ferguson prepares to take over as WA governor
House passes bill that would allow Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorism
Skagit Valley Herald
Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon to install cameras to help law enforcement
Spokesman Review
Pennell to serve as federal judge in Eastern Washington
Spokane Valley City Council votes unanimously to further criminalize homelessness
Spokane Public Schools, Parks and Recreation to study partnership in future tax proposals
Washington Post
Antiabortion groups, emboldened after election, plan crackdowns
Amazon and SpaceX aim to defang federal labor board; Trump may help
10 programs that could be on the ‘government efficiency’ chopping block
AI’s hunger for electricity threatens decades of progress cutting emissions
WA State Standard
WA lawmakers wrestle with declining tax receipts and looming deficit (Robinson)
Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Hoquiam church steeple destroyed by lightning strike
Lake Stevens, surrounding areas assess damage from bomb cyclone
Eloise’s Cooking Pot in Tacoma serves 75,000 people per month in need of food
Tacoma’s cash assistance pilot program leads to improved quality of life for families
‘We’ll get through this’: Redmond residents work together after bomb cyclone damage
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Thousands of Washingtonians still in the dark, could go days without power
Washington state increases Veteran-Owned Business spending by 152% in 2024
Lockdown averted: Former student arrested after making school threats in Cashmere
KNKX Public Radio
Tri-Cities activists plan to file lawsuit against Clean Energy Center approval
KUOW Public Radio
Federal courts trumpet steps to protect workers after #MeToo movement
KXLY (ABC)
Idaho colleges could be forced to close DEI offices with board vote
Student arrested for having a replica handgun at Shadle Park High School
Web
Crosscut
Washington low-income home buying program underused, auditor says
MyNorthwest
La Niña wreaking havoc in the Pacific Northwest bringing more wind, rain
The Urbanist
The case for converting vacant offices to congregate housing