Washington secretary of state certifies 2024 election results
Washington’s 2024 election is in the books. Well, almost. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Gov. Jay Inslee certified the results on Wednesday — except for a recount of ballots cast in the duel for a state Senate seat in southwest Washington. Election officials predicted 80% of voters would cast a ballot. Washington came up just short of that mark with a turnout of 78.94% and 3,961,859 voters participating. That’s down from an 84% rate in 2020 when 4,116,894 people cast a ballot, but higher than in 2016. Continue reading at The Washington State Standard. (Jerry Cornfield)
New taxes part of discussion for legislative leaders about to make history
Tax increases, and potentially new tax proposals, will be on the table when Washington state legislators convene in Olympia in January for an historic session. Meanwhile, the leaders of the House and Senate will be making history of their own. Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen will be the first LGBTQ members to lead their respective chambers. One of their priorities this upcoming session will be passing a balanced budget. Both Pedersen and Jinkins said new streams of revenue will be explored, and said they drew confidence from the results of the November election. Continue reading at King 5. (King 5)
Washington carbon auctions resume after surviving election challenge
Washington state held its first carbon auction since voters upheld the state’s flagship climate law in November. The results of Wednesday’s auction, with hundreds of millions of dollars changing hands, won’t be revealed for another week. But with the state’s system for capping carbon emissions no longer at risk of being repealed by voters, the price businesses are willing to pay to keep harming the climate is expected to climb. Continue reading at KUOW. (Kathleen Lumiere)
Axios
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Capital Press
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Everett Herald
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The Inlander
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International Examiner
Councilmember Tammy Morales announces resignation from the Seattle City Council
News Tribune
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New York Times
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Olympian
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Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle City Council member to resign
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Seattle Medium
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Spokesman Review
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Washington Post
What happened the last time Trump moved federal jobs out of D.C.
WA State Standard
Washington secretary of state certifies 2024 election results
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Wenatchee World
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Yakima Herald-Republic
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Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
‘Swatting calls’ reported at several western Washington schools
New taxes part of discussion for legislative leaders about to make history (Jinkins, Pedersen)
Morales says she’s worried about Seattle City Council’s future, announces resignation
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KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
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KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Tammy Morales announces resignation from Seattle City Council
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KUOW Public Radio
Washington carbon auctions resume after surviving election challenge
KXLY (ABC)
Washington certifies election votes with nearly 80% voter turnout
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NW Public Radio
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Web
Cascadia Daily News
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Crosscut
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MyNorthwest
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Washington Observer
Early takeaways from Re-Wire (Pedersen, Fitzgibbon, Berg, Alvarado)