From Woodinville to Olympia, cities across WA expand renter protection
Efforts to pass renter protections at the state level stalled in 2024, but cities across Washington — from Olympia to Woodinville to Spokane — expanded local ordinances and policies aimed at protecting tenants. One of the most significant proposals in the Washington state Legislature in the 2024 session would have prohibited landlords from raising rent by more than 7% a year and limited certain types of fees. It failed to advance. Despite the lack of movement at the state level, several major cities implemented policies that extended notice periods for rent increases, imposed limits on excessive fees, required relocation assistance and protected tenants against retaliation for installing air conditioning units. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Kevin Clark)
‘A very, very small number’ of teens receive gender-affirming care, study finds
How many transgender teens in the U.S. are receiving medical care related to gender transitions? According to a peer-reviewed research letter published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, the answer is very, very few. It’s a key data point as Republican lawmakers in Congress and around the country continue to focus on transgender youth in contexts ranging from sports to bathrooms to doctors’ offices. In a legislative sprint over the last few years, half of U.S. states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care. Some of those laws have been blocked in court, and one such legal case was just argued in the U.S. Supreme Court in December. Continue reading at KNKX. (Rory Doyle)
New minimum wage & more Washington laws going into effect in 2025
Some people ring in the new year with resolutions for going to the gym or finally learning Spanish. Along with new resolutions, Washingtonians will have several new laws go into effect today. The state is raising its minimum wage to $16.66 an hour in 2025, a 38-cent increase from 2024 ($16.28 per hour), due to increased housing and food costs as calculated by the state Department of Labor & Industries. Washington had the highest state-level minimum wage in the nation in 2024 (Washington D.C.’s wage is $17), though the federal wage is still $7.25. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Joe Nicholson)
Associated Press
Surgeon General calls for cancer warning on alcoholic drinks
Aberdeen Daily World
Top 10 news stories of 2024
Ocean Shores Walk-In clinic takes crucial next step
Commissioners bring three more cities under Emergency Management umbrella
Axios
Graffiti removal by drone underway in Washington state
Ellensburg among America’s most expensive small towns
Capital Press
Yakima County dairies appeal to 9th Circuit
Reward offered in Washington wolf poaching
WSDA: We need public’s help to stop Japanese beetles
Union seeks to rescind visas for farmworkers bound for Washington
The Daily News
Walsh-sponsored bill headed to WA Legislature would allow private family cemeteries
‘Perfect storm’ of factors hits Washington apple farmers, driving bankruptcies, consolidation
Everett Herald
Tulalip Tribes aim to boost salmon habitat at Allen Creek
Snohomish County allocates more money for public safety
Sound Transit repairs will affect Link service for two months
A year after door blowout, Boeing touts safety improvements
‘A game of chicken’: Downtown Everett businesses react to proposed stadium
Comment: Eco-Nomics: Looking back and forward on the climate crisis
Editorial: Legislation that deserves another look in Olympia (Orwall, Ryu, Ortiz-Self, Lovick, Liias)
The Inlander
Washington lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session in a budget year with a new governor (Riccelli)
Designed to improve quality of life for ALS patients, modular, eco-friendly homes also show what the future of homebuilding could look like
Opinion: It’s too easy for Spokane land speculators to sit on their property without redeveloping it; land value taxation could break the logjam
Opinion: America has been in a public health crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fever is getting worse
International Examiner
DESC’s Navigation Center shelter to close in Little Saigon in March as staff and guests move to new low-barrier shelter downtown
News Tribune
Join us for our 2025 Washington Legislative Preview Q&A with state lawmakers (Pedersen, Jinkins)
Ex-prisoner sues WA state DOC, saying it didn’t protect her from sex assault by cellmate
She sued Puppyland after her $6K Dachshund died. Here’s why the lawsuit won’t go to trial
Trump promises funding cuts. What could that mean for Pierce County’s homeless services?
King tides around Puget Sound mean potentially dangerous high water — and coming spring
New York Times
Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Appeals Court
Biden Bans New Oil and Gas Drilling Along Most U.S. Coasts
After Fierce Lobbying, Treasury Sets Rules for Billions in Hydrogen Subsidies
Biden Withdraws Proposed Regulations on Student Loans and Trans Athletes
Northwest Asian Weekly
Joe Nguyen appointed to head of WA state’s Department of Commerce (Nguyen)
Peninsula Daily News
Marine Center receives $15 million
Port Townsend Leader
Jefferson County has new coroner, following shift in state law
Still 20% higher than state average, county’s unemployment inches up
Puget Sound Business Journal
Six stories that could impact your business in 2025
Playbook for 2025: Child care crisis likely to hit the office
Managers are hiring, but workers are still getting ghosted
Controversial new business requirement faces another delay
At Sea-Tac Airport, 2024 was a bullish year for international travel
Economist: ‘Problematic’ WA employment trend signals looming slowdown
Seattle Medium
Washington State Rep. Jamila Taylor Details Her Key Legislative Priorities (Taylor)
Seattle Police Respond To Robberies, Shootings, And Standoffs To Start 2025
Washington Jurisdictions Boost Minimum Wage, Seattle Set For Major Changes In January 2025
Seattle Times
WA agency asks for help in fight against invasive bug
From Woodinville to Olympia, cities across WA expand renter protection
Fewer than 1 in 1,000 US adolescents receive gender-affirming medications, researchers find
Editorial: Leaked email shows need for dialogue about revenue
Opinion: Protect WA’s waters and tribal sovereignty: Ban commercial finfish net-pen aquaculture
Skagit Valley Herald
Extension granted on process to relicense Skagit River dams
Spokesman Review
Inslee reflects on tenure during exit interview
Bill headed to WA Legislature would allow private family cemeteries
Housing prices across Spokane skyrocket, pricing many out of the market
It would be Pierce County’s largest geoduck farm. Locals fought it. Now the state decides
ACLU calls on Idaho Supreme Court to intervene in new, ‘disastrous’ public defense reform
A University of Washington study on menopause revealed health disparities between rural and urban women
Opinion: Keep public land in Latah Valley public
Opinion: Safe firearm storage saves lives
Tri-City Herald
WA consumers pay eggs-tra as bird flu affects grocery prices
Hanford nuclear guards reject contract proposal. Contractor to order them back to work
Washington Post
AI’s next leap requires intimate access to your digital life
Trump aides ready ‘universal’ tariff plans — with one key change
Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel file lawsuits against Biden, others over handling of blocked deal
WA State Standard
Ferguson taps Seattle state senator to lead WA Department of Commerce (Nguyễn)
Tanker deliveries of Canadian oil rise in Washington after export terminal expansion
‘Perfect storm’ of factors hits Washington apple farmers, driving bankruptcies, consolidation
Wenatchee World
Former director takes interim role at Chelan-Douglas Land Trust
Chelan County hosting public hearing on short-term rental code changes
WA bolsters protections as NCW immigrant communities brace for potential mass deportations under Trump administration
Yakima Herald-Republic
WA DOH launches winter seasonal hazards dashboard
Yakima Valley School may close if Gov. Inslee’s budget is approved
Prosecutors seeking additional evidence in Yakima New Year’s stabbing
Ellensburg city prosecutor preparing charges against Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice
Failed WA candidate heads to D.C. to support Jan. 6 rioters and plot 3rd run for Congress
Boats in WA waters must stay 1,000 yards from endangered killer whales. How far is that?
New law on pedestrian-vehicle crashes takes effect, but likely won’t change charging decisions locally
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
How Amazon’s return to work is expected to impact Seattle traffic
These new laws are going into effect in Washington state tomorrow
Only about half of Southern Resident orca calves survive. Here’s why
Shelton animal sanctuary says 20 large cats are dead from avian flu outbreak
King County bus drivers demand safety improvements after colleague’s murder
Grieving orca who captured nation in 2018 is carrying dead calf for second time
One year later, a Washington mother continues to fight for justice after son’s death
Garfield High student killed by gunfire inspires philanthropy on his ‘heavenly birthday’
Residents experiencing health impacts as water woes persist in Oak Harbor community
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Army soldier in Las Vegas Cybertruck blast trained at JBLM special operations program
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
New public zone map aims to enhance accuracy of weather warnings in western Washington
KNKX Public Radio
WA cities expanded renter protections as state efforts stalled
Climate change is helping invasive species take root in Washington
‘A very, very small number’ of teens receive gender-affirming care, study finds
KUOW Public Radio
More Canada crude is coming, but trade war could hamper flow
KXLY (ABC)
Eastern Washington legislators get ready to tackle big issues in upcoming legislative session (Riccelli, Graham)
NW Public Radio
Web
Cascadia Daily News
Skagit farmland preservation efforts buck WA trend of agriculture loss
Battery energy storage system approved for industrial land west of Mount Vernon
Opinion: County growth plan must protect farming
Crosscut
How did Washington spend $6.5B in federal pandemic aid?
State Sen. Joe Nguyễn to head WA Department of Commerce (Nguyễn)
Officials inspect Tacoma ICE detention center after legal battle
Why wildlife officials are killing some PNW owls to save others
Six WA cities pass anti-homeless laws after Grants Pass decision
Rep Tana Senn to lead WA Department of Children, Youth & Families (Senn)
WA immigration advocates prepare for new legal challenges to DACA
New minimum wage & more Washington laws going into effect in 2025
The Stranger
Having an IUD is Great. Getting One Can Be Terrible (Walen)
City Attorney Ann Davison’s Office Strikes Deal with SPD Officer who Killed Jaahnavi Kandula
Washington Observer
Recommended tax reading (Frame)
A milder medical mergers proposal (Walen)
Pain management options for IUDs (Walen)
Reining in credit-card fees on tips, taxes (Saldaña, Hasegawa)
Lower blood-alcohol levels for motorists (Lovick)
Another knife-fight over recycling policy? (Fey)
Revising qualifications for child care providers (Senn)
West Seattle Blog
WEEK AHEAD: Schools are back in session tomorrow