WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Tuesday, May 6

Restructured culverts and stream restoration on the Twanoh Creek in Skokomish. The Washington State Department of Transportation is under a federal court order to replace hundreds of fish-blocking culverts in Western Washington. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times, 2023)
WA lawmakers approve $1.1B for salmon habitat restoration
Another billion dollars of highway construction to restore salmon habitat will likely be coming to Western Washington over the next six years. The state Legislature approved an additional $1.1 billion for court-ordered Department of Transportation culvert replacement projects, bringing the program’s roughly two-decade total to $5.2 billion. At least for now. Gov. Bob Ferguson still has until May 20 to review and veto items in the budget. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Kevin Clark)


19-year-old who killed 3 children, 1 adult in high-speed crash sentenced to 210 months
Washington eyes speed-limiting tech for reckless drivers after Renton crash kills 4
Lawmakers in Washington state are moving to require GPS-based speed-limiting devices for repeat traffic offenders, using the case of a teen driver who caused a fatal high-speed crash in Renton as a powerful example. The technology, known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), prevents vehicles from exceeding the posted speed limit by using GPS to track location and adjust speed accordingly. An override button may be included for emergencies, but any use of it can be reported to authorities. Continue reading at KIRO 7. (KIRO 7)


The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Why police accountability efforts failed again in the Washington Legislature
For a second year in a row, Washington police accountability advocates have seen their priorities fall flat in Olympia. They entered this year’s session wanting to grant the attorney general stronger oversight of local police departments. They also wanted to create an independent prosecutor to handle cases when police use deadly force; restrict when officers can pull drivers over; block law enforcement from lying during interrogations; and set new standards for police chiefs and sheriffs. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero)


Print

Associated Press
Major PNW quake could make ground sink 6 feet

Axios
Washington slips in 2025 best states ranking
Hoh Rain Forest access to be restored Thursday
Economic outlook deteriorates in Mountain West
How Washington state is suing Trump in his second term
Trump administration urges court to dismiss abortion pill challenge
How Wednesday’s REAL ID deadline affects Washington state

Bellingham Herald
WA residents struggling to get REAL ID appointments as DOL sees record surge
Here’s what the Trump admin proposes spending on WA’s toxic Hanford nuclear site

Everett Herald
Everett to host open house on comp plan update
Deputies: 11-year-old in custody after bringing knives to Lynnwood school
Editorial: County had no choice but to sue over new grant rules

Kent Reporter
Kent Police receive state grant for dedicated DUI officer

Kitsap Sun
Hood Canal Bridge open Tuesday after closing due to mechanical issue

News Tribune
Tacoma college to build $42M fire-training center. Here’s what’s inside
Pierce County sues Trump administration over ‘coercive’ grant requirements
Here’s what the Trump admin proposes spending on WA’s toxic Hanford nuclear site
Opinion: In parts of the West, taxation is becoming more fair

Olympian
WA residents struggling to get REAL ID appointments as DOL sees record surge
Here’s what the Trump admin proposes spending on WA’s toxic Hanford nuclear site
Seattle archbishop decries new WA mandatory reporting law: ‘Alarmed by this overreach’

Peninsula Daily News
March honors missing indigenous people
Medicaid program cuts could have ‘devastating’ impacts

Puget Sound Business Journal
Noncompliance with new ID rules could make you miss your flight
Trump’s climate policy threatens burgeoning sector in Moses Lake

Seattle Times
WA lawmakers approve $1.1B for salmon habitat restoration (Trudeau, Tharinger)
Trump budget would slash money for housing programs in WA
WA slides again in ranking of best states, but remains in Top 10
What’s WA’s top problem? Survey shows a new issue has emerged
DOJ opens inquiry into new WA law requiring clergy to report abuse (Frame)
What the WA Legislature approved, and didn’t, that could affect drivers

Spokesman Review
Washington sues over cuts to Health and Human Services
Washington challenges federal blocking of wind energy development
‘The only acceptable number is zero’: Kalispel Tribe honors missing Indigenous people
Despite ongoing federal probe into state schools, Central Valley School Board sends Title IX complaint to feds

Washington Post
Park Service suspends air-quality monitoring at all national parks
From prosperity to austerity: Trump’s tone shifts ahead of tariff impacts
Dyes, soda, and chronic disease: How RFK Jr. is shaping his food agenda

WA State Standard
Why police accountability efforts failed again in the Washington Legislature (Trudeau, Farivar, Goodman)
WA law mandating clergy report child abuse to be investigated by Trump’s Justice Department (Frame)
‘Big One’ coupled with rising ocean could leave many in Northwest living in flood zones, study finds


Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
DOGE cuts target domestic violence advocates
REAL ID deadline at SEA Airport just one day away
Tacoma police deputy chief fired for gender discrimination, hostile workplace
Survey findings on perceptions of Asian Americans in the US are ‘upsetting’
Around 30 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after breaking into University of Washington building
Hundreds of Washington Native Americans gather to raise awareness for missing, murdered community members

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Seattle riot police arrest 30 pro-Palestinian protesters at UW
Sound Transit to open two new stations in Redmond on May 10
‘Masked activists’ take over new UW engineering building, stage blockade
Washington eyes speed-limiting tech for reckless drivers after Renton crash kills 4 (Leavitt)
Seattle’s $300M Amtrak expansion to bring modern trains, transportation by 2027
Two Lakewood police officers suspended for offensive comments toward colleagues

KNKX Public Radio
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library seeks donations after Washington state cuts funding

KUOW Public Radio
Spokane man arrested by ICE spent more than a decade trying to obtain legal status
Federal funding cuts to AmeriCorps leave Washington volunteers, nonprofits scrambling for answers

KXLY (ABC)
“This is about getting information”: Central Valley School Board to send letter to Dept. of Ed. on WA schools’ transgender athlete policy


Web

Cascadia Daily News
Mobile markets will accept more benefits in 2026 thanks to new state law (Shewmake)
Speeding, bad drivers, congestion in your neighborhood? City wants input with new program

Cascade PBS
REAL ID starts May 7. Here’s what Washingtonians need to know
How Washington’s new tax and fee increases could hit your pocket
Harrell’s updated Climate Action Plan would cut carbon emissions

InvestigateWest
WA civil legal aid organizations mourn state funding cuts: ‘It’s a gut punch’
WA law mandating clergy report child abuse to be investigated by Trump’s Justice Department (Frame)

MyNorthwest
WA sues Trump over wind energy projects freeze
DOJ to investigates Washington’s clergy reporting law
King County among local governments suing Trump administration
More than 25 ‘masked activists’ arrested after taking over UW building
Last day before REAL ID deadline: WA residents face long DOL wait times

The Urbanist
Washington State Budget Compromise Leaves Many Hoping for More (Ormsby, Robinson, Jinkins, Pederson, Scott, Fitzgibbon, Heck, Stonier, Dhingra)

Washington Observer
And it’s filing week (Hunt, Callan, Ramos, Krishnadasan)
A summer tax hike on drivers (Fey)
How an accountability bill for bad actors in the insurance industry died (Walen, Reeves, Taylor, Santos)