WSDOT doodles make drivers laugh — and pay attention
Drivers may scroll past a road-closure alert — but they’ll remember a cow doodled into a roundabout. The big picture: That’s the thought behind the Washington State Department of Transportation’s use of online humor — hand-drawn maps, horoscope tie-ins and even Dave Matthews traffic jokes — to deliver alerts about road closures and work zone safety. How it works: Humor makes people more likely to pay attention and remember a message, according to a meta-analysis in the Journal of Advertising. Continue reading at Axios. (WSDOT)
WA lawmakers faced with $570M decision on surging lawsuit payouts
A Washington agency that manages the state’s lawsuit payouts is seeking a one-time infusion of nearly $570 million to address skyrocketing liability costs. And without a more permanent fix to funding the state’s self-insurance fund, the Department of Enterprise Services warns its gap could grow to more than $1.3 billion by mid-2027. By mid-2029, the deficit could be anywhere from $2 billion to $3.2 billion. The department is also asking the governor to propose adjusting the insurance fund’s ongoing funding to minimize this shortfall. This would mean hundreds of millions more dollars per year to offset the state’s payouts. Continue reading at KUOW. (Sharon McCutcheon)
WA lands commissioner wants $100M boost for wildfire funding
Washington’s public lands commissioner is asking the Legislature for roughly $100 million more to prevent and fight wildfires. Dave Upthegrove wants a $60 million boost for wildfire prevention funding that was shortchanged in the last legislative session. Plus, he is seeking $44.8 million more for wildfire fighting for the 2026 fiscal year, which runs through next June. In a letter to Office of Financial Management Director K.D. Chapman-See, making the request, Upthegrove acknowledged the “difficult choices” budget-writers will face in 2026. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Emily Fitzgerald)
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