Washington police data gaps let the feds in, report finds
Federal authorities have been able to access police surveillance data in Washington state — sometimes without permission, a recent report shows. Why it matters: Washington calls itself a sanctuary for immigrants, abortion seekers and people pursuing gender-affirming care, but the study by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights suggests that gaps in local data-sharing rules are giving federal agencies access to information the state says it’s protecting. State of play: Public record requests by researchers showed that eight Washington state law enforcement agencies using Flock Safety — a brand of automated license plate readers (ALPR) — enabled direct one-to-one sharing of their networks with the U.S. Border Patrol at some point during 2025, per the report. Continue reading at Axios. (Annelise Capossela)
WA directs state dollars to food banks as SNAP funding cliff nears
Washington state will give food banks $2.2 million per week as they deal with the potential end of food stamp benefits due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Trump administration says it can’t fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting Saturday, despite billions of dollars in reserves. This is expected to send Washington’s SNAP recipients to local food banks and pantries to feed their families. In May, the most recent month for which federal data is available, over 905,000 Washingtonians received a total of $167 million in SNAP benefits. Continue reading at WSS. (Joe Raedle)
In Washington, cleaning up mold in rental housing is complicated
It’s cozy season — a time when people keep out the chill by shutting windows, curling up on the couch with a steaming mug of tea and switching on a space heater. But that can invite an unwanted house guest — mold. Mold is a common problem in Washington, where rainy weather creates the ideal conditions for spores to grow and thrive. If it appears in your home, it needs to be cleaned up quickly before it gets out of control. But in rental housing, whose responsibility is it to clean it up — landlords or renters? In Washington, it’s complicated. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Amanda Wisner)
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