ACA enrollment in WA plummets 13% after premium hikes
As premiums surged, thousands of enrollees faced a difficult choice: Pay significantly more for health insurance or go uninsured. The latest figures indicate that tens thousands of people across Washington have chosen the latter option…The latest figures represent a potential reversal of once-promising trends. Last year, ACA enrollment hit a record high. At this point in 2025, more than 286,000 people had enrolled and paid for coverage. The fraction of Washingtonians going without insurance was also falling. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Patrick Sison)
WA ICE facility, rife with abuses, now under lower standards, UW report shows
Researchers found ICE and GEO Group, the private company that owns and operates the facility, ignored key evidence when conducting internal investigations, failed to incorporate federally mandated preventative measures and did not report crimes to law enforcement.The findings come as the Tacoma immigration detention center is under likely the weakest standards ever applied to the facility since its opening in 2004, researchers said. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Nick Wagner)
Critics question WA’s progress reducing solitary confinement in state prisons
A new report from Washington’s prison watchdog lays out policy changes the Department of Corrections should make to improve and reduce solitary confinement in its prisons. The agency says it agrees with many of those recommendations. Still, advocates are frustrated by what they see as slow progress. Corrections pledged in 2023 to reduce solitary confinement by 90% in five years, but whether it’s on track to meet that goal is in doubt. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Courtesy of Office of the Corrections Ombuds)
Bellingham Herald
WA Supreme Court bats down referendum attempt targeting income tax
Record number of Washingtonians drop health insurance after loss of tax credits
Capital Press
Growers hope for new varieties from WSU’s new raspberry breeder
The big three: Apples, grapes and strawberries rule USDA noncitrus report
Everett Herald
Mukilteo City Council votes to read land acknowledgement less often
Snohomish County students immerse themselves in county government for a week
Kitsap Sun
Port of Bremerton ready to bid for Port Orchard Marina breakwater replacement
News Tribune
Wine facility with 4.5M gallons went up in flames in Eastern WA
Teen charged in Tacoma high school stabbing attack; bail set at $750k
‘Crisis of confidence’: Parks Tacoma eyes more cuts as budget deficit swells
Is Tacoma’s ambitious ‘missing middle’ housing plan working one year in?
Boater who nearly hit 2 ferries before running aground near Steilacoom arrested
Container shipping firm to close Lakewood site, cut 49 workers in Pierce County
New York Times
Why Gasoline Prices Vary So Much by State, County and City
A Look Inside the Case That Enshrined Political Power for Billionaires
Port Townsend Leader
Homeless count climbs
Rate increases, blackouts on horizon as spill order begins
Puget Sound Business Journal
There’s a new hiring challenge for employers: a ticking clock
SEC proposes end to quarterly reports, with potential ripples in WA
Seattle Times
ACA enrollment in WA plummets 13% after premium hikes
Opinion: What Trump’s higher education ‘compact’ gets wrong about college
Editorial: Seattle schools have banned cellphones. Can we make it statewide?
WA ICE facility, rife with abuses, now under lower standards, UW report shows
FDA blocked publication of research finding COVID and shingles vaccines were safe
South Whidbey Record
Ferry rates increases take effect
Group to explore transparency election law (Shavers)
Spokesman Review
Gonzaga president addresses another racist incident on campus
Two surveys suggest most Spokane residents are contemplating an exodus (Riccelli)
Opinion: City Hall needs a reminder: Spokane’s businesses are not the enemy
Washington Supreme Court declines attempt to reinstate sheriff standards law
Survey: Sentiments in Spokane County still dim, but improving for city residents
Spokane County on the precipice of renewed effort to overhaul criminal justice system
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Stockton COVID lawsuit after state court overturned charges against doctors
Washington Post
Odds keep rising for the strongest El Niño in a century
In a first, FDA authorizes fruit-flavored vapes for adults
FDA halts publication of studies on covid, shingles vaccines
ICE raids reduce jobs for both U.S.-born and undocumented workers, study finds
Publishers sue Meta, claiming it violated copyrights in training AI with their books
WA State Standard
WA Supreme Court rejects state’s attempt to unblock sheriff eligibility law
Critics question WA’s progress reducing solitary confinement in state prisons
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Mukilteo leaders cut frequency of Native land acknowledgments
Officials lay groundwork for future of regional homelessness authority
Whale dies near Bellingham amid wave of strandings in Washington’s waters
Seattle group cited for illegal harvesting of 500 oysters in Hood Canal, police say
Federal unemployment aid available to Washington residents affected by historic floods
Washington State Supreme Court denies state’s attempt to reinstate sheriff’s standards law
Puyallup approves flagpole project for America’s 250th birthday despite community opposition
Sound Transit board members renew commitment to light rail expansion, despite budget shortfall
KXLY (ABC)
Spokane program works to address tree canopy inequality across neighborhoods
Spokane Valley city council bans cryptocurrency ATMs due to increasing scam losses and difficulties tracing transactions
Web
Cascadia Daily News
At Whatcom’s outdoor preschools, imagination and independence blossom
‘Designed to fail’: Whatcom County council can’t decide on direction for new jail
Cascade PBS
Celebrating AANHPI culture – past and present – in the PNW
MyNorthwest
IRS extends WA tax deadline again after storms, flooding
Washington health insurance enrollment hits record decline
‘The Governor’s Office does not want to tell reporters about this policy’: Axios uncovers Ferguson’s plan to keep secrets
The Urbanist
Federal Way Councilmember Frames Pedestrian Safety Crisis as Needing ‘Darwinian’ Solution
Washington Observer
Democrats stretching the map (Stonier)
Playing defense on the income tax
West Seattle Blog
TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Wednesday watch
Question or comment for your state legislators? Town Hall in West Seattle on Friday
(Alvarado, Thomas, Fitzgibbon)