Click here for our Daily E-Clips policy.

Wednesday, June 21

Summer Chinook fishing on premier WA rivers called off as salmon struggle
Biologists release millions of hatchery fish into the stream each year to bolster struggling wild runs, and anglers can typically enjoy fishing all summer long. But officials from tribes and the state closed nearly all fishing on the Snohomish River and its tributaries this summer to protect the few wild Chinook making their way back to spawn. For decades, tribes with treaty-protected fishing rights on the river have forfeited some fishing to preserve what runs remain. The state and tribes have invested millions to raise hatchery fish, restore critical habitat, keep rivers cool and clean up industrial and agricultural pollution. Yet the efforts haven’t been enough to keep the river open to fishing this summer as climate change drives warming stream temperatures and lower flows, compounding risks to endangered fish across the state. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

Opinion: As long-term care needs grow, WA Cares offers long-term solution for working Washingtonians
Most Americans will need some form of long-term care, and as our population ages and the caregiver shortage worsens, this need will only grow. Yet most people do not have, cannot afford, or do not qualify for private long-term care insurance. WA Cares is intended to provide access to long-term care for the broad middle class. Without WA Cares, people who need care are forced to pay for everything out of pocket and often spend down their life savings to just $2,000 to qualify for Medicaid. Loved ones must step in and use their own resources or provide unpaid care, often sacrificing their own economic security in the process. In short, the system is profoundly broken, and people deserve more than these fend-for-yourself options. Continue reading at Spokesman Review.

‘Very well prepared’, State DNR commissioner speaks on upcoming fire season
Despite an anticipated hotter and drier year, state and local entities expect to be able to tackle the wildfire season with more resources than ever. “It’s going to be pretty tough,” said Hilary Franz about this year’s wildfire season — her fifth as Commissioner of Public Lands for the state Department of Natural Resources. She added, “That being said, we’ve done a lot to get very well prepared for it. We have more resources than we’ve ever had.” The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has under their “exclusive” disposal 37 aircraft positioned throughout the state ready to respond to wildfires. The goal: keep 90% wildfires on DNR land below 10 acres. “We’d like to do even better than that,” she said. Continue reading at Wenatchee World.

Print

Associated Press
Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon’s safety practices and asks workers to share stories
FTC accuses Amazon of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

Axios
Seattle summers are almost 3°F warmer than in 1970
Seattle’s restored Black Lives Matter mural is an outlier

Capital Press
Environmentalists lose Diamond M grazing case
Washington gas prices top U.S. as carbon fee takes hold

Columbian
Oregon’s share of Interstate 5 Bridge replacement funding advances to House, Senate
Vancouver accepting applications for Affordable Housing Fund

Everett Herald
‘Open door policy’: Snohomish County celebrates World Refugee Day
How much is that ferry ride going to cost in October?

News Tribune
Opinion: No one wants a new airport in their backyard. Let’s build a new city for it

New York Times
Student Loan Pause Is Ending, With Consequences for Economy
Child Care Disruptions Expected as Record Funding Nears an End

Olympian
Lacey homeless shelter now set to open the week of June 26, city officials say
‘The public’s right to know doesn’t have much of a lobby.’ Here’s how lobbying affects WA laws (Bateman, Springer, Walen)

Peninsula Daily News
Lake Sutherland Fire fight continues

Puget Sound Business Journal
Homebuilding picking back up in wake of constrained inventory

Seattle Times
King County Metro to fast-track rehiring workers fired over vaccine mandate
Summer Chinook fishing on premier WA rivers called off as salmon struggle
Most Seattle residents support public drug use arrests, poll finds
Column: Can we act now? WA’s overdose deaths are fastest rising in the nation

Spokesman Review
Three Spokane County Jail inmates have died in less than two months
Opinion: As long-term care needs grow, WA Cares offers long-term solution for working Washingtonians

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Walla plans pavement preservation project along Rose Street in 2024

Washington Post
National test scores plunge, with still no sign of pandemic recovery

Wenatchee World
Confederated Tribes weigh in on Indian Child Welfare Act Supreme Court ruling
‘Very well prepared’, State DNR commissioner speaks on upcoming fire season
Schools, organizations in Chelan, Douglas counties offer free summer meals to children

Yakima Herald-Republic
Pygmy rabbits appreciate new approach in Central Washington
Editorial: Water conservation efforts face another test

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon’s safety practices and asks workers to share stories

Web

Crosscut
How WA cities’ lobbying muscle shapes housing, public records bills (Springer, Walen, Jinkins)
The Washington mental health lifeline made for and by Native people

MyNorthwest
Puyallup nurses consider strike vote at MultiCare Good Samaritan

Tuesday, June 20

Child care costs more than college in Washington state
The average annual cost of sending a toddler to daycare in Washington tops $14,000, according to a new report — and it’s about $2,100 more than sending your child to the University of Washington for a year. The report released last week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows how deeply families struggle to stay afloat while working and paying for child care — and how some have been forced to quit jobs to stay home with a kid. Child care costs have increased by 220% since 1990, outpacing inflation, per the report. In Washington state, the average annual cost for center-based toddler care is $14,355. That’s 39% of a single parent’s median income or 12% of a family’s, according to the report, which is based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 National Database of Childcare Prices. Only five other states — Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York — and Washington, D.C., had a higher average annual cost for this type of care. Continue reading at Axios. (Tory Lysik)

How much money does your family need to survive in Washington? This report says $77k a year
About one in three Washington households are not making enough money to make ends meet, according to recently released data from a national research group called United for ALICE. Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) describes people who are working, making more than the Federal Poverty Level, but not making enough money to cover their basic needs where they live. In 2021, the Federal Poverty Level for a family of four with two children in childcare, was $26,500 a year. ALICE data says the same family in Washington needs $77,328 per year minimum just to survive. ALICE data provides a better picture of what needs to be done to “leverage local resources to have an impact on the things that matter in particular, how can we help people have more productive fulfilling lives.” Continue reading at KNKX. (Ted S. Warren)

State will launch ‘refund bureau’ for fines paid in overturned drug cases
Thousands of people whose drug possession convictions got nixed by the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision will soon have a simpler path to get money back for fines they paid. Next month, the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts will launch the Blake Refund Bureau, an online portal through which people can obtain reimbursements for court-ordered fines or fees tied to convictions vacated as a result of the landmark 2021 ruling. There have been 262,767 convictions for felony drug possession since 1971, according to the Washington State Patrol. Of those, it is estimated 150,000 people could be owed money when their convictions are vacated. An additional 150,000 misdemeanor marijuana charges may also be eligible for vacation, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Lawmakers earmarked $50 million for reimbursements and $47 million to help defray costs to courts, prosecutors and defense attorneys tied to vacating charges and adjusting sentences of incarcerated or supervised people with convictions under the old law. Continue reading at Everett Herald.

Print

Associated Press
Microsoft says early June disruptions to Outlook, cloud platform, were cyberattacks

Axios
“Hidden” costs of homeownership in Seattle area tops $20K
Child care costs more than college in Washington state

Columbian
Clark County and its cities to gain $27 million in opioid crisis settlement
Camas’ Everett Street analysis enters 3rd phase; city hopes to improve corridor for walkers and drivers
Editorial: In Our View: Terminal 1 site wise investment for region (Cleveland)

Everett Herald
State will launch ‘refund bureau’ for fines paid in overturned drug cases
World Refugee Day event set for Tuesday at Everett Community College
Comment: UW sending new professors on a bus tour of state
Comment: Historical argument for making community college free
Comment: Our real inflation problem is expansion of wealth gap
Editorial: You’re now paying for the carbon from car’s tailpipe
Editorial: Federal, state courts respect Native kids, tribes

Olympian
Those with past drug conviction fines can be reimbursed online starting in July. Here’s how
WA Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act. Franklin County must change its elections
Tri-Cities flower shop that wouldn’t serve same-sex wedding has new LGBTQ-friendly owner
WA State Historical Society releases ‘Black Washington’ app in time for Juneteenth holiday
Olympia’s third Juneteenth Celebration Festival spotlights Black joy and healing
Trustees vote to raise tuition, other student fees at The Evergreen State College

Peninsula Daily News
Fire near lake at 10 percent contained
Port of Port Townsend to apply for $2.3 million grant

Puget Sound Business Journal
Deal gives WA company huge share of mass-timber production
CEO pay climbed again in 2022, but gains are tapering

Seattle Medium
There Can’t Be Reparations Without Climate Justice

Seattle Times
Push for National Reparations Legislation Slows, Activists and Elected Officials Press On
WA ferry service on several routes won’t return to normal this year
As Pell Grants return for incarcerated students, how will higher ed shake out in WA prisons?
Amtrak’s Seattle maintenance-base plans would take over a Sodo street
Juneteenth draws thousands to Seattle celebrations
Editorial: Run buses to Mount Rainier

Spokesman Review
‘We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams’: Juneteenth creates space for grassroots organizing
Large wildfire in Walla Walla area threatening homes and agriculture
Getting There: North Spokane Corridor work gets underway to span Spokane River
Opinion: Reimagining downtowns in Washington

Wenatchee World
Affordable housing forum opens the floor to questions from Wenatchee valley residents on housing crisis

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Valley students training for hard-to-fill jobs receive WAVE scholarships
Yakima airport director says Sea-Tac flights could return in November
With water cuts a reality, Yakima Basin farmers find new ways to stretch a precious resource
Opinion: WA Cares isn’t perfect, but it’s a necessary start

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle police work to rebuild relationships at Juneteenth celebration, recruit new officers
Washington officials say now is the time to prepare for wildfire smoke
Why did Seattle City Council halt a 900-unit SODO housing proposal?
Juneteenth celebration event in Olympia focuses on past, present, and future of country

KNKX Public Radio
How much money does your family need to survive in Washington? This report says $77k a year
June temperatures briefly passed key climate threshold. Scientists expect more such spikes

KUOW Public Radio
WA lawmaker hails tribes’ victory in SCOTUS adoption ruling (Stearns)
Kids in this small Washington town worry about food when school is out for summer
How to lose money if you’re a working woman? Have kids

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Juneteenth celebration brings entertainment, education to community
More than 150 graduate from Northwest Indian College
Opinion: NOAA keeps our working waterfronts healthy and safe
Opinion: Juneteenth: Reflect. Act. Celebrate.
Opinion: Council member: Bellingham protects Lake Whatcom water with land purchases

MyNorthwest
No more co-pays for breast cancer screenings in Washington (Wilson)
Striking researchers, postdocs reach tentative agreement with UW
Seattle to get new area code as 206 runs out of numbers

West Seattle Blog
TUESDAY: City Council briefing on ‘racing zone’ designation that could pave way for speed cameras on Alki, Harbor, West Marginal
FOLLOWUP: Westside Pickleball League cleans NCSWAC courts, adds lines, hosts tournament

Friday, June 16

Supreme Court preserves law that aims to keep Native American children with tribal families

The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved the system that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children, rejecting a broad attack from some Republican-led states and white families who argued it is based on race. Continue reading at Associated Press. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

1 in 3 owners are ‘house poor’ in this WA city, and it isn’t Seattle

Four years after Tacoma was crowned the hottest housing market in the U.S., the city has earned a more dubious distinction — the highest rate of financially strapped homeowners in any large Washington city. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Pride flags being stolen across Tacoma. Police investigating thefts as hate crimes

For Joe and Josh Hargrave, the LGBTQ Pride flag stolen from the second story of their Old Town Tacoma home was an attack on them. “This is who I am as a person,” Joe said. “That flag represents the core of me.” The Hargraves’ theft is one of at least nine Pride-flag thefts that occurred in Tacoma and Ruston last weekend. Tacoma police are investigating the thefts as hate crimes. Most of the thefts, according to Tacoma Police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd, were in the city’s North End. Continue reading at The News Tribune.

Print

Associated Press
Supreme Court preserves law that aims to keep Native American children with tribal families

Everett Herald
Paine Field training center’s new lab: a 12-ton Boeing 767 fuselage
Everett police seek to keep zones banning drug offenders
Video: Experts at mental health panel discuss staff shortages
Comment: Carbon capture and storage is getting a second look

News Tribune
Pride flags being stolen across Tacoma. Police investigating thefts as hate crimes
How did a cooling housing market prompt ‘doomsday’ fears for Pierce County’s homeless?

Olympian
Thurston County workers request ‘fair wage’ amid prolonged contract negotiations
WA Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act. Franklin County must change its elections
Can you leave a child home alone in WA state? What parents should know for summer
Work begins on new apartments, downtown biz asks for help, city to hear food hall plan

Port Townsend Leader
PUD to get $13.8 million for high-speed internet in county

Puget Sound Business Journal
Independent contractor rules are changing again. Here’s why.
As cargo demand grows, Boeing Field crafts a plan for the future

Seattle Medium
Seattle City Council Chooses Treatment Over Jail
Language Justice Advocates Seek To Improve Immigrants’ Sense Of Belonging

Seattle Times
WA tribes celebrate as Supreme Court upholds Native child welfare law
Why are there so many dead fish along Lake Washington?
1 in 3 owners are ‘house poor’ in this WA city, and it isn’t Seattle
What’s behind the ‘momentous’ move to close a WA for-profit psych hospital
Pregnant woman fatally shot in Belltown was restaurant owner Eina Kwon
Opinion: Here’s how you and I likely contributed to homelessness in Seattle
Opinion: I am raising a daughter in Idaho, where shaming women is the law
Opinion: Forest ‘thinning,’ aka logging, is not going to save us from wildfires
Editorial: Shooting deaths in Belltown leave unspeakable, familiar grief

Washington Post
UPS union approves nationwide strike for this summer

Wenatchee World
Canadian smoke reaches Wenatchee Valley, expected to be gone for weekend

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Keeping Families Together Act may have harmful unintended consequences, critics say (Ortiz-Self)

KKNW
State Representative Chipalo Street, Elmer Dixon, President, Executive Diversity Services and more (Street)

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Burien city officials face public hearing for involvement with encampment relocations
Pregnant Seattle restaurant owner killed in random attack enrages community: ‘City council needs to go’
‘There’s no repercussions’: Seattleites concerned over ruling limiting enforcement of graffiti-related property crimes

KUOW Public Radio
King County Council tightens oversight of youth diversion programs
Dockworkers reach tentative deal with West Coast ports, averting strike
UW reaches deal with postdocs and researchers, ending strike

NW Public Radio
WA Supreme Court rules state’s Voting Rights Act is constitutional

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Bellingham eyes 1,500 acres for Lake Whatcom Watershed protection
Community flocks to Commercial Street to celebrate Juneteenth

Thursday, June 15th

Washington’s bold new abortion protections in spotlight at White House
Four Democratic state lawmakers will head to the White House on Thursday to share how Washington established itself as a haven for those seeking abortions since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision a year ago. State Sens. Manka Dhingra and Patty Kuderer and Reps. Drew Hansen and My-Linh Thai will join legislators from 15 other states and senior Biden administration officials to discuss how states are moving to safeguard reproductive health care access since the court ended federal protections when it overturned Roe v. Wade. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Getty Images)

Native adoptions can give priority to tribal families, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a federal law, intended to rectify past government abuses, that gives preference to the foster care and adoption of Native American children by their relatives and tribes. In a 7-2 decision, the court left in place the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which was passed to remedy what Congress said was a disgraceful history in which hundreds of thousands of Native American children were removed from their homes by adoption agencies and placed with White families or in group settings. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Minh Connors/The Washington Post)

Washington employers push back on new worker heat-protection rules
Lorena, a former farmworker from Sunnyside, toiled day and night tending to blueberries in Washington’s Yakima Valley for close to a decade. By year six, Lorena’s employer had elevated her to a supervisory role – which she said she personally took as an opportunity to better advocate for her fellow farmworkers out in the sweltering summer conditions. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Jen Dev/Crosscut)

Print

Capital Press
Longshore union, shippers reach tentative deal

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Ensure WA Cares Fund goes according to plan
Bonneville Power Administration employs helicopters, more as it tends power lines in effort to prevent wildfires
Mill Plain Vine on track to finish early, under budget, says C-Tran board
Daybreak Youth Services suspends clinical services
Evergreen Public Schools teachers rally amid contract negotiations

Everett Herald
Kayak Point to close this summer for $20M park renovation
Hat Island receives $3M loan for high-speed internet connection.
Report: Homelessness, mental illness trending up in Snohomish County
Paine Field reopens after brief evacuation for ‘suspicious package’

The Inlander
Spokane’s police chief isn’t happy about a new law broadening the ombudsman’s power to investigate
As Jerry White prepares to pass the Spokane Riverkeeper torch to someone else, he reflects on the accomplishments of the last decade — and the work that remains
Opinion: Uncomfortable conversations hold the key to unraveling the biases entrenched in our language

News Tribune
Supreme Court upholds adoption law aiming to keep Native American children with tribes
Can a new Pierce County academy help Washington better serve its ailing veterans?

Olympian
New tax district might be in Olympia’s future to raise $350 million to tackle sea level rise
Thurston County Auditor’s Office warns voters of new door-to-door canvassing effort

Peninsula Daily News
Discovery Bay closed to recreational shellfish harvesting
Clallam County restricts burning

Puget Sound Business Journal
Another strike by concrete drivers looms over region, Teamsters say
Here’s why it costs more to build new construction homes in Washington
Workers can’t get vacation from office emails. It’s burning them out.
Bipartisan group renews push for affordable-housing tax credit

Seattle Times
Students ask Lake Washington district to recognize Eid as school holiday
Judge blocks Seattle from making vandalism arrests, citing censorship concerns
Starbucks settles with unionized employees denied work at Husky Stadium
Column: Harrell’s approach to fentanyl crisis: Heavy on spectacle, light on substance
Editorial: Keeping Seattle schools racially segregated is the result of choices

Skagit Valley Herald
City councils brought in on countywide homeless, behavioral health projects

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Judge: Walla Walla City Council members did not violate open meetings law

Washington Post
Native adoptions can give priority to tribal families, Supreme Court rules
Documents show how conservative doctors influenced abortion, trans rights

WA State Standard
Washington’s bold new abortion protections in spotlight at White House (Dhingra, Kuderer, Hansen, Thai)
Pincher patrol: Over 400K invasive crabs trapped, killed as fight goes on

Wenatchee World
Senators send Biden letter asking for resolution on tariffs
Douglas County PUD approves rate change for large cryptocurrency miners

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Tacoma police: Pride flag thefts may be part of hate crime trend
When can a teen be charged as an adult in Washington state?
Tentative contract agreement reached by West Coast dockworkers, shippers
Councilmember says Tacoma camping ban has reduced number of homeless camps

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Tentative 6-year contract reached for West Coast port workers
Seattle court ruling halts enforcement of graffiti-related property crimes
Seattle Public Schools address summer hunger with free meal sites

KNKX Public Radio
Abortion care training is banned in some states. A new bill could help OB-GYNs get it

KUOW Public Radio
Signs of recovery after world’s worst underwater pandemic

KXLY (ABC)
Avista customers report unexpected bill increases

Q13 TV (FOX)
Tentative deal reached for west coast longshoremen

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Opinion: City’s ’emergency’ Lake Whatcom moratorium should become long-term

Crosscut
Washington employers push back on new worker heat-protection rules
Empleadores de Washington se oponen a nuevas reglas de protección contra el calor para los trabajadores

MyNorthwest
Supreme Court preserves law that aims to keep Native American children with tribal families
Port of Seattle reaches tentative agreement with Dock Workers Union
New portal set up to reimburse fines of overturned drug charges
Mail service may change in rural Snohomish County

West Seattle Blog
PORT CONTRACT: Tentative agreement announced
UPDATE: City Attorney clarifies federal judge’s graffiti-vandalism ruling

Wednesday, June 14

A new state law will improve economic security for people who’ve been incarcerated
Thanks to the tireless advocacy of people impacted by the criminal legal system and community leaders calling for reforms, Washington state policymakers this year enacted a law to improve the well-being of people moving forward with their lives after a conviction. They will now no longer face crushing financial debt imposed by courts if they are unable to pay fines and fees. This means thousands of people in Washington will have greater access to economic opportunity as they return home after prison. State Rep. Tarra Simmons, Washington’s first formerly incarcerated legislator, was the champion behind this new law in part because she, too, understands this experience firsthand. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty Images)

Plan B to land in vending machines on WA college campuses
Washington recently became the first state to pledge public funding for vending machines that carry emergency contraception — including Plan B, which prevents pregnancy within 72 hours after unprotected sex — at its public universities, technical and community colleges, hoping to address the growing need for reproductive health care on college campuses. Beginning in 2024, public colleges will be able to apply for a $10,000 grant that would support installation and upkeep of a vending machine, which generally carries Plan B, pregnancy tests, condoms, Tylenol and ibuprofen. The state has set aside about $200,000 total for schools to establish additional vending machines. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Kevin Clark)

State Sen. John Lovick remembers Sen. John McCoy
So much has been said about Sen. John McCoy this week following his passing. John was an advocate for the environment, for public education and for the best interests of tribal sovereignty and for all Native Americans. He was also a loving husband, a proud father, an Air Force veteran and — believe it or not — a computer technician at the White House in the early 1980s. He was a problem solver and a bridge builder, and he did it all with little fanfare and didn’t care about the credit. For John, finding a solution was the reward. I’ll miss my friend, but his legacy is all around us. Continue reading at Everett Herald.