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Friday, August 12

House poised to send Inflation Reduction Act to Biden for his signature
Today, the House returns to Washington for the expected passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping package that aims to lower health-care costs, combat climate change, raise taxes on some large companies and reduce the deficit. The legislation would then go to President Biden for his signature, handing the president the latest in a summer string of legislative victories. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)

King County, Seattle form coalition to boost mental health facilities and workforce
King County has lost nearly a third of its residential mental health beds since 2018, and residents wait an average of 44 days for such treatment, county and city officials announced Thursday. The data points to the severely under-resourced state of the county’s behavioral health system. It was announced as part of the formation of a new coalition of King County and Seattle government leaders, state representatives and health care workers who plan to rebuild and add more resources to the region’s depleted mental health workforce. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)

A New Agency Seeks to Hold Washington’s Killer Cops Accountable
Charleena Lyles. John T. Williams. Manny Ellis. More than two years after thousands flooded streets across Washington to #SayTheirNames, police accountability advocates are finally seeing the state’s response to their demands for impartial investigations of cops who kill on the job. Last week, the skeleton crew of employees staffing Washington’s new Office of Independent Investigations (OII) finally moved into their offices. The agency, while off to a slower start than initially projected, represents a first-in-the-nation victory for survivors of police violence. Once the department hires its remaining key staff members and finalizes its operating protocols, it will stand as the only statewide agency in America that investigates cops when they use deadly force, rather than allowing local departments to investigate their own. Continue reading at The Stranger. (Tyler Gross)

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Bellingham Herald
Here’s how Bellingham is getting millions more to fight climate change

Capital Press
La Nina getting stronger, expected to stay for fall

The Daily News
Seattle hospital to refuse some patients due to capacity

Everett Herald
Monroe to start building walking, biking path along U.S. 2
Commentary: Face check: No, IRS isn’t sending 87,00o agents to audit you

News Tribune
Tacoma faces revenue shortfall as council heads into budget season. How big is the hit?

Olympian
CDC lowers Thurston County’s COVID-19 risk level. Here’s what that means for you

Puget Sound Business Journal
Coalition launched to tackle King County’s behavioral health crisis
SDOT sets reopening date for West Seattle Bridge

Seattle Medium
Under New Leadership, Commission Is Looking To Bring About Significant Changes In Police Training

Seattle Times
Sound Transit 3: Progress in West Seattle, paralysis in Chinatown International District
Health insurer ordered to stop selling in WA
Some WA families will have to pay again for school meals. Here’s how much
WA schools, child care centers must continue to follow COVID protocols
Harborview Medical Center will temporarily stop accepting some patients due to capacity issues
King County, Seattle form coalition to boost mental health facilities and workforce (Macri)
West Seattle Bridge reopening date announced

Skagit Valley Herald
Volunteers collect data on the shore of Fidalgo Bay
Skagit County transfer station closes again

Washington Post
FBI searched Trump’s home to look for nuclear documents and other items, sources say
World ignored monkeypox threats, including signs of sexual transmission
Under fire, Homeland Security watchdog delays probe — with GOP help
House poised to send Inflation Reduction Act to Biden for his signature
The corporate minimum tax could hit these ultra-profitable companies
CDC loosens coronavirus guidance, signaling strategic shift

Yakima Herald-Republic
More seek shelter as homeless rate sees slight uptick in Yakima County, survey shows
State help activated for Canyon Road fire threatening Grandview homes, sewer plant
Yakama Nation leaders approve plans to build four more roundabouts on reservation
Yakima police see fewer domestic violence incidents a year into tracking data as new coalition’s efforts take hold

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
King County, Seattle, state leaders launch coalition to plan behavioral healthcare network
Harborview will divert patients with non-urgent needs as overcrowding strains the system
If you’re exposed to COVID, FDA now recommends 3 at-home tests
Democrats hope to pass the Inflation Reduction Act Friday
Ruling clouds future of southeast Alaska king salmon fishery

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Harborview Medical Center over 130% capacity; no longer admitting non-emergency patients
Days Inn facility in Everett to be converted to limited-time housing for homeless

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Woman, 80, banned from Port Townsend YMCA pool after clash over trans woman in locker room
Harborview Medical Center at capacity, stops taking non-urgent patients
West Seattle Bridge finally gets reopening date for this September after 2 1/2 years
Man left mental health facility before hitting woman with 35 lb. rock, court docs allege
Man accused of trafficking 44,000 catalytic converters as Beaverton Police bust theft ring

KXLY (ABC)
Washington state employees no longer required to get COVID booster

Q13 TV (FOX)
‘Unprecedented:’ Harborview Medical Center says hospital is 30% over capacity with patients

Web

The Stranger
A New Agency Seeks to Hold Washington’s Killer Cops Accountable
Transphobic Bullying Incident Prompts Port Townsend YMCA to Ban Member
Local Leaders Announce New Coalition to Address Behavioral Health Crisis

Thursday, August 11

DOH releases COVID-19 updates for Washington K-12 schools, child care
With school starting back in just a few weeks, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated its COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and for child care. “We are entering a new stage of co-existing with COVID-19 in our communities, knowing that COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future,” said Washington’s Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah. “DOH also recognizes the importance of being able to maintain in-person learning for children, and the fundamental links between education and long-term health outcomes.” The guidance for the 2022-2023 school year “takes lessons learned from the first two and a half years of the pandemic” that will help reduce COVID transmissions at schools and care facilities. Continue reading at The Auburn Reporter. (Olivia Sullivan)

Washington’s designated crisis responders, a ‘last resort’ in mental health care, face overwhelming demand
In a mental health crisis, police officers or EMTs may be the first to a scene. They’re not, however, tasked with evaluating whether the person in crisis must be involuntarily detained for treatment. That daunting decision is the responsibility of the designated crisis responder, a straightforward title for a complicated role. “I think a lot of times people don’t know [who we are] and so they’ll call and ask for a DCR, not really understanding what they’re asking for,” said Justina Nieciag, a licensed clinical social worker and a designated crisis responder in Lacey, overseeing crisis calls in Thurston and Mason counties. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

Historians privately warn Biden that America’s democracy is teetering
President Biden paused last week, during one of the busiest stretches of his presidency, for a nearly two-hour private history lesson from a group of academics who raised alarms about the dire condition of democracy at home and abroad. The conversation during a ferocious lightning storm on Aug. 4 unfolded as a sort of Socratic dialogue between the commander in chief and a select group of scholars, who painted the current moment as among the most perilous in modern history for democratic governance, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private meeting. The group that gathered in the White House Map Room last week was part of a regular effort by presidential historians to brief presidents, a practice that dates at least as far back as the Reagan administration. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Demetrius Freeman)

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Auburn Reporter
Free vaccination events provide required back-to-school immunizations
DOH releases COVID-19 updates for Washington K-12 schools, child care

Capital Press
Ecology agricultural advisory panel light on farm groups
Feds sued in bid to force decision on Rockies wolf protections

Columbian
Clark County has 3 cases of monkeypox

The Daily News
Council debates whether ADUs should be permanent housing or for visitors
Conservationists, BPA aim to wrap up $5.5M wildlife restoration project in Cathlamet by October

Everett Herald
Snohomish Health District hiring full-time monkeypox task force
Where shelter space has been scarce, Lynnwood explores ‘rapid rehousing’

The Inlander
Spokane cops have taken in a record-breaking number of guns this year; here’s the story of three of them

News Tribune
A man died in custody of State Patrol and police in Tacoma. Here’s what’s known
MultiCare announces breach that could impact over 18,000 patients’ health data and records

Olympian
City of Olympia proposes using block grant money to expand Familiar Faces program
Washington state releases new COVID-19 school rules you need to know before school starts

Peninsula Daily News
Port Townsend City Council to consider welcome statement for transgender people

Puget Sound Business Journal
Colleges have slashed millions from travel budgets — and it may never come back
Downtown Seattle retail shows uneven signs of recovery

Seattle Times
Designated crisis responders, a ‘last resort’ in mental health care, face overwhelming demand
Judge faults federal plan to protect orcas from Alaska salmon harvests
New UW study shows how COVID lockdowns impacted Northwest birds
Seattle City Light proposes rate increases for 2023, 2024 as customer debt mounts
Column: Yes, mercy can co-exist with accountability in our justice system

Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities biggest employer to share in $17B to develop next-generation computer chips

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Eastern Oregon school security summit raises awareness, sets plans in action
Columbia County’s search continues for emergency management director

Washington Post
Climate change’s impact intensifies as U.S. prepares to take action
Historians privately warn Biden that America’s democracy is teetering
How agents get warrants like the one used at Mar-a-Lago, and what they mean
Gas prices fall below $4 a gallon, the lowest point since March
Antarctica’s ‘sleeping giant’ risks melting, threatens spike in sea levels

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
SDOT to provide update on West Seattle Bridge opening timeline
Alaska Airlines taking a lead in using sustainable aviation fuel

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Snohomish County hopes to convert Days Inn into shelter
Outreach services are having trouble keeping up with rise in homeless
Poll: 7 in 10 Americans would vote in favor of legalizing abortion at state level

KUOW Public Radio
Floods, faulty toilets, and a slew of early defects at Seattle’s new youth jail
SCOTUS decision on Bremerton football coach creates uncertainty around school prayer
The promises and pitfalls of ranked choice voting

Q13 TV (FOX)
Gov. Inslee drops COVID booster mandate for WA state workers
WA DOH releases new COVID guidelines for schools
Unused COVID funding could go to peer navigation for homeless people
State’s new Missing Indigenous Person Alert System shows promising results

Web

MyNorthwest
BA.5 wave on downturn in King County, but numbers still high
Snohomish County purchases hotel in Everett to increase housing for the homeless

The Stranger
Guerrilla Gardening Enters Seattle’s War on the Homeless

West Seattle Blog
FAUNTLEROY FERRY-DOCK PROJECT: Community Advisory Group to reconvene
UPDATE: PCC/Luna building declared safe after Seattle Fire hazmat response for CO2 problem

Wednesday, August 10

Seattle makes interfering with abortion care a misdemeanor, prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy outcome
It will soon be illegal in Seattle to discriminate against someone for seeking or receiving an abortion, part of the city’s efforts to preserve reproductive rights locally after federal protections were removed earlier this summer. In a pair of bills passed on Tuesday, the Seattle City Council made it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their actual or perceived pregnancy outcome and added a statewide misdemeanor charge for interfering with health care to the city’s code, hoping to minimize interference and harassment against those seeking care in the wake of the Supreme Court undoing decades-old constitutional protections over abortions in June. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

Inflation eased in July from a year ago, as energy prices fell
July inflation climbed 8.5 percent over the past year, easing slightly thanks to falling gas and energy prices, and offering fresh hope to families and businesses that inflation may start to simmer down after months of gains. In one of the most encouraging signs in more than a year, inflation in July was also flat from the month before, as a major drop-off in gasoline prices helped offset increases in food and shelter. The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics marked the lowest month-to-month inflation reading since May 2020. June’s inflation report was bleak, notching a new pandemic peak of 9.1 percent over the year before, as prices at the pump averaged above $5 per gallon. But by July, families felt more relief in their gas and energy bills. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Brandon Bell)

Top 3 WSU police leaders retire after investigation
The Washington State University police chief and his two top subordinates say they will retire following an internal investigation that concluded they mishandled a complaint and subsequent punitive action against an officer accused of having sexual relations while on duty. The command staff chose to retire to avoid further administrative action, including the possibility of their employment with the university being terminated. According to an investigation report acquired by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News through a public records request, the officer at the center of the investigation is Sgt. Matthew Kuhrt, who has been accused of sexual misconduct. Continue reading at The Associated Press.

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Associated Press
High tide flooding to become more common in WA
Top 3 WSU police leaders retire after investigation
Red Flag Warning issued for Western Washington state
President Biden signs veterans health bill, marking personal victory

Bellingham Herald
Here’s what you should know about the Lummi Island Ferry
High tide flood warnings throughout WA state predict dangerous sea levels in these cities

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Democrats’ bill a win for climate, future

The Daily News
RiverCities Transit, Twin Transit create new routes from Longview to Castle Rock to Centralia and back

Everett Herald
Marsyville school’s new approach embraces ‘Indigenous ways of learning’
Providence nurse’s tearful plea shines light on short-staffed ER
Lynnwood’s Poplar Way bridge over I-5 gets $25M federal boost
Editorial: Purchase of hotel as shelter can be effective tool

Indian Country Today
First Native woman in space
Tribe: Wildfire causes fish deaths

Kitsap Sun
Washington State Ferries, Kitsap Transit awarded federal funding

New York Times
Inflation Slows as Economy Cools, Offering a Reprieve: Live Updates
For Older Americans, Health Bill Will Bring Savings and ‘Peace of Mind’
Biden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Who Were Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits
States With Abortion Bans Are Among Least Supportive for Mothers and Children

Olympian
‘Who are we without salmon?’ Tribes gather along dammed Snake River to call for action

Puget Sound Business Journal
Alaska Airlines workers ratify 2-year contract extension
Washington travel nurses put hospitals in costly predicament
How a recession may change employment outlook for labor-starved construction sector

Seattle Times
In Seattle, Fauci talks COVID politics, monkeypox and life in the public eye
Seattle makes interfering with abortion care a misdemeanor, prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy outcome
Sen. Cantwell touts semiconductor bill signed by Biden, saying it will bring investments in WA

Skagit Valley Herald
Child care, mental health and food security programs get COVID money

Tri-City Herald
U.S. energy secretary visits Tri-Cities for 1st time this week. Here’s what she wants to see
Both sides of WA state tell Biden what it will take to clean up Hanford. Lots more money

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Firefighters, farmers quash wheat fire outside Athena

Washington Post
Inflation eased in July from a year ago, as energy prices fell off summer peaks
Mar-a-Lago search appears focused on whether Trump, aides withheld items
Book bans are threatening American democracy. Here’s how to fight back.

Yakima Herald-Republic
Federal relief funds, creative staffing keep 2022-23 Yakima school budget steady
The road to electric: How Yakima might meet Washington goal for electric cars by 2030

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Des Moines fast ferry service to Seattle launches Wednesday
Seattle City Council passes legislation adding protections for abortion seekers
What we know about student loan payments pause and possible debt cancellation

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
New ‘Fast Ferry’ departs from Des Moines beginning Wednesday
Kent School District investigation finds teacher violated its non-discrimination policy
Seattle City Council passes abortion protection and gender-affirming care legislation
3 WSU police commanders retiring after mishandling of investigation into officer’s misconduct

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
King County in need of more vaccine to treat monkeypox patients, top health official say

KUOW Public Radio
Monkeypox vaccines in short supply and high demand
Why falling gas prices are not taking the sting out of inflation
A Nebraska woman is charged with helping her daughter have an abortion

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane Valley receives more than $2 million in state funding for road projects

NW Public Radio
Coastal Washington Tribe Creates Higher Ground By Building Tsunami Tower, First Of Its Type Here
Quarantine Likely Due To Japanese Beetle Infestation In Eastern WA, Says WSDA Official
Vaccine Supplies Limited As Monkeypox Cases Climb In Washington

Q13 TV (FOX)
Colleges, schools discussing monkeypox precautions before school year starts
Drier, hotter conditions creating increase in West Pierce fire calls

Web

Crosscut
Rainier’s largest glacier is melting. Here’s what that means downstream

MyNorthwest
Des Moines betting on fast ferry service to attract visitors

The Stranger
Seattle Continues Shoring Up Abortion Protections Post-Roe
With Monkeypox Vaccine Only Trickling In, King County Considers Splitting Doses

West Seattle Blog
FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Elementary won’t reopen until fall 2023
NEW FERRY: What you’ll see off West Seattle starting tomorrow

Tuesday, August 9

FBI searches Trump’s Florida home as part of presidential records probe
Former President Donald Trump said FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and broke into his safe in what his son acknowledged was part of an investigation into Trump’s removal of official presidential records from the White House to his Florida resort. The unprecedented search of a former president’s home would mark a significant escalation into the records investigation, which is one of several probes Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business. A federal law called the U.S. Presidential Records Act requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties. Any search of a private residence would have to be approved by a judge, after the investigating law-enforcement agency demonstrated probable cause that a search was justified. Continue reading at Reuters. (Marco Bello)

What do climate provisions in the U.S. Senate bill mean for Washington state?
The climate provisions of the U.S. Senate bill passed Sunday would create a slew of long-term federal tax breaks for proposed Washington solar farms, offer a $700 million investment in fuel technology sought by the developer of a next-generation Washington nuclear plant and broaden incentives for consumers to shift to electric cars and reduce fossil use in their homes. All of this adds a substantial boost to a far-reaching effort by the state government to move Washington largely off fossil fuel energy by midcentury. The Senate bill passed Sunday without any Republican votes largely consists of financial incentives and investments totaling $369 billion in energy security and climate change programs. That leaves the struggle to put a price on carbon pollution — long proposed by environmentalists as a key tool in making the difficult transition off fossils fuels — largely to state initiatives. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Steve Ringman)

Study connects climate hazards to 58% of infectious diseases
Climate hazards such as flooding, heat waves and drought have worsened more than half of the hundreds of known infectious diseases in people, including malaria, hantavirus, cholera and anthrax, a study says. Researchers looked through the medical literature of established cases of illnesses and found that 218 out of the known 375 human infectious diseases, or 58%, seemed to be made worse by one of 10 types of extreme weather connected to climate change, according to a study in Monday’s journal Nature Climate Change. The study mapped out 1,006 pathways from the climate hazards to sick people. In some cases, downpours and flooding sicken people through disease-carrying mosquitos, rats and deer. There are warming oceans and heat waves that taint seafood and other things we eat and droughts that bring bats carrying viral infections to people. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (Dita Alangkara)

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Associated Press
Study connects climate hazards to 58% of infectious diseases
Washington ferries to get $38 million to improve services
Biden signs $280B CHIPS act in bid to boost US-made computer parts

Aberdeen Daily World
Westport Marina modernization project lines up federal funding

Capital Press
USDA urges dismissal of farm’s lawsuit against wetland projects

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Fossil fuel facility ban a step toward clean energy

Everett Herald
‘Shelves are bare’: More need, fewer donations puts strain on food banks
Days Inn near Everett Mall chosen as new $10.8M homeless shelter

Indian Country Today
Tribes want governor to reject clean energy project proposal

International Examiner
The collateral damage from urban planning

Olympian
Letter to Port of Olympia staff: We are working with Sam Gibboney to ensure all are heard
FBI searches Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home as inquiry into former president intensifies
Nisqually Tribe finding its ‘sense of pride’ working with WA schools on cultural teachings
LOTT officials found chemicals are present in its reclaimed water. Are they safe?

Peninsula Daily News
COVID-19 case rates are trending downward

Puget Sound Business Journal
Recession worries have not put a dent in the hot job market
Nurses at Seattle Children’s plan to picket as contract talks stall
Filings reveal Amazon’s plans to test retail robots under Seattle Macy’s building

Reuters
FBI searches Trump’s Florida home as part of presidential records probe

Seattle Times
What do climate provisions in the U.S. Senate bill mean for Washington state? (Carlyle)
Housing shortage has spread across Pacific Northwest, new study shows
Washington State Ferries to get $38M from feds to improve service

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County COVID-19 case numbers take another drop
New fire codes set for landowners near wildlands

Washington Post
As temperatures rise, industries fight heat safeguards for workers
Rising rents add to college students’ scramble for affordable housing

Yakima Herald-Republic
‘Full of injustice’: Burden of court fines vary by race, county in Washington (Simmons)
Fire crews shifting from Vantage Highway Fire to Cow Canyon Fire

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
The Inflation Reduction Act does cap insulin prices, but only for Medicare patients
U.S. House Committee visits Seattle to examine economic disparity

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Nurses at Seattle Children’s to rally for better working conditions
BA.5 omicron variant appears to have crested in King County, Duchin says
UW Medicine doctor gives update on monkeypox outbreak to Seattle City Council
City of Seattle invests $22 million in new funding for affordable housing

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses begin picket amid stalled contract negotiations
Gas prices drop again in Seattle, Washington state, nationally

KNKX Public Radio
Coastal Washington tribe completes first free-standing tsunami refuge in North America
As wildfires and air quality worsen in Klamath Basin, scientists expand efforts to study the impact

KUOW Public Radio
Has the current Covid wave ‘crested’ in King County?
Seattle’s hot housing market finally cools
White adults receive the most financial help from older relatives, poll shows

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane reactivates its cooling plan ahead of hot start to the week
Spokane Public Schools introducing transportation plan before school year
Bisected by highways, a Spokane neighborhood shapes what’s left

Web

Crosscut
Expansion of electric vehicle grid hits roadblocks in rural WA
The undercurrents at play in the Columbia River dams debate
New report tracks which WA counties send the most people to prison
Indigenous sea gardens fed communities, preserved ecosystems

MyNorthwest
Washington State Ferries to get $38 million in federal funding to upgrade equipment

The Stranger
DOH Disputes Report of Washington Leaving Monkeypox Vaccine on the Table

Monday, August 8

How the Inflation Reduction Act might impact you — and change the U.S.
Major changes to the Affordable Care Act. The nation’s biggest-ever climate bill. The largest tax hike on corporations in decades. And dozens of lesser-known provisions that will affect millions of Americans. The legislation Democrats muscled through the Senate on Sunday would represent one of the most consequential pieces of economic policy in recent U.S. history — though still far smaller than the $3 trillion the Biden administration initially sought. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the bill would put about $385 billion into combating climate change and bolstering U.S. energy production through changes that would encourage nearly the whole economy to cut carbon emissions. The agreement would also raise hundreds of billions in new revenue through new tax provisions — the biggest of which will fall on the country’s large corporations. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Emily Wright)

How many billion-dollar disasters will it take?
The weather disasters striking around us — torrential rain and flooding that have recently killed at least 37 in Appalachia, extended droughts over the last two decades in the Southwest U.S. that have reduced reservoirs such as Lake Powell and Lake Mead to near “dead pool” status, increases in wildfire frequency and acreage and property destroyed in the West and extended heat waves in the Northwest — have long moved past unrelated anecdotes to alarming trend. It’s a devastatingly costly trend; in dollars and in lives, and one inescapably attributable to global warming and climate change. With each tenth of a degree rise, the effects increase and with them the losses. How many billion-dollar disasters before we understand the price of inaction? Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Timothy D. Easley)

‘The fuels are absolutely ready to burn.’ Here’s what to know about the wildfire season
Wildfire season has kicked into gear in Washington, with fires now in multiple areas of Eastern Washington, including Cow Canyon, Williams Lake, Vantage and Lind, according to the Department of Natural Resources on Friday. Although most of the state has been fortunate to have a light fire season so far, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said that could soon change. “As we’ve seen just in the last few days, the fires in our state have now started to grow as we’ve seen increasing hot temperatures and obviously significant wind conditions,” Franz told reporters during a virtual news conference Friday morning. Continue reading at The Olympian. (WSDOT)