Click here for our Daily E-Clips policy.

Monday, October 7

As federal funding for crime victims plummets, advocates ask WA lawmakers for help
The Victims of Crime Act State Plan is unique in how many different types of programs it supports. While much of the funds go to victims of sex abuses, the state plan serves a wide range of victims, including those of robbery, arson, identity theft and elder abuse, as well as loved ones of homicide victims. A few years ago, the state decided to kick in $40 million to keep funding for the state plan steady — but those supplemental funds are set to expire in June 2025. The Department of Commerce, which oversees the state Office of Crime Victims Advocacy, is requesting another $51 million for the 2025-2027 biennium. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Jamie Rose)

Plastic producers face fines for not using enough recycled material in their products
On Thursday, the Washington State Department of Ecology announced fines for 35 plastic producers for failing to use enough recycled plastics. The 35 companies identified were fined a combination of over $400,000 because the law required them to use between 10% and 15% recycled material. These are the first penalties levied since the law was signed in 2021. Ecology is responsible for making sure businesses comply with the law and registering them. The fines varied between $39 to $67,196. Continue reading at KIRO 7. (Washington State Department of Ecology)

What Washington’s EV rebates bought
Washington’s hot rebate summer saw thousands more electric rides hit the road thanks to a new subsidy for low-income drivers, now dwindling in supply. The Department of Commerce’s Electric Vehicle Instant Rebates program was conceived as a leg-up for low earners in the state who want to skip trips to the gas station, but can’t afford a new (or new-ish) EV. The program launched in August, and offered everything its name implies—$5,000 off the purchase of a qualifying new EV or $9K off a 36-month lease.1 That’s all on top of the slate of federal rebates for EVs. Continue reading at The WA Observer. (Denin Lawley)

Print

Aberdeen Daily World
‘A chance to support’ Grays Harbor nonprofits

Axios
Madison Street revamp: 3 Years, $144 million later
ADL: Antisemitic incidents hit record high in year since Oct. 7
Supreme Court to hear trans rights, guns and porn cases in new term

Bellevue Reporter
DOH launches app to help cancer survivors

Bellingham Herald
Bellingham waterfront developers re-apply for permits for final condos amid years-long delay

Capital Press
Yakima basin irrigators end season with 52% of normal water supply
Washington fines farmer co-ops for not using enough recycled plastic
Commentary: Expiration of the farm bill hurts us all

Columbian
More women are seeking sterilizations post-Dobbs, experts say
Six Washington airports want to charge ahead preparing for electric aircraft
Free Clinic of Southwest Washington will get a $1.5 million upgrade in the spring

Everett Herald
Whidbey Island floating clinic hopes to save orcas
After uproar, Marysville reinstates school swim program
Interim Marysville superintendent tells staff, families ‘this is about we’
Comment: Late Gov. Dan Evans Gave Keen Advice to Lawmaker (Lovick)

Kitsap Sun
Bremerton judge accused of retaliation after saying she’s been threatened by ex-employee

News Tribune
Inmate steals thousands from ill veterans in ICU in ‘truly shocking’ scheme, feds say
Pierce County school district responds to cyberbullying reports. ‘We need more support.’
Utility rates could soon increase as Tacoma faces $24M gap in proposed 2025-26 budget

Peninsula Daily News
State EV rebate program proving to be popular

Puget Sound Business Journal
T-Mobile agrees to $31.5 million settlement over data breaches
Non profit land trust aims to keep homes permanently affordable — here’s how

Seattle Times
WA death was ‘natural’ until The Seattle Times asked why. Here’s what to know
Supreme Court lets stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate Texas ban
Opinion: The saga of Seattle’s empty tiny homes is building to a head

The Skanner
Washington State Fines 35 Plastic Producers $416,000 For Not Using Enough Recycled Plastic

Spokesman Review
Expert to speak at GU on cancer vaccines that could be standard in next decade
Inflation rate is slowing. So why isn’t it making a difference for so many Spokane residents?

Tri-City Herald
Toxic algae at 2 Tri-Cities area riverside parks. Water may be deadly for dogs

Washington Post
The controversial tool police are trying to keep secret
This country ditched coal. Here’s what the world can learn from it.
Dockworkers union asserts ‘absolute, airtight’ anti-automation stance
Who uses public libraries the most? There’s a divide by religion, and politics.

WA State Standard
Need to brush up on your etiquette? Gonzaga has a new certificate for that
Even after two years of drought, central WA irrigation district can point to successes
As federal funding for crime victims plummets, advocates ask WA lawmakers for help
Unusual earthquake activity at Washington’s Mount Adams, but no signs of eruption threat

Wenatchee World
Eastmont School District considers dual language program
Q&A Wenatchee Pride president opposes Eastmont’s WIAA amendment for transgender athlete division

Yakima Herald-Republic
Does Yakima Sportsman State Park have an image problem?
IRS announces tax relief for wildfire victims in parts of Washington, including the Yakima Nation

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Edmonds facing potential layoffs, furloughs and tax hikes
Boeing, union of striking machinists to resume negotiations Monday
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders struck by suspected impaired driver in Olympia
For the first time since spring, endangered Southern Resident orcas return to Puget Sound

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Washington Task Force activated for hurricane relief
Endangered orca pod makes a return to the Puget Sound
DCYF award grants to early learning programs for tribal nations
Sound Transit breaks ground on Auburn Station construction project
DNR transfers public lands to Pierce County to build affordable housing
Washington estimates a $39 million drop in projected revenue through 2029
Plastic producers face fines for not using enough recycled material in their products
Protest march in Seattle as one year approaches since the start of the Israel-Hamas War

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle rally commemorates victims of Oct. 7 Hamas attack
Boeing and machinists’ union to meet again amid ongoing strike
Washington state fines paper mill $650,ooo after an employee is killed
Mount Adams monitoring enhanced after record spike in earthquake activity
40 people displaced, 22 units damaged in fire at Queen Anne apartment complex

KNKX Public Radio
The secret ingredient in Biden’s climate law? City trees.
Next phase of housing, zoning changes being considered in Tacoma
The craft brewery boom buoys nation’s only Latino-owned hop farm

KUOW Public Radio
Machinists head back to bargaining table with Boeing amid strike
Lummi chair commends federal drug bust connected to tribal deaths
Seattle’s new waterfront park applauded by first visitors. But will it fulfill its economic potential?

KXLY (ABC)
Kalispel Tribe of Indians to hire full-time sexual assault advocate
Spokane law enforcement supports new anti-fentanyl smuggling bill
Visit all Washington’s state parks for free on World Mental Health Day
Spokane organization brings new approach to raising awareness about domestic violence
Community input shapes 11 proposed projects for West Central infrastructure improvements
Spokane Housing Authority halts housing voucher program, affecting families in need of assistance

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Northwest tribal salmon hatcheries to receive $240M in federal funding
Whatcom, Skagit counties among first in state to include climate change in comp plan updates

MyNorthwest
Mt. Rainier is shrinking … literally
World’s second-longest girders installed over I-5 in Fife
Endangered Southern Resident orcas return to Puget Sound

The Urbanist
Mercer Island Plans to Densify Town Center… With a Big Catch
Lynnwood Link Brings Huge Ridership Boost to Community Transit’s Swift Network
Opinion: Wallingford Can Build a Brighter ‘Seattle of the Future’

Washington Observer
What Washington’s EV rebates bought

Friday, October 4

As America’s Marijuana Use Grows, So Do the Harms
As marijuana legalization has accelerated across the country, doctors are contending with the effects of an explosion in the use of the drug and its intensity. Tens of millions of Americans use the drug, for medical or recreational purposes — most of them without problems. But with more people consuming more potent cannabis more often, a growing number, mostly chronic users, are enduring serious health consequences. From Washington State to West Virginia, psychiatrists treat rising numbers of people whose use of the drug has brought on delusions, paranoia and other symptoms of psychosis. Continue reading at The New York Times. (Sonny Figueroa)

Delayed farm bill punted until after election with Congress stuck on how to pay for it
Sweeping legislation that would set food and farm policy for the next five years is in limbo, waiting for lawmakers to decide its fate after the election. The latest deadline for the farm bill passed unceremoniously at midnight on Sept. 30, without a push from lawmakers to pass a new farm bill or an extension. Congress must approve a new federal farm bill every five years. The previous farm bill from 2018 expired a year ago. With no agreement in sight at the time, lawmakers extended the law to Sept. 30, 2024. The delay creates further uncertainty for farmers, who are facing declining prices for many crops and rising costs for fertilizer and other inputs. Continue reading at Getty Images. (Justin Sullivan)

$240 million will go toward tribal salmon hatcheries across the Northwest
Tulalip tribal leaders, representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Gov. Jay Inslee and partners discussed plans Thursday for millions of dollars in federal funding to go toward salmon hatcheries. It comes after the Departments of Commerce and Interior announced in July that $240 million from the Investing in America agenda would go toward supporting fish hatcheries producing Pacific steelhead and salmon. Continue reading at King 5.

Print

Associated Press
Port strikes extend a new era of American labor activism

Capital Press
WDFW kills third wolf from Onion Creek pack
9th Circuit: EPA lawfully denied request for stricter CAFO

Everett Herald
Timeline of Marysville schools turmoil
Highway 529 reopening pushed to mid-November
‘A blessing’: Tulalip celebrates money to improve hatchery
Marysville school board votes to remove Robbins as superintendent
Paine Field among WA airports wanting to prepare for electric planes

International Examiner
Interim Wing Luke Museum director Kamahanahokulani Farrar Law seeks stability for the organization

News Tribune
Worker fatally crushed by mill machine had called for help 4 times, WA officials say
Mayor Victoria Woodards voices support for TPD Chief Avery Moore: ‘Not lost my trust’
Opinion: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Puget Sound face violence

New York Times
As America’s marijuana use grows, so do the harms
The job market is chugging along, completing a solid economic picture

Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle’s World Cup organizers reveal fan hub site
Millions of businesses have a new reporting deadline coming up
New jobs data called ‘best of both worlds’ for businesses and workers

Seattle Times
Seattle-area home shoppers find some relief in ‘shoulder’ season
Hackers target Seattle-area school district for ransomware attack
Auburn strips requirement of shelter from homeless camping ordinance

Spokesman Review
Who could take over SRHD’s opioid treatment services? Four organizations want to try
Spokane’s funding in jeopardy for a program crucial to keep people out of homelessness
Opinion: Long prison sentences don’t keep us safe
Opinion: Rail investment powers economic growth and community connectivity

WA State Standard
Salmon lawsuit ends in settlement but tensions over hatcheries simmer
Six Washington airports want to charge ahead preparing for electric aircraft
Delayed farm bill punted until after election with Congress stuck on how to pay for it

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
‘Let’s Go Washington’ hit with four violations
$240 million will go toward tribal salmon hatcheries across the Northwest
Seattle man says he was attacked on King County Metro Bus because of his race
Police share what they’ve learned from child sex offenders that could protect kids

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Marysville School District names new interim superintendent
Congress examines economic impact of ongoing housing shortage crisis
University of Washington faces federal complaint over campus anti-Semitism
Feds bust fentanyl ring targeting Lummi Nation, other tribes in multiple states
Census shows 3 whales lost from endangered Southern Resident orca population

KNKX Public Radio
Is it a park? Is it a bridge? Overlook Walk is both, and a key connection to the waterfront

KUOW Public Radio
Ports’ strike ends, as dockworkers reach agreement on wages
FBI busts up alleged Seattle drug ring. Arrests include prominent activist

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane residents concerned over plans for 425 new homes in Latah Valley
Varying opinions on proposed measures to address homelessness in Spokane
Health officials concerned as kindergarten vaccination rates decline in Spokane County
Spokane joins nation in helping Hurricane Helene survivors rebuild their lives from scratch
Spokane’s Manzanita House supports immigrants with legal aid and community empowerment resources

Web

MyNorthwest
‘Truly devastating:’ More Washington first responders deployed to North Carolina

Thursday, October 3

First-time homebuyers in Clark County can find financial assistance from nonprofits, state programs
As mortgage rates drop and first-time homebuyers plunge into the market, a variety of nonprofits and new state programs stand ready to help. Staff of first-time homebuyer programs say the most important first steps are education, understanding your financial situation and identifying possible sources of assistance. The state also provides down-payment assistance for veterans, people with disabilities and people whose families faced housing discrimination in Washington. Continue reading at The Columbian. (Amanda Cowan)

Washington officials say 100% of state agency fleets will be electric by 2040. Here’s how it’s going so far:
Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions represent about 35% of overall emissions from Washington state government agencies. With the state’s push for residents to buy electric vehicles, some Washingtonians wonder why they should drop tens of thousands of dollars on an electric vehicle to help the planet when many of the police enforcing the laws of the road still drive gas-powered SUVs, pickups and sedans. The state plans to swap out 100% of Washington’s gas-powered government vehicle fleets for electric vehicles by 2040 with the help of a new state group called the Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council. Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review. (WA DOL)

State workplace inspectors will have access to immigration detention center in Tacoma
Washington state will be able to inspect workplace conditions at a federal immigration detention center in Tacoma, under a recently issued court order. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle approved a permanent injunction last week barring the facility’s operator, The GEO Group, from denying Washington Department of Labor and Industries inspectors access to the site. Both sides in the case agreed to the injunction along with other terms to resolve the case. While last week’s order ends the dispute between Labor and Industries and GEO – at least for now – the company and Washington state are still sparring with other lawsuits over how much authority the state has to regulate the controversial Northwest ICE Processing Center. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Grace Deng)

Print

Associated Press
Tribes celebrate the end of the largest dam removal project in US history

Axios
Seattle’s new gateway to the waterfront opens

Capital Press
EPA to scale back vulnerable species pilot project
Editorial: Washington Supreme Court misses the point, again
Editorial: DOL offers H-2A workers collective bargaining by another name

Columbian
WA tribes receive $800K for wildland fire training
Vancouver is planning for the birds: Codes will help reduce bird collisions with buildings
First-time homebuyers in Clark County can find financial assistance from nonprofits, state programs

Everett Herald
10 years later, a safer crosswalk near a Bothell-area school
Nearly 3 weeks into strike, resolve remains for Boeing workers
Edmonds could lose 46 jobs, other cuts looming amid budget woes

News Tribune
Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore has returned to duty. City offers an explanation
‘Scrapping for solutions.’ Merchants work to stay afloat amid Point Ruston’s troubles
Homeless projects could be at-risk after veto of Pierce County Council funding proposal
New $16 million bridge extends popular Pierce County trail to 22 miles, into King County

Puget Sound Business Journal
SBA eases debt refinancing with big loan program changes
Amtrak selects contractor for $300 million Seattle rail yard project

Seattle Times
Hood Canal salmon run sees booming recovery as fish face extinction
Seattle superintendent gets raise, new contract amid budget challenges

Spokesman Review
Nuclear waste confirmed to pass through Spokane next year
Washington officials say 100% of state agency fleets will be electric by 2040. Here’s how it’s going so far:
Port of Whitman County plans to restore Oakesdale mill, but clock is ticking before historic building deteriorates

WA State Standard
State workplace inspectors will have access to immigration detention center in Tacoma

Yakima Herald-Republic
Cowiche Creek Confluence Project gets nearly $11 million in federal funds to reduce flooding, improve wildlife habitat

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Washington state’s minimum wage to increase in 2025
‘Devastating effects’ | Manufacturer’s association warns of national cost of Boeing machinists’ strike

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Bridge tolls proposed on I-5
Long-awaited Seattle Overlook Walk opens Friday
LGBTQ+ artwork vandalized repeatedly in Bellevue
Marysville School Board poised to replace superintendent
How Washington schools are dealing with insufficient funding
Renton police chief criticizes low bail for suspect in fatal stabbing
Poulsbo to break ground on Nordic Cottage Project for low-income seniors
City of Tacoma & Police Chief issue statements about his administrative leave

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington business leaders push for partnerships against organized retail theft
Tacoma police chief to resume full duties after being placed on administrative leave
King County sheriff’s new $6 million ‘Guardian One’ helicopter gets high-tech upgrade

KUOW Public Radio
Sister seas on opposite shores face same foe: polluted runoff

KXLY (ABC)
Experts say Spokane’s summer air quality was the best in years
Despite calls to stop it, nuclear waste will move through Spokane next year
City of Spokane clears way for 400 new homes in Latah Valley – with conditions

Web

Crosscut
Jumpstart: The fight over how to spend Seattle’s big-business tax

The Urbanist
Transportation Chair Saka Questions School Zone Camera Expansion Plan

Wednesday, October 2

GOP legislative staff OK contract as Democratic employees say no
In the first-ever collective bargaining for legislative employees in Washington, Republican staff in the state House and Senate got contracts but their Democratic counterparts did not. Legislative assistants in the GOP caucuses unanimously approved two-year agreements with pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later, the same amount offered to other state employee unions. But Democratic caucus employees in the two chambers rejected proposed contracts, a stinging disappointment as some fought for the 2022 law that cleared the way for them to unionize and negotiate terms and conditions for the workplace. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Jerry Cornfield)

New grant will allow more Washington nurses to take Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training
The State of Washington does not have enough nurses trained to best help victims of sexual assault. However, health leaders say a new federal grant will make some improvements. MultiCare Health System just received a $1.5 million grant that will allow them to create a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training program. The program will start next year and allow the healthcare system to hold four trainings annually for the next three years. Continue reading at King 5.

Budgets in Washington state tighten as population growth slows
It’s budget season in Washington state, and lawmakers are looking at cuts. Proposed cuts at King County have the assessor worried he won’t have enough appraisers for the growing region’s new construction. The state government expects to miss its revenue forecast for this fiscal year by about $500 million. There are lots of reasons for these tight margins — including ones you’ve probably heard a lot about, like inflation — but there’s one driver you likely haven’t heard much about: slowing population growth. For the record: Washington state is still growing, just not as fast as it was. And new construction is still happening, although not enough to keep up with demand, by some experts’ estimations. Continue reading at KUOW. (Sharon McCutcheon)

Print

Capital Press
Northwest butterfly dropped from sweeping pesticide pilot program
Court told new federal reporting law makes millions ‘criminal suspects’

Columbian
Washington counties drop mental health lawsuit against state
Eastern Washington University warns of ‘date rape drugs’ circulating through campus
Birchstone hopes to bridge the gap; clinic in Vancouver will offer mental health urgent care starting this month
Washington, Oregon transportation commissions OK four tolling scenarios for Interstate 5 Bridge replacement

Everett Herald
Boeing weighs raising at least $10 billion selling stock
Snohomish County scores ‘C-‘ in annual health survey
Ferry prices just went up. Here’s what you need to know.
Stillaguamish, Snohomish river salmon projects get state help

Mercer Island Reporter
Minimum wage is going up in Washington

News Tribune
Tacoma Public Utilities rates are going up again. Here’s what to expect on your bill
White nationalists sued an infiltrator. They still can’t find him in Tacoma or elsewhere
‘We are struggling.’ Stubborn homeless camp impacts life near this Tacoma intersection

Puget Sound Business Journal
Affordable housing project aimed at families opens in South Sound
The NAR lawsuit rocked an industry. It’s now taking its toll on agents

Seattle Medium
Community passageways: disrupting the cycle of violence in Seattle
New initiative offers housing and support for homeless students at Shoreline College
Harrell unveils $8.3 billion budget for 2025-2026 focused on housing, safety, and equity

Seattle Times
Seattle shrinks school closure plan
Minimum wage is going up in WA. Here’s how much
Depression was rising among young people. COVID made it worse
DOJ awards $8M to WA tribes, nonprofits to combat domestic violence
8 in 10 WA Muslims experienced discrimination in past year, report says
FTC antitrust lawsuit against Amazon will proceed, some claims dropped
200+ women faced criminal charges over pregnancy in year after Dobbs, report finds

Spokesman Review
Eastern Washington potato manufacturer will lay off hundreds
Summer air quality met health-based standards for the first time since 2016

WA State Standard
GOP legislative staff OK contract as Democratic employees say no
Litigation looms over latest round of Washington state timber sales

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Kent officers shoot at driver of stolen U-Haul
Washington, Oregon considering adding tolls for Interstate Bridge
New consolidation plan would close 5 schools rather than 21, SPS says
State patrol pays $1.3M to trucker it falsely accused of causing 2022 crash
New grant will allow more Washington nurses to take Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle’s police horse program to trot into the sunset
Budgets in WA are tightening as population growth slows
Seattle Schools’ proposed closures trimmed from 21 to just 5 schools after backlash
King County gives away lockboxes to keep guns from being stolen, accidentally fired

NW Public Radio
Walla Walla Community College buys land to grow its Farm to Fork program

Web

MyNorthwest
Kent police chase ends with police firing at 19-year-old suspect
Boeing machinists strike continues with no end … or even talks in sight

The Urbanist
Week Without Driving Challenge Expands to 50 States from Seattle Launchpad

Tuesday, October 1

Washington state’s minimum wage set to increase Jan. 1. Here’s how much it will change
Washington state’s minimum wage will rise to $16.66 an hour next year, a 2.35 percent increase over 2024, the state Department of Labor & Industries announced. The new wage takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. The minimum wage for the coming year is calculated using the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. L&I compares the CPI-W in the year-over-year period ending in August. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Mykola Sosiukin)

Washington counties drop mental health lawsuit against state
Twenty-eight Washington counties have dropped a lawsuit they filed last year against the Department of Social and Health Services over the state’s handling of certain patients seeking admission to its psychiatric hospitals. The counties sued the state last August in Pierce County Superior Court, concerned about psychiatric patients being sent back to their communities because there wasn’t room at Western State Hospital and other state facilities. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)

The cost to ride a Washington state ferry goes up Tuesday. Here’s how much
The cost to ride a Washington state ferry goes up Tuesday, as rate increases approved back in 2023 will officially take effect. The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) approved an overall 4.25% rate hike that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2023, with a second overall 4.25% increase to go into effect Oct. 1, 2024. For popular routes like Edmonds-Kingston, Seattle-Bremerton and Seattle-Bainbridge Island, the regular passenger fare will rise 40 cents to $10.25. Continue reading at King5. (King5)