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Wednesday, October 30

Spokane families may be leaving thousands of dollars on the table when filing their taxes. Here’s how to get your share
Thousands of households in Spokane County are eligible for a tax credit that they aren’t applying for, according to Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown, who helped design the credit when she served in the state Senate. The Working Families Tax Credit is an annual tax refund worth between $50 and $1,255 depending on income level, number of qualifying children and whether an individual is single or files their taxes jointly with a partner. Income eligibility is based on federal tax returns, but the credit is funded by state sales taxes. Continue reading at the Spokesman Review. (Emry Dinman)

Overdose deaths are rising among Black and Indigenous Americans
The recent decline in overdose deaths hides a tremendous disparity by race: Deaths have fallen only among white people while continuing to rise among people of color, according to a new Stateline analysis of federal data. Health experts in nonwhite communities say they’re finding strategies that work in their areas, but that they still struggle for recognition and funding to address the problems, especially among Black and Native people. Between 2021 and 2023, overdose deaths among white people dropped in all but a dozen states, most of them in the West. But few states saw any decline in deaths among Black or Native American populations. Continue reading at the WA State Standard. (Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance)

New ferry sailing schedule designed to cut delays, frustration in San Juan Islands
Island life may be idyllic, but getting to and from the San Juan Islands from Anacortes takes planning for both locals and tourists. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, Washington State Ferries (WSF) is rolling out new sailing schedules for the Anacortes-San Juan Island route. “The current schedules have not been revised in 10 to 15 years and are so out of date that it causes delays and frustration for all involved,” Steve Nevey, the head at WSF, wrote in announcing this new change. Continue reading at KOMO. (KOMO)

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Capital Press
Hazardous trees defended as sound conservation
Reward offered in Washington wolf poaching cases
Rains bring end to Oregon’s history-making wildfire season

News Tribune
Apex predators — under federal protection — found illegally killed in WA, officials say
East Pierce County is becoming more and more diverse. How about its elected leaders?
A woman reported an assault in a Puyallup park. Why she was charged with a hate crime
Locals want to save popular Pierce County forest from logging. Their plan’s hit roadblock
Person was declared dead at Tacoma immigration detention center on Sunday, officials say

New York Times
Consumers keep U.S. economy growing at healthy pace
E.P.A., just rebounding from Trump years, faces an uncertain future

Olympian
Thurston County takes extra precautions for ballot security after recent dropbox fires

Puget Sound Business Journal
Property tax bills are on the rise, growing in these cities the most

Seattle Times
WA program to address housing discrimination faces lawsuit
Second person this year dies at WA immigrant detention center

Skagit Valley Herald
Burlington road project still short on funding
County commissioners approve Skagit Conservation District rates and charges

Spokesman Review
WSDOT worker removing roadkill in Spokane County hit by pickup
Spokane County unveils new Bigelow Gulch connector decades in the making
Spokane families may be leaving thousands of dollars on the table when filing their taxes. Here’s how to get your share

Washington Post
This green housing trend is booming
Economy shows continued strength in third quarter, with pockets of softness
A young couple’s dream home was infested with thousands of bats and their skeletons

Washington State Standard
Overdose deaths are rising among Black and Indigenous Americans

Wenatchee World
Douglas County Hearing Examiner reviews applications for 31-lot development

Yakima Herald-Republic
Meet Megan Papuzza, new director of Noah’s Ark Homeless Shelter in Wapato
Federal authorities offer reward for information about gray wolf deaths near Goldendale and Twisp

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
New marker in Pioneer Square honors local LGBTQ+ history
Boeing, machinists union hold first meeting since last contract rejection
‘Egregious’: Fife police chief calls out juvenile detention center after ‘refusal’ to book teen
Bellevue woman receives 16 ballots addressed to her apartment number with different names
About 475 damaged ballots retrieved from burned drop box in Washington state, auditor says
Military families take on Washington school district for ‘dehumanizing’ medically fragile children

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Starbucks steps up return-to-office policy
Clogged culvert likely caused landslide that closed I-5 in Bellingham
Auditor says hundreds of Eastern WA ballots never made it to voters
Puyallup company built ballot drop box that was set on fire in Portland, Oregon
Former Seattle Police Chief Diaz, Director of Communications, placed on leave

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Starbucks mandates in-person work for corporate staff 3 days a week
Tacoma motel to be converted into supportive housing, respite services
Fife police chief claims juvenile detention center is failing officers and families
New ferry sailing schedule designed to cut delays, frustration in San Juan Islands
Former crime-ridden motel in Everett to be transformed into residential townhomes
City officials quiet on why former SPD chief, communications director placed on leave

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle Archdiocese to address Catholic Church’s Indigenous boarding school legacy

KXLY (ABC)
Hundreds of voters in Whitman County still haven’t received ballots
Is your family one of the thousands eligible for a tax credit in Spokane?
Mayor Brown pushes to make illegal dumping a misdemeanor in Spokane

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Anacortes, Bellingham ports awarded millions for pollution reduction projects

Tuesday, October 29

Why manufacturing recovery lags in Washington
Washington’s manufacturing sector, particularly aerospace, is still struggling to recover pre-pandemic job levels, lagging behind the national trend. Washington saw the steepest drop in manufacturing jobs in the nation in recent years, per a new analysis of government data by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG). Manufacturing jobs are back across much of the U.S., especially in the Sun Belt, where employment in the sector is now slightly above pre-pandemic levels, Meanwhile, Washington lost 6.7% of its manufacturing workforce — more than 19,000 jobs — between 2019 and 2023, per EIG. Continue reading at Axios. (Alex Fitzpatrick)

Rural dentist education to grow in Spokane under Legislature funding and new space
Education to train dentists mainly for rural work is expanding this summer in Spokane in facility size and student numbers. The University of Washington School of Dentistry will lease space for a new oral health training center in the UW-Gonzaga University Health Partnership’s building, 840 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., to grow its Regional Initiatives in Dental Education program. This spring, it received $2.5 million from the Legislature along with federal grants to expand the four-year program, doubling the number of students per year from eight to 16 – or 64 students once all cohorts are filled – and creating space for a second year in Spokane. Continue reading at the Spokesman Review. (Tyler Tjomsland)

Department of Corrections to spend $1.3 million of welfare fund for prisoners
Washington’s Department of Corrections has outlined new plans to spend $1.3 million collected from incarcerated people for phone calls and other fees — money that they’ve been criticized for sitting on, as the dollars are meant to go to improving prisoner welfare. Under the department’s plan, the dollars will primarily go to facility beautification projects, music programs and the “Washington Way” program, which focuses on making prison life similar to life on the outside. Continue reading at the WA State Standard. (Getty)

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Axios
Why manufacturing recovery lags in Washington
Fires at election drop boxes destroy hundreds of ballots in Washington, Oregon

Bellingham Herald
Just how big was the landslide that closed I-5 in Bellingham Sunday? Here are the numbers

Capital Press
Feds fund expansion of Washington grain terminal
USDA gives $167M for Northwest conservation projects

Everett Herald
Boeing launches $19B share sale to thwart downgrade

News Tribune
Tacoma motel near I-5 to convert to medical respite, supportive housing after acquisition

Spokesman Review
Arson burns hundreds of ballots in a southwest Washington ballot box
Rural dentist education to grow in Spokane under Legislature funding and new space
Most Gray and Oregon Road fire victims were underinsured, insurance commissioner says
All Spokane School Board members live in the same school’s boundary, but that could soon change
Matt Shea demands $24 million from city of Spokane over council’s condemnation of former mayor

Washington Post
The AI boom may unleash a global surge in electronic waste
On Elon Musk’s X, Republicans go viral as Democrats disappear
How the Inflation Reduction Act has remade America over the past two years
Planet-warming pollution is growing at the fastest rate in history, scientists say

WA State Standard
Arson destroys hundreds of ballots inside a Washington state drop box
Department of Corrections to spend $1.3 million of welfare fund for prisoners

Wenatchee World
Chelan, Douglas, Grant PUDs cease sending power to Canada; US, Canada reach tentative deal
USDA awards Chelan County Housing Authority $4.2M for agriculture workforce housing upgrades

Yakima Herald-Republic
Wautoma solar proposal moves ahead as Inslee tours Yakima County solar project

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Survivor has message for those dealing with domestic violence
Former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz on paid administrative leave
Seattle residents concerned about illegal street racing events over the weekend
Woman who allegedly yelled racial slurs, shoved teen in Puyallup charged with hate crime

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
King County Elections says local ballots ‘are safe’
WSDOT employee life-flighted after being hit on SR-206
More than 50 cars broken into in U-District near campus
Bipartisan proposal aim to crack down on organized retail crime nationwide
Man arrested for threatening LGBTQ nightclub, punching worker in Capitol Hill
Police say fires set at ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington are connected; ‘suspect vehicle’ ID’d
Ballot drop box fires highlight concerns that election conspiracy theories are making them a target

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Starbucks warns employees who continue to defy return to office order could be fired
Could Marysville School District closures be the key to solving their $3 million deficit
ACLU sues Seattle City Attorney’s Office for ‘misuse of power’ following judge removal
Former SPD Chief Adrian Diaz, communications director placed on paid administrative leave

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle Public Schools enrollment ticks up slightly as district moves ahead with closures
Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz placed on paid leave amid watchdog investigations

KXLY (ABC)
Two endangered gray wolves killed in WA, Fish and Wildlife investigating
Spokane County Elections Office steps up security during WA ballot box arson investigation
Researchers find PFAs in Medical Lake as West Plains neighbors still dealing with contaminated wells
“A violent attack on democracy:” Governor Inslee vows 24-hour security in response to WA ballot box arson

Web

Cascadia Daily News
As Bellingham weighs whether to replace a bridge, residents left in limbo
Carpet padding blocking a culvert caused interstate landslide in Bellingham

Crosscut
Seattle Veterans Affairs staffer alleges whistleblower retaliation

The Urbanist
Bellevue reveals initial designs for pedestrian bridge over I-405

Monday, October 28

Seattle becomes first U.S. city where EMTs can administer buprenorphine
Starting November, Seattle will become the first U.S. city where emergency medical technicians and firefighters in the field can use buprenorphine to treat people who have overdosed on fentanyl, according to city officials. The announcement follows the success the city has had with its paramedics administering the medication since February. If used regularly, experts say, buprenorphine can reduce fatal overdoses by nearly 70% and help people recover from opioid use disorder. The Washington Department of Health is collaborating on the pilot and granted approval to administer the drug. Continue reading at the Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

How much does your school district spend on special education per student?
The amount of money spent on special education students in Washington varies widely by district. That’s according to a new analysis of state data from July 2022 to June 2023 of Washington districts where there are over 2,500 students. According to the data, the amount each district spends per special education student ranges from $8,708 in Goldendale School District to $33,056 in Bellevue School District. Washington has steadily increased its cap on the percentage of a district’s population that can receive special education funding. Some lawmakers and advocates have pushed for the Legislature to end the cap entirely, as many districts have identified more special education students than they’re funded for. Continue reading at the WA State Standard. (Getty Images)

WA police get one hour of hate-crime training despite rising cases
Training records show the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission requires just one hour of hate-crime-specific training as part of the 720-hour basic law enforcement academy that every officer must complete for certification. Experts argue more in-depth training could help officers better identify bias-motivated crimes and work more effectively with marginalized communities. In 2020, the state Office of the Attorney General released an advisory report recommending police departments adopt periodic training as part of their standard in-service requirements. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Genna Martin)

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Axios
Loneliness looms for Seattle’s remote workers

Bellingham Herald
Update: Interstate 5 in Bellingham opens after landslide is cleared
Bellingham will have a new public beach area next spring. Here’s what the city is planning

Capital Press
Washington case tests timberland owner’s immunity

Columbian
Washougal schools transportation director says school year off to a smooth start
Why don’t many WA highways have reflectors if the state gets so much rain? We asked WSDOT
Ballot drop boxes in Vancouver and Portland targeted by arson this morning, hundreds of ballots damaged
Electricity equilibrium? Finding power for the Pacific Northwest in the future ‘will be a significant challenge’

Everett Herald
Marysville schools HR director resigns, second since June

Kitsap Sun
Sedative now seen in East Coast fentanyl supply still rare in Kitsap

News Tribune
WA retailers lose $3 billion to theft each year. Here’s what Gig Harbor does to stop it

Seattle Times
Here’s how you can register online to vote Nov. 5 in WA
Seattle becomes first U.S. city where EMTs can administer buprenorphine

Skagit Valley Herald
PSE awarded $45 million for Skagit Valley project

Spokesman Review
Some snow forecast for mountain passes, but it won’t linger
Economists: Higher tariffs would hurt Washington farmers, consumers
Former Spokane HR director accused city leadership of racism and demanded a better payout. Now he wants $50 million

Washington Post
Supreme Court ignites wave of lawsuits against federal regulations
Many older Americans don’t trust AI-generated health information
The surprising winners — and losers — of America’s clean energy boom

WA State Standard
How much does your school district spend on special education per student?

Wenatchee World
WSU Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center to build $18M plant growth facility

Whidbey News-Times
State Ferries plans for charging infrastructure

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Ballot boxes in Portland and Vancouver lit on fire
Microsoft fires employees who organized vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza
Boeing, in need of cash, looking to raise up to approximately $19B in offering
Care from medical staff who lack training, authority puts WA inmates at risk of injury, death, KING 5 investigation finds

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Massive landslide shuts down I-5 in Bellingham for hours
Ballot boxes in Vancouver, Portland set on fire Monday morning
Street chaos: Police battle a weekend of street takeovers in Tukwila, Seattle
Microsoft fires employees who organized vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza
‘She tried to punch me’: Tenant accused of stabbing landlord to death over rent in White Center

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
School districts face closure amid significant budget crises
Washington sees 65% increase in car thefts, among highest in nation
Boeing, in need of cash, looks to raise up to approximately $19B in offering
Microsoft fires employees who organized vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza

KNKX Public Radio
Commercial salmon fishers struggle with low prices

KUOW Public Radio
Mudslide shuts down I-5 North in Bellingham following extreme rain
Her journey through addiction and recovery came full circle in drug court
At the heart of the Boeing strike, an emotional fight over a lost pension plan

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Rep. Rick Larsen touts opioid-related legislation at Bellingham forum

Crosscut
WA police get one hour of hate-crime training despite rising cases

MyNorthwest
Street takeovers run rampant over weekend in multiple cities

Friday, October 25

Trump ignored disaster aid request from political rival
In early September 2020, wildfires tore through eastern Washington state, obliterating tens of millions of dollars of property, displacing hundreds of rural residents and killing a 1-year-old boy. But then-President Donald Trump refused to act on Gov. Jay Inslee’s request for $37 million in federal disaster aid because of a bitter personal dispute with the Democratic governor, an investigation by POLITICO’s E&E News shows. Trump sat on Inslee’s request for the final four months of his presidency, delaying recovery and leaving communities unsure about rebuilding because nobody knew if they would get federal help. Continue reading at EE News. (AP Photo)

Biden to issue landmark apology over Native American boarding schools
President Biden is expected to issue a formal apology for the federal government’s Native American boarding schools during a visit to Arizona on Friday. Biden’s message would be the first public apology from a sitting U.S. president in response to a federal policy that wreaked havoc on tribal communities. “In making this apology, the President acknowledges that we as a people who love our country must remember and teach our full history, even when it is painful,” the White House said in a statement. “And we must learn from that history so that it is never repeated.” Continue reading at KUOW. (Getty)

Senator Cantwell introduces new bill to help fight Spokane’s fentanyl crisis
Spokane’s fire engines are some of the busiest in the state and are prompting new legislation. A typical fire engine responds to about 2,000 calls per year. Spokane Fire Engine 1 is set to respond to 6,500 calls this year, according to Spokane Fire Department. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said the increased calls in Spokane are largely due to the city’s fentanyl crisis. She recently introduced a new bill in hopes of providing first responders better tools to fight against fentanyl. The legislation would fund and create new technology to detect fentanyl in a non-invasive way, in an attempt to crack down on drug smuggling. The technology would include using fentanyl-sniffing K9s and devices that can detect fentanyl vapor. Continue reading at KXLY. (KXLY)

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Aberdeen Daily World
Aberdeen official gives update on Vacant Building Program

Axios
Labor tensions at Boeing span decades
How an extended strike hurts Boeing’s comeback
Biden to issue historic apology for Indigenous boarding school abuses

Capital Press
WSDA: Migratory birds spreading avian influenza
Washington State to build $18 million plant growth facility
TESTING THE RAPID TEST: Wheat industry hopes to replace ‘complex, cumbersome’ falling number test

Everett Herald
Marysville seeks input from parents on school closures
Boeing Machinists return to the picket line after rejecting contract

News Tribune
Parents claim their nonverbal son was assaulted by a paraeducator at this Tacoma school
Tacoma Police Deputy Chief Paul Junger placed on administrative leave, sources tell TNT

Puget Sound Business Journal
Optimism surfaces in one of Seattle’s most problematic areas

Seattle Times
Here are the four schools Seattle proposes closing next year
EPA toughens requirements to remove lead paint dust around children

Spokesman Review
Man convicted of 1987 Spokane murder could be released as an old man under state’s resentencing rules
Opinion: How to keep and grow defense-related economic impact in Washington

Washington Post
Gas prices are barreling toward a 3-year low as election nears
Striking workers’ pension demand reflects longing for a bygone era
Biden set to apologize to Native Americans for Indian boarding schools
This huge lithium mine shows the trade-offs of the clean-energy transition

WA State Standard
WA paid family leave premiums are going up
CDC confirms two people in Washington infected with bird flu
‘We have persevered’: Biden will apologize for Native American boarding school history

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Seattle Public Schools proposes closure of 4 elementary schools
Sound Transit approves route for West Seattle light rail extension
Vote to continue strike exposes Boeing workers’ anger over lost pensions
Hosmer businesses hire security company to move people off private property amid public safety issues
Family of student denied right to graduate in tribal regalia takes legal action against Tacoma Public Schools

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Tacoma businesses hire security to sweep encampment
SPS names four schools it may close amid budget struggles

KUOW Public Radio
Biden to issue landmark apology over Native American boarding schools
The West Seattle light rail route has been chosen. But can Sound Transit afford it?
Questions of competition highlight legal battle over proposed Kroger Albertsons merger

KXLY (ABC)
Senator Cantwell introduces new bill to help fight Spokane’s fentanyl crisis
Public safety, homelessness top concerns in new Spokane community survey
New affordable housing units give Airway Heights families a place to call home
Violent threats against schools have become an unsettling trend; schools and police are fighting back

Web

Cascadia Daily News
WA health officials warning public of bird flu spread
Western Washington University sees fewer freshman, but overall stable enrollment

Crosscut
Seventy percent of WA students have access to free school lunches

EENews
Trump ignored disaster aid request from political rival

MyNorthwest
Struggling Boeing might leave the space business
Washington added to list of states affected by E. coli infections linked to McDonald’s

The Urbanist
Harrell proposes deep cuts for tenant assistance, advocates push back

Thursday, October 24

College tuition in Washington state bucks the inflation trend
College tuition is one of the rare things that may have actually become cheaper in Washington in recent years — at least, when adjusted for inflation, according to a new report. A recent report from the College Board, which runs the SAT test, found that in-state tuition and fees at Washington’s public four-year universities averages $11,850 this year. Washington’s college tuition prices have stayed more predictable from year to year since 2015, when the state Legislature passed a law tying undergraduate tuition increases to growth in the median wage. Continue reading at Axios. (Alex Fitzpatrick)

The latest fight over rules to protect homes from wildfire
New state building codes aim to protect properties on the edge between urban and wooded areas – a fast growing type of space known as the wildland urban interface – from wildfire. The codes at the center of the controversy are already approved and will take effect March 15. The guidelines, which apply to new construction or remodels, call for roofs, siding, decks, doors, windows and other parts of homes to be made out of fire resistant materials. Based on the new maps, areas near major cities, including Spokane, Olympia, Yakima and Issaquah, would be subject to the new rules. Continue reading at the WA State Standard. (Stephen Brashear)

How is the world doing on climate change? Not great
It’s report card season for climate change. Each year, the United Nations takes stock of whether countries are on track to cut carbon emissions and limit global warming. The grade this year: needs more improvement than ever. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose to a new record in 2023, and if countries do not change course, the world will see warming of more than 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit (3.1 degrees Celsius) by the end of the century. Continue reading at KUOW. (Getty Images)