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Friday, September 27

Who will build WA’s electric ferries? Only one West Coast shipyard shows interest
Three shipyards from different corners of the country say they have the ability to build the next generation of hybrid-electric boats for Washington State Ferries. Of the three, only one is local: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, in Freeland, on Whidbey Island. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Kevin Clark)

WA Supreme Court is told cutting public defender caseloads could incite ‘vigilante’ justice
Prosecutors are warning the Washington state Supreme Court that reducing public defender caseloads could lead to filing of fewer criminal charges and people seeking retribution on their own. Supporters of reducing caseloads say the change is needed to stabilize the system. They contend that large caseloads and low pay are driving people out of public defense and deterring new lawyers from entering this line of legal work. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty Images)

Overdose deaths rose in Washington as they fell nationwide
Drug overdose deaths have continued to rise in Washington state, even as they’ve started to fall nationwide, according to preliminary CDC data. Washington likely didn’t see the same decline in overdose deaths because “fentanyl became prevalent in the Pacific Northwest later than the rest of the country,” John Doyle, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, told Axios this week. Continue reading at Axios Seattle. (Alex Fitzpatrick)

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Associated Press
Companies Back Away From Oregon Floating Offshore Wind Project as Opposition Grows

Axios
Free entry to national parks this weekend
Overdose deaths rose in Washington as they fell nationwide

Bainbridge Island Review
BI seeks input regarding EV charging requirements
Many critical of BI’s Groundwater Management Plan

Capital Press
EFSEC hears landowner support for solar project
Ex-ambassador: ‘Ag is suffering,’ national strategy needed
Industry cautiously measures market response to GM wheat trait
USDA awards millions for western wildfire reduction projects

Columbian
What should Woodland look like in 20 years? City wants to know
Department of Ecology isn’t meeting cleanup requirements at Camp Bonneville, says state auditor

Everett Herald
Marysville parents frustrated as district pauses swim program
Stanwood, Oak Harbor finish investigation into ‘hateful words’ at game

Indian Country Today
Tribes sue feds over offshore wind energy plans
The Wrap: Tribal colleges response to FAFSA issues

News Tribune
Asylum seekers who’d been living in King County tent camp now housed at Tacoma hotel
Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore placed on administrative leave. City provides no reason

Northwest Asian Weekly
Seattle-Based National Asian Pacific Center on Aging gets $10M job-training grant
Farrar Law steps in as interim executive director at Wing Luke Museum amid leadership transition

Olympian
Thurston sheriff defends pursuit policies after Tuesday chase ended in two-vehicle wreck

Peninsula Daily News
Port of Port Townsend reviews draft budget for next year
Opinion: Disaster preparedness month

Seattle Times
NTSB issues urgent safety alert after Boeing 737 rudder failure
Boeing, Machinists back at the negotiating table as strike enters third week
Who will build WA’s electric ferries? Only one West Coast shipyard shows interest
Editorial: Focus on WA ferries’ greener future, while keeping today’s fleet moving
Opinion: Sustaining old growth requires active stewardship

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County Elections Department moves to bigger space
Sedro-Woolley completes letter opposing energy storage facility
Mount Vernon City Council sets fees for Library Commons, awards housing grants

Sol De Yakima
Proyecto solar Goose Prairie se concluirá a finales de octubre
Fondo económico de $30.000 ayudará a pequeñas empresas del valle de Yakima

South Seattle Emerald
King County Auditor’s Report on High-Risk Issues Includes Concerns for Adult and Juvenile Detention
Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on Its Largest-Ever Multifamily Project, Located in Columbia City
Washington State Joins Reentry 2030 to Aid Formerly Incarcerated People, Closes Last Death Penalty Chamber
Emmett Till’s Cousin Speaks at NAAM Tonight; Seattle Public Schools Reassesses School Closure Plans; Libraries Celebrate Banned Books Week

Spokesman Review
Spokane Board of Health weighs opioid treatment outsourcing amid testy debate
Spokane jury awards Black UPS driver $237M for racial discrimination, retaliation in Yakima

Tri-City Herald
Swarm of 100+ earthquakes rattle edge of Hanford nuclear site northwest of Tri-Cities

Washington Post
U.S. agency calls for urgent action on Boeing 737 rudder systems
Mortgage rates are dropping. That doesn’t mean it’s time to buy a home.
FDA approves a novel drug for schizophrenia, a potential ‘game changer’

WA State Standard
Fewer Washington residents have delinquent debt than national average
WA Supreme Court is told cutting public defender caseloads could incite ‘vigilante’ justice

Wenatchee World
NCW prescribed burns starting soon
NCW pear harvest to see 31% decrease from 5-year average

Yakima Herald-Republic
Northwest pear crop will be the smallest in 40 years
Yakima School District joins forces with CWU and YVC to smooth path for college credit
HR investigation finds inappropriate workplace conduct at Sunnyside Police Department

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
WSDOT said this is the biggest weekend for road closures
Boeing and striking machinists to meet for negotiations for the first time in over a week
State settles with family of Evergreen student who died of carbon monoxide poisoning for $25M

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Did you feel it? 4.0 quake shakes near Victoria, B.C.
Kenmore to expand road safety measures around school zones
Tacoma police chief Avery Moore placed on administrative leave

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Dispute continues over Burien camping ban despite federal court’s decision

KUOW Public Radio
King County Sheriff’s lawsuit over Burien camping ban thrown out by federal judge
Congress members press Biden for intelligence briefing, independent investigation of Seattleite’s killing by Israeli forces

KXLY (ABC)
EWU announces $13 million plan to upgrade athletics facilities
Evacuations ordered for 1,700-acre wildfire burning in Danville
Aftermath of powerful storm leaves damage and debris in Pullman

NW Public Radio
Residents of senior mobile home park fight 44% rent increase
Aerial attacks help tamp down Washington fires this season, Oregon sees record-breaking year for acres burned

Web

Cascadia Daily News
New biodiversity video series shows why conservation and habitat protection are critical
Opinion: Reflecting on the passing of one of Washington’s greatest leaders, Dan Evans

Crosscut
Seattle Animal Shelter director resigns, alleging city inaction
The Newsfeed: Labor & Industries interpreters file wage-theft suit
Whatcom probe on harassment investigation shows ‘systemic failure’

MyNorthwest
Can’t afford your prescription drugs? You are not alone
Why is WSDOT shutting down 4 freeways this weekend?
Your license plate will soon be less fancy because of shortages
Earthquake may have shaken up Northern Washington residents
Patti Payne on Dan Evans: ‘I loved his spirit, respect and humility’
Rudder failure on Boeing 737s causes urgent safety alert from NTSB

The Stranger
Long Prison Sentences Don’t Keep Us Safe

Thursday, September 26

Tradition and science go hand-in-hand as state, federal agencies look at thinning forests to prevent out-of-control wildfires”Our Western forests have evolved with fire on the landscape. We need to understand this to both realize how we got into the wildfire crisis and how we can get out of it. We cannot log our way out of it. The wildfire crisis — the current age of more frequent, larger scale fires over a longer season — has been brought on by three main factors: fire suppression, past logging practices and climate change. Continue reading at Inlander.

Washington pear harvest worst in decades
A prolonged cold snap in January, and cooler periods that followed, have ravaged the pear crops in Oregon and Washington.
The harvest data shows that Washington farmers are likely to have the worst yield in about 40 years, said Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. Continue reading at Spokesman. (Dan Pelle)

Underage and Under Arrest: Turning the tide of a juvenile crime spike
SEATTLE — KING 5 has been looking into the crisis of a juvenile crime spike in Western Washington, with serious offenses committed by kids as young as 12 and 13 years old. In our series, Underage and Under Arrest, we examine efforts to turn the tide. Continue reading at King5.

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Associated Press
Funds are cutting aid for women seeking abortions as costs rise

Aberdeen Daily World
Hoquiam City Council approves $873,378 bid for pump station
Looking into where a large number of Aberdeen’s unhoused have gone

Auburn Reporter
More freeway closures this weekend in South King County

Bellingham Herald
Gov. Jay Inslee named on Forbes’ first-ever list of worldwide leaders in sustainability
Early-morning earthquake rattles Northwest, prompting thousands of reports. How big was it?
The Port of Bellingham may explore expanding its commission. Here’s how that might work.
Swarm of 100+ earthquakes rattle edge of Hanford nuclear site northwest of Tri-Cities

Capital Press
Editorial: Deja vu all over again

Columbian
Clark County Public Health presentation discusses the dangers and health effects of lead

Everett Herald
Snohomish County’s health leaders ponder fixes for mental health crisis

The Inlander
Spokane officials raise concerns over Hanford waste
Tradition and science go hand-in-hand as state, federal agencies look at thinning forests to prevent out-of-control wildfires

News Tribune
How worried should Tacoma be about the ‘Big One,’ the looming M-9.0 Cascadia earthquake?

Olympian
Gov. Jay Inslee named on Forbes’ first-ever list of worldwide leaders in sustainability

Peninsula Daily News
Six projects aim to boost jobs, economic development on Peninsula

Puget Sound Business Journal
The National Observer: Retail bankruptcies spark CRE fallout
Seattle City Council lifts restrictions on micro-units
Kroger-Albertsons merger: Who made the better case and possible ruling

Seattle Times
Electric conversion of WA ferry delayed a year, and the cost is rising
Westneat: Seattle encampments being cut by two-thirds seems like a big deal

Spokesman Review
Washington pear harvest worst in decades
Moses Lake manufacturer lands $200 million federal grant to make EV battery ingredients
Northwest lawmakers help Congress pass short-term spending bill, averting government shutdown

Washington Post
Free covid tests by mail program revived by Biden administration
Congress passes bill to prevent government shutdown, add funds for Secret Service

WA State Standard
Washington public sector unions split on new two-year contract
Free entry at Washington’s national parks this Saturday

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Seattle parents weigh in after latest twist in ongoing school closures debate
Court dismisses King County’s legal complaint over Burien’s camping ban
Underage and Under Arrest: Turning the tide of a juvenile crime spike
Send Shanté: Tacoma road littered with potholes, overgrowth causing problems for homeowners
Backlog to change the way Washington state makes license plates

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Legal system has split opinions on caseload cap that could financially devastate smaller counties

Crosscut
Proposal for WA ferry engineers, oilers falls short of pay parity

Wednesday, September 25

Inslee announces funding for local transportation infrastructure
In a midday meeting Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Brickworks, Gov, Jay Inslee delighted two dozen attendees by announcing he has ordered $1.5 million in state emergency funds to help the San Juans cope with canceled sailings in the Washington State Ferry system. On July 22, San Juan County Council Chair Jane Fuller made a big gamble by circumventing WSF leadership and our state legislators and going straight to the Governor with a request for emergency funds. In the ensuing weeks, the County crafted a request for nearly $1 million to augment and expand private water taxi and small barge services here that spring into action when the inter-island service stumbles. Continue reading at Journal of the San Juan Islands. (Jeff Noedel)

Top Washington universities decline in annual rankings of best U.S. schools. Here’s why
U.S. News and World Report released its annual college rankings on Sept. 24, with some Washington state schools seeing a slight drop from last year’s list. The University of Washington tied for No. 46 overall among national universities, and No. 18 among public universities, making it the highest-ranked school in the state. But it fell six spots from last year, when it tied for the No. 40 spot overall and the No. 15 spot among public schools. Continue reading at The News Tribune. (Getty Images)

Washington advocates push for state ban on flavored vapes
A broad coalition of Washington educators, doctors, researchers and social justice advocates has launched a campaign to ban flavored nicotine vapes in the state, citing the product’s contribution to youth addiction. The coalition is calling itself “Flavors Hook Kids Washington” and is seeking to ban all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. According to Tobacco-Free Kids, 7.7% of Washington high school students use vapes, also known as electronic cigarettes — about on par with the national rate, based on the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Use Survey. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Getty Images)

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Capital Press
WDFW to try to remove one wolf from Couse pack
Federal judge tosses $117M antitrust suit against timber companies

Columbian
Clark County drug court marks 25th anniversary with nearly 800 graduates
Clark County District Court grapples with defense attorney shortage, ‘unprecedented’ case filings

Everett Herald
After decades of work, Marysville cuts ribbon on State Avenue project

Journal of the San Juan Islands
Inslee announces funding for local transportation infrastructure

News Tribune
Top Washington universities decline in annual rankings of best U.S. schools. Here’s why
‘Monster weekend of closures’ coming to Western Washington highways, WSDOT warns
Here’s something to honk about: Gas prices are down in Tacoma and WA, according to study

Port Townsend Leader
Ethics complaints against mayor move forward
State parks setting stage to reclaim Fort Worden ‘campus’
Davis returns to Quilcene school board; no action taken on proposed sports resolution

Puget Sound Business Journal
New data shows stronger demand for Seattle office space
Signs of improved affordability start to emerge in housing market
Paul Allen’s foundation gives millions to activate downtown Seattle

Seattle Times
Seattle school-closure plans are changing, but district offers few details

South Whidbey Record
County sends shoreline plan to state for feedback

Spokesman Review
Drug deaths decline across the country, but not in Spokane or Washington state. What could be behind the change?
Opinion: September is National Recovery Month: Why does it matter?
Comment: Confronting our new climate reality

Washington Post
Shoppers will spend a record $241 billion online this holiday season
Justice Dept. sues Visa, says it illegally monopolized debit card market
Democrats to unveil ACA tax-credit plan, teeing up next health-care fight

WA State Standard
Washington advocates push for state ban on flavored vapes (Nobles, Reeves)
GOP senator blocks resolution stating the right to emergency care includes abortion

Wenatchee World
Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce starts Hispanic business series

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Seattle police issue new alarm response policy
Seattle mayor unveils $8 billion budget proposal for 2025-2026
Backlog to change the way Washington state makes license plates

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Strikers at Boeing criticize company’s public approach to contract offer
Boeing factory workers pressured to prioritize speed over quality: report
New study finds alarming signs of anti-Asian violence, harassment in Seattle

KNKX Public Radio
Inslee and governors of 23 states launch ‘climate-ready workforce’ initiative
Human reviewers can’t keep up with police bodycam videos. AI now gets the job

KUOW Public Radio
90 days to make a life: One Afghan family’s resettlement in Washington state

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane organization receives $1 million to help refugees and immigrants
Uncertainty looms over funding for Spokane’s volunteer-led organization C.O.P.S.

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Whatcom County seeking location for severe weather shelter

Crosscut
Seattle Mayor staves off deep cuts in $8.3B 2025 budget proposal

MyNorthwest
Seattle Mayor’s budget proposals includes cuts to close $250 million in deficits
‘There are souls out here:’ Refugee encampment cleared from Kent without solution

Tuesday, September 24

Report: Washington among best states for hourly workers
Washington remains one of the best states in the country for hourly workers based on its high minimum wage and the elimination of less-than-minimum tip wages, according to a senior researcher at Oxfam America. Washington, Oregon and California are among the top five states in the index and each features some of the strongest minimum wages in the country, provide paid leave and ensure workers have the right to organize in private and public sectors, according to Oxfam. Continue reading at Axios. (Annelise Capossela)

Conversion of Washington ferry to hybrid-electric power is delayed
When Washington State Ferries took its Jumbo Mark II vessel, the Wenatchee, out of service last September to convert it from diesel to hybrid-electric power, the plan was for the boat to be back in action sometime around late summer this year. The agency now says it anticipates the project will take until summer 2025 to complete. The agency and Vigor agreed to a $100 million contract to convert the Wenatchee and another vessel, the Tacoma, to hybrid-electric power. There’s also an option to proceed with another $50 million conversion of a third boat, the Puyallup. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (WSDOT)

FundHubWA launched as all-in-one site for climate and clean energy funding
Washington State has launched FundHubWA as a centralized hub for federal and state clean energy grants. On Monday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the launch of a new website designed to give people and organizations a way to request funding for climate and clean energy projects. According to the press release, Washington residents and businesses will have access to federal and state grants, tax incentives, and rebates that advance clean air, energy, and technology. Continue reading at KIRO 7. (FundHubWA)

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Associated Press
FBI finds violent crime declined
Boeing makes a ‘final offer’ to striking workers, but union says it’s not good enough

Aberdeen Daily World
Former Aberdeen mayor arrested after crash

Axios
How to spot election misinformation and stop its spread
Report: Washington among best states for hourly workers

Bellingham Herald
‘Devastating wildlife disease’ strikes Eastern WA. Benton mass mortality event declared

Capital Press
WSU lands USDA grants for popped beans, buckwheat, vineyards
New Department of Energy study to weigh energy challenges, dam breaching

Columbian
Milk-processing plant being built in Tri-Cities area
Reykdal seeks $3B injection for WA public schools in next budget
Washington climate auction prices remain low as repeal vote looms
Pacific lamprey returns to the Columbia River plummet but Northwest tribes are working to fix those runs

Everett Herald
Dan Evans, governor, U.S. senator, dies at 98
Boeing makes ‘best and final offer’ to striking Machinists
Stanwood, Oak Harbor schools investigating ‘hateful words’ at football game
Comment: Hydrogen a clean energy, but not with fossil loopholes

Kitsap Sun
Kroger-Albertsons merger could impact access to food in South Kitsap
New COVID-19 vaccine available after summer wave of infections in Kitsap, Washington

News Tribune
Lakewood Towne Center apartment project being revamped
Trees see protections in new Tacoma housing rules. What does that mean for affordability?

Puget Sound Business Journal
How CRE will benefit from interest-rate cuts
Boeing makes ‘best and final’ offer in bid to end strike
Job market is down, but signs of a bounce back are emerging

Seattle Times
Steelhead: WA’s ‘gray ghost’ battles extinction
Seattle may boost police hiring bonuses up to $50K
PSE announces first solar project and battery storage system
Seattle Public Schools retreats from school closure proposals
New data shows scale of anti-Asian violence, harassment in Seattle
Why a Skagit County town hopes to fight off a battery storage project
Income inequality grew in Seattle since the pandemic, new data shows

Skagit Valley Herald
Moratorium put in place on accepting permits for energy facilities on ag land

Spokesman Review
The Spokane Fire Department cut its fire academy this year due to budget woes. Here’s why it saved future layoffs

Tri-City Herald
Moving radioactive liquid waste from Hanford site worries Spokane, Oregon officials
Rich Gen Z-ers are leaving Washington faster than all but one state, a new study finds
Black UPS driver in Eastern WA awarded $237M for racial discrimination, retaliation

Washington Post
More states are passing privacy laws. Few tackle civil rights.
Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats
See which grocery store chains dominate near you and across the U.S.
Election officials’ new strategy for combating false information: Radical transparency

WA State Standard
Conversion of Washington ferry to hybrid-electric power is delayed
Error by state budget writers could cost WA community colleges a bundle

Wenatchee World
Prescribed burn planned for this week outside Wenatchee
East Wenatchee City Council authorizes contract with Flock Safety for license plate readers
Chelan County seeking applications for NCW programs addressing substance abuse disorder

Yakima Herald-Republic
Well water testing program underway in Lower Valley
An online tool is helping Sunnyside schools and others fight absenteeism

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Bellingham takes property owner to court over homeless camp
Skagit County pauses proposed energy storage facility after backlash
Machinists union refuses to vote on Boeing’s ‘best and final’ contract offer
State superintendent: ‘Ambitious’ funding proposal would require new tax funding
Push in King County to add fentanyl to state’s child endangerment law amid increase in fatalities

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
FundHubWA launched as all-in-one site for climate and clean energy funding
WSDOT warns of “Monster Weekend” of closures on I-5, SR 520, I-405, and more
Boeing makes ‘best and final offer’ to machinists, proposing bigger raises and bonuses
Get rewarded for riding: Sound Transit launches Bike & Scoot to Transit program in Seattle
Seattle Public Schools cancels upcoming community meetings, retooling plan on potential closures
Arlington community members take matters into their own hands regarding SR 530 speeding danger

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Albertsons and Kroger CEOs testify in pivotal trial over $24.6 billion merger
Encampments cleared from Seattle street, but end up outside senior apartments
Seattle police will no longer respond to alarm calls without ‘supporting evidence’
Seattle Public Schools delays community meetings on controversial consolidation plans

KPTV
Washington State considers rape kit backlog ‘essentially eliminated’ 30,000 tests later (Orwall)

KUOW Public Radio
Learning tool or BS machine? How AI is shaking up higher ed
Seattle Public Schools cancels closure meetings, is revisiting plan
WA’s top education official requests additional $3B for public schools
Machinist union says it won’t vote on Boeing’s ‘best and final’ contract offer
How’s your favorite food cart’s hygiene? New King County rules aim to make that transparent

KXLY (ABC)
Local school to receive federal funding to preserve Salish language and culture

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Join youth mental health discussion online with NAMI Whatcom
Skagit County temporarily prohibits new electricity projects on farmland

Crosscut
Does Washington need a ban to prevent natural gas bans? (Doglio)
Remembering popular progressive WA Republican Gov. Dan Evans

MyNorthwest
SPD will no longer send officers to alarm calls without active evidence of crime
Are new mortgage rates moving the needle when it comes to Seattle real estate?
‘Same pile of chili:’ Boeing makes ‘best and final’ offer to striking union workers

The Urbanist
Landlords face price fixing lawsuit, but advocates are looking for more
Seattle’s Low-Pollution Neighborhood Pledge remains in planning mode, seven years in

Monday, September 23

WA county to replicate Texas’ huge solution to homelessness
A 20-minute drive east of downtown Austin, past RV parks, a golf course and empty land, the city quickly fades into a suburban and rural landscape. There, within a 51-acre compound, sits Community First! Village, a 540-unit development that resembles a retirement community. Officials in Pierce County, with the second-largest homeless population in the state, are betting tens of millions of dollars this style of housing will bring people inside who would remain on the streets otherwise. They’ve purchased 90 acres to construct a 285-home community. It will be the largest housing development for homeless people in Washington. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ilana Panich-Linsman)

How a tool built in Washington is helping schools fight absenteeism
With student absenteeism at record highs, more Washington districts are using a tool developed by researchers at Washington State University to help get kids back on track. It’s called “WARNS” — or the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students. About half of Washington’s districts will use the tool this school year: a projected 146 of the state’s 295 districts, up from 90 in 2019. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Dan Forer)

Learning curve: WA schools grapple with new cell phone policiesPeninsula is part of a movement across the country toward school cell phone bans that seems to be accelerating this year. School districts are attempting to address parents’ and educators’ long-standing concerns about the harmful effects of devices on children. In the light of recent school shootings, however, the idea has attracted pushback from parents who would prefer students maintain constant contact with the outside world. In August, the state superintendent told school districts to make a plan to curtail classroom cell phone use by fall 2025. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Jason Redmond)