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Tuesday, November 21

New state revenue forecast projects $191 million increase in 2023-25 biennium
The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released new estimates for the 2023-25 state budget Monday showing that the state’s projected General Fund revenue collections will be $191 million more than September’s projection. Revenue is now expected to be $66.9 billion. Additionally, the estimates for the 2025-27 biennium showed an increase of $579 million from September’s revenue projection, totaling $71.5 billion, according to a news release Monday from the Office of Financial Management. Continue reading at The Olympian. (The Olympian)

Election mail threats across the PNW prompt new look at protections heading into 2024
Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer has a goal. “We’re really hoping to make government boring again,” she said. “And that’s a good thing – when it’s working well, you shouldn’t notice that it’s there.” Farmer took office in January. Her job is to oversee elections and make sure they run smoothly. Continue reading at KUOW. (Pierce County Auditor)

Nonprofit hospital chain in Washington to refund $13.4 million to low-income patients
A non-profit chain of hospitals in Washington will refund up to $13.4 million to more than 15,000 low-income patients who used their services after a state Attorney General’s Office investigation found those patients should have qualified for financial assistance. Low-income patients at five PeaceHealth hospitals in Washington including Bellingham, Friday Harbor, Longview, Sedro-Woolley and Vancouver were affected, according to a news release from Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office Monday Continue reading at The Olympian. (The Bellingham Herald)

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Capital Press
Inslee backs grizzly bears in North Cascades
Weather forecaster calls for mild, dry winter in NW

Everett Herald
Providence Everett nurses end strike, return to understaffed shifts
Editorial: Bolster protections for state, county election staff

Kent Reporter
State Senate Democrats’ Members of Color Caucus stands against hate (Kauffman, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Lovick, Nguyen, Valdez, Nobles, Randall, Saldaña, Trudeau)

Kirkland Reporter
Kirkland officer accused of creepy behavior with bikini baristas

News Tribune
Maritime trades need workers. New Tacoma student skills center aims to provide them
In WA’s northern waters, Lummi keep sustainable, ancient salmon fishing techniques alive
This Pierce County senior center could close. ‘We all feel so emotional about the idea’

Olympian
Nonprofit hospital chain in Washington to refund $13.4 million to low-income patients
Thurston County Commissioners were set to earn $135,864 in 2024. Now, they will make more
WA Secretary of State asks Postal Service for action on out-of-service mailboxes
New state revenue forecast projects $191 million increase in 2023-35 biennium

Puget Sound Business Journal
UW Bothell, Cascadia College unveil $79M Innovation Hall
As mass transit systems flounder, here’s how Seattle compares
Health system agrees to refund $13.4M to Washington patients
Companies grapple with political backlash against DEI programs

Seattle Times
Where should South Lake Union light rail go? Compare these 2 locations
Prepare for long WA ferry waits over Thanksgiving weekend
Seattle Indian Health Board to open Native-led substance use treatment center
Federal court moves to drastically weaken Voting Rights Act
Teachers and students grapple with fears and confusion about new laws restricting pronoun use

The Skanner
Rosalynn Carter: Advocate for Jimmy Carter and Many Others, Always Leveraging Her Love of Politics – AP

Spokesman Review
Washington Secretary of State calls on postal service after old drop boxes used on Election Day

WA State Standard
Only you (almost) can put Smokey Bear on Washington license plates (Nobles, Donaghy)
Consumer spending drives another $200M in expected state revenue growth

Wenatchee World
Chelan County PUD’s Rocky Reach Dam sees 93.78% juvenile Chinook survival rate — highest in 20 years

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
EPA discovers ‘forever chemicals’ in Pacific Northwest water systems
Lummi Tribe fighting fentanyl crisis with a mix of culture and modern medicine
Luggage theft at Sea-Tac Airport hit an all-time high in 2022. Here’s what we found in 2023

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Washington Attorney General: PeaceHealth violated Washington state law in multiple ways

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Smokey Bear license plates could be coming to Washington
Nearly 300K people expected on Washington ferries over Thanksgiving week
This gas station will be offering 40 cents off per gallon of fuel Tuesday evening

KNKX Public Radio
Washington scientist brings new hope to dying coastal sea star
Election mail threats prompt new look at protections for 2024
Former Washington state House candidate faces felony voter fraud charges

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle students push city to boost mental health funding in schools
UW, WSU agree to continue the Apple Cup, at least through 2028
Election mail threats across the PNW prompt new look at protections heading into 2024

Q13 TV (FOX)
Food banks struggle to meet holiday demands with rising prices
FTC issuing nearly $1,000 in average refunds to victims of tech support scam

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Students, community members mark Trans Day of Remembrance
Moratorium extended on high-density development in Silver Beach
PeaceHealth to refund millions to low-income patients after AG investigation

Crosscut
‘Home was never a place’: One woman’s life in WA foster care
Grocery costs make this Thanksgiving more expensive than ever

MyNorthwest
Smokey Bear license plates part of state’s campaign to prevent forest fires

The Stranger
Slog AM: Temporary Ceasefire Reportedly Imminent in Gaza, Pack City Hall for a Ceasefire, World’s Oldest Dog Dies

West Seattle Blog
Spawning season ends in Fauntleroy Creek. Here’s how many salmon showed up

Monday, November 20

Immigrant detainees resort to hunger strikes in protest of conditions at Tacoma facilityOn a side street in Tacoma, wedged between railyards and the Puyallup River just off Interstate 5, sits the Northwest Detention Center, one of the largest federal immigrant detention facilities in the nation. It’s privately run, long-mired in controversy and as of Friday, about 100 detainees there were refusing meals to protest conditions at the site. Hunger strikes have become common at the detention center, with six already this year, according to Maru Mora Villalpando, founder of La Resistencia. The grassroots organization, led by undocumented immigrants, wants the facility closed and has organized a rally outside the gates every night during the current hunger strike, which has gone on for about six days. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)

Huge spike in costs to help salmon could derail WA transportation budget
Come January, lawmakers will face a surprise that will strain Washington’s transportation budget for years: an up to $4 billion increase in the cost of complying with a court order to improve salmon passage under state highways. It’s an eye-watering sum, doubling the size of current estimates, that could force difficult questions about the future of some transportation projects. But, facing a deadline imposed by a federal judge in a lawsuit brought by Washington tribes, the Legislature may have no choice but to act, and soon. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times)

Amazon forced drivers to work at dangerously fast pace, WA regulator says
Delivery drivers at a Seattle-area Amazon warehouse are required to load vans at a dangerously fast pace, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries alleged. At Amazon’s Sumner facility, drivers have to load their vans in a “manner and timeframe” that leads to a high or very high risk of lower back injury, the department claims in a previously unpublicized citation issued in June. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Luke Johnson/The Seattle Times)

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Aberdeen Daily World
November is family caregiver’s month

Bellingham Herald
Old-growth trees live another day as controversial Bellingham townhome development hits pause
Would a safe-driving refresher test when we renew licenses save lives on WA roads?

Capital Press
NAWG: No new farm bill before spring
USFWS proposes shooting 400K invasive barred owls to save spotted owl

The Daily News
Longview Public Library launches pre-K reading program

Everett Herald
Starbucks workers in Everett, Marysville join national strike
Snohomish County funds Spanish voters’ pamphlets, but not ballots — yet
Sen. Bernie Sanders says ‘We must stand’ with Providence Everett nurses
On National Adoption Day, 11 Snohomish County families grow by 1
Comment: What Providence’s treatment of nurses means for patients

Islands’ Weekly
Washington residents wait in darkness for Congress to end daylight savings

Mercer Island Reporter
City council eyes 2024 with approval of State Legislative Priorities

News Tribune
2nd juror in Tacoma police trial falls ill. Judge postpones proceedings
Woman who was hit by gunfire during Friday standoff with police in Bremerton has died
Pierce County homicide suspect who barricaded himself in Bremerton now dead, police say
Traffic camera fines can be $250 in this Pierce County city. Here’s where they’re planned
Op-Ed: Have you seen the turnout for Pierce County’s election? So many missed opportunities

Olympian
Thurston County judge rules in favor of lawmakers’ privilege to withhold records
Students, parents and teachers plead for OSD to keep schools open
Op-Ed: Would a safe-driving refresher test when we renew licenses save lives on WA roads?
Op-Ed: We must help Thurston tenants without driving local landlords out of business

Puget Sound Business Journal
End of key tax provision could spell doom for some businesses

Seattle Medium
Washington State To Purchase 9,000 Acres of Forestland in Wahkiakum County
Seattle Releases Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy Use For City Employees

Seattle Times
Amazon forced drivers to work at dangerously fast pace, WA regulator says
Huge spike in costs to help salmon could derail WA transportation budget (Fey)
Judge rules WA lawmakers can withhold documents via ‘legislative privilege’
Safety advocates call for changes to ‘Seattle’s most dangerous corridor’
Makah Tribe may soon exercise right to hunt gray whales off WA coast
Police fatally shoot homicide suspect during Bremerton standoff; woman at scene also dies

Tri-City Herald
Big Tri-City overpass project just got more expensive. Extra $3M ‘heartburn’ for council

Washington Post
UAW workers ratify contracts with Big 3 automakers
Seniors made up 63 percent of covid hospitalizations earlier this year
World’s richest 1% pollute more than the poorest two-thirds, Oxfam says
China vows to crack down on fentanyl chemicals. The impact is unclear.
The fierce battle over junk fees that cost consumers billions of dollars a year

WA State Standard
Online schooling for Washington’s youngest students is on the rise
Democrats urge feds to update banking ‘red flags’ on legal marijuana businesses
Immigrant detainees resort to hunger strikes in protest of conditions at Tacoma facility

Wenatchee World
Stormwater bills going up in Wenatchee
Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority re-ups lobbying firm contract with familial tie

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Hilltop Heritage students voice safety concerns following lockdowns prompted by ‘Kia Boyz’
Cannabis users appear to be relying less on conventional sleep aids, according to new Washington State University study
Microsoft hires OpenAI founders to lead AI research team
Seattle rabbi speaks out after suspicious envelope delivered to synagogue

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
‘Not in our name’: Hundreds rally at Space Needle to demand Gaza ceasefire

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Climate change is hastening the demise of Pacific Northwest forests
Potential toll hike for I-405 and SR 167 could come as early as February 2024, WSDOT says
Western gray squirrels uplisted to endangered status due to Pacific Northwest habitat loss

KNKX Public Radio
Volunteers help sagebrush, wildflowers grow back after fires

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle ties record for homicides set in the 1990s
Should Seattle expand involuntary commitment for mental health and addiction?

NW Public Radio
WSU Student workers could go on strike before final exams, end of semester
Volunteers helping sagebrush, wildflowers grow where fires burned
Workers at Tacoma Art Museum vote unanimously to unionize
Western gray squirrels now considered ‘endangered’ in Washington

Q13 TV (FOX)
City of Burien threatens potential legal action against church for homeless encampment

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Downtown workers don’t feel prepared to handle crisis on their doorsteps
Housing project proposal that irked environmentalists shifts hands

Crosscut
City Council amended Seattle’s $7.8B budget. Here’s what’s changing

MyNorthwest
Nurses return to work at Providence Medical Center-Everett
Meth: The other drug on the streets, and how it’s becoming more dangerous

The Stranger
Slog AM: Drama at OpenAI, Temporary Ceasefire Talks Progress, Shakira Reaches Deal in Tax Fraud Case

West Seattle Blog
Endings and beginnings at Alki Community Council’s November meeting
Saving, and loving, Longfellow Creek and its salmon

Friday, November 17

New WA team fighting organized retail theft presses first charges
A Bremerton man was charged Thursday with first-degree organized retail theft, marking the first prosecution by a new Attorney General’s Office unit created to crack down on organized retail crime. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Luke Johnson / The Seattle Times)

WA expands health insurance plans to undocumented residents, but it’s still cost-prohibitive
Around 105,000 people are newly eligible to buy health insurance in Washington. That’s because, for the first time, undocumented residents can purchase health insurance through Washington Health Plan Finder. About 60% of Washington’s undocumented residents have lived in the state for 10 years or more. However, until this year, health plans for that group were limited to children, pregnant people and people qualifying under the Alien Emergency Medical program. Continue reading at Northwest Public Broadcasting. (U.S. Department of Agriculture / Lance Cheung)

IBM pulls ads from X as Musk amplifies antisemitism
IBM said Thursday it will stop advertising on X, formerly Twitter, after a report from a media watchdog organization found that its ads had appeared on the Elon Musk-owned social media site alongside pro-Nazi tweets. Continue reading at Washington Post.

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Associated Press
Climate change is hastening the demise of PNW forests
Amazon will allow US customers to buy cars on its site from local car dealers starting next year

Bellingham Herald
Bellingham buys land near Lake Whatcom for nearly $2 million. This is why

The Daily News
Longview City Council secures HOPE Village through 2025

Everett Herald
Providence Everett strike: 520 nurses hired to replace 1,330
State hauls in nearly $900M from first year of capital gains tax (Robinson)

Federal Way Mirror
Federal Way renters seek more protection from city

News Tribune
Training officer testifies the force Tacoma police used on Manuel Ellis was reasonable
LGBTQ people targeted in more than 700 incidents since last year: report
Op-Ed: Pierce County Exec’s veto will harm Pierce County kids. There was another way

Olympian
Starbucks workers launch ‘Red Cup Rebellion’ strike on Thursday
Bad heart and meth killed Manuel Ellis, defense witness testifies at Tacoma police trial

Puget Sound Business Journal
Harrell’s far-reaching building emissions plan up for council review
Amazon’s online store will soon include cars

Seattle Medium
King County Councilmember Initiates Motion To Provide Reparations For Redlining And Housing Discrimination
Taylor Appointed Chair Of House Civil Rights And Judiciary Committee (Taylor)

Seattle Times
WA snowpack starts off strong, but El Niño warming looms
New WA team fighting organized retail theft presses first charges
5 big decisions in Seattle’s 2024 budget
Multifaith leaders gather in Seattle to call for cease-fire in Gaza
Federal Way police shoot, kill man
Activists worry WA anti-doxxing laws will be weaponized against them (Hansen)
Amazon will begin selling cars next year
Seattle, King County initiatives build a better approach to construction waste

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County to hold sandbagging event
Judge rules against recall attempt of three Skagit County elected officials
Mount Vernon City Council passes city’s 2024 budget

Tri-City Herald
Opinion: Northwest salmon crisis demands nuanced solutions, not just wishful thinking

Washington Post
IBM pulls ads from X as Musk amplifies antisemitism
UAW workers at General Motors ratify contract with record wage gains

WA State Standard
Spokane’s mayor-elect on homelessness, public safety and a changing city
Left-wing activists worry anti-doxxing laws will target them
Congress sends stopgap spending bill to Biden’s desk, averting shutdown for now

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Woman sues City of Seattle after officers allegedly broke into wrong apartment with guns drawn

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
More than 70 cackling geese die at Monroe lake from suspected bird flu
Is the King County prosecutor’s Juvenile Division doing enough to pursue sexual assault cases?

KNKX Public Radio
Activists continue to fight against South Tacoma warehouse plan
Rooted in Hilltop, Tacoma Buffalo Soldiers Museum wants to grow

KUOW Public Radio
Why Mayor Bruce Harrell might be the biggest winner of Seattle’s 2023 election
What the new federal climate report says about the Northwest
Seattle gets $4M to create ‘circular wood economy’

KXLY (ABC)
Chief Meidl explains reasons behind resignation
City of Hayden forms public safety commission
Washington Supreme Court pauses Pac-12 ruling that favors WSU, OSU
Naloxone in schools: How local school districts are carrying it to keep kids safe

NW Public Radio
Some tribal leaders support bringing grizzly bears to the North Cascades
WA expands health insurance plans to undocumented residents, but it’s still cost-prohibitive
Invasive mussels inching closer to the Columbia Basin, federal report says more could be done to stop them

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Downtown workers don’t feel prepared to handle crisis on their doorsteps
Housing project proposal that irked environmentalists shifts hands

MyNorthwest
Study ranks Washington as state most impacted by retail theft
Retail Crime Unit makes first prosecution in $50k retail theft case

The Stranger
All Complaints Sustained Against a Seattle Police Officer Who Allegedly Stalked Ex-Girlfriend
The City Council Is Trying to Make Housing More Expensive

West Seattle Blog
Terminal 5’s new cranes due to arrive in West Seattle on Friday

Thursday, November 16

House funding bill would cut Head Start services for 1,400 kids in Washington
The U.S. House of Representatives is weighing a funding bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that may cut key early learning services to over a thousand children in Washington next year. Continue reading at The Columbian. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian files)

Washington is investing $200 million to undo some damage of the war on drugs
Ask people who’ve gone through or worked in the criminal justice system, and they’ll tell you that the effects of the war on drugs extend far beyond the trauma of spending time behind bars or getting a criminal record. Before someone is convicted of a crime, even an arrest can lead to life-changing setbacks, such as losing a job, a car, a driver’s license, housing or a relationship. When multiple incidents stack up, it can weave a complicated web to untangle before someone can get back to something resembling normal after they’re released from incarceration. Continue reading at The Inlander. (Young Kwak)

Tacoma officer: ‘Very clear’ Manuel Ellis said he couldn’t breathe
police officer who was under investigation for more than a year but ultimately wasn’t charged with causing the death of Manuel Ellis testified Wednesday that his patrol partner, who was charged, did nothing wrong the night of the fatal struggle. Tacoma police Officer Masyih Ford’s testimony at times benefited his former partner Timothy Rankine’s defense more than Rankine’s own statement to detectives. But some of Ford’s testimony undercut the defense of Rankine’s two co-defendants. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

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Aberdeen Daily World
Westport secures $16.7M for tsunami evacuation structure

Bellingham Herald
Storm heading for Whatcom packs a punch
Counties in Washington rank high in new study on landslide vulnerability. Find your county

Capital Press
Former ambassador: ‘Food Security is national security’
Legislation seeks to address trade barriers for specialty crops
Western Innovator: Speaking up for agriculture
Chamber, truckers argue against electric truck rule

Columbian
‘Nobody is exempt from drowning’ but new tech being tested at Marshall Pool in Vancouver could prevent tragedy
A fine balance: Vancouver juggles protecting trees, managing growth as population expands
House funding bill would cut Head Start services for 1,400 kids in Washington
Editorial: Cycle of looming shutdowns no way to govern

Everett Herald
Over 70 geese have died of suspected bird flu in Monroe park
Cold weather shelters open throughout Snohomish County
Ferry shuffle downsizes Mukilteo-Clinton route’s capacity
Snohomish County’s new sheriff seeks a reset for her department
Editorial: Making recycling work better takes investments

The Inlander
Technical educators in Spokane are working to entice a new generation to join vital careers in the trades
Lisa Brown and her liberal allies win control of Spokane city government
Washington is investing $200 million to undo some damage of the war on drugs
Tribal casinos are the only places to be on sports in Washington; we spent an NFL game day at two of them

News Tribune
Pierce County tenants complained about moldy apartments. Weeks later, issues remain
Power outage affected over 50K people across Pierce County. Here’s what caused it
More Americans believe crime in US is becoming ‘extremely’ serious: Gallup

New York Times
Senate Sends Biden Stopgap Funding Bill, Averting a Government Shutdown

Olympian
State cross-examines officer who says he saw no excessive force used on Manuel Ellis
Counties in Washington rank high in new study on landslide vulnerability. Find your county

Puget Sound Business Journal
What Google tried to prove in its antitrust defense

Seattle Times
Tacoma officer: ‘Very clear’ Manuel Ellis said he couldn’t breathe
14 WA Starbucks stores join national Red Cup Rebellion strike
520 bridge contract delayed in hopes Legislature can cover cost hike (Fey)
Hurricane Ridge to reopen after ‘year full of challenges’
WA raises $260 million in most-recent carbon-pricing auction
Japanese beetles invade Wapato; fewer caught in Yakima Valley overall
So thieves nabbed your catalytic converter. Here’s where it ended up

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Helpline of Walla Walla says farewell with thousands in grants to area organizations
Columbia County library district looks to set 2024 budget after much uncertainty

Washington Post
Senate passes bill to avert shutdown, sending it to Biden to sign
Terror on repeat: A rare look at the devastation caused by AR-15 shootings
Greenhouse gases soared to another record and there’s ‘no end in sight’

WA State Standard
State hauls in nearly $900M from first year of capital gains tax (Robinson)
‘A pragmatic, modest step’: Making the case for Washington’s new long-term care program
Jayapal calls for action on ‘out of control’ affordable housing crisis
Tears in our beer: Climate change could hurt beer drinkers
Oregon and Washington fruit packers vote to unionize fails

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
State lawmaker gets involved after AI-generated nude photos of Issaquah students surface (Mullet)
Chehalis senator calls for an investigation into Green Hill School after KING 5 story
Seattle City Council committee advances delivery app fee proposal to fund new labor standards
Former partner of Tacoma officer on trial for Manuel Ellis’ death appears on the witness stand
New study uses ‘environmental DNA’ to assess fish passage improvements
Thousands of Starbucks workers to strike on one of the busiest days of the year

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
UW researchers testify in Washington DC for permanent standard time
Hundreds of western Washington Starbucks workers to strike on Red Cup Day Thursday
Seattle superintendent assures no school closures for 2024-25 amidst parents’ plea for stability
Carnation city leaders consider fines, federal intervention over faulty dam warning system in Seattle

KNKX Public Radio
Station Space opens, marking new chapter for Seattle arts nonprofits

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle families are relieved — but still worried — now that school closures are off the table next year
Want some good news? King County streams are getting healthier

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl announces resignation, local leaders react
Security to be expanded in downtown Spokane for holiday shoppers

Q13 TV (FOX)
SPS Superintendent recommends no school closures amid low enrollment
Carnation says it’s time for Seattle to pay up, calling new Tolt River Dam sirens a complete failure
‘People threaten my spouse and my family’; Responding officer takes stand in Ellis trial

Web

Crosscut
Washington’s climate woes: First wildfires, then debris flow

MyNorthwest
Sound Transit restarts fare enforcement, fines for Link light rail
Carnation officials blast Seattle after new problem with Tolt River Dam alert system

The Stranger
Slog AM: Israel Raids Gaza’s Largest Hospital, the Workers Rage, IA Generated Nudes of Issaquah High School Students (Mullet)

West Seattle Blog
Holden Natural Drainage System project at ‘mid-design,’ plans Saturday pop-up

Wednesday, November 15

Eyewitness to Manuel Ellis’ death testifies police made up statements
Eyewitness testimony in the historic trial of three Tacoma police officers accused of killing Manuel Ellis has presented jurors with a crucial choice: believe their version that the officers unnecessarily started the fatal struggle, or believe accounts of the officers, who say Ellis provoked it. A witness called by the officers’ attorneys who was expected to undercut those eyewitness accounts instead testified Tuesday afternoon that investigators for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department attributed statements to him that he never made. The statements would have bolstered the officers’ defense. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Brian Hayes/The News Tribune)

House passes bill to avert government shutdown, sends to Senate
The House on Tuesday passed stopgap legislation to keep the federal government operating past this weekend, sending the bill to the Senate days before the deadline without any of the deep spending cuts conservative Republicans had sought. Continue reading at Washington Post.

WSU, Oregon State gain control of Pac-12 after judge grants motion, but appeal lurks
Washington State and Oregon State on Tuesday grabbed control of the Pac-12’s governing board and power of the purse that comes with it, at least for now. After a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court Judge Gary Libey granted the schools’ request for a preliminary injunction that confirms they are the only remaining voting members of the shattered conference. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Young Kwak/The Associated Press)