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Wednesday, June 26

The inside story of the fight for marriage equality in WA
Washington’s road toward marriage equality was one of incremental steps and setbacks, individual efforts and group movements that played out in courtrooms, legislative chambers and — eventually — wedding ceremonies, three years before same-sex marriage was legalized across the U.S. The same-sex marriage movement took different approaches in courts, the Legislature and other elected bodies, and the public. Washington lawmakers in 2012 passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry, which was then signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)

WA transportation projects score nearly $90M in federal grants
Eight transportation projects in Washington will receive a combined $89.7 million in federal grant funding, Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation said this week. The largest grant, $25 million awarded to King County Parks, will go toward closing a gap in a planned 42-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail – known as the Eastrail – between Renton and Snohomish County. The portion of the project the grant will partially pay for will involve retrofitting a steel bridge that crosses over 16 lanes of Interstate 90. Continue reading at The Washington State Standard. (King County Parks)

Seattle schools considering more security, closing campuses for lunch after shooting
Seattle Public Schools is considering several safety changes on high school campuses next school year after a student was shot and killed earlier this month. Superintendent Brent Jones wrote in a letter to families Tuesday that the district is considering changes that could include increasing security and neighborhood safety organization patrols, wearing identification badges on campus, requiring clear backpacks and closing campuses for lunch. The district also plans to expand plans to include gun violence prevention in high schools and increase mental health support for all students. Continue reading at King 5.

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Axios
Washington beats U.S. in 988 answer rate
Inside the brewing fight over pedestrian safety
Visa freeze worsens America’s nursing shortage
Biden pardons veterans convicted under military’s ban on gay sex

Bellingham Herald
Whatcom County home prices up 14% compared to last year; May’s median price was $673,000

Columbian
Opinion: Letter: Barred owl proposal is misguided

Everett Herald
Everett Herald strike continues, as owners aim to resolve layoffs
On Mukilteo-Clinton route, small boat means continued long ferry lines
Comment: Congress has bill to protect kids online; make it law

News Tribune
Local Humane Society to launch the mobile veterinary unit in Pierce County later this year
Opinion: We challenged WA lawmakers to pledge public transparency. Not many took us up on it (Chopp, Mullet, Orwall, Pedersen, Pollet)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Boeing nears deal to buy major supplier for $4.08B
Rising home insurance costs are challenging would-be buyers
King County OKs crisis centers plan, but now comes the hard part
‘Lock-in effect’ restricts homeowners despite inventory improvements

Seattle Times
The inside story of the fight for marriage equality in WA
4 hospitalized after I-5 police chase that ended in Lakewood
Holocaust Center graffiti not a hate crime, Seattle police say
Cal Anderson’s legacy was built ‘in the trenches’ | Seattle Pride at 50
Seattle schools ponder clear backpacks, required IDs to improve safety
Justice Mary Yu on marriage and adoptions for all | Seattle Pride at 50
WA high court to decide if Seattle officers at Jan. 6 rally can stay anonymous

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County commissioners reauthorize Clean Water Program
Union workers picket at Mount Vernon Library Commons construction site

Spokesman Review
New link under Monroe Street Bridge connects South Gorge, Centennial trails
‘No place I would rather be’: Washington State elevates Anne McCoy to full-time athletic director
Two Mead High football players allege assaults, racial bullying following last year’s camp incidents
Spokane County Commission opts to continue offering signing bonuses to help fill vacant deputy positions
Opinion: Calls for a full-time legislature leave out the costs

Tri-City Herald
Pasco is banning sitting and lying on downtown sidewalks. What areas will it impact?

WA State Standard
WA transportation projects score nearly $90M in federal grants
Health care company sues WA over ban on at-home sexual assault evidence kits

Wenatchee World
Ecology releases final EIS for Eightmile Dam reconstruction project
Upper Valley MEND surpasses campaign goal with $7.3 million for affordable housing
Chelan, Douglas and Grant county PUDs sue Bonneville Power and U.S. Army Corps over Columbia River Treaty delays, overpayment

Yakima Herald-Republic
Cherry harvest in Northwest looks promising, especially after last two years
Community rallies to help those affected by Slide Ranch fire near White Swan

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Marysville parents call for upheaval of school district leadership amid turmoil
Seattle schools considering more security, closing campuses for lunch after shooting
Washington tied with Texas for second highest number of active shooter incidents in 2023
Vandal shatters windows that displayed support for Palestine at Freedom Socialist Party offices

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Seattle looking to crack down on street racing takeovers
Promise and peril: Report warns of generative artificial intelligence potential
Jury awards $700k to Seattle protesters jailed for writing anti-police slogans in chalk on barricade
Washington high court to decide if Seattle officers who attended Jan. 6 rally can remain anonymous

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle sees more dangerous street racing events as city leaders push for new law
Some Seattle area rideshare drivers plan to strike Wednesday over safety demands
‘Stretched too thin’: SPD chief addresses homicides, gun violence amid staffing shortage

KNKX Public Radio
As sideshows gain popularity, police try a range of tactics to stop them in their tracks

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane City Council takes fresh approach to street safety with new resolution
Development and warmer temperatures linked to more intense wildfires across the Inland Northwest

Web

Crosscut
How Seattle Public Library’s cyberattack impacts patrons, students

MyNorthwest
Seattle City Council outlines plans to curb illegal street racing
Seattle School District considering student safety measures, school consolidation

Tuesday, June 25

Vote nears on ending ‘endangered’ status for WA wolves
The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide next month on lowering gray wolves’ status under the state’s endangered species law. Environmentalists and others say this would lead to inadequate protection for the animals when they still haven’t recovered in parts of the state. State Department of Fish and Wildlife officials and others contend that not much would change in terms of how the animals are shielded from hunting and argue the move makes sense because wolf numbers have strongly rebounded. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife)

ICE detention center in Tacoma among those with the highest number of deaths
The Northwest Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Tacoma has one of the worst track records in the country as far as the number of deaths in custody. And according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Oversight, and Physicians for Human Rights, those deaths could have likely been prevented. At least 70 detained immigrants have died in ICE custody across the country since 2017. Two of those deaths happened at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. Continue reading at KNKX. (Lilly Ana Fowler)

WA Supreme Court says state can have a say in local evictions
The Washington Supreme Court ruled last week that the Attorney General can continue pursuing a lawsuit against the city of Sunnyside. Cities across the state have implemented a crime-free rental housing program in which landlords, tenants and law enforcement work together to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in rental properties. In its 2020 lawsuit, the state claims that Sunnyside, in Yakima County, abused the program by forcing tenants out of their homes over unsubstantiated claims of crime or nuisance without a court order. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Jovelle Tamayo)

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Auburn Reporter
How WRAP is changing the world of mental health and addiction recovery

Axios
Seattle’s noisy “Belltown Hellcat” driver faces a reckoning
Extreme wildfires doubled in frequency, magnitude since 2003
7 states show promising recovery from youth mental health crisis
Surgeon general calls guns a public health threat in new advisory
Exclusive: AP launching nonprofit group to raise at least $100M for local news

Bellingham Herald
Additional funding approved to support Whatcom motel room housing for homeless families
There will be no lifeguards on duty this summer at Bellingham’s Bloedel Donovan Park. Here’s why

Capital Press
EFSEC resists rolling over on Horse Heaven energy project
WDFW scientists lay out reasons for sensitive wolf proposal
Stakeholders weigh in on the Columbia River task force, report
USDA provides $6 million in labor grants to Northwest ag organizations

Columbian
Falling beer demand, crushing glut putting a chill on Eastern WA hop crop
Vancouver gets $17.5 million in federal funding for Heights District project

Everett Herald
Everett Herald newsroom strikes amid layoffs
Judge blocks parts of Washington’s new parental rights law
Snohomish County real estate values tick up 4.5% in assessor’s report
Everett CHC doctors, feeling like ‘commodities,’ speak up on ailing system
Arlington churches waged covert ‘battle’ against Pride event, records show
To fill gap, Snohomish County tries new approach to recruit women firefighters
Comment: Journalism vital to community, keep The Herald robust
Comment: Biden looks to protect immigrant spouses of citizens
Editorial: Boeing quality proving difficult to recapture

Islands’ Weekly
All San Juan County beaches are closed to recreational shellfish harvesting

Mercer Island Reporter
City council adopts Transportation Improvement Program

News Tribune
Motel to medical-respite center? Here’s what we know about Tacoma Mall Boulevard project

Peninsula Daily News
Bayside Housing to take over Port Townsend shelter July 1
Lands commissioner wary of federal plan to kill thousands of owls

Puget Sound Business Journal
One-time housing hot spots now seeing price cuts
IRS announces when payments on ERC claims will resume
The National Observer: The clock is ticking for big overtime change

Renton Reporter
New pursuit law allows more flexibility for Renton police

Seattle Times
Seattle traffic slowed a whole lot in 2023
WA wants to kill goldfish illegally introduced to Spokane County lake
A grieving Seattle community considers ways to keep Garfield kids safe
Jury: Seattle police violated graffiti protesters’ rights, must pay $680,000

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County has shelter units to be used for quarantine

Snoqualmie Valley Record
North Bend accepting affordable housing project proposals
Police department opens substation at North Bend Outlet Mall

Spokesman Review
The Dirt: Two projects to add living units near Gonzaga
When individuals receive the support they need to overcome their challenges, we inherently enhance public safety.

Tri-City Herald
Mandatory watering schedule ordered for Kennewick Irrigation District as drought worsens
Opinion: Personal transformation is a lifelong journey. Mine began in a WA prison

WA State Standard
Vote nears on ending ‘endangered’ status for WA wolves

Wenatchee World
After No. 2 Canyon Fire, chief warns of more to come

Yakima Herald-Republic
Judge hears argument about WA farmworker wages
Evacuation levels lowered on Slide Ranch fire south of White Swan

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Everett Herald journalists stage one-day strike after layoffs announced
Despite an incoming Washington state law, lead-ridden imported cookware remains for sale (Pollet)

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
What to expect for wildfire season
Seattle City Council approves expansion of license plate reading tech
Passengers injured in Sound Transit bus crash spark seat belt debate
Supreme Court will take up state bans on gender-affirming care for minors
Report from Zillow shows sky-high down payments required for Seattle homebuyers
Tacoma receives nearly $2 million to transition residents from fossil fuels to clean energy

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle police on pace to lose more officers than it gains in 2024
Seattle Public Library begins network restoration after ‘ransomware event’
Seattle cracks down on unpermitted food vendors at Alki Beach in West Seattle

KNKX Public Radio
ICE detention center in Tacoma among those with the highest number of deaths

KUOW Public Radio
Families won’t know which Seattle schools will close until fall

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane City Council considers gun safety ordinance

Web

Crosscut
WA Supreme Court says state can have a say in local evictions
Pierce deputy drove 83 mph in wrong lane during deadly 2020 crash

MyNorthwest
Seattle officers recover dozens of guns in separate incidents

Washington Observer
Aspects of Parents Bill of Rights placed on hold

Monday, June 24

More Seattle-area seniors seek property tax relief as living costs mount
More Washington homeowners have a chance to save on their property tax bills this year and thousands are taking local governments up on the offer. After a recent state law change, a long-standing property tax break program for older homeowners and people with disabilities is now open to people with higher incomes, making more Washingtonians eligible. Counties across Washington have long offered property tax discounts for low-income homeowners who are at least 61 years old when they apply or unable to work because of a disability. The program exempts homeowners from certain levies. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)

Washington’s ‘parents bill of rights’ law partly on hold
A judge decided Friday to press pause on part of Washington’s new “parents bill of rights” law. It comes as the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington leads a legal challenge to get the law thrown out. The plaintiffs say the measure undermines school-based support for LGBTQ youth, and that the law as written violates the state constitution. The law was created through the state’s initiative process after gaining support from thousands of voters and top Republicans in the state. The Legislature enacted the parents rights initiative, I-2081, alongside two other initiatives earlier this year. Continue reading at KNKX. (Daniel James )

WA mobile home complaints over rent hikes, policies surged in 2023Mobile home residents in Washington filed twice as many complaints to the state alleging unlawful rent increases, unfair policies or maintenance problems in 2023 compared to other recent years, according to the latest report from the Attorney General’s Office. The program’s 2023 report listed an unprecedented 731 complaints from tenants – up 28% from the previous year’s 572 and double the approximately 360 complaints filed in 2019-2021. Landlords also filed three complaints in 2023, down from 10-20 in other years. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Grant Hindsley)

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Axios
Making things up is AI’s Achilles heel
Sluggish spring home sales stalk Seattle
Charted: Abortion travel distances, two years after Dobbs

Columbian
Details of the 15 fatal law enforcement shootings in Clark County since 2020
Supreme Court’s homelessness decisions’ impacts in Washington state could be unique
Clark County prosecutor says body cams mean his office can handle police shooting investigations; critics disagree (Stonier)

Everett Herald
Snohomish County to start ‘kicking gas’ in push for all-electric homes

News Tribune
A Puyallup student was assaulted in bathroom stall. Did district disregard warnings?

Puget Sound Business Journal
Deal makes hundreds of First Hill rentals affordable for the long term

Seattle Times
More Seattle-area seniors turn to property tax relief as living costs mount
Yellen announces efforts to boost the housing supply as high prices create a crunch

Skagit Valley Herald
Regional drug task force gives crime stats update
State completes tsunami strategy for Port of Anacortes
Murray, Larsen introduce bill to reauthorize local marine conservation program

Spokesman Review
Spokane County begins planning for 2025 budget; positions and discretionary spending may be cut
To ease the historic trauma of boarding schools with a new campus, the Salish School of Spokane found an unlikely partner: Catholic Charities

WA State Standard
Judge blocks parts of WA’s new parental rights law
WA lands commissioner wary of federal plan to kill thousands of owls
At one of Washington’s oldest newspapers, deep cuts and an uncertain future

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Slide Ranch Fire in Yakima County grows to nearly 3,200 acres
Bus crashes into structure in downtown Seattle, injuring 11 people
Series of Seattle transit crashes leads lawmaker to consider seatbelt requirements

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Redmond police are using drones to respond to 911 calls
11 injured after Sound Transit bus crashes into Seattle building
WA lawmakers may consider new delivery fee for online and retail orders to fund roads (Liias)
Parts of Washington state parental rights law criticized as a ‘forced outing’ placed on hold
Jury awards more than $13 million to ultramarathon athlete injured in fall on a Seattle sidewalk

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Used electric vehicle prices plummet in Seattle, falling below gas cars
Washington drivers face hefty fines for dummy passengers in HOV lanes
Seattle Public Library begins network restoration after ‘ransomware event’

KNKX Public Radio
Washington’s ‘parents bill of rights’ law partly on hold
Forest preservation plan that maintains logging still angers industry
In their own words: What young people wish they’d known about social media

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle’s surprising place for housing bargains: Downtown
For many families with disabilities, few Seattle playgrounds feel meant for them

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane gas prices continue steady decline, down almost a dollar since last year
Washington Insurance Commissioner asks insurance companies to extend benefits for wildfire vicitms

FOX13 TV
Wind-driven fire burns down 3 homes in Washington’s Douglas County

Web

Crosscut
WA mobile home complaints over rent hikes, policies surged in 2023

MyNorthwest
Attacks against Community Transit drivers reveal potential troubling trend
King County deputy found not guilty of assault after allegedly punching handcuffed suspect

West Seattle Blog
UPDATE: 2 people shot at Duwamish Head, 1 man dead

Friday, June 21

WA paid $100 million over mental health delays. Here’s where it’s going
Up to $100 million could soon be poured into building housing for patients recently released from Washington’s state psychiatric hospitals, with the hope that increasing housing supply will stop patients from returning to the criminal justice system. The funds will come from a round of fines that a federal judge imposed on the state Department of Social and Health Services in 2023, after the agency failed to comply with a court order to quickly evaluate and treat patients who were waiting for a spot at one of the state’s psychiatric hospitals. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)

U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns
The U.S. Supreme Court Friday upheld a federal law that bars people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning a firearm. In an 8-1 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion that “our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms.” Justice Clarence Thomas, a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment, was the lone dissent. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Ethan Miller)

Could your retail and online deliveries soon be taxed in Washington?
A proposed fee, or tax, may soon be added to retail and online deliveries in Washington. It could generate significant revenue for maintaining city and county roads. State lawmakers are considering this option as they grapple with rising transportation costs and declining gas tax collections, which traditionally fund road maintenance. The proposed “retail delivery fee” would apply to taxable retail items delivered by motor vehicles, including packages from Amazon and goods shipped by companies like UPS. Continue reading at MyNorthwest. (Steven Senne)

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Axios
Battling AI’s error problem: Experts craft BS detector
SCOTUS upholds limits on domestic abusers’ gun rights

Capital Press
Northwest summer outlook cools off

Columbian
Forest proposal doesn’t ban logging but still likely to anger industry
Vancouver Schools of Arts and Academics will limit cellphones in classrooms; district could follow suit as it looks at issue this summer

Everett Herald
Sheriff: New police pursuit policy under review amid state rollback
Long after AIDS crisis peak, LGBTQ+ health care still limited in Everett

News Tribune
Rankings out for most LBGTQ-friendly cities. Here’s who Tacoma beat for Top 10 rating

Puget Sound Business Journal
35 Washington ZIP codes rank among the Wealthy 1000
The National Observer: Court ruling on FTC noncompete ban coming soon

Seattle Times
How beavers are helping and harming salmon restoration in WA
Graffiti at Seattle Holocaust center sparks hate crime investigation
Seattle police officer fired after using sexist, racist slurs against neighbor
WA paid $100 million over mental health delays. Here’s where it’s going

Spokesman Review
Spokane mayor picks 4 finalists to be next police chief
After nearly 20 years driving the bus, Spokane Transit Authority CEO Susan Meyer announces retirement

WA State Standard
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state
Electricians in Puget Sound region approve contract offer, end strike
Opposition heats up over proposed wood pellet mill in western Washington
U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
‘A very big hassle’: Permit backlog stalls Snohomish County food trucks
‘To be targeted was shocking:’ Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity vandalized
All agree that Jesse Sarey’s death was a tragedy. Now a jury will decide if it was a crime
2 members of Seattle police command staff under criminal investigation, still on the job
Environmental, health and labor groups petition FEMA for resources for extreme heat, wildfire smoke
After 4 years of reduced ferry service, Bremerton businesses near the dock are struggling to stay afloat

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Marysville School District declared ‘financially insolvent’ by the state
Jury to begin deliberating in murder trial of suburban Seattle officer who killed a man in 2019

KNKX Public Radio
Seattle police officer fired for off-duty racist comments
Trial of Auburn police officer in death of Jesse Sarey sent to jury

KUOW Public Radio
Everett Herald’s new owner appears to censor story about layoffs
Lots of rumbling under Mount St. Helens, but scientists say no cause for alarm

KXLY (ABC)
Idaho libraries brace for new law that could lead to lawsuits
‘Restructuring operations’; Major changes made on Spokane radio stations

Web

Crosscut
WA mobile home complaints over rent hikes, policies surged in 2023

MyNorthwest
Lawmaker: High grocery prices due to ‘Corporate Greed’
Delayed construction leaves Puyallup mobile home park site vacant
Could your retail and online deliveries soon be taxed in Washington? (Liias)
Supreme Court upholds gun control law intended to protect domestic violence victims

Thursday, June 20

Biden administration acknowledges harms of Columbia River dams on Indigenous people
The hydropower dams on the Columbia River flooded villages, disrupted economies and ways of life, and continue to harm people indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, according to a first-of-its-kind federal report released Tuesday. The report provides a summary of the historic, ongoing and cumulative harm to eight Columbia Basin tribes caused by 11 dams built in the Columbia and Snake rivers. It marks the first time the federal government has detailed these harms. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

To help fund roads, WA lawmakers eye fee on delivery of online purchases
A fee tacked onto the delivery of many retail and online purchases could generate millions of dollars a year for maintaining city and county roads in Washington. State lawmakers now must decide if it’s an option worth pursuing as they, and local government leaders, wrestle with increasing costs of transportation upkeep and decreasing collections from the gas tax — the primary source of money for road work. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Mustafa Hussain)

Covid is back in Washington just in time for your summer vacation
As Covid continues to settle into everyday life, health experts are noticing it has certain patterns, and a few other changes from the first few years the virus struck. Summer Covid is a thing. This is not what health officials expected from the virus. Sure, there’s the common winter cold and flu season. Officials began noticing Covid cases were on the rise in early June. Viral levels in wastewater, both nationally and in Washington state, were getting higher and higher. As of early June, Washington state was trending slightly higher than the national average. Continue reading at KUOW. (Tim Mossholder)