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Tuesday, June 27th

DOC to cut use of solitary confinement by 90% over 5 years, close minimum security site
The Washington State Department of Corrections announced Monday that it will close one of its minimum security facilities, and dramatically reduce its use of solitary confinement. Larch Corrections Center in Clark County will close this fall due to a declining prison population, according to a press release from DOC. DOC will offer jobs at other facilities to the 115 employees now working at its 240-bed facility. Continue reading at The Olympian. (WA DOC)

Supreme Court rejects theory that would have meant radical changes to election rules
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the theory that state legislatures have almost unlimited power to decide the rules for federal elections and draw partisan congressional maps without interference from state courts. The Constitution’s Elections Clause “does not insulate state legislatures from the ordinary exercise of state judicial review,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in a 6 to 3 decision. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Minh Connors/The Washington Post)

Oregon approval of Interstate 5 Bridge funding hailed
Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle was restless on Sunday. Even on a weekend, she kept busy with work, but one thing was nagging at her: whether the Oregon Legislature, on the last day of its session, would commit $1 billion to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge. Continue reading at The Columbian. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

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Columbian
Oregon approval of Interstate 5 Bridge funding hailed (Liias)
Larch Corrections Center to close this fall, says Washington Department of Corrections

The Daily News
US push to lower wildfire risk across the West stumbles in places

Everett Herald
Everett light rail choices refined amid calls for in-road options
Where Everett, Mukilteo kids can get free meals this summer
Comment: Local lawmakers helped expand youth training in trades (Robinson, Fosse)
Comment: Few orders at Paris Air Show not sign of falling demand
Comment: Amazon may not be only company to face FTC scrutiny
Comment: A year after Dobbs, health care disparities emerge
Comment: YMCA’s mock legislature teaches real civics lessons

News Tribune
Editorial: Tacoma needs a new approach to historic preservation. Without one, we’ll all lose

Olympian
DOC to cut use of solitary confinement by 90% over 5 years, close minimum security site
Starbucks union says Pride weekend strikes closed 21 US stores
Olympia High student wins global video competition with short on pay inequality

Peninsula Daily News
Jefferson County seeks DNR collaboration on forest lands

Puget Sound Business Journal
Labor board rules Starbucks broke laws at former Capitol Hill store
Oregon lawmakers OK $1B budget allotment for I-5 bridge replacement

Seattle Medium
King County Council To Consider Legislation Requiring Retail Businesses To Accept Cash

Seattle Times
Machine is done digging Seattle’s huge sewage and stormwater tunnel
Here’s who is eligible for money from 3M PFAS contamination settlement
Ride-hailing lot opens at T-Mobile Park
Starbucks union says Pride weekend strikes closed 21 US stores

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Officials prepare for Walla Walla County 2023 primary election process

Washington Post
Supreme Court rejects theory that would have meant radical changes to election rules
Humans have used enough groundwater to shift Earth’s tilt
Senate panel finds more pre-Jan. 6 intelligence failures by FBI, DHS

WA State Standard
Washington awarded $1.2 billion from feds to expand internet access

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Tunnel boring machine MudHoney finishes underground journey in Seattle
I-5 closure: Drivers headed north into Seattle on Wednesday, Thursday should be prepared

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington’s long-term care payroll tax starts July 1, as other states explore similar programs
Tribal governments receive first share of $500 million aid from American Rescue Plan
Seattle awarded $33.5 million in grants for electric battery buses, chargers

KNKX Public Radio
China owns 380,000 acres of land in the U.S. Here’s where

KUOW Public Radio
Tukwila workers will see a big bump on their next paychecks
To prevent devastating wildfires, manage people — not just forests
Weigh in on EPA’s Duwamish River cleanup plan by Aug. 11
Check for possible health warnings before heading to the beach

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane community provides free summer lunch programs for kids
City Council passes ordinance t o make being at parks after hours a misdemeanor

NW Public Radio
Funding for some Tacoma homeless shelters reduced

Web

Crosscut
Washington gets $1.2B to expand internet into disconnected areas

MyNorthwest
Still hiring: Big Tech layoffs give other sectors an opening
WA working residents to start paying into long-term care tax
Sen. Cantwell: WA will be ‘epicenter of severe wildfires’ in summer
Young orca calf spotted with pod of Southern Resident killer whales

West Seattle Blog
ORCAS: The Whale Trail celebrates a ‘sea change’ in support for protection (Fitzgibbon)
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: Overnight lane closures Tuesday/Wednesday for maintenance work

Monday, June 26

Judge denies request for temporary restraining order in assault weapons ban lawsuit
A Thurston County Superior Court judge rejected a request for a temporary restraining order to block the sale of assault weapons in the state of Washington on Friday. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the state’s assault weapons ban bill on April 25 and due to an emergency clause in the bill it became effective immediately. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Charles Krupa/AP File)

How Washington’s ‘shield law’ protects abortion patients coming from other states

A year after the federal right to abortion in the United States was overturned by the Supreme Court, Washington state Democrats have not only expanded access to abortion rights for residents here — they’ve attempted to protect out-of-state patients from legal action in their home states. In April, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a suite of bills intended to expand access to abortion. One of those, House Bill 1469, shields patients from criminal investigations in their home states if they travel to Washington for abortion care. There are signs that more patients are crossing into Washington, especially from Idaho, for the medical procedure. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

SouthSound 911 now staffing 988 workers to help with mental health crisis calls
SouthSound 911 has a new asset to help deal with emergency calls in Pierce County. Now if you’re going through a crisis and dial 911, a trained 988 counselor will be there to provide emotional support and crisis counseling. It’s part of a pilot program that partners 911 call takers and dispatchers in SouthSound 911 with counselors from Volunteers of America, who’ll be working together under one roof. Continue reading at king5.com.

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Aberdeen Daily World
Homeless Response Committee hoping to curb trash issue
North Beach District pushes for tsunami tower at elementary school

Capital Press
Washington irrigation districts seek drought declaration

Everett Herald
Snohomish County announces $6.5 million for youth mental health
Mayor, city council refuse to sign Lake Stevens Pride proclamation
In Monroe prison’s concrete walls, oppressive heat can be ‘unbearable’
Judge dismisses Sauk-Suiattle suit over sales tax, tribe agrees
Fight videos and school violence shock Everett district parents

Olympian
Judge denies request for temporary restraining order in assault weapons ban lawsuit
Olympia OKs updated parking laws despite concerns raised by public, council member

Peninsula Daily News
Lake Sutherland fire 90 percent contained
Jefferson County to draft wildfire plan

Puget Sound Business Journal
Sea-Tac Airport expects traffic records to fall this summer
Boeing moves up the ranks of Washington’s largest employers

Seattle Times
PNW primed for wildfire as officials prepare for likely active season
Regional Homelessness Authority clamps down on dysfunctional board
Drug use, gun violence top Seattle’s public safety concerns, poll finds
WA schools try to catch up on warning students about fentanyl
WA Supreme Court hears case of discrimination in Sunnyside evictions

Skagit Valley Herald
Questions remain ahead of state’s new drug possession law taking effect

Washington Post
Biden announces $42 billion to expand high-speed internet access

WA State Standard
Farmers are exempt from the cap-and-trade law. So why are many still paying? (Mullet, Nyguen)
How Washington’s ‘shield law’ protects abortion patients coming from other states
Another judge denies request to block Washington’s semiautomatic gun ban

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
What abortion care looks like in Washington one year since overturning of Roe v. Wade
SouthSound 911 now staffing 988 workers to help with mental health crisis calls

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Tacoma deputy mayor promotes ‘Summer Late Nights’ program to reduce youth violence
Starbucks union calls strike over Pride displays, but the company calls it a misinformation campaign

KNKX Public Radio
Rising gas prices in WA fuel debate over who pays to combat climate change
A nuclear site is on tribes’ ancestral lands. Their voices are being left out on key cleanup talks

KUOW Public Radio
This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?
Seattle may ease path for community groups to develop properties
Rising gas prices in WA fuel debate over who pays to combat climate change

Q13 TV (FOX)
OPA report released on whether former SPD chief violated policies during CHOP

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Free meals for kids available around Whatcom County
Lummi Stommish Water Festival breaks down borders for Indigenous communities

Crosscut
Whatcom County farmers blame Canada for Nooksack River bacteria
In Washington, people keep building houses where they might burn (Bateman)
What can be learned from the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 heat wave

Friday, June 23

India’s drop in tariffs on apples could be $100M win for WA growers
India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on apples, chickpeas and other U.S. exports on Thursday, eliciting a warm response from farmers and producers in Washington state. The cuts were announced as part of an agreement between President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Washington, D.C., on a state visit. The agreement resolved six outstanding World Trade Organization disputes between the two countries, including the duties on U.S. foodstuffs. The agreement came after months of advocacy by U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who met with Modi in India in February. Thursday’s relaxation, Cantwell said in an interview, “gives people a lot of hope for the future.” Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Amanda Ray)

Pedestrian deaths in Washington declined in 2022, report finds
While pedestrian deaths rose by 1% from 2021 to 2022 across the country, Washington state’s pedestrian fatalities dropped by nearly 10%, from 141 deaths in 2021 to 130 deaths in 2022. However, the state is still seeing more pedestrian deaths than in 2019 and 2020. The report, from the Governors Highway Safety Association, relies on state data. It comes after a December 2022 report from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission that suggested the state’s 2022 traffic deaths overall would increase to the highest number of fatalities recorded since the 1990s. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty Images)

How abortions have changed in Washington post-Dobbs decision
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Washington has absorbed more abortion patients from out of state — and the state Legislature has taken steps to try to protect those patients and their doctors. The changes in Washington show that last June’s ruling — which eliminated federal protections for abortion — has had repercussions even in states where the procedure remains legal. Between April 2022 and March 2023, Washington saw its number of monthly abortions increase by 16.5%, or an additional 290 procedures per month, according to the Society of Family Planning. Abortion clinics in Central and Eastern Washington have noticed a big influx of out-of-state patients, particularly from Idaho since implementing a near-total abortion ban. Continue reading at Axios. (Axios Visuals)

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Associated Press
A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions
Starbucks union calls strike over Pride displays, but the company calls it a misinformation campaign

Axios
New whale babies arrive in Seattle’s seas
How abortions have changed in Washington post-Dobbs decision

Capital Press
Inslee open to talking with Colorado about sharing wolves
Council poised to override Washington county’s pause on solar projects
Judge stops logging project in Eastern Washington

The Daily News
Woodland eyes I-5 exit design phase to start in fall

Everett Herald
WSDOT slows southbound Steamboat Slough Bridge traffic after structural concerns
Boeing, UW and NASA deny design partnerships with OceanGate
Judge dismisses Sauk-Suiattle suit over sales tax, tribe agrees
Comment: Year after Dobbs, women’s health care and women suffering

News Tribune
Union, MultiCare say tentative deal reached for Good Sam nurses. Here are the details
Fox Island church’s sign vandalized twice during Pride month. ‘We almost expect it.’
Opinion: A majority of kids think the planet is doomed. Here’s how to help reduce their anxiety
Comment: Thefts, vandalism and hate in Pierce County: This is why the Pride flag matters

Olympian
Olympia sells property for construction of 80 more units of supportive housing downtown
Hurricane Ridge reopens to Olympic National Park visitors next week. Here’s what to know
‘Hero’ credited with shooting accused Gorge killer is plaintiff in WA gun rights lawsuit

Peninsula Daily News
Jefferson County to draft wildfire plan
Lake Sutherland fire 41 percent contained

Puget Sound Business Journal
A wave of minimum wage hikes is coming
Washington’s population isn’t getting any younger
Boeing supplier strike vote deals another blow to 737 Max production
MultiCare nurses in Puyallup reach tentative agreement

Seattle Times
Want to sue your landlord? Seattle-area tenants ran into a roadblock
Sound Transit charts its long light-rail journey to Everett
India’s drop in tariffs on apples, could be $100M win for WA growers
Machinist strike at Spirit in Wichita could shut down Boeing production
Group sues over federal protections for snow-loving WA bird, ‘harbinger’ of climate change
Editorial: UW students lead on access to emergency contraception

Spokesman Review
Going to Idaho for gas? Washington’s may be the most expensive in the nation, but here’s why some Spokanites shouldn’t bother
Opinion: Idaho Rep. Ilana Rubel and Sen. Melissa Wintrow: Idaho women hit hardest by fall of Roe

Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities to name street after Hanford cleanup advocate, community philanthropist
The NW’s only nuclear power plant is back on the grid after a longer than expected outage

WA State Standard
State panel draws up a price hike for ferry travel
Pedestrian deaths in Washington declined in 2022, report finds
Washington apple growers cheer as India says it will end tariffs

Wenatchee World
After prodding by Cantwell and Schrier, India agrees to resolve tariffs that ‘all but shut down’ American apple imports

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima drug possession cases to be prosecuted in municipal court

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Edmonds police, state patrol address ferry line cutting in hopes of reducing road rage
Miller Park revitalized: A century-old park transformed for Yakima’s underserved community

KUOW Public Radio
Seattle school leaders face tough budget decisions as deadline approaches
SoDo is home to the state’s most dangerous RR crossing. How can we make it safer?

NW Public Radio
A California legal battle over gas stoves stirs uncertainty for energy policies across the West

Web

Cascadia Daily News
12 Whatcom, Skagit clean water projects awarded funding
Crews clearing final miles of Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point
Old Town development rules to get a hearing

Thursday, June 22

For residents, housing backed by state funding can be life-changing
When Tracy Williams moved into a tiny home village almost three years ago, she brought with her two bins of clothes and a TV. At the time, it was all she had. Williams had spent two years living in her car and on the couches of friends and family. “I was starting all over,” she said. A year-and-a-half later, Williams, now 56, moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Seattle’s Othello neighborhood at George Fleming Place, a complex named after the state senator who sponsored the bill to create the state’s Housing Trust Fund. Since it was formed in 1986, the Housing Trust Fund has helped pay for about 60,000 units of housing, with $1.5 billion of public investment. This year, the program saw its biggest-ever surge in funding with lawmakers setting aside $400 million for it over the next two years, a roughly 40% increase over the last budget cycle. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Laurel Demkovich)

Washington’s supply of opioid meds is well above average, study finds
Access to medications for opioid use disorder can be much harder to find in some states than others, a recent survey found. But Washington has a better supply than most. Why it matters: The opioid epidemic has had an enormous human toll, with nearly 80,000 reported opioid-involved drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But federal data shows only slightly more than one in 10 people with opioid use disorder receive medication for it. Driving the news: Nationally, 57.9% of more than 5,200 pharmacies in 32 states reported having Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine and naloxone, in stock. In Washington, 146 out of 174 pharmacies, or 83.9%, reported having buprenorphine, per the study. By contrast, only 37%, or 281 of 757, pharmacies in Florida, reported having stock on hand. Continue reading at Axios. (Shoshana Gordon)

WA gas prices now highest in U.S.; some experts point to new climate legislation
Washington unseated California this week as the state with the most expensive gasoline. Experts say Washington’s price surge is linked to the state’s latest, most ambitious efforts to battle climate change, specifically the new carbon-pricing program launched this year that charges businesses for the greenhouse gases they emit. The first two quarterly auctions of emission allowances raked in more than $850 million. Now oil companies are choosing to pass on the compliance fees, the experts say. Those costs add up to about 50 cents per gallon for the consumer. Gov. Jay Inslee’s office said it is too soon to accurately assess the price impact of the state’s climate policies. “No one would be surprised, however, if oil companies experiencing record profits are choosing to pass their compliance costs to customers — sometimes even for fuels that are exempt under the law,” said Jaime Smith, Inslee’s executive director of communications, in a written statement.. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Greg Gilbert)

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Axios
Washington’s supply of opioid meds is well above average, study finds

Columbian
Open House Ministries gains $1M grant to support affordable housing
Clark County ordered to pay $600K in discrimination lawsuit

The Daily News
Free or discounted dental clinic to visit Longview next week

Everett Herald
Despite 9 Pride flag thefts, Everett couple remains undaunted
Pride celebration stirs more controversy in Arlington
Comment: Leaving abortion to states ignoring will of voters
Comment: Focused on abortion, U.S. deadly place to give birth

The Inlander
As the Northwest prepares for a bad wildfire season, new technology and response techniques could impact how many large blazes we get
Opinion: A community wide effort to find a different way forward on homelessness is set to reveal its recommendations

International Examiner
UTOPIA’s Mapu Maia Clinic opens doors in Kent to free gender-affirming care

News Tribune
Opinion: We’ve all heard about the ‘crisis’ at the border — but asylum seekers aren’t a threat

Olympian
It’s official: WA has the most expensive gas in the US. Some counties average $5 a gallon
Allways Roofing faces more than $440,000 in new fines after repeat safety violations
Lacey homeless shelter set to open the week of June 26

Peninsula Daily News
Dry conditions prompt earlier action on Peninsula

Seattle Medium
City Of Seattle To Make One-time Payment To Childcare Workers
New State Initiative To Provide Economic Relief To People With Drug Convictions

Seattle Times
Poll shows Seattle residents support citywide capital-gains tax
Starbucks broke labor law at shuttered Seattle store, NLRB says
WA gas prices now highest in U.S.; experts point to new climate legislation

Spokesman Review
Columbia River salmon fisheries open for summer runs

Washington Post
Effects of Dobbs on maternal health care overwhelmingly negative, survey shows

WA State Standard
For residents, housing backed by state funding can be life-changing
Two insurers cutting back in California. Is Washington next?
Pavement politics: Roads chief and legislators at odds on spending priorities
At Paris Air Show, Washington lands alternative jet fuel facility (Billig)
At WA military base, families battle mold, rodents and more despite promised reforms
A year after Dobbs: Congress takes a back seat on federal abortion policy
Half the nation’s wetlands just lost federal protection. Their fate is up to states.
For those unfit to make decisions, a complex path out of the hospital

Wenatchee World
Opinion: Delayed long-term care tax soon to take effect

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Council OKs permanent fence on Naches Avenue medians; sets transportation priorities

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle uniformed officers not allowed to march in Pride Parade for 2nd year

KUOW Public Radio
King County Metro creates a fast-track to bring back workers
Seattle ‘streamlines’ environmental review for some downtown buildings
Navigating the maze that rules Olympia (and your life)

Web

MyNorthwest
Wildfires a threat to Seattle air quality again this year
Snohomish roofing company fined $3M for slate of safety violations
Seattle admits disparity in pay for social service workers

Wednesday, June 21

Summer Chinook fishing on premier WA rivers called off as salmon struggle
Biologists release millions of hatchery fish into the stream each year to bolster struggling wild runs, and anglers can typically enjoy fishing all summer long. But officials from tribes and the state closed nearly all fishing on the Snohomish River and its tributaries this summer to protect the few wild Chinook making their way back to spawn. For decades, tribes with treaty-protected fishing rights on the river have forfeited some fishing to preserve what runs remain. The state and tribes have invested millions to raise hatchery fish, restore critical habitat, keep rivers cool and clean up industrial and agricultural pollution. Yet the efforts haven’t been enough to keep the river open to fishing this summer as climate change drives warming stream temperatures and lower flows, compounding risks to endangered fish across the state. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

Opinion: As long-term care needs grow, WA Cares offers long-term solution for working Washingtonians
Most Americans will need some form of long-term care, and as our population ages and the caregiver shortage worsens, this need will only grow. Yet most people do not have, cannot afford, or do not qualify for private long-term care insurance. WA Cares is intended to provide access to long-term care for the broad middle class. Without WA Cares, people who need care are forced to pay for everything out of pocket and often spend down their life savings to just $2,000 to qualify for Medicaid. Loved ones must step in and use their own resources or provide unpaid care, often sacrificing their own economic security in the process. In short, the system is profoundly broken, and people deserve more than these fend-for-yourself options. Continue reading at Spokesman Review.

‘Very well prepared’, State DNR commissioner speaks on upcoming fire season
Despite an anticipated hotter and drier year, state and local entities expect to be able to tackle the wildfire season with more resources than ever. “It’s going to be pretty tough,” said Hilary Franz about this year’s wildfire season — her fifth as Commissioner of Public Lands for the state Department of Natural Resources. She added, “That being said, we’ve done a lot to get very well prepared for it. We have more resources than we’ve ever had.” The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has under their “exclusive” disposal 37 aircraft positioned throughout the state ready to respond to wildfires. The goal: keep 90% wildfires on DNR land below 10 acres. “We’d like to do even better than that,” she said. Continue reading at Wenatchee World.