Click here for our Daily E-Clips policy.

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)

Print

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)

Print

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)

Print

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)

Print

Associated Press
US acknowledges Northwest dams have devastated the region’s Native tribes

Axios
SCOTUS ruling on Idaho abortion law could affect Washington

Columbian
This law is a lifeline for pregnant workers even as an abortion dispute complicates its enforcement
Cantwell’s bill would boost AI training for small businesses as Clark County companies incorporate technology

Everett Herald
On Juneteenth: ‘We can always say that there is hope’
Boeing lost track of up to 400 faulty 737 Max parts, whistleblower says
‘Financially insolvent’ Marysville schools to get unprecedented oversight
Comment: Juneteenth marked end to slavery; freedom’s taken longer

The Facts Newspaper
City of Seattle awarded nearly $3.2 million to support residential and small businesses transition from fossil fuels to clean, energy efficient appliances

The Inlander
The risk of wildfires is causing some in Spokane County to lose their homeowners insurance

News Tribune
Unable to find one itself, county to pay someone to locate new homeless shelter site
42 families had to move to make room for Puyallup apartments. Why is the lot still empty?
Someone I know uses pronouns I don’t understand. What now? A beginner’s guide to pronouns

Port Townsend Leader
Shellfish harvesting halted for toxicity

Puget Sound Business Journal
IRS ERC tax-credit backlog rises to 1.4M claims
Editor’s notebook: This is a workforce lost in space
Washington is one of the most expensive states for child care

Seattle Times
Seattle commission recommends against new test for police recruits
‘Everyone can do something’ to help pollinators, Woodland Park Zoo says (Liias)
WA police officer run over, seriously injured while trying to arrest suspect
Defense in Auburn Officer Nelson’s murder trial rests without his testimony
King County Council approves crisis care centers plan, mental health funding
Biden administration acknowledges harms of Columbia River dams on Indigenous people

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County Clean Water Program set for reauthorization
Judge considers whether to dismiss Skagit County from wrongful death lawsuit

Spokesman Review
Resurrected reality TV series ‘Cops’ to return to Spokane County despite local, nationwide critiques
Opinion: It’s time to stand up for our most vulnerable citizens

Washington Post
Supreme Court upholds Trump-era tax provision on offshore earnings
How small chemical labs are skirting a U.S.-China crackdown on fentanyl
You don’t have to run your air conditioner 24 hours a day. Here’s what to do
Democrats seek to repeal Comstock abortion rule, fearing Trump crackdown

WA State Standard
Johnson & Johnson pays $123 million to WA following opioid lawsuit
To help fund roads, WA lawmakers eye fee on delivery of online purchases (Liias)
Washington sees steep rise, then slow down in prescriptions to treat opioid addiction

Wenatchee World
Eastmont School District cuts 2 art teaching positions
Washington Apple Commission announces new leader
Stemilt fined $350K after trench cave-in buries, injures worker
WVC to receive funding from Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative
Chelan-Douglas Land Trust acquires 221.6-acre conservation easement
East Wenatchee City Council approves $6 million road improvements on 19th Street
Chelan, Douglas counties deal with organic material waste laws; Winton Manufacturing provides service

Yakima Herald-Republic
Pacific Power outlines program for shutting down power during wildfires

Broadcast

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
11-year-old victim of alleged hate crime in Bellingham tells his story
Pride flag raised at city hall after Newcastle City Council reverses decision
Supreme Court rules against Redmond couple, upholds tax on foreign income
Announced Everett Herald layoffs will cut newsroom staff in half according to union
A call to restrict cell phone use in schools is gaining support amid youth mental health crisis
Relatives of people killed in 2 Boeing Max crashes ask the US to fine the company $24.8 billion

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Parents and staff demand answers about Marysville School District’s financial crisis
Newcastle City Council flips decision to raise Pride flag at City Hall after public outcry
Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity vandalized, hate crime investigation underway

KNKX Public Radio
Goodbye plastic air pillows: Amazon shifts to paper filling in packages

KUOW Public Radio
Covid is back in Washington just in time for your summer vacation

KXLY (ABC)
New Washington mental health program for people under 25

Web

Cascadia Daily News
WSDOT plans for $85M fish passage project at I-5, Guide Meridian
New bill aims to ensure permanent funding for Northwest Straits Commission
Washington to launch Apple Health Expansion program for undocumented immigrants
Bellingham community rallies around hate crime victim; letter writing campaign scheduled

MyNorthwest
1 of 2 late-night Tacoma shootings involve sheriff’s deputies
State sends reinforcements to review Marysville’s struggling school budget
Pride flag raised at Newcastle City Hall after City Council reverses decision

Tuesday, June 18

State law means more ‘middle housing’ is coming to Renton
House Bill 1110 was passed last year by the Washington Legislature to allow more “middle housing,” which describes housing such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, courtyard apartments, cottage housing and townhomes. Intended to encourage more development of middle housing, the bill requires cities to allow a broader range of housing in areas with mostly detached single-family homes. Continue reading at The Renton Reporter. (City of Renton)

Washington voters want their lawmakers working all year long, poll finds
Most Washington voters want their lawmakers to be at the Legislature in session during the entire year, according to a new poll from the Northwest Progressive Institute, a non-profit based in Redmond. Of the 615 voters polled, 59% said they would support changing the Washington Constitution to allow the state House and state Senate to be in regular session year-round. The Constitution currently limits odd-year sessions to 105 days and even-year sessions to 60 days. The Legislature or the governor can call a special session, but those can’t last longer than 30 days. Continue reading at The Washington State Standard. (Laurel Demkovich)

Eviction or intervention? Debating Washington’s eviction program as cases surge
The spike in evictions, and backlog of cases, in King County has prompted a debate over how well Washington state’s plan is working to help tenants facing evictions. Washington’s current eviction program…officially began in 2022. The state pays for attorneys to represent low-income tenants facing eviction. The Rental Housing Association of Washington, or RHAW, advocates for independent landlords in the state, many of whom find themselves in a position to go to court when a tenant doesn’t leave their unit. Starting in late 2023, some parts of Washington state began experiencing spikes in evictions shortly after pandemic-era protections began phasing out Continue reading at KUOW. (Allan Vega)