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Friday, May 19

New $800M sustainable aviation fuel plant planned for Washington state
Dutch company SkyNRG has chosen Washington state to locate a major new biogas plant that will produce sustainable aviation fuel — a key part of the airline world’s push to decarbonize flying. A bill sponsored by state Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, creates tax credits that will provide subsidies of up to $2 per gallon for SAF, which is 2 to 5 times more expensive than regular jet fuel that currently costs about $2.17 per gallon. A separate bill will accelerate permitting and environmental review for construction of clean energy plants. “This is what we hoped would happen,” Billig said Thursday. “It’s rewarding to see this bill pay dividends for the state so quickly.” Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)

Home care providers win $21 minimum wage, more in new state budget
Home care providers are celebrating big wins from the state legislative session, including a two-year budget that increases the starting wage to $21 per hour for most home care providers. “People feel good about the Legislature taking their concerns seriously,” said Adam Glickman, secretary-treasurer of SEIU 775, a union that represents about 45,000 independent providers. “Caregivers feel like their work is being valued.” The $762 million over two years funds not only a base wage increase of about 10% for independent providers, but also affordable health insurance for caregivers’ children, as well as improvements in paid time off, retirement benefits and mileage reimbursement. Continue reading at Everett Herald.

¿Paga el almuerzo escolar de sus hijos? Es posible que no tenga que hacerlo en 2023-2024
En 2020 el congreso les dio a las escuelas exenciones que les permitieron proporcionar comidas gratis a cada estudiante, independientemente de sus ingresos. Pero en 2022, muchas familias en todo el estado de Washington y en todo el país perdieron acceso a comidas escolares gratuitas y regresaron a un programa basado en las necesidades. Sin embargo, el Representante Marcus Riccelli del 3er Distrito Legislativo, junto con otros representantes, trabajaron para que se aprobara el Proyecto de Ley 1238 la semana pasada. Establece que a partir del año escolar 2023 a 2024, las escuelas están obligadas a proporcionar desayuno y almuerzo gratis a todos los estudiantes. “Queremos estar en un mundo nuevo, … No queremos saber si el estudiante es de bajo ingreso o de alto ingreso. Queremos que cada estudiante que venga la escuela, que tenga hambre y que pida comida, que se lo den… No queremos saber, por qué queremos eliminar el estigma. No necesitamos de hacer diferencia o darles algo más caro o algo diferente. Queremos que todos los estudiantes que lo necesitan cuando lo necesitan tengan acceso.” Dice la Representante Sharlett Mena de 29 Distrito Legislativo. Continue reading at KUNW.

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Axios
Seattle rent skyrockets from early pandemic

Capital Press
Fish and Wildlife: Wolves no longer endangered in Washington
Washington AG gets $3.4 million in suit against mushroom farm
Amid a battle over Snake River dams, a look at how the salmon are doing

Everett Herald
Home care providers win $21 minimum wage, more in new state budget
Police: 7 inmates taken to Everett hospital due to smuggled fentanyl
Comment: Where to start when you need mental health care

News Tribune
Opinion: Despite what the NRA says, the primary cause of gun deaths is, of course, guns

Olympian
Latino voter discrimination claim in Franklin County lands at WA state Supreme Court

Peninsula Daily News
Port Angeles City Council approves pay raise

Publicola
Finally Addressing Blake Decision, Legislature Passes Punitive Drug Possession Bill (Robinson, Hasegawa, Pedersen, Saldana, Alvarado, Chopp, Davis, Macri, Pollet, Ryu, Santos, Street, Simmons, Goodman, Dhingra)

Puget Sound Business Journal
300 units of affordable housing proposed for Tacoma’s Dome District
SBA has charged off billions in PPP loans so far

Seattle Medium
Non-English Speaking Immigrants In Seattle Struggle To Access Services

Seattle Times
New $800M sustainable aviation fuel plant planned for Washington state (Billig)
WA expands role of dental therapists, hoping to improve oral health
Editorial: Now comes hard work of making drug treatment available in WA

Spokesman Review
Canadian wildfires bring unhealthy smoke to Spokane region
Black man’s resisting arrest conviction overturned by Court of Appeals; judge says case is indicative of racism in Spokane County

Washington Post
The short life of Baby Milo

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima City Council authorizes $125,000 for second daily Sea-Tac flight
Required recess, more special education funding among changes approved by WA lawmakers

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Attorney General embarks on new approach to organized retail theft
How is the fentanyl crisis impacting Washington first responders?
Seattle mayor signs legislation to renew, expand Metropolitan Improvement District
SCOTUS sides with social media, leaves Section 230 intact in big win for big tech

KUOW Public Radio
Will WA’s new drug law help or hurt people struggling with addiction?
Seattle schools approves budget plan, but hard choices remain ahead
How bad was the pandemic on WA students? It depends on where you live, study says

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane takes a different approach to policing: Behavioral Health Unit

Q13 TV (FOX)
King County Public Health response to gun violence includes targeting data-driven hot spots

Univision Seattle
¿Paga el almuerzo escolar de sus hijos? Es posible que no tenga que hacerlo en 2024-2025 (Mena, Riccelli)

Web

Crosscut
Washington labor market still ‘resilient’ amid recession concerns

Thursday, May 18

Editorial: With law passed, make it work to address addiction
If you thought the legislative path was tortured regarding an overhaul of state law regarding drug possession and public drug use, the harder work is only now beginning for local officials, law enforcement, treatment programs, health care facilities, the public and — most importantly — those struggling with addictions, themselves, to make that new approach work. Few pieces of legislation will satisfy everyone, but the passage of SB 5536 in its current form, allows local jurisdictions, state agencies, treatment and health care providers and community members to work closely to assure better access to treatment, a move away from the stigma that discourages treatment and toward outcomes that assure individual health and community safety. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Karen Ducey)

WA launches dashboard tracking ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
With growing public awareness of the prevalence of toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water and new testing requirements rolling out this year, Washington state communities are faced with little option but to shut down wells, find alternative water sources and seek funding for costly filtration systems. On Wednesday, the Department of Health unveiled a public-facing dashboard sharing data from drinking water wells in the state that have been tested for the presence of these toxic chemicals. Officials hope water system operators and private well owners will use the dashboard to see if PFAS have been detected nearby and make informed decisions about testing their own water source. In January, the DOH began requiring that some public water systems be tested for PFAS before December 2025. There are about 2,400 such systems in Washington, composed of close to 4,000 wells that need to be tested. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)

Washington state expands dental therapist program
American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest oral health disparities in the country. On May 15, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed into law a bill authorizing dental health therapists statewide. The new law expands a program that was available only on tribal lands and to tribal patients in Washington. “All health starts with oral health, and with more dental therapists operating in Washington state, we’re going to see positive health outcomes by taking care of people’s teeth,” said Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee. He was the prime sponsor of the bill. Continue reading at Indian Country Today.

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Aberdeen Daily World
Quinault Indian Nation moving 500 acres to federal trust

Axios
Voter registration is getting simpler in Washington state (Trudeau)

Columbian
Clark County officials praise Legislature’s passage of new drug law
Southwest Washington bridges in focus as road work season gets underway

Everett Herald
County releases new 2-part, ‘holistic’ plan for opioid, fentanyl crisis
Editorial: With law passed, make it work to address addiction (Davis, Robinson, Mullet)

Indian Country Today
Washington state expands dental therapist program (Riccelli)

News Tribune
Commission studying new WA airport still could recommend site, despite Inslee’s wishes

Port Townsend Leader
OlyCAP receives full funding for new shelter

Seattle Times
White House announces initiative to reduce homelessness in Seattle
WA launches dashboard tracking ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
Judge: Racism permeates U.S. legal system — and Spokane case proves it
Opinion: City Light seeks dam license renewal with focus on fish passage

Skagit Valley Herald
Federal grant to help support restoration of Similk estuary

Vancouver Business Journal
Opinion: Legislative session yields decidedly mixed results

WA State Standard
Lawmakers tried to regain Capitol dome access. Inslee said ‘no’
Three-judge panel in U.S. appeals court hears arguments in abortion pill case

Wenatchee World
Wenatchee synagogue vandalized with swastikas

Yakima Herald-Republic
Funding to help add more trees to Yakima neighborhoods
Ostrom to pay workers $3.4 million to resolve WA attorney general lawsuit

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
7 Snohomish County Jail inmates taken to the hospital for suspected fentanyl overdoses
‘It’s a poisoning’: Seattle mothers who have lost loved ones to overdoses fighting
Tacoma boosts funding for summer youth programs in response to youth gun violence

KNKX Public Radio
Washington leaders call new drug law ‘imperfect’ solution to overdose crisis (Taylor, Goodman, Jinkins, Davis, Pollet)

KUOW Public Radio
Compromise leads to a big fix in Washington (is that allowed?): Today So Far

KXLY (ABC)
Google ordered to pay nearly $40 million in AG Ferguson lawsuit

Q13 TV (FOX)
DNR conducts wildfire simulations as smoky conditions already fill the skies

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Lawmakers from Whatcom County support new drug law (Ramel, Shewmake, Rule)
Health care providers adapt to end of public health emergency

Crosscut
Washington passes law to cut ‘forever chemicals’ in makeup (Mena)

MyNorthwest
Gov. Inslee signs new $69.2B state budget ‘out of necessity’
Kitsap Transit wants feedback on new Port Orchard Transit Center
Washington resignation rates among lowest in the country

Wednesday, May 17

Gov. Inslee signs new drug possession law after special legislative session
The Washington state Legislature approved a bipartisan compromise Tuesday to address drug possession and treatment during a one-day special session. The new bill makes it a gross misdemeanor to use drugs in public or possess small amounts of drugs. The bill also creates new options and funds resources to divert people from the courts and into addiction treatment. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law shortly after lawmakers approved the legislation. A group of legislators from all four caucuses struck a tentative new compromise Monday, that includes making drug use and knowing possession a gross misdemeanor, which is punishable by 180 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. Continue reading at KUOW. (AP)

The dream of decriminalizing is dead, and more from WA’s drug debate
The great drug debate in Washington state has ended, with state lawmakers wrapping up a special session on the topic Tuesday. The dream of decriminalizing hard drugs is dead. Dead for now, anyway. (Nothing is forever in politics.) This result isn’t all that different from what many communities have been trying with mixed results for years. It’s punishment via the criminal justice system, with pathways set up for diversion into treatment. A lot of treatment, hopefully. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)

New law requires WA boaters to keep 1,000 yards from southern resident killer whales
A new bill signed into law Monday requires Washington boaters to keep at least 1,000 yards away from southern resident killer whales. Senate Bill 5371 aims to further protect the state’s endangered orca population. The southern resident killer whale numbers have dwindled over the decades, currently sitting at only 73. Contributing to their decline are lack of Chinook salmon, pollutants like PCBs in the water, inbreeding and noisy marine traffic. The new bill addresses one of those factors—requiring vessels, including whale-watching boats, to refrain from approaching within 1,000 yards of orcas, up from 300 yards. Continue reading at Q13.

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Associated Press
Washington lawmakers pass bill keeping drugs illegal (Trudeau)

Columbian
Evergreen Public Schools unveils Skilled Trades Center
Washington Department of Commerce sends $5M to Lincoln Place 2
Vancouver OKs $12M purchase of Library Square transit site

Everett Herald
Arlington nixes $3,500 in security fees for Pride event
Comment: Constitutional argument for an assault weapons ban

Indian Country Today
Native professor works to revitalize clam gardens

News Tribune
Opinion: Puget Sound won’t build a new airport anytime soon. For Pierce County, that’s a win (Fey, Keiser)

New York Times
E.P.A. Proposes First Limits on Climate Pollution From Existing Power Plants

Olympian
With a drug crisis looming, Legislature takes action in one day of special session (Robinson, Pollet)

Peninsula Daily News
State passes drug law in single-day session (Chapman, Tharinger, Van De Wege)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Washington lags most states in tourism recovery, data shows
Suburbs are setting the pace for migration. But patterns are shifting.

Seattle Medium
Kaiser To Pay $140,000 To Settle Racial Harassment Suit

Seattle Times
Students asked for mental health resources, Seattle responds with $4.5M
The dream of decriminalizing is dead, and more from WA’s drug debate (Davis)
WA raises penalties for drug possession, criminalizes public use of drugs (Hackney, Goodman, Trudeau, Davis)
Editorial: Seattle Public Schools leaves community hanging on response to gun violence

Spokesman Review
‘It’s the first step’: Spokane County Commission approves 13th Superior Court judge
Inslee signs drug possession bill that pairs treatment with punishment into law (Jinkins, Billig, Pollet, Dhingra)

WA State Standard
Inslee signs drug policy overhaul into law
Arguments on landmark abortion pill case to be heard Wednesday in appeals court

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima County gets $11.3 million boost from state for broadband infrastructure project
Workers prepare for record-setting heat predicted Friday, Saturday in Yakima Valley

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Teachers raise concerns about lack of air conditioning in the classroom
First-of-its-kind safe space for people living in cars, RVs coming to Interbay
Effort to build new airport in western Washington shifts to expanding existing airports
Drug possession bill passed by Washington state Legislature on first day of special session (Trudeau)

KUOW Public Radio
Gov. Inslee signs new drug possession law after special legislative session
WA Legislature votes on a Blake fix. Now drug courts have to adapt
Snoqualmie Tribe enacts 2% land protection tax to help preserve ancestral lands

KXLY (ABC)
Liberty Lake City Council passes ordinance to give them final say on book bans

Q13 TV (FOX)
New law requires WA boaters to keep 1,000 yards from southern resident killer whales (Lovelett, Lekanoff)

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Seniors face rising rents in ‘affordable’ housing
New Bellingham water taxi increases options to the San Juans

Crosscut
Washington lawmakers make drug possession a gross misdemeanor (Robinson, Pollet)
Your Washington ZIP code may affect your health-care quality

MyNorthwest
WA commission wants feedback on increased ferry rates
Cantwell calls on NASA for continued support of Washington’s aerospace industry

The Stranger
Washington’s War on Drugs Starts Up Again in July (Davis, Trudeau, Macri)

West Seattle Blog
$147 million in city funding announced for affordable-housing projects, none in West Seattle
FOLLOWUP: New state drug law approved; here’s how 34th District legislators voted (Nguyen, Alvarado, Fitzgibbon)

Tuesday, May 16

Why a drug decriminalization crisis looms for Washington state lawmakers
After voting down a bill last month to keep drug possession illegal and boost services for people struggling with addiction, Washington lawmakers are entering a special legislative session to find a compromise before a temporary law keeping the possession of small amounts of drugs outlawed expires. If a new law is not passed, Washington would become the second state in the U.S., after Oregon, to decriminalize possession of personal-use amounts of drugs, even as widely available and cheap fentanyl worsens an opioid crisis defined by open drug use and soaring overdose deaths. Here’s what to know about the crisis. Continue reading at KING5.

For those who lived through addiction, a split on whether jail can help
For Jennifer Cunningham, who turned her life around after a 25-year struggle with addiction, criminalizing drugs is not the answer. Incarceration, she said, is like “going to the walk-in clinic for a gunshot wound. You’re just putting a Band-Aid on (the problem).” Nicole Speaks, another advocate, sees it differently. Jail changed the course of her life. “People can go one direction or the other,” she said. Either they continue abusing drugs or use the legal consequences as “an eye-opener — and that’s how I chose to use it.” Cunningham and Speaks are just two voices in a divide over criminalizing drugs in the aftermath of a 2021 state Supreme Court ruling known as the Blake decision. State lawmakers approved a temporary law making possession a misdemeanor, but it’s set to expire July 1. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Olivia Vanni)

With stroke of pen, Inslee weighs in on controversial search for WA’s next major airport
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday signed a bill into law that called for ending the current search for the state’s next major airport as he expressed a desire for a deeper review of expanding existing facilities before contemplating a brand-new one. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1791 sought to immediately supplant the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, which was tasked by state lawmakers in 2019 with recommending a preferred location for a potential new airport to fill a looming void in Washington’s commercial flight capacity. “The pressure valve was getting ready to explode and this took the pressure off,” Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, a primary bill sponsor, told The News Tribune. But the governor’s vetoes of four sections Monday also changed elements of the legislation. Continue reading at News Tribune.

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Associated Press
Washington lawmakers reach deal on drug policy, avoid automatic decriminalization (Goodman)

Aberdeen Daily World
21 teachers impacted in Aberdeen School District cuts

Axios
New Washington state law should mean fewer spam robocalls
Pacific Northwest heat wave shatters records

Capital Press
Washington rolls out rules for working in wildfire smoke

Everett Herald
Giving food, supplies, water in protest of Everett ‘no sit, no lie’ law
For those who lived through addiction, a split on whether jail can help
On front lines of fentanyl crisis, Somers mourns brother’s overdose
Comment: For nation awash in guns, is there hope tide will turn?
Comment: Degree for local career can start with remote learning
Editorial: Honing our skills on discourse and democracy

News Tribune
Here’s what Pierce County intends to do about drug possession if Legislature doesn’t act
With stroke of pen, Inslee weighs in on controversial search for WA’s next major airport (Fey, Liias, Keiser)

Olympian
Low Income Housing Institute to build 70-unit affordable housing project in Olympia

Seattle Times
WA lawmakers kick hunt for major airport site far into the future (Fey)
Inslee vetoes collection of WA drivers’ odometer readings (Fey)
WA lawmakers unveil deal on proposed drug possession law (Goodman)
What most of us think about opioid treatment is wrong, researcher says

Skagit Valley Herald
State to close Harry Osbourne State Forest

Spokesman Review
Backed by former auto shop owner, ‘right-to-repair’ bills pick up steam in Congress, statehouses
Washington lawmakers strike tentative compromise on drug possession penalties ahead of special session (Billig)
Opinion: New health care bill gives children something to smile about (Riccelli)

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Walla Public Schools prepares for funding ‘cliff’ in new budget

WA State Standard
Lawmakers strike deal to ensure drug possession remains a crime (Robinson)

Yakima Herald-Republic
Record-setting heat predicted in the Yakima Valley this week
Yakima to consider using $125,000 of ARPA money for air service fund
Yakima County to work with Bureau of Land Management on solar farm criteria
Editorial: How many more EPA studies will it take before we start talking solutions?

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Why a drug decriminalization crisis looms for Washington state lawmakers
Extended closure of SR 504 possible after landslide near Mount St. Helens
Seattle police introduce less-lethal weapons officers will be using on duty
Washington bans 9 toxic chemicals in makeup

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Gov. Jay Inslee signs bill that bolsters protection against endangered Washington orcas (Lekanoff, Lovelett)

KNKX Public Radio
As COVID emergency ends, some Washingtonians still plan to mask

KUOW Public Radio
Why are drug possession laws so contentious in Washington state?

KXLY (ABC)
Audit calls for better tracking of federal COVID relief money in schools

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Whatcom County invests $100K to confront fentanyl crisis

Crosscut
Washington slates $50M for trees to shade salmon streams (Chapman, Tharinger)
WA Legislature special session on drug law begins Tuesday (Robinson, Wilson, C., Orwall)

MyNorthwest
Special legislative session for drug possession set for Tuesday
City of Lakewood passes drug law despite special state session
King County Metro Transit to discuss service cuts, reduced fares
Proposed WA drug possession law to make it a gross misdemeanor
New law requires boaters to stay further away from Southern Resident orcas (Lovelett, Lekanoff)

West Seattle Blog
STATE FERRY FARES: They have to go up. Survey asks you – how?

Monday, May 15

Lawmakers will take another shot at Washington’s drug-possession law
State lawmakers will be back in Olympia this week for a special session to take on the state’s soon-to-expire drug-possession law. Legislators failed to reach agreement on a “Blake fix,” after Senate Bill 5536 was voted down 43-55 just hours before the 2023 session adjourned. Washington’s current drug-possession law expires July 1, leaving no penalty in state law. If the law expires without a replacement, cities will be left to adopt a mix of local ordinances. Continue reading at The Columbian. (Shari Phiel)

WA student learning suffered during Covid. Should we be doing more to fix the problem?
When Covid-19 shuttered Washington schools in the spring of 2020, many feared the closures would have disastrous impacts on students. A new state report confirms that: Standardized test scores declined across the board during the pandemic, among all races and ethnicities. Existing achievement gaps between students of color and white students widened, especially in higher-poverty schools. And the number of students experiencing anxiety and other mental health challenges rose. Continue reading at KUOW. (Megan Farmer)

New railroad safety rules under debate after string of derailments across country
In March of this year, a BNSF train jumped the tracks in Skagit County spilling more than 3 thousand gallons of diesel. In February, 38 Norfolk Southern cars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio spilling hazardous chemicals into local waterways. More than 2 thousand people had to be evacuated as crews burned off some of the chemicals to head off an explosion. On Wednesday, Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington state led an executive session on the proposed Railway Safety Act of 2023. Continue reading at KOMO. (KOMO News)