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Thursday, October 12

Builder for new WA ferries to be chosen in summer 2024
As the state’s ferries age, Washington State Ferries expects it won’t find a builder for its new class of hybrid-electric boats until summer of 2024, kicking off a sprint to deliver two new vessels by its target date of late 2027. The state’s 21-boat fleet needs new ships. Washington should have 26 boats, which would allow WSF to swap in replacements whenever and wherever they’re needed. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)

Washington’s long road to replacing the gas tax
Washington lawmakers embarked in early 2012 to learn if charging drivers for the miles they travel could eventually replace taxing them on every gallon of fuel they buy. The Washington State Transportation Commission, the citizen panel entrusted with steering the yearslong effort, concluded the Legislature should “begin a gradual transition” from taxing motor fuels to per-mile assessments. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Bill Lucia)

Housing forum brings up wins, future challenges for affordability on Vashon
Local leaders and researchers pondered solutions to one of Vashon’s most vexing issues on Oct. 3 at the Vashon Center for The Arts: Housing, and how to afford it. Sen. Nguyen described his and his colleague’s efforts to restore funding to the state’s housing trust fund, which he described as having been “effectively gutted” during the 2008 recession. But that’s still “not nearly enough,” Rep. Emily Alvarado said, as affordable housing development is already outstripping that figure and needs more funding. Continue reading at Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. (Alex Bruell)

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Associated Press
IRS says Microsoft may owe more than $29 billion in back taxes; Microsoft disagrees
Black Man Was Not a Threat to Tacoma Police Charged in His Restraint Death, Eyewitness Says at Trial

Aberdeen Daily World
In vacation rental debate, Westport reckons with identity

Axios
Washington’s birth rate has fallen 22% since 2007

Bainbridge Island Review
Petition pays off; historic redwood likely saved

Bellingham Herald
Can my HOA do that? A guide to homeowners association regulations in Washington state

Capital Press
WSU wheat academy provides ‘why’ behind science

Columbian
Vancouver hires LA-based firm to develop downtown Waterfront Gateway project
Vancouver port hails ‘world-class’ soda ash shipping facility planned at Terminal 2
Clark, Cowlitz counties get $800K grant to aid in opioid programs
Editorial: Port project part of Vancouver transformation

Courier-Herald
SR 169 to see heavy construction for the next six years

Everett Herald
‘We work just as hard’: Everett paraeducators rally for fair wages
‘Not if, when’: First responders in Snohomish train for mass shooting

The Inlander
Perfecting Eden’s fruit takes geneticists, AI, and some earwigs

Kent Reporter
State board: Reduce sentence for man convicted in Kent shooting

Olympian
Want to watch the solar eclipse over WA this weekend? Here’s when, how to do it safely
Work crews plan to close I-5 lanes in south Thurston County starting Thursday

Peninsula Daily News
Federal grant would increase employment
Clallam County coroner: OD deaths are among worst in state

Puget Sound Business Journal
Air taxis are coming, and cities aren’t ready
New factors are weighing on employees’ mental health
Women face gap in SBA’s marquee loan program. Some want to change it.

Seattle Times
Builder for new WA ferries to be chosen in summer 2024 (Fey)
People without college degrees increasingly rare in Seattle
Months after WA employers required to share pay info, a flood of lawsuits
King County homelessness authority layoffs result in housing instability
WA AG’s office says Aberdeen mobile home park should refund tenants
WA agreement would require access to trans health care in prison
Opinion: One failed homelessness program shouldn’t be an indictment of them

Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
Housing forum brings up wins, future challenges for affordability on Vashon (Alvarado, Nguyen)

Washington Post
Prices rose 3.7 percent in September as Fed keeps up inflation fight

WA State Standard
Washington’s long road to replacing the gas tax (Liias, Fey)
WA Board of Education sets its priorities for next legislative session

Yakima Herald-Republic
Washington State Patrol investigating fake jewelry selling scams in Eastern Washington

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Eyewitness, death investigator testify in the trial for the death of Manuel Ellis

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Bethel School District parents voice concerns over troubled bus transportation system
King County warns of ‘dramatic fiscal situation’ if cap on property taxes doesn’t change
Flags to fly at half-staff in Washington Thursday to honor those killed in Israel attacks

KNKX Public Radio
For first time since dam removal, a fishery opens on the Elwha

KUOW Public Radio
Financial losses slow for WA hospitals, but concerns remain
Seattle pays $1.9M to woman who says police officer raped her as a minor, decades ago
Seattle elementary one of two in Washington state named Blue Ribbon school

KXLY (ABC)
Federal childcare funding ends, causing crisis to grow

Q13 TV (FOX)
Marysville targets repeat criminal offenses with new ordinance

Web

Cascadia Daily News
WWU enrollment shows signs of recovery

MyNorthwest
Marysville institutes mandatory minimums to end cycle of fentanyl
Construction season comes to an end as I-90 work wraps east of Snoqualmie Pass
‘Absolute heartbreak’: Parents, students try to save Seattle teachers’ jobs as SPS makes cuts

West Seattle Blog
TRAFFIC ALERT: West Seattle low bridge reopens ahead of schedule – here’s why, and what’s next

Wednesday, October 11

Washington is safest state for U.S. high school students, according to new national study
Washington state has been ranked the safest state for high school students in 2023, according to a recently published study from Scholaroo, a resource site for high school students. Rankings were calculated based on 11 safety metrics, which all contributed to an overall score out of 100. States were ranked in order of their total score. Continue reading at Bellingham Herald. (Cheyenne Boone)

Inslee pushes for Washington to become offshore wind manufacturing hub
Washington government and business leaders want manufacturers of offshore wind turbines to build equipment in the state. Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced a new effort to make Washington a preferred location for producing offshore turbine components. “Washington state wants three things: we want clean air, we want clean electricity, and we want clean energy jobs,” Inslee said. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty)

Warning for Seattle: The schools’ pandemic hangover is not easing
The Seattle schools have suffered another blow, with enrollment dropping this fall by 1,100 more students. Nearly 5,000 fewer students than in the fall of 2019, before the virus and the school closures touched off an unraveling. This is the smallest the Seattle school district has been since 2012. Yet there isn’t some big civic rally to save the schools. There’s not all that much attention paid to them compared to homelessness or crime or housing. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

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Axios
Bird flu shows up in Washington seals, alarming scientists

Bellingham Herald
Washington is safest state for U.S. high school students, according to new national study

Columbian
Clark College enrollment up 10.4%, still about 1,000 fewer students than pre-pandemic
‘Housing is a life changer’: Vancouver couple who spent years living homeless find fresh start, hope in new home
Dock of ages: Crew begin demolishing Vancouver port’s Terminal 1 dock to make way for public market

Everett Herald
First-of-its-kind treatment center for mothers opening in Everett
Marysville adopts mandatory sentences for repeated ‘public disorder’

International Examiner
Friends of Little Sài Gòn greenlighted to develop Vietnamese cultural, economic center

Journal of the San Juan Islands
LWV Observer Corps notes on Hospital District and Port Commissioners, and Town and County Council meetings

Kent Reporter
Kaiser Permanente strike could impact Kent, Renton, Federal Way centers
Speed limit to drop to 40 mph in Kent on Pacific Highway South

News Tribune
Hundreds more apartments coming to Fawcett Avenue in Tacoma. Here are the details so far
Witness: Police were aggressors in fatal encounter. ‘Manuel Ellis wasn’t doing anything’

Peninsula Daily News
Port of Port Angeles reviews its 2024 final draft budget

Port Townsend Leader
Marrowstone harbor seals catch bird flu

Puget Sound Business Journal
Boeing closes Q3 with big orders, but deliveries out of Renton ebb

Seattle Medium
Sky’s The Limit: Seattle Approves Tower Height Increase

Seattle Times
WA maritime leaders eye offshore wind manufacturing jobs (Nguyen)
King County will have to close health clinics without state help, Constantine says
Seattle’s plan to remove Black Lives Matter garden draws pushback
Kirkland police used PepperBall gun to break up clash at demonstration
Witnesses contradict Tacoma police narrative in encounter with Manny Ellis
Opinion: WA’s forested trust lands are working for us
Opinion: Warning for Seattle: The schools’ COVID hangover is not easing

South Whidbey Record
Port seeks advisory committee members

Spokesman Review
‘A huge moment for public safety in Airway Heights’: City celebrates its new public safety building with ribbon-cutting ceremony
Opinion: Federal funding potential game changer for Washington state

Washington Post
FTC proposes rule to ban hidden and ‘bogus’ fees
The first National Coming Out Day 35 years ago took on Reagan and AIDS stigma

WA State Standard
Inslee pushes for Washington to become offshore wind manufacturing hub

Wenatchee World
Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center presents tribute to migrant farm workers

Whidbey News-Times
State law will aid in future animal cruelty investigations

Yakima Herald-Republic
DTG’s Rocky Top landfill west of Yakima could reopen in November
Editorial: Higher education needs to pass a crucial test

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
‘It wasn’t right’: Eyewitness who filmed Tacoma officers confrontation with Manuel Ellis testifies
Protesters oppose the construction of mega-warehouse in south Tacoma
Community organizers vow to fight Seattle’s plan to remove Black Lives Memorial Garden, born out of CHOP

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle police staffing hits lowest level since 1991 despite recruitment efforts, city investment
TSA finds alarming increase in firearms at airport security checkpoints
‘Unprecedented outbreak’ of bird flu reaches Puget Sound harbor seals

KNKX Public Radio
Large Snake River toxic algal bloom hasn’t happened before

KUOW Public Radio
Homelessness remains top concern for Seattle voters, but public safety is gaining ground
Partnerships to help asylum seekers at Tukwila church take shape amid city’s state of emergency

KXLY (ABC)
Fresh approach to food insecurity by Spokane small business

NW Public Radio
48 animal cruelty charges filed against former Tri-Cities animal shelter leaders
How some Northwest tribes cultivate land for First Foods, traditional medicines
Washington closes Larch prison as staff push back over jobs, wildfire risk

Q13 TV (FOX)
More counties join lawsuit against Washington DSHS over mental health crisis

Web

MyEverett News
Ribbon Cut For Evergreen Manor Family Services Center In North Everett (Dhingra, Robinson, Wicks, Callan, Saldaña)

The Stranger
Slog AM: County Clinics Running Out of Money, Tacoma Police Trial Continues
Opinion: How to Reduce Random Acts of Violence in Seattle

Tuesday, October 10

WA colleges say Indigenous students need more support post-pandemic
It’s a similar story throughout the state. The Washington Student Achievement Council reported in late September that American Indian/Alaska Native students suffered the highest rate of enrollment decline among all racial categories during the pandemic. (As a group, Indigenous students already had among the lowest rates of college enrollment.) Enrollment by AI/AN students fell by 38% at the state’s community and technical colleges between 2019 and 2022, the report said. At four-year public colleges, AI/AN student numbers dropped 27%. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Ted S. Warren)

Washington state child care providers are struggling to survive. Sen. Murray calls for feds to help
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, is calling for the federal government to renew its historic investment in the child care industry. When the pandemic first hit, the Child Care Stabilization Act gave struggling providers across the country $24 billion to help them keep their doors open through Covid. But that funding expired Sept. 30, and providers across Washington state are already worried they won’t be able to make ends meet. Continue reading at KUOW. (Sami West)

Washington finds a new chief economist in King County
David Reich has spent the past decade providing economic prognostications for King County. Soon, he’ll be producing official economic and revenue forecasts for the entire state. On Friday, Reich was named chief economist and executive director of the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. Reich will succeed Steve Lerch, who is retiring at the end of the year. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (David Reich)

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Associated Press
Biden’s second attempt at student loan debt cancellation moves forward with debate over plan’s details

Aberdeen Daily World
Cosmopolis readies for full council, mayor replacement
Attorney general proposes rent refunds at mobile home park

Axios
El Niño may bring extreme weather to West Coast, models suggest

Bainbridge Island Review
Short-term rentals, affordable housing on BI agenda

Bellevue Reporter
Fentanyl deaths continue to rise in U.S., King County

Bellingham Herald
Did you feel Sunday’s earthquake? Here are the chances of a much larger quake hitting WA

Capital Press
Ecology sees progress on cap-and-trade; farm groups don’t

Columbian
City of Camas faces unexpected revenue shortfall
Clark County judge denies labor union request; Larch will close Tuesday
1,300 workers vote to authorize a strike at PeaceHealth Southwest in Vancouver, St. John in Longview
Neighbors say construction for Chelatchie Rail Yard expansion blocks stream, kills fish; company says that’s ‘incorrect’
Editorial: Cities must have power to protect public spaces

Everett Herald
Community Transit board votes to keep on-demand Zip shuttles
While police pursued, woman died in crash on I-5 off-ramp in Marysville
Comment: Economics Nobel highlights issues of working women
Comment: Mental health needs effort similar to HIV/AIDS fight
Comment: Opposition to change keeping higher ed from innovation

Journal of the San Juan Islands
Community coffee roundtable showcasing interconnected efforts to recover the endangered southern resident orca (Lekanoff)

News Tribune
Looking for work? These WA state tribes are hiring for dozens of jobs across the state

Olympian
Where’s the contract? Residents blast Port of Olympia over lack of deal for new union
Thurston County judges using new risk tool to inform bail decisions. Here’s how it works

Puget Sound Business Journal
Judge rules in favor of WA counties in suit against state agency

Seattle Times
Tribe catches coho salmon on free-flowing Elwha River, a first since dam removals
Family of Manuel Ellis alleges ‘witness intimidation’ in Tacoma officers’ trial
Costco accused of sharing users’ health data with Meta
A Q&A with Redmond’s first Muslim city council member

Spokesman Review
Spokane LGBTQ+ youth center vandalized third time in under a week
On World Homelessness Day, a look at how Spokane got to crisis levels

Tri-City Herald
WA nuclear plant did not correctly check highly exposed workers for radiation

Washington Post
Guns are seized in U.S. schools each day. The numbers are soaring.
Half of Americans can’t install solar panels. Here’s how they can plug into the sun.

WA State Standard
Judge gives OK for state to move ahead with prison closure
Washington finds a new chief economist in King County
Abortion rights advocates say consequences dire if SCOTUS declines to hear pill case

Wenatchee World
Highway 28 improvement plan options: more roundabouts, more lanes, slower speeds

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
State of our schools: Where Washington is thriving – and struggling
Manuel Ellis’ mother, crime scene reconstruction expert testify in trial of 3 Tacoma officers
‘Turns out rock bottom has a basement’: Crabbing closure adds to struggles of Washington seafood industry

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Virginia Mason nurses picketing over staffing, workplace violence after nurse stabbed in face

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle mayor hopes to use unspent police salaries to fund gunfire detection system

KUOW Public Radio
Microsoft’s anti-trust lessons for Amazon
Tacoma Rail to buy Northwest’s first electric locomotives
48 animal cruelty charges filed against former Tri-Cities animal shelter leaders
Washington closes Larch prison as staff push back over jobs, wildfire risk
Washington state child care providers are struggling to survive. Sen. Murray calls for feds to help

KXLY (ABC)
Local school fighting to preserve endangered native language

Web

Cascadia Daily News
‘We are still here’: Community gathers for Indigenous Peoples Day

Crosscut
WA colleges say Indigenous students need more support post-pandemic (Lekanoff)

Monday, October 9

How a Washington agency is trying to get housing built on public land
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources owns more than 7,000 acres of “transition land” scattered across the state. Most of this property is surrounded by development, leaving it unsuitable for timber sales – the department’s largest source of revenue from the roughly 5.6 million acres it manages. As the state tries to figure out what to do with these oddball parcels, some see an opportunity to build more housing at a time when it’s badly needed. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Getty)

In wake of ‘Blake,’ 1,500 drug convictions scrubbed in Snohomish County
More than 200,000 cases statewide needed to be adjudicated again due to the Blake decision, said Grace O’Connor, managing attorney for the Blake Defense Program. The state Office of Public Defense set up the program specifically to deal with the legal headaches the Blake decision created. But some things the courts cannot fix. They can’t get former inmates their time back or their lives back on track. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Olivia Vanni)

Port Angeles pharmacy becomes first in Washington state approved for abortion drug mifepristone
A pharmacy in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula just became the first in the state to announce publicly that it will begin dispensing mifepristone — the first of two drugs used in most medication abortions. This marks a big change for a drug most people once had to go to a doctor’s office to get. Continue reading at KUOW. (Charlie Neibergall)

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Axios
Indian Americans now largest Asian American group in U.S.

Bainbridge Island Review
Opinion: Why aren’t noise laws enforced on vehicles?

Bellingham Herald
Whatcom County getting new equipment. Here’s how it’s preparing for another flood disaster

Capital Press
GOP senator: Washington Ecology keeps cap-and-trade secrets

Columbian
Judge orders Larch to remain open until Tuesday; still deciding on further closure delays
East Vancouver neighbors oppose a city zoning change that would allow apartment development
I-5 bridge environmental impact statement delayed, again – this time until 2024

Everett Herald
In wake of ‘Blake,’ 1,500 drug convictions scrubbed in Snohomish County (Simmons)
Group advocating for addiction recovery launches in Snohomish County (Davis)
‘Poster child’ estuary preserved at Edmonds’ Meadowdale Beach Park (Peterson)
Editorial: North Cascades need return of grizzly bears

Federal Way Mirror
Feedback sought for future light rail facility in Federal Way

Issaquah Reporter
Issaquah council OKs transportation agreement, Newport Way NW improvements

News Tribune
‘I thought we were going to have digital driver’s licenses by now. What’s the holdup?’ (Mullet)
Yes, your landlord can increase your rent that much. A WA renter’s guide to rent raises
Client at the heart of the Washington Supreme Court’s Blake ruling has died
Opinion: Washington couple taxed on money they haven’t made yet. Supreme Court could stop it

Olympian
Thurston County Judge rules in favor of ‘legislative privilege’ to shield public records

Puget Sound Business Journal
Kroger, Albertsons could land in court with regulators over antitrust issues, reports say

Seattle Times
Will high gas prices derail WA’s climate policy? (Nguyen, Fitzgibbon, Doglio)
No guns, no uniforms: Meet WA’s new investigators of police force
How Redmond evolved from sleepy WA suburb to fast-growing city
Why Seattle can’t collect on $4.3 million worth of traffic tickets
Where to go when nature calls? Seattle has a public restroom problem
Violence and transit: What’s happening and what Seattle-area agencies are doing to protect riders
Editorial: A Tukwila church steps up where the federal government fails on migration
Opinion: UW misinformation researchers will not buckle under political attacks

South Whidbey Record
Langley council brings back housing committee

Spokesman Review
Democrats and Republicans in Washington state agree the nation’s debt is unsustainable. What could Congress do about it?
‘Not what Spokane represents’: Overnight string of vandalism appears on Spokane LGBTQ+ landmarks
Opinion: Wildfire mitigation work can keep people safe and our insurance market healthy

Tri-City Herald
Homeless people being bused to Tri-Cities? Advocates say there’s no truth to claim

Washington Post
UAW doesn’t expand strike, citing progress in talks with Ford, GM
Rich countries promised poor nations billions for climate change. They aren’t paying.

WA State Standard
How a Washington agency is trying to get housing built on public land
WA counties lawsuit presses state to cover more legal defense costs for the poor
States that send a mail ballot to every voter really do increase turnout, scholars find

Wenatchee World
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to acquire 650 more acres near Mansfield for pygmy rabbits

Whidbey News-Times
Sheriff’s Office to begin removing RVs from roadside encampment

Yakima Herald-Republic
Help needed in Yakima County for child care crisis
Yakima County’s labor force is growing again
Editorial: Yakima County crisis response unit is a step forward

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Gov. Inslee requests federal aid for survivors of August wildfires
Seattle leaders address violence, safety issues aboard public transit
Revive I-5 project continues with driving surface improvement work starting Monday
Seattle town hall calls for transparency, police accountability after death of Jaahnavi Kandula
Washington to raise minimum wage to $16.28 in 2024, retaining highest rate in U.S.
Pierce County judge rules in favor of 28 counties’ lawsuit against DSHS on behavioral health evaluations

KNKX Public Radio
As San Juan county workers switch to 32 hours a week, some are taking second or third jobs

KUOW Public Radio
NW tribes push for removal of Snake River dams
Dude, where’s my train? Why freight makes Amtrak late
2023 set to be deadliest year yet for overdoses in King County
Washington counties win initial legal victory over scarce mental health beds
Washington state gets $1B boost for roadwork, including EV infrastructure
This Seattle author wrote a memoir for LGBTQ youth. Now it’s being banned
Ginormous South Tacoma warehouse project gets green light despite social justice, environmental concerns
Port Angeles pharmacy becomes first in Washington state approved for abortion drug mifepristone

Web

Crosscut
Why isn’t the Pacific Coastal rainforest treated like the Amazon?

Friday, October 6

Does Washington need a new agency to oversee jails?
Washington would create a new independent agency to set safeguards and conduct inspections of city, county and regional jails, under a proposal a statewide task force is backing. The Legislature directed the task force to review the current situation in jails and to make recommendations on restoring a statewide authority to set mandatory minimum jail standards. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (John C. Magee)

New WA agency will review fatal police shooting of Redmond mother
Washington’s new Office of Independent Investigations says it will review the 2020 shooting death of Andrea Churna by a Redmond police officer to determine whether a new criminal investigation into her death is warranted. The Churna shooting is the first such review formally announced by the OII, a first-of-its-kind agency formed by the Legislature to address conflicts of interest that arise when police investigate themselves. The agency, which is still in its formative stages, eventually will investigate every law enforcement-caused death in the state. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

Washington state ramps up fight against air pollution with new data-collecting devices
Earlier in the week, Gov. Jay Inslee was in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Inslee was shown new devices that will record data on pollutants you can breathe in and that cause health issues like vehicle exhaust and wildfire smoke. Washington Department of Ecology officials said, “Starting this year, we will be producing biennial reports on each community, so every two years. The data we collect will be shared online, where all community members can access it.” Sites for air quality devices will be re-evaluated in six years. Continue reading at KOMO News. (Mike Kilmas)