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Wednesday, December 7

Wave of turnover hits Washington state legislature
Kirby is one of the more senior Democrats in the House of Representatives. He has a reputation for working with Republicans, and being kind and friendly to young lawmakers. Upon hearing of his retirement, the Republican house minority leader, Rep. J.T. Wilcox, said he was saddened. But Kirby is hardly alone. There’s been an unusual amount of turnover in the legislature this year: Eleven Washington House members decided not to run again, and 12 more ran for other positions or lost reelection. Seven senators are departing as well. Continue reading at KNKX. (Scott Greenstone)

Homeless program audit finds low investment in permanent housing in Yakima County
Yakima County’s homeless program spent more than $13 million on contracted homeless services from 2019 to 2021 but invested less than 1% of resources into permanent housing, according to a new report by the Washington State Auditor’s Office. The report, which also reviewed homeless programs in Seattle, Spokane and Snohomish County, recommended local governments adopt a more data-driven approach to distributing funding and better monitor service providers. Continue reading at Yakima Herald. (Evan Abell)

Police, housing to be priorities
Police reform, housing and workforce development will lead the list of Democratic priorities when the 2023 Washington state legislative session begins Jan. 9, said Rep. Mike Chapman. Revisiting how the state funds education also will be a top concern, he said. Democrats will have strong majorities in the House of Representatives (58-40) and Senate (29-20) during the 105-day session that runs through April 29. Continue reading at Peninsula Daily News. (Peninsula Daily News)

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Associated Press
Federal judge OKs Oregon’s new high-capacity magazine ban
Boeing’s last 747 to roll out of Washington state factory
Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony to draw handful of survivors to Hawaii

Aberdeen Daily World
Ocean Shores deals with ongoing illegal hunting problem

Bellingham Herald
WA data breaches are at a ‘record-breaking severity.’ How to keep your personal data safe

Capital Press
Tree fruit growers navigate outside investment opportunities

Columbian
I-5 Bridge Replacement Program leaders, critics make their case

Everett Herald
Christmas trees, a Washington cash crop, get a little more spendy
Comment: Judge’s ruling may end protections for abuse victims

News Tribune
Newspaper carrier testifies no threat to ‘take out’ sheriff. State’s last witness up next
Company that runs Tacoma’s Click being sold to global infrastructure management firm
As disorder surged, why didn’t Tacoma crack down on South Hosmer Street motels?
Editorial: WA schools are failing students with complex disabilities. It’s happening in Tacoma, too

Olympian
SEIU secretly lobbied the Washington State Redistricting Commission, court filings allege (Fitzgibbon)
Why more than four dozen Rainier School residents will be leaving by July 31

Peninsula Daily News
Police, housing to be priorities (Chapman)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Median home sale price tumbled nearly 15% in Redmond last month
Regulators push Kroger for more information on $25B Albertsons deal
Economic slowdown? Wages are still growing

Seattle Medium
King County Continues To Make Strides In Reducing The Number of Uninsured Residents
Philanthropic Organization Releases “Black Well-Being Report”, Empowering The Black Community
Vets Fair Well in Seattle But Racism Exists

Seattle Times
Ex-Seahawk Doug Baldwin will help decide on 6 lives that hang in the balance
Boeing lost hundreds of experienced Seattle-area engineers last month
Opinion: Invest in crisis response for people living with psychiatric conditions
Editorial: Improve, don’t abandon, WA ballot verification

Spokesman Review
Airway Heights, Kalipsel Tribe in public quarrel over payment for emergency services at casino
Funding secured for $38 million railroad underpass in Spokane Valley
‘This camp is to be closed’: Confusion, frustration after law enforcement hands out flyers at Camp Hope
Opinion: The homeless crisis is not about one camp, and it’s bigger than most people realize

Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities earns national honor given to just one place in Washington state

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Waitsburg installs stream gauges in Touchet River, Coppei Creek
Respiratory viruses abound in Walla Walla area

Yakima Herald-Republic
Homeless program audit finds low investment in permanent housing in Yakima County

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
‘It’s about equity:’ Midwife works to diversify birthing field to help BIPOC families
Security solutions proposed after Tacoma Santa Parade was breached by reckless driver
Governor, legislators could see raises in 2023 and 2024

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Closure for 30-vehicle pileup on eastbound I-90 near Kittitas expected to last until evening

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington AG files lawsuit against gun store illegally selling high-capacity ammunition (Liias)

KNKX Public Radio
Slow down! Surge in traffic deaths continues in West Coast states
Wave of turnover hits Washington state legislature (Kirby)
REAL ID enforcement is delayed again to 2025

KUOW Public Radio
As avian influenza outbreak worsens, local farms remain cautious

KXLY (ABC)
Airway Heights to reduce emergency services on Kalispel Tribe property
WSDOT asking for feedback on twin bridges, intersection design on SR 26 and US 195 in Colfax

Web

Crosscut
Yet again, turnout was lowest among WA’s young voters. Why?
Feds said salmon is safe to eat – but didn’t consider Native diets

MyNorthwest
Doctor: It’s possible to get flu, RSV, and COVID at same time

West Seattle Blog
BUSES: Check before you go, Metro warns – trips canceled after ‘defect’ sidelines 126 buses
FOLLOWUP: Delridge pedestrian bridge will remain, get retrofit

Tuesday, December 6

White House invites in state lawmakers before 2023 sessions
The White House is playing host to roughly 50 Democratic state lawmakers from 31 states this week as legislatures prepare for their upcoming sessions, aiming to talk over strategy on top issues like climate change, gun violence, abortion rights and voting rights. The aim is to give state lawmakers a to-do list for the upcoming legislative session, though meeting those goals will be nearly impossible in states where Republicans are in control. The meetings come as Democrats are increasingly focused on making inroads in state governments in part through better alignment on top issues, a political tactic that helped the GOP secure leadership in 23 states. The legislators will meet with Biden administration policy experts on drug control, veterans affairs, environmental quality, criminal justice, violence prevention and climate change. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Manuel Balce Ceneta)

‘This is what we need’ Gov. Inslee says of Catalyst Project opening this week
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state officials heralded the opening of the much anticipated, and at times controversial, hotel-turned-supportive housing project in the West Hills neighborhood on Monday as a crucial step forward for establishing housing for homeless people in Spokane and across the state. Inslee told a group of a few dozen reporters, government employees and social workers “this Catalyst facility is not a Band-Aid. It is not sweeping people under the rug. It is addressing their permanent long-term problems so that they can be permanently housed, and that is what we need across the state of Washington.” Inslee affirmed his commitment to investing in homelessness solutions in the coming year. “You are going to see very significant ambition and an aggressive approach to this statewide,” he said. “I am very hopeful the Legislature will join me in upping our game in this regard, because the existing funding is not adequate to solve this problem. In the upcoming legislative session you are going to see some big asks of the Legislature and the people of state of Washington to tackle this problem.” Continue reading at The Spokesman Review. (Quinn Welsch)

To address wealth gap, Washington will consider trust fund for low-income children
A new proposal coming to the Washington Legislature for consideration next year aims to break the cycle of poverty that’s trapped families and lift future generations of low-income residents toward a path of financial independence. The Washington Future Fund would create a pool of money that every child born under the state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health, could access a portion of upon adulthood to use toward homeownership, education or pursuing a small business. Pioneering a bold idea to narrow the wealth gap, Washington would be one of the first states to create a trust fund program for babies born into low-income families. The trusts are intended to even the financial playing field for lower-income residents by providing a chance to catch up to their wealthier peers. Continue reading at Associated Press. (Rachel La Corte)

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Associated Press
Scientists call for action to help sunflower sea stars
To address wealth gap, Washington will consider trust fund for low-income children (Stonier, Trudeau)
Inslee touts new housing program for Spokane’s homeless

Bellingham Herald
Lummi Nation, UW partnership trains medical students how to care for Native populations
Rules set to cut carbon emissions by 20% over next 12 years in Washington state

Capital Press
WDFW: Conservation laws failing, higher standard needed

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Emission reduction requires pragmatic solutions (Liias)

Everett Herald
Sheriff’s new database gives window into Snohomish County crime rates
Already, worst flu season in years has claimed 3 in Snohomish County
Editorial: Start work now to power electric vehicle future (Liias)

News Tribune
Stage set for newspaper carrier, lead TPD officer to testify in Sheriff Troyer’s trial

Olympian
Military Investigates Hundreds of Cases of Domestic Extremism Within Ranks
Busy, sometimes overwhelmed Providence St. Peter Hospital unveils 51 new patient beds

Puget Sound Business Journal
House report takes aim at fintechs for processing fraudulent PPP loans

Seattle Times
Seattle approved Fort Lawton housing years ago. So why is nothing happening?
Federal judge OKs Oregon’s new high-capacity magazine ban
White House invites in state lawmakers before 2023 sessions

Skagit Valley Herald
Mount Vernon hires social workers to work in police department
Concrete boil water advisory lifted

Spokesman Review
Spokane City Council approves cap on what food delivery services can charge restaurants
‘This is what we need’ Gov. Inslee says of Catalyst Project opening this week
Legal weed in Washington turns 10 this week. What challenges lie ahead in the next decade?

Tri-City Herald
Overnight snow closes Tri-Cities schools How much fell and how long will it stick around?

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Foster care in Walla Walla sees new improvements with help of grant

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Drivers not following the rules of the road leading to more closures on Snoqualmie Pass, WSDOT says
Mount Vernon School District discusses new school calendar to reduce burnout in students, teachers
Newspaper carrier who says he was targeted by Pierce County sheriff expected to testify

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Community to say goodbye to fallen Bellevue officer
Plan to cut 80 vacant police officer positions from Seattle city budget faces pushback
Councilmember calls for light rail ‘starter line’ from Bellevue to Redmond
Influenza has already killed at least 13 in state; earliest outbreak in years
DSHS set to close portion of state-run Rainier School in Buckley
Bolt Creek Fire declared economic injury disaster; applications open for low-interest disaster loans

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
REAL ID enforcement delayed again until 2025

KNKX Public Radio
Some freeways may withstand a major quake per new UW modeling
Supreme Court hears clash between LGBTQ and business owners’ rights

KUOW Public Radio
The unique mental health challenges facing farmers and farmworkers

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane County Commissioners adopt budget for 2023
Catalyst Project opens doors for a preview prior to Camp Hope residents moving in
Spokane renter, landlord protection program vote pushed to January

Q13 TV (FOX)
Washington health officials say flu deaths, hospitalizations on the rise

Web

MyNorthwest
Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer’s wife will not testify as trial enters second week
Missing Indigenous Person Alert issued for 12-year-old girl in Burien
Addressing misconceptions about WA’s new vehicle registration law
Trader Joe’s settles with City of Seattle after labor laws violated

The Stranger
Opinion: Pedersen and Nelson Have Abandoned Governance for Theater

Monday, December 5

Dealing with the flu or a cold? You’re not alone. Here’s what we know
Flu season has hit the United States harder and earlier than usual in what health officials are calling a “tridemic” of multiple respiratory viruses at once. Though infections usually start ramping up around December or January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed at least 44 states are already reporting high or very high flu activity. Now, medical providers and public health experts are hoping the experience will motivate Washingtonians to take mitigation measures to heart as more holiday celebrations near. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Kylie Cooper)

Shelved since 2018, this WA gun law may finally be implemented soon
Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration is now working to implement a 2018 voter-approved firearms background-check law that Washington officials had quietly set aside due to logistical and legal hurdles. The administration’s reversal comes after a September report by Crosscut documenting how state officials in 2020 concluded it wasn’t cost-effective or efficient to implement the new law requiring annual background checks on people who own pistols and semiautomatic rifles. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Amanda Snyder)

Stepped-up effort needed to reduce traffic deaths
Nationally, traffic fatalities look to have dropped by about 1 percent in 2022, but Washington state continued on its own deadly path this year; for the first six months of 2022, 327 deaths were counted, a 31 percent increase over the same period for the previous year, likely putting the state near where it was nearly 20 years ago. Yet, there’s still plenty to be addressed by the state Legislature, local government, and Congress, especially on reducing the numbers of pedestrian deaths and injuries. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Olivia Vanni)

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Associated Press
Sale jumpstarts floating, offshore wind power in US waters
Pfizer asks FDA to clear updated COVID shot for kids under 5
Real ID deadline extended again to 2025
Supreme Court to hear latest clash of religion and gay rights

Aberdeen Daily World
Bird flu detected in Grays Harbor County

Bellingham Herald
You think it’s expensive to live in Whatcom? Here’s what it takes just to get by.
Starting in 2023, most employers must list salary details in job ads in Washington State.

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Washington drug laws need update, but not like Oregon

Everett Herald
Electric vehicles spur big forecast jump for PUD demand
Lawsuit: Everett firefighter sexually harassed numerous recruits
Everett library, fire department will have social workers on call
‘Set for the next four years’: Monroe schools levy officially passes
‘Our heritage is a gift’: 500-year-old log is carved into Tulalip welcome
Comment: Loss of pharmacy access for military a crisis
Editorial: Stepped-up effort needed to reduce traffic deaths (Lovick, Liias)

News Tribune
Families are still living at a closing mobile home park in Puyallup. Here’s what we know
A fee for chatting with your doctor online? It’s happening some places. What about WA?
‘Life or death’: Dispatcher, 2 Tacoma officers testify about Sheriff Troyer threat call

Olympian
State admits redistricting commissioner deleted texts, court documents show
WA Redistricting Commission faces another lawsuit over handling of public records

Puget Sound Business Journal
Why the labor shortage is likely to continue in 2023 and beyond
Boeing gains Sen. Cantwell’s support for Max extensions

Seattle Times
Dealing with the flu or a cold? You’re not alone. Here’s what we know
Energy bills rise as some WA households struggle to keep warm
How a billion-dollar corporation exploits Washington’s special education system
Editorial: WA’s voting process works — stop antics that sow doubt
Opinion: Declaration of public health emergency is urgently needed for RSV

Spokesman Review
One year later, Camp Hope remains open. Spokane’s mayor lays blame at Commerce’s feet.
The ‘tridemic’ takes its toll on Spokane as RSV, COVID-19 and influenza hit the community at once

Tri-City Herald
Snow storm forces Tri-City school closures, delays. Hanford on late start
1st of a kind partnership could put 21 armed officers in school
Flu arrives early in Tri-Cities, as ERs are busy with respiratory cases. More COVID deaths

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima residents bring questions about traffic, nuisance animals and more to city forum
Yakima City Council takes look at container shelters for housing at Camp Hope
Yakima Health District ends weekly COVID updates; RSV and flu a concern statewide

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Planned Parenthood Northwest reports more men getting vasectomies since Supreme Court overturned Roe
Testimony in Pierce County sheriff’s criminal trial continues Monday
King County retail theft arrests spike 100% as businesses seek accountability

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Vasectomy demand increases after abortion ruling

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
News study ranks Pasco among top ten booming cities in the US

KNKX Public Radio
Many states fail to adequately budget for wildfire costs, study says

KUOW Public Radio
Ongoing rise in fentanyl deaths highlights need for treatment alternatives
Some freeways may be useable following ‘the Big One’ per new modeling by UW
How to get through the U.S.’s Adderall shortage, according to a psychiatrist

Web

Crosscut
Shelved since 2018, this WA gun law may finally be implemented soon

MyNorthwest
WA seeing major rise in antisemitism amidst hateful celebrity rhetoric
Small Business Administration offers disaster relief after Bolt Creek Fire

Friday, December 2

Senate passes railroad legislation to prevent a strike
The Senate has approved a measure meant to avert a railroad strike in eight days — without the paid sick days rail workers have been asking for. Senators passed the bill to force unions to accept a tentative agreement reached earlier this year between railroad managers and their workers and make an imminent strike illegal — without making any changes — by an 80-15 vote. They rejected a measure to offer paid sick leave, 52-43. Both measures required 60 votes to clear the Senate. Both bills cleared the House on Wednesday. Biden applauded the move and vowed to sign it as soon as Congress sends it to his desk — which could happen as soon as Friday. Continue reading at KNKX. (Kent Nishimura)

Washington State Moving On Electric Cars
More than 11% of new cars sold in Washington state are electric, according to the federal government, which said there are 67,000 EVs registered statewide. Electric cars are sold as more earth-friendly and pushed by the government with tax incentives. California has even banned the sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035. Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington will do the same, tweeting “Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emission by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s (regulations) by end of this year.” Continue reading at Seattle Medium.

Clean Fuel Standard and Climate Commitment Act set to launch Jan. 1
Two new state climate policies intended to work alongside each other to help the state achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050 by transforming how it acquires and uses energy will officially launch Jan. 1. Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021, the CFS and the CCA passed both houses of the state Legislature without a single Republican vote. Brown, the technical lead for the CFS, said regulations target transportation fuel because vehicle emissions are Washington’s greatest source of greenhouse gases, contributing about 45 percent of the state’s total. Continue reading at Peninsula Daily News.

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Associated Press
Congress passes bill to avert national railroad strike; Biden to sign it
7 die from flu in Washington state, activity ‘very high’

Aberdeen Daily World
More powerful opioids beginning to appear in Grays Harbor County

Bainbridge Island Review
Forest management only way to reduce wildfires

Capital Press
BP affiliate pulls back from Washington carbon forest plan

Columbian
ESD 112 official urges lawmakers to support early learning in Southwest Washington

Courier-Herald
Buckley launches new emergency alert system

The Daily News
Ribbon cutting for Longview pallet home village announced for Dec. 13

Everett Herald
Port of Everett christens new Norton cargo terminal
Budget dips, but Everett city union workers in line for 7.5% pay bump

Kent Reporter
Kent’s Kauffman receives State Senate committee assignments (Kauffman)

News Tribune
‘Life or death’: Dispatcher, 2 Tacoma officers testify about Sheriff Troyer threat call

New York Times
U.S. Hiring Continues at Robust Pace, Complicating Fed’s Path
Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find

Olympian
Parents opposed to Reed appointment petition entire Olympia School Board to resign
Gov. Inslee appoints replacement for Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon

Peninsula Daily News
Clean Fuel Standard and Climate Commitment Act set to launch Jan. 1 (Van De Wege, Chapman, Tharinger)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle increases public safety spending in city budget passage
Starbucks ordered to begin bargaining with Seattle flagship store

Seattle Medium
Washington State Moving On Electric Cars
Sen. T’wina Nobles Named Senate Majority Caucus Whip (Nobles)

Seattle Times
Seattle school enrollment levels off, but district still faces budget woes
Lawsuit: Seattle U pushed a nursing master’s degree it couldn’t offer
What’s on Seattle students’ minds as they talk family, mental health and the holidays

Skagit Valley Herald
Business startup organization comes to Skagit County
Anacortes to ask voters for more police officers, firefighters

Spokesman Review
In the cold and snow, politics falls away amid the effort to stay warm and dry
Spokane Public Schools plans to ask legislature for more funding for special education, transportation and more
Congress passes bipartisan bill to avert freight rail strike, rejects measure to give workers more paid sick leave

Washington Post
U.S. added 263,000 jobs in November, a strong showing amid tech slowdown
Supreme Court to review legality of Biden’s student loan forgiveness program

Yakima Herald-Republic
Sunnyside OKs agreement to build $12M biomethane plant at port
Hospitals, medical staff strain as RSV and influenza overwhelm Yakima County
Here’s how the city handles snow and ice removal in Yakima

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
New terminal adds to evolution of Everett waterfront
Prosecutor: Flood of mentally ill inmates stuck in local jails is a ‘public safety crisis’
Only 73 Southern Resident orcas remain. Here’s how state officials want to protect them

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
State legislature looks to revise Washington’s drug possession law (Dhingra)
How will the Seattle city budget address ‘crisis’ level police staffing?

KNKX Public Radio
Senate passes railroad legislation to prevent a strike
Washington tribe tests its rights to commercial net pen fish farming
3 tribes dealing with the toll of climate change get $75 million to relocate

KUOW Public Radio
Rail strike averted, but workers left without sick leave
Suicide prevention awareness sticker now on sale for WA license plates

KXLY (ABC)
Gov. Inslee plans to ban gas-powered cars by 2035. Is it doable? (Fey)
More than $3 million in funding available to help WA counties strengthen election security

Web

MyNorthwest
Senate Democrats, Republicans optimistic on climate change work
Pierce County Transit gives free rides to warming centers

The Stranger
Why You Should Care About Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan

Thursday, December 1

To address wealth gap, WA to consider $4,000 ‘baby bonds’
A new proposal coming to the Washington Legislature for consideration next year aims to break the cycle of poverty that’s trapped families like Bereskin’s and lift future generations of low-income residents toward a path of financial independence. The Washington Future Fund would create a pool of money that every child born under the state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health, could access a portion of upon adulthood to use toward homeownership, education or pursuing a small business. Lawmakers introduced the plan during the last legislative session but paused the idea, opting instead to create a state committee charged with outlining exact details and recommendations for how Washington could create a trust fund program for the roughly 40,000 children born each year under Apple Health. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Amanda Snyder)

Capital gains tax gets the go ahead as state Supreme Court considers case
The Department of Revenue (DOR) will be able to collect Washington state’s new capital gains tax ahead of the Washington state Supreme Court’s final ruling on the constitutionality of the income tax. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson recently requested that the DOR be allowed to collect the tax ahead of the official ruling. Ferguson said that “our state’s elected leaders adopted a capital gains excise tax to fund education, the State’s paramount duty, and to help rebalance our tax code, the nation’s most regressive,” in his motion filed with the court.The law creating the capital gains tax, SB 5096, was signed last year by Gov. Jay Inslee and went into effect in January 2022, before it was stopped. The legislation created a 7% excise tax on the sale or exchange of capital assets above $250,000. It was projected to bring in $415 million in 2023, the first year the state would see money from the tax. Continue reading at My Northwest. (Flickr)

Northwest tribal leaders welcome Biden’s new commitments at Tribal Nations Summit
Leaders of Northwest tribes on Wednesday welcomed new commitments from President Joe Biden and members of his administration at the first in-person Tribal Nations Summit held by the White House in six years. In a series of speeches and panel discussions with tribal leaders, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and several other top administration officials pledged to give tribes more say in federal decision-making, to set uniform standards guiding how agencies consult with tribes and to abide by treaties between tribes and the federal government. In conjunction with the summit, which fell at the end of Native American Heritage Month, the White House announced a 10-year plan to revitalize Native languages, along with a slew of other efforts aimed at improving the lives of Indigenous people living on and off reservations. Continue reading at The Spokesman Review. (Orion Donovan-Smith)