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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)

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Aberdeen Daily World
Aberdeen School District lays off 21 teachers in first round of staff cuts
Discussions to open dialogue on opioid use

Bellingham Herald
Federal funding is flowing to tribes restoring Chinook salmon habitat on the Nooksack River

Columbian
Lawmakers will take another shot at Washington’s drug-possession law (Stonier)
Clark County rail plan on track as council considers development in rural areas
Perez introduces broadband improvement bill

Everett Herald
Comment: State must adopt balanced approach to possession (Robinson)

News Tribune
Opinion: Tired of WA’s strict gun laws — and its assault on the Second Amendment? Speak up

Olympian
Opinion: Finding the ‘just right’ level of housing density in our community

Puget Sound Business Journal
Snoqualmie Tribe collects first-of-its-kind land-protection tax at Salish Lodge

Seattle Medium
Hot Pursuits In Seattle Not Permitted Without Training

Seattle Times
Homelessness agencies bypassed federal housing rules, now must adapt
What to know about WA Cares payroll tax as premiums are set to resume (Mullet, Keiser)
How tech jobs in WA are growing despite layoffs in Seattle area
Lake Forest Park neighbors denounce bus-lane plan that removes trees

Tri-City Herald
Lengthy Tri-Cities power outage in 90+ temperatures shuts down businesses, restaurants
$180M project is key to Pasco’s booming food industry jobs. Think peas, corn and butter

Washington Post
The early heat wave gripping the Northwest is rare — and worrying

WA State Standard
Repeal effort targets law to help trans youth in crisis (Liias)
How a plan to improve work conditions in strip clubs faltered (Saldaña)

Wenatchee World
Opinion: Our Increasingly Divided Community: Counteracting Political Polarization in the Wenatchee Valley

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Mother of drowning victim brings change to state water safety with ‘Yori’s Law’
Six months into Tacoma’s camping ban, providers say offers for services are met with more distrust

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
New railroad safety rules under debate after string of derailments across country
Washington congressman says fire destroyed ‘extraordinary crown jewel of our region’

KNKX Public Radio
More gay and bisexual men will now be able to donate blood under finalized FDA rules

KUOW Public Radio
The backlash over Seattle’s plan to reward drug users for staying clean
WA student learning suffered during Covid. Should we be doing more to fix the problem? (Pollet)

NW Public Radio
Washington ends COVID-19 vaccine requirements for state employees

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Decision on controversial Skagit gravel mine proposal delayed
9 sit in Whatcom County Jail without lawyers
Algae blooms accelerating North Cascades snowmelt
Opinion: Charging ahead: Imperatives for the electric vehicle revolution

Friday, May 12

WA lawmakers’ ‘year of housing’ could ease the affordability crisis
For years, proposals in the Washington Legislature to address the state’s dire housing availability and affordability crisis have withered and died in the face of opposition – even as the problem worsened. This year was different. On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed 10 housing bills into law. And although the governor’s ambitious $4 billion housing-bond proposal fell flat, lawmakers nonetheless put $1 billion into new state budgets geared at easing the affordability crisis, according to the Office of Financial Management. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Amanda Snyder)

Editorial: The way Washington schools kids in lockup is criminal
Washington spends an enormous amount of time and money wrestling with education — with varying success. This state sweats over what to pay for students with special needs, and where to be more equitable, and how to boost the number of kids going to college. But there is one group of students that inspires no action at all: Kids who are locked up. Only 14% of kids who spend time incarcerated ever graduate from high school, according to a state report issued five months ago. There is no debating where that number leads: to depressed wages, which means fewer taxpayer dollars, and increased spending on prisons or homelessness. Continue reading at Seattle Times.

Inslee Signs Most Comprehensive in the Nation Battery Recycling Bill That Addresses All Battery Types
Governor Jay Inslee signed a new law (SB 5144) May 11, 2023 that will provide battery recycling across Washington under a producer responsibility program. The bill begins the program by recycling small, portable primary and rechargeable batteries first starting January 1, 2027. Washington becomes the 10th jurisdiction to adopt a product stewardship program for batteries and is the most comprehensive. Most of the older laws only cover limited chemistries of batteries. In the last two years, Washington DC and California passed similar laws but are limited to regulating smaller, portable batteries. Washington’s law differs in that medium-sized batteries, such as those in e-bikes, scooters, and larger outdoor power equipment are also included. Continue reading at San Juan Islander.

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Capital Press
Forecasters: Strong El Nino may be on the horizon
Washington joins states seeking to dim wind turbine lights
Washington safety agency fines irrigation district $168,000

The Daily News
Washington flu deaths up tenfold from prior season

Everett Herald
Marysville schools serving layoff notices for up to 45 teachers
Islamic group wins permit battle south of Snohomish

News Tribune
Tacoma reappoints city manager. Here’s what they said about Elizabeth Pauli’s leadership

Olympian
Tacoma woman with TB continues to defy court orders. Will she ever be arrested?
Shelton High School goes into lockdown in ‘swatting’ incident Thursday morning
WA flu deaths 10 times higher this season than last, but similar to pre-COVID years

Peninsula Daily News
Jamestown receives $13M for psychiatric care facility
Timeline for reopening Hurricane Ridge Road expected in June
Hood Canal Bridge closures begin Saturday

Seattle Medium
Hot Pursuits In Seattle Not Permitted Without Training
Why “No Right Turn On Red” Is In Seattle’s Future

Seattle Times
Seattle-area cooling centers open ahead of unusually hot weather
WA high court reverses Black man’s conviction over racial bias in jury selection
National honors go to 2 WA schools for environmental innovation
Editorial: The way Washington schools kids in lockup is criminal (Callan)
Opinion: We all scream for capital gains tax dividends for working families

Washington Post
Who can donate blood? What to know about FDA’s new guidelines

Yakima Herald-Republic
‘Goldilocks’ weather means late, but possibly better, cherry harvest in the Yakima Valley

Broadcast

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington state sees most deadly flu season in 5 years, Department of Health says
Census study: 171,000 people plan to move away from King County in the next year

KNKX Public Radio
Washington’s freshman class of lawmakers — the largest in a long time — makes itself heard (Mena, Orwall)

KUOW Public Radio
Spokane’s Camp Hope is close to closing. What did it teach the region about homelessness?
Should we think of gun violence as a ‘disease’? These epidemiologists do

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Lummi Nation ends COVID-19 public health emergency
Locals ‘begging’ officials to fix Glacier Creek Road

Crosscut
WA lawmakers’ ‘year of housing’ could ease the affordability crisis (Bateman, Gregerson, Salomon, Trudeau, Heck, Taylor)

San Juan Islander
Inslee signs most comprehensive in the nation battery recycling bill that addresses all battery types (Stanford)

Washington Observer
A first-term lawmaker’s big year (Mena)

Thursday, May 11

The national COVID emergency is over. What does that mean in WA?
While most state and federal COVID proclamations have already lapsed, including masking and vaccination requirements, Thursday’s expiration of the nationwide public health emergency will further “end the flexibility” the government has for some COVID-aid efforts, according to Public Health — Seattle & King County. Other changes as the federal emergency ends include the country’s future supply of vaccine, treatments and testing. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

Yakima residents weigh in on new WA heat rules for outdoor workers, set to take effect in June
Yakima area business owners said they need more time to comply with new state requirements to protect people working outside in high temperatures, while advocates for workers said the changes are necessary, especially with hot weather in the forecast. The state heat rules for outdoor workers, which lay out requirements for breaks, shade and water provisions at high temperatures, are tentatively scheduled to begin on June 15. Continue reading at The Yakima Herald. (Evan Abell)

Editorial: Mental health isn’t driving Tacoma youth violence — but the system is failing our kids
The violence we see in our communities — and in particular the epidemic of youth violence that has recently rocked Tacoma — cannot be boiled down and attributed to simply a lack of “mental health” services. Whether it’s well-meaning elected officials doing the talking or those trying to score political points, applying a broad brush, in this case, is both dangerous and disingenuous. Equally true: Pierce County desperately needs a functional youth mental health system, one capable of serving the complex needs of kids and families in Tacoma and beyond. Continue reading at The News Tribune. (Dean J. Koepfler)