Flags to fly at half-staff in Washington to honor those killed in Israel attacks; Washington’s long road to replacing the gas tax

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Cattle seeing high market prices, low herd average (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Seattle reservoirs continue to drop as call continues to conserve water (FOX 13)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Months after WA employers required to share pay info, a flood of lawsuits (The Seattle Times)
• IRS says Microsoft may owe more than $29 billion in back taxes; Microsoft disagrees (AP)
• OPINION: Biden’s lease cancellations hurt Washington state (Don C. Brunell, former president of Association of Washington Business/The Chronicle)

CENSUS

• COLUMN: People without college degrees increasingly rare in Seattle (Gene Balk/The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Seattle community unites in prayer and support for Israel amid escalating conflict (KOMO TV)
• Washington’s birth rate has fallen 22% since 2007 (Axios – Seattle)
• Pandemic prompts surge in children living with grandparents, WSU study reveals (KOMO TV)

CONGRESS

• Republicans nominate Steve Scalise to be House speaker and will try to unite before a floor vote (AP)
• House Republicans nominate Scalise for speaker, but his confirmation remains uncertain (The Spokesman-Review)
• Newhouse puts forth bill to halt grizzly plan (NCW Life Channel)

COURTS (STATE)

• Defense cross-examines witness who saw part of Manuel Ellis’ fatal encounter with police (The News Tribune)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Marysville targets repeat criminal offenders with new ordinance (FOX 13)
• ‘Not if, when’: First responders in Snohomish train for mass shooting (The Everett Herald)
• Washington State Patrol investigating fake jewelry selling scams in Eastern Washington (Yakima Herald-Republic)

DRUG CRISIS

• Clallam County coroner: OD deaths are among worst in state (Peninsula Daily News)

EDUCATION

• WA Board of Education sets its priorities for next legislative session (Washington State Standard)
• ‘Please don’t break our hearts,’ Seattle parents, teachers protest widespread classroom shuffles (KUOW Radio)
• ‘Absolute heartbreak’: Parents, students try to save Seattle teachers’ jobs as SPS makes cuts (MyNorthwest)
• ‘We work just as hard’: Everett paraeducators rally for fair wages (MyNorthwest)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Commerce eyes energy standard updates for EV chargers, some appliances (The Center Square)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% in 2024 as inflation moderates (The Seattle Times)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• OPINION: Health care providers must lead the way in preventing prescription drug misuse (Dr. Ettore Palazzo, Quality Medical Director at EvergreenHealth and the chair of the Washington State Hospital Association’s Safety and Quality Committee/The Olympian)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WWU sees uptick in enrollment for 2023 (KGMI Radio)

HOMELESSNESS

• King County homelessness authority layoffs result in housing instability (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: One failed homelessness program shouldn’t be an indictment of them (Shalimar Gonzales, CEO of Solid Ground/The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Cities around the Puget Sound are taking different approaches to homelessness (Mark Harmsworth, Washington Policy Center/The Chronicle)

HOUSING

• Can my HOA do that? A guide to homeowners association regulations in Washington state (The Olympian)
• Spokane Valley Mass Timber pitches eco-friendly, easy-to-build townhomes (KXLY TV)

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

• Seattle pays $1.9M to woman who says police officer raped her as a minor, decades ago (KUOW Radio)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Resolution to rename Everett roadway after fallen officer unanimously approved (KING TV)
• Pierce deputy stalked his wife, trashed their home. He’s been fired, is headed to prison (The News Tribune)

LGBTQ

• Where did the money go? Tacoma LGBTQ center sues county AIDS agency over missing $200K (The News Tribune)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County threatens cuts to $511M budget in 2025 if state keeps tax cap (The Center Square)
• Cowlitz social programs, drug court in limbo as officials eye tax cuts (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

LONG-TERM CARE

• OPINION: Workers have little interest in state ‘solutions,’ as few opt into PFML, WA Cares (Elizabeth Hovde, Washington Policy Center/The Chronicle)

MEDIA

• This Redmond radio station is helping fill the Spanish-language news gap (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Free Press roundup: Buyer saves Seattle Gay News, Washington Post staff cuts (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times)

OTHER STATES

• State and local governments have billions left to spend in pandemic aid (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Another Oregon county joins appeal of Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion (Capital Press)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Court documents: 14-year-old says he made threats against Spokane schools as joke (The Spokesman-Review)

SPORTS

• No, you’re not alone. Many are frustrated by Xfinity’s upcharging ROOT Sports (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: A violent late hit broke a kid’s jaw. We deserve more than hot air and excuses (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Flags to fly at half-staff in Washington to honor those killed in Israel attacks (The Center Square)
• WA agreement would require access to trans health care in prison (The Seattle Times)
• Washington prisons agree to changes for treatment of transgender persons (MyNorthwest)
• Larch Corrections Center layoffs postponed for a few more days; next step is the Washington appeals court (The Columbian)
• Gov. Jay Inslee to make several stops during Thursday Spokane County visit (KREM TV)

TAXES

• Washington’s long road to replacing the gas tax (Washington State Standard)

TRANSPORTATION

• How a series of air traffic control lapses nearly killed 131 people (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Yakima Nation will receive $4 million in grants for river cleanup efforts (KNDO/KNDU)

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• Vancouver to use $300K grant to employ youth to plant trees, fight climate change (Columbia Basin Herald)