Overdose deaths rose in Washington as they fell nationwide; Washington state crime data not good compared to national average

AGRICULTURE

• Ex-ambassador: ‘Ag is suffering,’ national strategy needed (Capital Press)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• The number of Americans filing for jobless aid falls to lowest level in 4 months (AP)
• Fewer Washington residents have delinquent debt than national average (Washington State Standard)
• Boeing and union negotiators set to meet for contract talks 2 weeks into worker strike (AP)
• Boeing, Machinists back at the negotiating table as strike enters third week (The Seattle Times)
• NTSB issues urgent safety alert after Boeing 737 rudder failure (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Keeping Portland weird, for all its charm, exacted an economic price (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Biden signs temporary funding bill that avoids a shutdown before the election (AP)
• Exclusive: New bill in Congress bans private landlords from using NDAs in military housing (KIRO TV)
• Congress members press Biden for intelligence briefing, independent investigation of Seattleite’s killing by Israeli forces (KUOW Radio)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Tri-Cities man escaped juvenile detention, then went on 3-month crime spree (Tri-City Herald)

COURTS (STATE)

• Washington Supreme Court is told cutting public defender caseloads could incite ‘vigilante’ justice (Washington State Standard)
• State settles with family of Evergreen student who died of carbon monoxide poisoning for $25M (KING TV)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Washington state crime data not good compared to national average (The Center Square)
• Youth crime soars in King County, probation counselors struggle to keep up (FOX 13)

CYBERSECURITY

• Seattle Public Library to spend $1M on response to ransomware attack (The Seattle Times)

DRUG CRISIS

• Overdose deaths rose in Washington as they fell nationwide (Axios – Seattle)
• Spokane Board of Health weighs opioid treatment outsourcing amid testy debate (The Spokesman-Review)
• Suspected fentanyl dealer arrested in connection to larger investigation by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
• Local K9 teams become fentanyl-detection certified (Lynden Tribune)

EDUCATION

• Marysville parents frustrated as district pauses swim program (The Everett Herald)

ELECTIONS

• U.S. lawmakers’ concerns about mail ballots are fueled by other issues with mail service (AP)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• EFSEC hears landowner support for solar project (Capital Press)
• As oil tanker sailings swell by 700%, local spill response group cuts staff, sells vessel (KONP Radio)

ENVIRONMENT

• Sending glass to landfill: Tacoma to temporarily halt glass recycling program (KIRO TV)
• OPINION: Sustaining old growth requires active stewardship (Nick Smith, public affairs director for the American Forest Resource Council/The Seattle Times)

FISH

• Olympia is looking for your input on a salmon migration plan (KPQ Radio)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington Orthopaedic Center surgeon elected president of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (The Chronicle)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• With $6 million in pledged support, EWU shifts focus back to Roos Field upgrades (The Spokesman-Review)
• Yakima School District joins forces with CWU and YVC to smooth path for college credit (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• Pacific Northwest University to reveal new dental school building Sept. 28 (KNDO/KNDU)

HOMELESSNESS

• Federal judge dismisses King County homelessness lawsuit against Burien (The Seattle Times)
• Bellevue’s homeless Safe Parking program expected to continue beyond pilot year (The Center Square)
• COLUMN: Seattle encampments being cut by two-thirds seems like a big deal (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

HOUSING

• Seattle council paves the way for micro-apartments in the city (KING TV)
• OPINION: Bellingham’s proposed pet-friendly housing ordinance would protect four-legged families (Susan Riggs, senior director of housing policy ASPCA, and Laura Clark, executive director of Whatcom Humane Society/The Bellingham Herald)

IMMIGRATION

• Asylum seekers who’d been living in King County tent camp now housed at Tacoma hotel (The News Tribune)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore placed on administrative leave. City provides no reason (The News Tribune)
• Tacoma police chief placed on leave, and city won’t say why (The Seattle Times)
• Thurston sheriff defends pursuit policies after Tuesday chase ended in two-vehicle wreck (The Olympian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Looming cuts to King County Assessor’s Office could lead to workload breaking point (The Center Square)
• Commissioner Mary Kuney says Spokane County’s ‘building the future’ in state of the county address (The Spokesman-Review)
• Spokane County projects 1% sales tax growth for 2025, failing to reach 2024 goal (The Center Square)
• Spokane Valley opts not to provide councilmember an attorney at taxpayers expense (The Center Square)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Suicide rates in U.S. remain at very high levels, preliminary numbers show (AP)
• Snohomish County’s health leaders ponder fixes for mental health crisis (The Everett Herald)

OTHER STATES

• California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again (NPR/Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• OPINION: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s plan to suffocate Oregon’s economy (John A. Charles Jr., president and CEO, Cascade Policy Institute/Capital Press)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• 14-year-old girl arrested after she’s accused of threatening a middle school in Prosser (Tri-City Herald)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Department of Ecology isn’t meeting cleanup requirements at Camp Bonneville, says state auditor (The Columbian)
• Video: Labor & Industries interpreters file wage-theft suit (Cascade PBS)

TRANSPORTATION

• WSDOT said this is the biggest weekend for road closures. Here’s what roads will be closed (KING TV)
• Three shipyards show interest in building an electric ferry, but only one is in state (The Seattle Times)
• Our story on WA ferry line-cutters fueled hundreds of passionate perspectives (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Focus on WA ferries’ greener future, while keeping today’s fleet moving (The Seattle Times)

WATER

• Vancouver aims to raise $210M to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from drinking water (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

Long Hollow Fire in Whitman County growing to 3,000 acres (The Lewiston Tribune)

USDA awards millions for western wildfire reduction projects (Capital Press)