Washington Supreme Court considers caseload cuts as Yakima County struggles with attorney shortage; Paid family and medical leave premiums to increase in Washington by 2025

AGRICULTURE

• WSDA: Migratory birds spreading avian influenza (Capital Press)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• AI-generated images are the next frontier in the battle against child sexual abuse (AP/KING TV)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• U.S. applications for jobless benefits fall, but continuing claims rise to highest level since 2021 (AP)
• Boeing Machinists return to the picket line after rejecting contract (The Everett Herald)
• What will it take for Boeing and the machinists union to overcome their ‘waiting game’? (KUOW Radio)
• How an extended strike hurts Boeing’s comeback (Axios – Seattle)
• COLUMN: Return to office is an experiment where Seattle is at the forefront (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)

CHILD CARE

• Seattle to distribute retention bonuses to child care workers next spring (The Center Square)

CONGRESS

• U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer accepts position with Rockefeller Foundation (KONP Radio)

COURTS (STATE)

• Washington Supreme Court considers caseload cuts as Yakima County struggles with attorney shortage (KAPP/KVEW)
• Kittitas County judge reportedly threatened with bow and arrow (KPQ Radio)
• How Fall City mass shooting suspect’s age will complicate court process (The Seattle Times)
• 15-year-old accused of killing his Fall City family tried to frame brother, investigators say (KUOW Radio)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Man convicted of 1987 Spokane murder could be released as an old man under state’s resentencing rules (The Spokesman-Review)
• Hosmer businesses hire security company to move people off private property amid public safety issues (KING TV)
• A cycle of abuse (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Grant County has a gang problem, but parents can protect children, police say (Columbia Basin Herald)

EDUCATION

• Washington education funding concerns, solutions discussed by state leaders (KNDO/KNDU)
• New grad requirements and ‘mastery based learning’ among priorities for Washington Education Board (The Center Square)
• Four Seattle schools up for closure revealed (KUOW Radio)
• Family of student denied right to graduate in tribal regalia takes legal action against Tacoma Public Schools (KING TV)

ELECTIONS

• Police and poll workers train for possible election threats (NPR/Oregon Public Broadcasting)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Firefighter falls from balcony while battling Everett house fire (The Everett Herald)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Gov. Inslee and Rep. Mosbrucker cut ribbon on Klickitat Valley Health fuel cell installation (KCLK Radio)

ENVIRONMENT

• EPA toughens requirements to remove lead paint dust around children (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Let’s reexamine the ties between public forests and public services in Washington (Tye Menser, Thurston County commissioner, Kaylee Galloway, Whatcom County Council member, Megan Dunn; Snohomish County Council/The Seattle Times)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Biden tries again at student loan cancellation, this time for those with financial hardships (AP)

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• Frozen waffle recall over listeria concerns expanded: see the product list (FOX 13)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• CDC confirms two people in Washington infected with bird flu (Washington State Standard)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WWU enrollment rates rise for the first time since COVID-19 pandemic (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
• Wenatchee Valley College president responds to NCWLIFE investigation (NCW Life Channel)

HOMELESSNESS

• Tacoma businesses hire security to sweep encampment (KIRO TV)

HOUSING

• Average mortgage rate rises again to highest level in nearly three months (AP)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Tacoma Police Deputy Chief Paul Junger placed on administrative leave, sources tell TNT (The News Tribune)
• Tacoma Deputy Police Chief Paul Junger placed on administrative leave (FOX 13)
• Clark County officials warn more police in Vancouver could lead to budget crunch (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• More budget woes for Seattle as revenue forecast drops $48.6 million (The Center Square)
• Spokane mayor finalizes cabinet, creates new sustainability position (The Center Square)
• Centralia City Council approves property tax increase to address $1.2 million budget deficit (The Chronicle)
• Walla Walla County commissioners reject sheriff’s plan to fund traffic deputies (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

MENTAL HEALTH

• WSDH: King County mental health counselor suspended after alleged romantic relationship with patient (KIRO TV)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Report: Washington budget faces $5 billion lawmaker-created shortfall next biennium (The Center Square)

OTHER STATES

• Rain, humidity have sealed some mail-in ballot return envelopes shut, Oregon elections officials say (AP)
• Just four people served in first seven days of drug deflection center in Oregon’s largest county (The Oregonian)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Seattle Public Schools appoints new security leadership amid safety concerns (FOX 13)
• Victims of Marysville Pilchuck school shooting remembered 10 years later (The Seattle Times)
• Parents claim their nonverbal son was assaulted by a paraeducator at this Tacoma school (The News Tribune)

SPORTS

• Sequim’s Peterson to sing at World Series on Saturday (Peninsula Daily News)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Paid family and medical leave premiums to increase in Washington by 2025 (KHQ TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Modifying mufflers to be louder is illegal in Washington, but enforcement is difficult (The Columbian)

WEATHER & CLIMATEThe ‘Big Dark’: How Washingtonians weather the gloom & gray (Cascade PBS)