Balance of power in WA Legislature still in question; Seattle senator Pedersen to become new WA Senate majority leader

ABORTION

• Abortion access for 2 million women will be changing. Here’s how (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• WA businesses brace for curbs on immigration, trade under Trump 2.0 (The Seattle Times)
• Machinists return to work at an unsettled Boeing after 8-week strike (The Seattle Times)
• Uncertainty looms as Boeing prepares to issue layoff notices to 17K workers this week (KOMO TV)
• COLUMN: Earnings for Seattle tech workers hit record high (Gene Balk/The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Hundreds at Space Needle protest Trump, America’s rightward shift (The Seattle Times)
• Free diapers, insurance, teaching about farming. This Pierce County center helps families (The News Tribune)

CONGRESS

• Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era (AP)
• With Trump set to take power, Jayapal backtracks on ending filibuster (The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Gangs still plague the Puget Sound – especially among teens (KIRO TV)
• $2M bail set for ‘unprovoked’ mass stabbing suspect in Seattle (The Seattle Times)
• Teens flee police, then crash, killing 3 people in Everett (The Seattle Times)

DRUG CRISIS

• Medicaid funding for addiction treatment has not slowed national overdose deaths, OHSU study finds (Oregon Capital Chronicle/The Spokesman-Review)
• Belltown residents report rampant drug activity despite new SODA law (KOMO TV)
• COLUMN: Shocking response after man smoked drugs on Sound Transit (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

EDUCATION

• WA superintendent prepares for Trump education policies (The Seattle Times)
• USDA to halt school lunch processing fees for low-income families (FOX 13)
• Yondr pouches seal students’ cellphones away for the entire school day. Are they working? (The Seattle Times)
• Phone restrictions paying off at one WA school (Cascade PBS)
• Washougal school district lands on state’s ‘financial warning’ list (The Columbian)
• Moses Lake School District noncompliant with PE requirements (Columbia Basin Herald)

ENVIRONMENT

• Why does Thurston County want to help pay for dredging in Olympia’s West Bay? (The Olympian)
• Ecology updates amount of diesel spilled in derailment near Wallula (KWHT/KTEL/KWVN – Elkhorn Media)
• OPINION: A clear-cut is just one phase of a working forest (Ann Stinson, author and president of the Washington Farm Forestry Association/The Seattle Times)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Biden and Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House says (AP)
• Trump plans series of executive orders for Day 1, Susie Wiles tells donors (The Seattle Times)
• Trump expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

GUN RIGHTS

• Removing guns is a key suicide prevention strategy in WA (Cascade PBS)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Expect higher costs for your health care benefits next year (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Washington’s rural maternity wards are struggling to stay afloat (Washington State Standard)
• Study reveals alarming increase in young teens hospitalized for caffeine issues (KOMO TV)
• VMFH innovative food box pilot supports patients with diabetes, food insecurity (Kitsap Sun)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• What Trump’s election could mean for student debt in Washington (Axios – Seattle)
• Columbia Basin College gets ready to kick off construction of new $28M student housing (Tri-City Herald)

HOMELESSNESS

• Federal money helps homelessness agencies grow. Now, they face uncertainty (The Seattle Times)
• How has your view of homelessness changed? (The Seattle Times)
• Discovery Institute’s new homelessness plan for Seattle emphasizes treatment (The Center Square)

HOUSING

• Washington has the sixth-highest rents in the nation, according to Census data (The Columbian)
• What Seattle-area housing market should expect as Trump returns (The Seattle Times)
• ‘It’s meant to have a chilling effect’: Nondisclosure agreements in rental leases a concern in Clark County (The Columbian)

IMMIGRATION

• What Trump’s reelection means for immigrants in WA (The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Immigration policy: Where Democrats dropped the ball (Dale Kutzera, writer/The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: State officials right to prepare for Trump’s immigration plan (The Seattle Times)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Have a Holly Noxious Christmas? State board eyes un-jolly label for invasive greenery (KUOW Radio)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Three years later, no investigations started by WA police oversight group. What gives? (Investigate West/Tri-City Herald)
• SPD chief of staff suddenly resigns amid allegations of deceit, fueling speculation (KOMO TV)
• Seattle police officer suspended for violating overtime policy for 2nd time in 3 years (KING TV)
• Spokane C.O.P.S. potentially facing changes amid city’s $50 million budget deficit (KREM TV)
• Tacoma residents voice concerns about gunshot detection pilot program during public forum (KING TV)
• Wanted! More law enforcement officers (Columbia Basin Herald)

LEGISLATURE

• Seattle senator Pedersen to become new WA Senate majority leader (Washington State Standard)
• Jamie Pedersen of Seattle elected majority leader in WA Senate (Cascade PBS)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• The 20-year saga of the hole across from Seattle City Hall (Axios – Seattle)
• Seattle homeowners can expect to pay over $2,300 to city after new levy passes (The Center Square)
• Pierce County sheriff, executive might get bigger raises next year than first approved (The News Tribune)
• Everett council votes to increase penalties for wage theft (The Everett Herald)
• Lakewood pays $8 million to settle lawsuit over 2020 police killing (The Seattle Times)
• Layoffs coming to Olympia as city tackles $6.8 million budget deficit (The Olympian)
• Yakima Council looks at solutions for budget problems, including levy lid lift (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• OPINION: Seattle has enough money to fund important services without new taxes (Craig Schafer, owner of Seattle’s Hotel Andra and Inn at the Market, and Mike Stewart, executive director of the Ballard Alliance/The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Closing the gap: How my first proposed budget puts Spokane back on track (Lisa Brown, Spokane Mayor/The Spokesman-Review)

MEDIA

• Sequim radio station makes changes (KONP Radio)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Veterans honored at two state Capitol ceremonies Monday (The Olympian)
• Vietnam War’s ‘Dustoff’ crews to receive highest civilian honor (KING TV)
• New veterans memorial unveiled in Maple Valley (KING TV)
• 59th annual Veterans Day Parade in Auburn honors military members (KOMO TV)
• Regional Veterans Memorial ceremony celebrates 20th anniversary (Tri-City Herald)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon Democrats regain supermajority in state Senate but appear to fall short in House (The Oregonian)
• Portland’s ranked-choice debut causes voter engagement to crater; 1 in 5 who cast ballots chose no one for City Council (The Oregonian)

POLITICS

BALLOT MEASURES

• As country gets redder, Washington voters are getting bluer, showing potential support for an income tax, stricter climate regulations down the line (The Spokesman-Review)
• Let’s Go Washington goes 1-4 in November, but 4-3 overall (The Washington Observer)
• WA passes natural gas initiative; climate advocates plan lawsuit (The Seattle Times)
• Natural gas protection initiative approved by voters (The Center Square)
• EDITORIAL: Washington voters saved state’s landmark climate law at critical time (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Local, state initiatives result in few changes (Yakima Herald-Republic)

CONGRESS

• How many House seats are still undecided? GOP close to majority (FOX 13)
• Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez wins reelection in WA’s tight 3rd District race (FOX 13)
• Dan Newhouse defeats fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler in tight race to represent central Washington in the House (The Spokesman-Review)

ELECTIONS

• EDITORIAL: What Washington state’s results say about election (The Everett Herald)

LEGISLATURE

• Balance of power in WA Legislature still in question (The Seattle Times)
• Democrats on their way to grow their majority in Washington’s Legislature if current election results hold (The Spokesman-Review)
• Several Washington state legislative races still too close to call (The Center Square)
• An update on state Senate races (The Washington Observer)
• Vote counting continues in Clark County: Races in 17th and 18th Districts, county council District 4 still close (The Columbian)
• Election 2024: Muzzall increases lead in state Senate race (Axios – Seattle)

LOCAL

• School districts come up short on bond votes (The Washington Observer)
• Restaurants’ play on minimum wage in Everett fails (The Washington Observer)

STATE

• Rounding up the winners (The Washington Observer)
• And now for the losers, Part 1 (The Washington Observer)
• Why Washington state flags will be at half-staff on Tuesday (KING TV)
• COLUMN: Things different in Washington (Greg Jayne/The Columbian)

NATIONAL

• Republicans make major gains in control of state governments (Stateline.org/The Columbian)

PRIVACY

• You’re overexposed online. This service fixes 223 privacy settings for you. (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)

SPORTS

• Central Valley could be next school district to urge WIAA to change gender sports policy (KXLY TV)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Gov. Jay Inslee points to Climate Commitment Act as a success (MyNorthwest)
• Under Trump, WA can serve as a beacon of climate policy, Inslee says (The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Commissioner of Public Lands must manage DNR forests for all of WA, not just timber profits (Ashley Short, Policy Manager for Cascade Forest Conservancy, and Rachel Baker, Forest Program Director for Washington Conservation Action/The Olympian)

TAXES

• Seattle City Council to consider a city-level capital gains tax (Cascade PBS)

TRANSPORTATION

• Death toll on Washington state roads continues to rise (KIRO TV)
• Amazon Prime customers can now save money at WA gas stations. Here’s how it works (The News Tribune)
• Port taking public feedback on expansion of service at Bremerton National Airport (Kitsap Sun)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• ‘You can’t gangster a horse’ — Native youth connect with culture to break cycles of addiction. (Washington State Standard)
• Nooksack Tribe rejects housing counteroffer, moves to evict disenrolled Indigenous families (The Bellingham Herald)