Ballot initiatives require public discussions; House Republicans double down on push for legislative hearings for initiatives.

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• WA’s snowpack languishes with little hope for the months ahead (The Seattle Times)
• Spokane’s water rates for customers outside city limits must be “just and reasonable,” court rules amid yearslong fight (The Spokesman-Review)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Biden administration names a director of the new AI Safety Institute (AP)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Unemployment benefit bill for strikers gets Washington House committee approval (The Center Square)
• House unanimously approves Spokane Valley lawmaker’s bill to expand state’s injured worker reimbursement program (KLCK Radio)
• Disabled and injured workers in Washington may receive additional state assistance (KHQ TV)
• 2 adult entertainment bills could influence change in lewd laws governing state bars (MyNorthwest)
• OPINION: Workers on strike in WA should not get unemployment benefits (Sen. Curtis King/The Seattle Times)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Will the cap-and-trade repeal initiative succeed? The markets might think so (The Center Square)

CONGRESS

• House vote fails in attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas (AP/The Oregonian)

COURTS (STATE)

• Washington gun retailer faces multimillion-dollar penalty for illegal sales: AG (FOX 13)
• Miguel Gaitan’s sentence reduced in 1993 murders of Outlook family (Yakima Herald-Republic)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Washington House unanimously approves Mosbrucker bill to protect domestic violence survivors from further abuse (KLCK Radio)

DRUG CRISIS

• ‘Worst drug threat I’ve seen’: Washington’s teen fentanyl overdoses double rate of U.S. average (KIRO TV)

EDUCATION

• High school financial literacy worth $110K in WA, says study (KONA Radio)
• Washington bill would limit student isolation and restraint (Axios – Seattle)
• Cough? Sore throat? More schools suggest mildly sick kids attend anyway (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Education podcast puts more eyes (and ears) on Seattle Public Schools (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Ban TikTok in school? Get rid of phones instead (Bloomberg News/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

ELECTIONS

• Bipartisan report seeks ways to counter extreme polarization that has created distrust in elections (AP)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Bill that would require AED’s in all fitness centers unanimously passes state Senate (KNDO/KNDU)
• Spokane Valley Fire Department sees record number of calls for medical emergencies in January (KXLY TV)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• ‘It’s a big unknown’: Chelan County PUD considers impacts of agreement between feds, states, tribes (The Wenatchee World)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Your Voices: The story behind the founder of Tacoma’s ‘hidden Black historical college’ (KIRO TV)

HOUSING

• Proposal to create state Housing Department heads to House floor for debate (Tri-City Herald)
• Bill aims to get property owners to convert vacant commercial spaces into housing (KONP Radio)
• Desperate for affordable housing, some cities sweeten tax breaks for developers (Stateline/Washington State Standard)
• Seattle social housing advocates want an ‘excess compensation’ tax (Crosscut)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Washington state Senate unanimously approves ban on hog-tying by police (AP)
• WA Senate passes bill that would ban hogtying by police (The Seattle Times)
• Washington Senate passes bill to ban hog-tying by police after death of Manuel Ellis (Washington State Standard)
• Flustered by OPB report, Vancouver police spent months trying to unearth sources (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Former Yakima police officer accused of raping a passed out teen in West Richland (Tri-City Herald)
• Protest interrupts groundbreaking for new Lacey police station, Thurston Sheriff says (The Olympian)

LEGISLATURE

• House Republicans double down on push for legislative hearings for initiatives (The Center Square)
• Washingtonians demand hearings on citizen initiatives (Washington State Journal/Columbia Basin Herald)
• Cutoff casualties (The Washington Observer)
• EDITORIAL: Ballot initiatives require public discussions (The Columbian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Pasco officials to discuss relationship with DPDA following critical state audit (The Center Square)

OTHER STATES

• Democrats split on charging public or timber industry for more of Oregon’s wildfire protection (Oregon Capital Chronicle/Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Oregon ‘right to repair’ bill draws conflicting reactions from big smartphone companies (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Farm Bureau, others sue California over emissions reporting (Capital Press)
• Why California legislators of both parties want to ban homeless encampments (CalMatters/Washington State Standard)

POLITICS

NATIONAL

• Ronna McDaniel, RNC chair, plans to step down (The Seattle Times)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Bullying at Frontier points toward frustrations for parents (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Othello High School placed on lockdown after social media threat (KHQ TV)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Foster parents demand change to law blamed for death of an infant (FOX 13)
• Foster parents call for improved child welfare laws in Washington (KING TV)
• Overdoses continue in state juvenile facility, despite governor’s insistence of ‘improvement’ (KING TV)
• Report: WA diverted $340M in federal COVID funds to immigrants via $1K checks (The Center Square)
• WA diverts federal COVID funds to non-citizens (KWHT Radio)
• New regional Ecology director David Bowen focused on water issues and more (Yakima Herald-Republic)

TRANSPORTATION

• Washington looks to put its most famous volcano on a specialty license plate (Washington State Standard)
• Rep. Jim Walsh: Washington Democrats want car tires to be more environmentally friendly, plan to restrict sales (KVI Radio)
• WSDOT crew member saves 4 people from fire on Blewett Pass (The Wenatchee World)
• Washington and Oregon buck trend of rising gas prices across U.S. (The Columbian)
• Federal watchdog says Boeing door plug blowout likely involved missing bolts (Axios – Seattle)
• Sound Transit link extension delayed until 2026 (KING TV)

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• ‘It’s just starting’: Inslee champions climate initiatives in Marysville (The Everett Herald)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• WA lawmakers propose grant to help homeowners rebuild after wildfires (The Spokesman-Review/The Seattle Times)
• Sparks from Inland Power light caused Gray fire, DNR investigation finds (The Spokesman-Review)