Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead; Nation’s report card: WA student achievement gaps widen, Covid struggles continue

Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead

AP — All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday. At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

Nation’s report card: WA student achievement gaps widen, Covid struggles continue

KUOW Radio — The results from the latest “nation’s report card” are out — and it’s not pretty for Washington state. Washington students have not bounced back from the vast academic declines of the pandemic, and the state’s achievement gaps are worsening, according to 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores released Wednesday.

AGRICULTURE

• Could cow burps and farts be taxed under the Climate Commitment Act? (MyNorthwest)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Seattle’s stand-out salaries (Axios – Seattle)

CHILD CARE

• WA child care advocates push for higher pay and more support for providers (Washington State Standard)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• ‘Kinship placements’ help reduce the number of foster youth that went missing in Western Washington in 2024 (The Columbian) $

COURTS (STATE)

• COLUMN: Activist judges would have right to release any violent criminal they want to with new bill (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Drivers eluding police could face stricter bail under proposed bill (KING TV)
• Outraged Spokane police chief calls for change after 13-year-old’s shooting death: ‘Our children are dying’ (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Suspect arrested in connection with Jan. 16 stabbing of Everett boy (The Everett Herald) $

DAMS

• Kennewick Senator Matt Boenke joins lawmakers in push to keep the lower Snake River dams operational (KNDO/KNDU)

EDUCATION

• Nation’s Report Card reveals a math problem in WA (The Seattle Times) $
• Nation’s Report Card: Oregon, Washington test scores mostly down (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• A bipartisan plan to reduce chronic absenteeism (The Washington Observer) $
• Greater Spokane Inc. hosts first-of-its-kind regional K-12 public education summit to discuss issues facing local school districts (The Inlander)
• Staffing, program cuts possible again for Bellingham schools as $15M shortfall looms (The Bellingham Herald) $
• Camas school board approves substantial budget cuts in light of ‘financial emergency’ (The Columbian) $
• EDITORIAL: Study student absenteeism, devise solutions (The Columbian) $

ELECTIONS

• WA lawmakers consider overhaul of local elections with ranked choice voting option (The Center Square)

ENVIRONMENT

• Protecting the depths: Bull kelp could become WA’s state marine forest (FOX 13)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusion (AP)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington’s hospital system is financially ‘fragile’ despite improvements (KUOW Radio)
• Washington legislators consider universal health care (Columbia Basin Herald) $

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Bill in WA Senate would abolish The Evergreen State College, turn it into a UW campus (The Olympian) $
• EDITORIAL: Make selection of state university presidents transparent (The Seattle Times) $

HOUSING

• Lot-splitting gains some asterisks (The Washington Observer) $
• A fight over taxing short-term rentals for affordable housing (The Washington Observer) $
• Local Republican lawmaker says state should eliminate hurdles for building kit homes (The Chronicle)
• State senator introduces bill to ease housing shortage with kit homes (KEPR TV)
• Spokane Point-In-Time count initial data reveals urgent need for affordable housing (KREM TV)
• Affordability is top of mind for Clark County builders and homebuyers amid high interest rates and low inventory (The Columbian) $

IMMIGRATION

• What to know about immigration in WA as Trump issues executive orders (The Seattle Times) $
• School Districts across Western Washington wary of potential ICE raids (KIRO TV)
• What happens if ICE agents show up at Seattle schools (Axios – Seattle)
• Tacoma PD reaffirms immigration policy, says it has no agreements with ICE (The News Tribune) $
• Mayor of Grandview addresses immigration enforcement in letter (KNDO/KNDU)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Gardening: Changing climate brings new pests to gardens (The Spokesman-Review) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• More officers hired, fewer shots fired: Seattle interim Police Chief Rahr optimistic as she exits (KUOW Radio)
• Tacoma police union reacts to chief’s sudden resignation amid absence accusations (KOMO TV)

LEGISLATURE

• WA legislators consider restrictions on outside state militias (FOX 13)
• Washington lawmaker’s push to make clergy mandatory reporters, including in confession (KIRO TV)
• Washington Democrats want the state to control your body, but not the Northern border (KVI Radio)
• Local lawmakers fight proposal to close Yakima Valley School near Selah (Yakima Herald-Republic) $
• Elementary students travel to Olympia to discuss pollutants in Spokane River (The Spokesman-Review) $

LGBTQ+

• What changes for LGBTQ+ rights, resources under Trump? A 2025 guide for Washingtonians (Tri-City Herald) $
• City Council declares Olympia the state’s first sanctuary city for trans and queer people (The Olympian) $

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Countywide fire and police leaders convene in outcry against bill to divert some county taxes to city (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Spokane Valley agrees to $11.75 million settlement with contractors who built sinking City Hall (The Spokesman-Review) $

MEDIA

• News at what cost? WA bill pits journalists against higher education funding (The Center Square)
• COLUMN: Incredible support for Washington bill for local journalism (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: Bipartisan bill would help us better serve you (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

OTHER STATES

• COLUMN: Keep an eye on the MAGA lab to WA’s right (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times) $

PARKS

• Canada ends border crossing permit for hikers on Washington stretch of Pacific Crest Trail (The Bellingham Herald) $

POLITICS

STATE

• Democrats keep winning in Washington but there’s division over the reasons why (Washington State Standard)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit from Trump after Jan. 6 suspension (AP)

SPORTS

• Central Washington lawmaker, WIAA propose changes to trans student participation in school sports (KNDO/KNDU)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• WA Gov. Ferguson appoints Brian Rybarik to lead Utilities and Transportation Commission (The Olympian) $

TECHNOLOGY

• Microsoft probing If DeepSeek-linked group improperly obtained OpenAI data (Bloomberg/The Spokesman-Review) $

TRANSPORTATION

• C-Tran board agrees to reconsider light rail financing for I-5 Bridge replacement (The Columbian) $
• $45 million EV rebate program exhausted by high-income earners (The Center Square)
• Sea-Tac airport broke its passenger volume record in 2024 (The Center Square)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Wildfire risk increasing in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee areas (The Wenatchee World) $
• EDITORIAL: Public lands policies a blueprint for fire mitigation (The Columbian) $