Ferguson’s veto of HB 1108 raises questions about motive; Calls to change state law grow amid hunt for dad suspected of killing daughters

EDITORIAL: Ferguson’s veto of HB 1108 raises questions about motive

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin — Washington lawmakers sent 423 bills to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk this year and he signed every single one, except House Bill 1108, authored by Rep. Mark Klicker, which would seek to discover “the primary cost drivers for homeownership and rental housing” in Washington. Ferguson’s decision to veto HB 1108 seems like a deliberate and targeted rejection of bipartisan work on the current housing crisis … Leadership requires the willingness to confront inconvenient truths. Finding the factors driving the cost of housing is necessary, regardless of which political party benefits or suffers from such a discovery. $

Calls to change state law grow amid hunt for dad suspected of killing daughters

The Olympian — Couture plans to work on legislative solutions with his caucus and, he hopes, Democratic lawmakers. He emphasized striking the right balance between parental rights and protecting children. The Republican hopes state leaders will come to the table to pursue reasonable, rational reforms. “Let’s come to a compromise, let’s make it better than it is today, and let’s just keep working on it,” he said. “Let’s not take one thing and then sit in our silo, and think that works forever.” $

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• OPINION: We need more AI oversight, not less (Danica Noble, antitrust attorney and co-chair of the Washington State Bar Association Section on Antitrust, Consumer Protection, & Unfair Business Practices/The Seattle Times) $

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Average salary in Washington nears $100,000 a year (Washington State Standard)
• WA ranked No. 3 economy in U.S., but underemployment remains high (MyNorthwest)
• Washington grocery workers may strike following union vote (The Spokesman-Review) $
• COLUMN: Microsoft Build conference ditches Seattle over homelessness, open-air drug use (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
• EDITORIAL: Chicago didn’t ruin Boeing, but the company paid a price for moving out of Seattle (Chicago Tribune/The Seattle Times) $

CANNABIS

• A cannabis-focused learning academy provides professional industry education in partnership with a Seattle college (The Inlander)

CHILD CARE

• Washington removes regulatory barriers to open child care business (Kitsap Sun) $

CONGRESS

• As Washington Democratic lawmakers slam ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ NW Republicans back it while acknowledging imperfections (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Rep. Dan Newhouse talks CBO report on tax cuts and spending bill (KEPR TV)
• Senate Republicans revise ban on state AI regulations in bid to preserve controversial provision (AP)
• EDITORIAL: Newhouse’s Medicaid vote sells out constituents to appease MAGA (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Kids in adult jail? Here’s why Pierce County resorts to such difficult steps (The News Tribune) $

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Watch: WA Catholic Bishops ask feds to block child abuse confession law (The Center Square)
• What cases are left on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket? Here’s a look (AP)

COURTS (STATE)

• Judge dismisses lawsuit against state agencies for violating climate law (The Center Square)
• Eyman loses recall attempt against WA Secretary of State (The Center Square)
• Former Aberdeen City Councilor Riley T. Carter found guilty on all charges (The Daily World) $

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state (AP)
• Life inside the search zone for Travis Decker: ‘I don’t feel like my parents are safe’ (KING TV)
• Looking back at Capitol Hill Organized Protest 5 years later (KING TV)
• Court docs: Wi-Fi jammers used in Seattle athletes’ home invasions (FOX 13)

DATA CENTERS

• Wall Street is all in on AI data centers. But are they the next bubble? (The New York Times/The Spokesman-Review) $

DRUG CRISIS

• North Central Washington Drug Task Force faces shutdown amid loss of federal funding (KCLK Radio)

EDUCATION

• Class of 2025 shows increase in kids involved in extracurriculars in line with Spokane Public Schools’ efforts to engage (The Spokesman-Review) $
• OPINION: Parents aren’t the problem in Seattle Public Schools (Erin E. Combs, parent of a second-grader in Seattle Public Schools/The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: WA lawmakers sacrifice students’ futures for small savings (The Seattle Times) $

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Seattle residents’ fears rise as City Light struggles to fix streetlights (The Seattle Times) $
• Tri-Cities at rising risk for blackouts. But $100M Badger Canyon project draws concerns (Tri-City Herald) $
• Coal, gas plants were closing. Then Trump ordered them to keep running (The New York Times/The Seattle Times) $
• BLOG: Trump’s plan to bring back aluminum might conflict with the power needs of AI (Jim Camden/The Spokesman-Review) $
• COLUMN: Study sobering look at cost of electrification (Ann Donnelly/The Columbian) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Judge orders Trump administration to restore Americorps funding, including hundreds of thousands in Spokane area (The Spokesman-Review) $
• As Trump administration aims to boost mining, drilling and fishing, Spokane office dedicated to workers’ safety remains in jeopardy (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Trump’s executive order sparks concern among PNW loggers (KING TV)
• EDITORIAL: Trump-DOGE cuts don’t benefit Washington (The Columbian) $

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens in Washington and 6 other states (AP)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Valley Medical Center to end affiliation with UW Medicine (The Seattle Times) $

HIGHER EDUCATION

• UW says 33 criminal referrals made in campus occupation, but prosecutors dispute claim (KOMO TV)

HOMELESSNESS

• Spokane City Hall aims to overhaul city homelessness laws with June 16 vote (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Downtown businesses urge mayor to alter proposed ordinances meant to address homelessness in Spokane (KXLY TV)

HOUSING

• Hundreds tap WA help for people who faced housing discrimination (The Seattle Times) $
• Changes to Seattle’s renter laws likely to be proposed (The Seattle Times) $
• Seattle area’s apartment pipeline is drying up (Axios – Seattle)
• Land, mobile homes, city center condos see largest increases in value in Spokane County this year (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Are there any silver linings for the Thurston County home buyer? Yes, new data show (The Olympian) $
• East Vancouver tiny-home project offers ‘density with dignity’ (The Columbian) $
• Map: The ‘hidden’ cost of home ownership in each state for 2025 (FOX 13)
• OPINION: State’s Democrats overpromise, underdeliver on affordable-housing solutions (Sen. John Braun/The Chronicle)

IMMIGRATION

• Pierce County Sheriff wants to work with ICE. WA law says he can’t. Here’s why (The News Tribune) $

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Uncle Sam billboard off I-5 near Chehalis bought by local tribe (The Seattle Times) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• New WA agency investigating police deadly force incidents sees budget cuts (Washington State Standard)
• Washington State Patrol graduates 57 new troopers (The Reflector)
• Renewed calls for change in WA Amber Alert system after killing of Decker sisters (KOMO TV)

LEGISLATURE

• $4M rebuild planned for leaky pedestrian tunnel on WA Capitol campus (Washington State Standard)
• OPINION: In final budget, legislators missed opportunities to better invest in Spokane and the state (Lacrecia “Lu” Hill, community engagement and strategy director at Empire Health Foundation/The Seattle Times) $

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Oak Harbor council debates flag ‘inclusivity’ (Whidbey News-Times) $

MILITARY & VETERANS

• WA Gov. Ferguson activates National Guard in search for Travis Decker (FOX 13)
• ‘How dare they make us fight for what we have earned’: Veterans rally in Vancouver to protest planned cuts (The Columbian) $

OTHER STATES

• Oregon education accountability bill passes Senate. What’s next? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Oregon 14-year-old accused in mass shooting plot got enmeshed in violent online network ‘764′ (The Oregonian) $
• National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles on Trump’s orders to quell immigration protests (AP)

PARKS

• Restoring access to this part of Mount Rainier could cost up to $785 million (The News Tribune) $

SPORTS

• Montlake Futures hands NIL reins to UW athletics after House settlement (The Seattle Times) $
• Athletes express concern over impact of $2.8 billion NCAA settlement on non-revenue sports (KING TV)
• “I think it’s worth it”: Spokane Valley transgender athlete reflects on track and field career amidst criticism (KXLY TV)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Sex offense treatment limited at McNeil Island detention center (The Seattle Times) $
• Washington State Library closing to the public, 12 jobs getting axed (Washington State Standard)

TRANSPORTATION

• Washington’s work zone speed camera program continues rollout (FOX 13)
• King County ramps up traffic patrols to combat spike in summer driving deaths (The Center Square)
• Vancouver saw a record 15 traffic deaths in 2024, while the state saw a decrease (The Columbian) $
• Gov. Ferguson to discuss North Spokane Corridor progress at June 9 event (KHQ TV)
• Spokane secures state funds for many projects, including finishing the North Spokane Corridor (KREM TV)
• Getting There: With no helmet law on the books, ER doc notices increase in bicycle injuries (The Spokesman-Review) $

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Northwest tribes: Treaties mean Trump can’t ax salmon funding (KUOW Radio)
• ‘We are resilient’: Yakama Nation celebrates Treaty Days (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

WATER

• Northwest soils continue to dry out (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
• Reclamation drops water availability again (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
• State declares drought emergency for parts of Snohomish County (The Everett Herald) $
• State expands drought emergency. Here’s what it means to Whatcom County (The Bellingham Herald) $

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Stehekin still stands after 2024 Pioneer Fire (The Wenatchee World) $
• EDITORIAL: WA’s wildfire cameras lack a live public feed. That needs to change (The Seattle Times) $

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