How unfinished housing reform business will spill into WA’s 2024 legislative session; School officials urge state to extend emergency graduation waiver

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• A new apple is headed to Washington orchards, with a naming contest planned in 2024 (Yakima Herald-Republic)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Boeing shifts policy, wants all employees back in the office full time (The Seattle Times)
• Starbucks accused by a second union of bargaining in bad faith (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)
• Experts weigh in on why several Spokane restaurants are closing their doors (KHQ TV)
• Sila Nanotechnologies signs agreement with Panasonic (The Spokesman-Review)
• OPINION: Kroger and Albertsons want to merge. We work there. This is all about greed (Candi Williams is a grocery store worker at a Fred Meyer store in Federal Way; and Kim Bristlin is a grocery store worker at a Safeway store in Newport, Washington/The News Tribune)

CANNABIS

• More older Washingtonians are using cannabis (Axios – Seattle)

CONGRESS

• House votes to ban U.S. imports of Russian uranium; Senate action urged (The Center Square)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• The Supreme Court will rule on limits on a commonly used abortion medication (AP)
• Supreme Court will hear a case that could undo Capitol riot charge against hundreds, including Trump (AP)

COURTS (STATE)

• Defense of three Tacoma Police officers begin closing arguments (The News Tribune)
• Manuel Ellis ‘created his own death,’ Tacoma officer’s defense argues (The Seattle Times)
• ‘You’re pushing the boundaries. Don’t push it any further,’ judge warns prosecution in Ellis case (FOX 13)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• ‘More work to be done’: Seattle’s plans to curb record homicide rates next year (The Center Square)
• Five suspects use AR-15 to rob Seattle U students, escaped pursuing police (MyNorthwest)
• Lynnwood mother dies weeks after shooting spree that killed 3, injured 1 (The Everett Herald)
• Clarkston man found guilty of trying to meet minors for sex – including after he bailed out of jail for first offense (The Spokesman-Review)

CYBERSECURITY

• Lawsuit accuses Fred Hutch, UW Medical Center and more of failing to protect data amid breach (KOMO TV)

DAMS

• Leaked documents on Snake River dams leads to congressional hearing (NW News Network)
• OPINION: Take out dams and keep the Snake River salmon’s last, best place (Chris Wood worked on the roadless rule for the Forest Service and is now president and CEO of Trout Unlimited/The Seattle Times)

DRUG CRISIS

• Seattle’s ‘Blake Fix’ is leading jail diversion program to max capacity (The Center Square)

EDUCATION

• School officials urge state to extend emergency graduation waiver (Washington State Standard)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Project highlights concerns of communities along Duwamish River (KING TV)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• OPINION: Climate justice in WA is not served by rejecting natural gas (Rob McKenna, former Washington Attorney General and legal and policy adviser to UCONS, LLC, and Tom Eckhart, founder and CEO of UCONS, LLC/The Seattle Times)

ENVIRONMENT

• $1 million EPA grant will focus on nitrate and air quality awareness in the Lower Valley (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• More than 30,000 gallons of gas spill after pipeline leaks in Skagit Co. (MyNorthwest)
• OPINION: Dishonesty or incompetence, either way we can’t trust what we are told on state climate policy (Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center/The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: Democrat bill would jail people using gas-powered leaf blowers (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

FISH

• Rep. Jim Walsh says culvert removal project is ‘out of control’ after latest estimate puts price tag at $7.8 billion (The Chronicle)
• New salmon habitat created by melting glaciers could be threatened by mining claims, study finds (The Seattle Times)

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• Food insecurity increasing above supply and donations at Kitsap food banks (Kitsap Sun)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• State lacks Spanish-speaking nurses; for Everett student, it’s personal (The Everett Herald)
• Nurses demand change at Seattle Children’s (FOX 13)
• EDITORIAL: State health grants are life-savers for county (Yakima Herald-Republic)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• 1 killed, 2 hospitalized by suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at The Evergreen State College (The Olympian)
• FAFSA changes create delays for students seeking to apply for financial aid at Washington State University Vancouver, Clark College, other schools (The Columbian)
• Sibling whiz kids are two of the youngest students at Everett Community College (FOX 13)

HOMELESSNESS

• Spokane lawmaker calls for more accountability of homeless services funding (The Center Square)
• ‘A road to home’: Thrive 2 Survive to provide staffing, case management to people living at Vancouver’s Safe Parking Zone (The Columbian)

HOUSING

• How unfinished housing reform business will spill into WA’s 2024 legislative session (KUOW Radio)
• Rights without a remedy: Washington law creates dilemma for low-income renter at mobile home park on Highway 99 (The Columbian)
• Chelan Douglas counties need 17,000 new homes in next 20 years (KPQ Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• A year into crisis, Tukwila church struggles as 500 asylum-seekers face winter (The Seattle Times)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Winter brings change for several species in the Walla Walla Valley (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• AT&T sues the city of Walla Walla in federal court over cell tower permit denial (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Pierce County deputies shoot DUI suspect after pursuit (FOX 13)
• Man arrested after King Co. detective made false statements gets $225,000 settlement (MyNorthwest)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle mayor to sign new building emissions policy into law Wednesday (KOMO TV)
• King County settles lawsuit filed over problematic search warrant in homicide investigation (The Seattle Times)
• After relationship with mayor, Everett deputy mayor quietly resigns (The Everett Herald)
• Ethics complaint alleges Bellevue city staffer tried to ‘steer’ bike project (The Center Square)
• Kenmore City Council votes against an affordable housing building (KING TV)
• Bellingham approves resolution regarding a ceasefire in Gaza. Here’s what it says (The Bellingham Herald)

OPEN GOVERNMENT

• State agency had its own ‘legislative privilege’ policy in place to shield certain records (The Olympian)
• It’s been a tough year for legislative transparency in Washington (Crosscut)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon State Hospital still in danger of losing federal funding; must make more safety improvements when transferring patients (The Oregonian)
• EDITORIAL: Addressing Portland’s problems will reverberate (The Columbian)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Child at Auburn school finds jar of cocaine on playground, tastes powder (KIRO TV)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Nearly 1 in 5 teens use TikTok, YouTube ‘almost constantly,’ survey finds (FOX 13)

TRANSPORTATION

• Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm is leaving (The Seattle Times)
• Failing to follow chain requirements while traveling on WA passes can result in $500 fine (The News Tribune)

WILDLIFE

• WA man hunted eagles in illegal ‘killing spree,’ U.S. says (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)