In WA and beyond, a child care crisis is holding parents back; ‘SPD is dying’: What Seattle police officers are saying during exit interviews

AGRICULTURE

• New deal puts 2 of WA state’s largest wine producers back in Washington hands (Tri-City Herald)
• Taters for the taking: Droves flock to the mound of free potatoes ditched by the Hutterites (The Spokesman-Review)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Spurred by teen girls, states move to ban deepfake nudes (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Big Tech is in hot seat this week to deliver on AI promises (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Kroger, Albertsons — still hoping to merge — agree to sell more stores to satisfy regulators (AP)
• Walmart to pay nearly $190K after investigation into possible gig worker violations (The Center Square)

CHILD CARE

• In WA and beyond, a child care crisis is holding parents back (AP/The Seattle Times)
• America’s child care crisis is holding back moms without college degrees (AP)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• EDITORIAL: EBT program a boon for kids’ nutrition this summer (The Everett Herald)

CONGRESS

• EDITORIAL: Decade after Oso, Congress must not ignore landslide risk (The Seattle Times)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• With homelessness on the rise, the Supreme Court weighs bans on sleeping outdoors (AP)
• Supreme Court appears to lean toward allowing local restrictions on homeless encampments (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)
• Starbucks takes on the federal labor agency before the US Supreme Court (AP)
• Red Robin to pay $600K for harassment at Everett location (The Everett Herald)
• OPINION: Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass case shouldn’t penalize homelessness (Lauren McGowan, executive director of LISC Puget Sound/The Seattle Times)

COURTS (STATE)

• Can intensive support in court keep people from re-offending? Tacoma is giving it a go (The News Tribune)
• Jury acquits Vancouver police Officer Andrea Mendoza in misdemeanor assault trial (The Columbian)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Missing child alert issued after W. Richland murders. Victims ID’d as ex-wife, girlfriend (Tri-City Herald)

DRUG CRISIS

• Kroger to pay $47.5 million to Washington state to combat fentanyl crisis (KOMO TV)

EDUCATION

• Toppenish School District cutting staff, reducing salaries due to budget shortfall (KNDO/KNDU)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Richland’s Chamna Preserve earthquake unusual for this area. Here’s how it was different (Tri-City Herald)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• New federal funds will help thousands in Washington get solar power for free (Washington State Standard)
• Senators Cantwell, Murray endorse EPA’s Solar for All program (KPQ Radio)
• Washington council approves wind farm near the Tri-Cities, slashing turbine numbers (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• Elma gas plant property value drops by $52M (The Daily World)

ENVIRONMENT

• Styrofoam, packaging with PFAS will be banned in Washington this summer. What that means for consumers (KING TV)
• Volunteers celebrate Earth Day with Puget Sound beach cleanups (Cascade PBS)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• USPS to move some mail processing to Spokane, will update Yakima post office (Yakima Herald-Republic)

FISH

• This Thurston County road will be closed for over a year to remove a fish passage barrier (The Olympian)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• ‘We are the heart of Sacred Heart’: Providence technical workers are now on strike (The Spokesman-Review)
• Seattle hospital won’t turn over gender-affirming care records in lawsuit settlement with Texas (AP)
• Providence to pay over $200 million for wage violations (Puget Sound Business Journal)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Police suggest UW athletics staff knew about, discussed Tybo Rogers’ rape allegation (The Seattle Times)
• Two prominent community leaders appointed to Yakima Valley College Board of Trustees (KNDO/KNDU)

HOUSING

• Pierce County to ramp up affordable housing development (The News Tribune)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• ‘SPD is dying’: What Seattle police officers are saying during exit interviews (MyNorthwest)
• A Washington police officer killed 3 people in 8 years — and faces a murder trial for the last one (AP)
• Ellensburg police shared results of community-wide survey (Daily Record)

LEGISLATURE

• Rep. Mosbrucker to hold in-person legislative town hall meeting in Goldendale, provide update of completed 2024 session (KLCK Radio/Gorge Country Media)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Spokane City Council will consider requiring 4 to 6 months’ notice before landlords can raise rent by much (The Spokesman-Review)

OTHER STATES

• Hundreds of high school and college students plan to walk out to end U.S. aid to Israel (The Seattle Times)
• Columbia switches to hybrid learning amid protests over Israel’s war in Gaza (AP)
• Gov. Kotek says Oregon should be home of proposed federal semiconductor center (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

RURAL BROADBAND

• OPINION: How you can help expand high-speed internet in rural areas (Jim Cupples works in northeastern Washington on broadband infrastructure for the Port of Pend Oreille and Tri County Economic Development District/Capital Press)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Fee hikes loom for camping and boating in Washington (FOX 13)
• Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission approve $24 million land acquisition (The Center Square)

TRANSPORTATION

• I-5 to experience months of construction, traffic delays (The Reflector)
• Plethora of I-90 projects coming this summer (Columbia Basin Herald)
• EDITORIAL: We can’t say it strongly enough: Drive carefully in work zones (Yakima Herald-Republic)

WATER

• Ecology grants to fund seven Eastern Washington water quality improvement projects (KNDO/KNDU)

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• Tribal leaders host summit to share climate change stories, solutions (The Seattle Times)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Hilary Franz meets with Ukrainian delegation to discuss wildfire management, forestry (The Chronicle)

WILDLIFE

• State gives Clallam County $29K for workshop on coexisting with beavers (KONP Radio)

WOLVES

• Latest count finds Washington’s wolf population is increasing (Washington State Standard)
• Washington wolves set record for population growth (Capital Press)