King County reports largest number of homeless people ever; UW president calls for encampment to disband following ‘antisemitic and violent’ graffiti

AGRICULTURE

• Farm groups await China’s response to Biden tariffs (Capital Press)
• Pace, Stemilt Growers fined by state after 2023 worker death (The Wenatchee World)
• EDITORIAL: Asparagus growers hurt by perfect storm of good intentions (Capital Press)
• EDITORIAL: The new era: Agriculture of Hope (Capital Press)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Now armed with AI, America’s adversaries will try to influence election, security officials warn (AP)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• US inflation eased last month in the first slowdown of 2024 (AP)
• Washington unemployment rate remained the same in April (KHQ TV)
• Red Lobster closes dozens of US restaurants, including Washington location (MyNorthwest)

CENSUS

• Seattle grows amid population declines in major cities in the West (The Center Square)
• COLUMN: Seattle drops out of Top 10 for growth among largest U.S. cities (Gene Balk/The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• OPINION: Make folic acid mandatory in corn flour to prevent fatal birth defects (Marisa-Claire Mumford has a bachelor’s in biochemistry from Whitman College and a master’s degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University/The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Congress passed its air travel overhaul. Here’s what that means for WA (The Seattle Times)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• US prisoners are being assigned dangerous jobs. But what happens if they are hurt or killed? (AP)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote (AP)

COURTS (STATE)

• Will a tenfold increase in jury pay mean better justice? Pierce County is going to see (The News Tribune)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• King County sees more kids and teens killed by gun violence compared to all of 2023 (KING TV)
• See cops working security at Tacoma grocery stores? Here’s why and what policies allow (The News Tribune)
• Clark College stabbing suspect still at large, Vancouver police say (The Columbian)

DRUG CRISIS

• Fentanyl seizures in the US have increased by over 1,700% (KIRO TV)
• King County deputies intercept Burien drug ring tied to Sinaloa cartel (MyNorthwest)

EDUCATION

• Seattle Schools to hold community meetings before closure proposal (The Seattle Times)
• Proposal to lay off one-third of Yelm’s teachers prompts student walk-out (KING TV)
• Vancouver Public Schools failed to award contracts to ‘highest-scoring’ bid, according to audit (The Columbian)
• Richland School Board makes a decision on its 3rd high school. Here’s the plan (Tri-City Herald)
• OPINION: DEI is worming its way into WA schools through teacher training. Who will resist? (Mike Jankanish of Tacoma is a retired teacher of 46 years/The News Tribune)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Tracking volcanic activity in Washington (FOX 13)

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• Recall alert: Yogurt covered pretzels sold at Thorp Fruit in Washington (KPQ Radio)

GUN RIGHTS

• OPINION: WA high-capacity magazine ban will save lives— like my sister’s. Courts must keep it (Zachary Elmore was born and raised in Washington; his sister is a survivor of the Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas in 2017/The News Tribune)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• UW president calls for encampment to disband following ‘antisemitic and violent’ graffiti (KING TV)
• UW president calls for cease-fire, criticizes protest encampment (The Seattle Times)
• Several UW buildings vandalized in what campus official calls ‘major escalation’ (The Seattle Times)
• WWU Palestinian protest camp emerges after administration rejects students’ demands (The Bellingham Herald)
• Evergreen has received 1,000 fewer federal student aid applications. Here’s why (The Olympian)
• Computer science worker shortage pushes Tri-Cities college to develop new degree (Tri-City Herald)

HOMELESSNESS

• King County reports largest number of homeless people ever (The Seattle Times)
• King County homelessness surges 23% as state releases plan to tackle housing (MyNorthwest)
• Homeless population in King County climbs to over 16,000 (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Seattle tells Homelessness Authority to cut budget request (The Seattle Times)
• Some in Burien community voice concerns ahead of homeless facility’s grand opening (KOMO TV)
• Lewis County sues Chehalis over homeless shelter (The Chronicle)

HOUSING

• Whatcom County home prices hit highest mark in years; WA remains third most expensive state (The Bellingham Herald)
• Cottage Hill Place is one of several affordable housing projects on the horizon in Yakima (Yakima Herald-Republic)

IMMIGRATION

• ‘A safe place.’ Refugees fleeing war, violence finding help at new Tri-Cities center (Tri-City Herald)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Flags at half-staff during Peace Officers Memorial Day (KIRO TV)
• Former Ellensburg police officer found guilty of attempting to entice a child online (KNDO/KNDU)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County executive to seek property tax hike to aid health clinics (The Seattle Times)
• Spokane hosting public hearing regarding mayor, city council salary reviews (The Center Square)

MEDIA

• COLUMN: A California state senator has an audacious, $500 million idea for saving local news (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times)

MENTAL HEALTH

• New center aims to address Washington’s behavioral health needs (KING TV)
• 5 takeaways on what’s next for mental health care from ‘Lost Patients’ event (The Seattle Times)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard still defines Bremerton, but what about the future? (KNKX Radio)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon prepares for fire season as temperatures rise and volunteer rates fall (The Oregonian)
• Judge approves appointment of independent monitor to oversee Portland police reforms (The Oregonian)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Cash crunch persists for WA’s paid family leave program (Washington State Standard)

TRANSPORTATION

• SR 520 toll rates will increase this summer, here’s how much (MyNorthwest)
• Narrows Bridge emergency repairs are finished. Here’s when crews expect lanes to open (The News Tribune)