AGRICULTURE
- There’s a whole lotta lettuce behind $8M Pasco greenhouse expansion plan (Tri-City Herald)
- EDITORIAL: Reaction vs. overreaction (Capital Press)
- EDITORIAL: The double-edged sword of GM wheat (Capital Press)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- US hiring rebounds slightly and unemployment rate dips in sign of still-slowing job market (AP)
- More people working in Clark County than year ago but jobless rate still up (The Columbian)
- Albertsons may have to cut jobs and close stores if Kroger takeover is aborted, CEO says (The Olympian)
- As strike looms, Boeing pushes 777 jets through chaotic production in Everett (The Seattle Times)
- From Amazon to agriculture. Can this rail hub turn Tri-Cities into a global logistics center? (Tri-City Herald)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CORONAVIRUS
- Coronavirus vaccines, once free, are now pricey for uninsured people (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
- As interest from families wanes, pediatricians scale back on COVID shots (KFF Health News/The Seattle Times)
COURTS (STATE)
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Despite rise in traffic deaths due to impairment, charges for DUI keep falling in Kitsap (Kitsap Sun)
- Yakima community partners revitalizing task force to combat youth gang violence (KAPP/KVEW)
EDUCATION
- Washington state schools chief seeks to curb cellphone use (Axios – Seattle)
- Heat, cellphones, absenteeism: An in-depth look at a few of the big issues facing Oregon, Southwest Washington schools this year (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- EDITORIAL: Yes, Tri-Cities schools are doing the right thing to bar phones in class (Tri-City Herald)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Battery farms, the energy industry’s new darling, line up to enter Pacific NW (Washington State Standard)
- Utility rates slated to steadily rise in Seattle, starting in 2025 (KUOW Radio)
ENVIRONMENT
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE
HIGHER EDUCATION
HOMELESSNESS
HOUSING
- Seattle-area housing market sleepy as buyers hope for rate relief (The Seattle Times)
- First-time buyer affordability at lowest point in four years (Columbia Basin Herald)
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
IMMIGRATION
LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Sheriff’s offices across the region issue alerts as scammers pose as deputies (KNDO/KNDU)
- New Spokane police chief talks plans for the department in exclusive interview with Nonstop Local (KHQ TV)
- Bellevue police officer injured during 2023 VP visit returns to duty (The Seattle Times)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Spokane County needs to cut over $15 million to balance 2025 general fund budget (The Center Square)
- Spokane mayor says budget deficit cut to $14 million, proposes two additional measures (The Center Square)
- Snohomish County executive announces $3B two-year budget with no planned layoffs (The Center Square)
MEDIA
MENTAL HEALTH
- In Seattle area, 988 mental health hotline supports tens of thousands in crisis (KUOW Radio)
- Nets on the Narrows? What it would take to put suicide prevention nets on the bridges (The News Tribune)
MILITARY & VETERANS
- VA to hold National Day of Service and Remembrance events on 23rd anniversary of 9/11 (KIRO TV)
- The Navy secretary broke the law by voicing his views on Trump and Biden, a watchdog says (AP)
OTHER STATES
- Study: Oregon’s school report cards deserve an F for a lack of transparency (The Oregonian)
- Kotek: Port of Portland ‘makes a strong case’ for container business aid (Capital Press)
PARKS
POLITICS
LOCAL
SCHOOL SAFETY
- Washington schools using fewer school resource officers (KIRO TV)
- OPINION: Faster lockdowns, cop cooperation: How Yakima does school safety (Trevor Greene, superintendent of the Yakima School District/The Seattle Times)
SPORTS
- Jerry Dipoto expected to return as Mariners president in 2025, sources say (The Seattle Times)
- Seahawks unveil changes at Lumen Field ahead of season opener (Puget Sound Business Journal)
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Nearly 200 people sue WA, alleging sex abuse in juvenile detention (The Seattle Times)
- Washington sued amid allegations of sex abuse of minors by staffers in juvenile centers (KING TV)
- Over 100 state employees accused of sexual abuse in Washington juvenile detention centers (KIRO TV)
- Report: Washington ranks fifth in the nation for food stamp theft reimbursement (The Center Square)
TRANSPORTATION
VAPING
- Teen vaping hits 10-year low in the US (AP)
- OPINION: As the school year begins, FDA must step up to protect U.S. kids from illegal vapes (Gil Kerlikowske served as the nation’s “drug czar,” during President Barack Obama’s administration, and is the former chief of police in Seattle/The Spokesman-Review)
WATER
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE