ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- America’s animal shelters are overcrowded with pets from families facing economic and housing woes (AP)
- Alaska Airlines flight attendants picketing at Sea-Tac ahead of strike vote (MyNorthwest)
CENSUS
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CONGRESS
- Illegal crossings surge in remote areas as Congress, White House weigh major asylum limits (AP)
- Congresswoman Jayapal supports opening of Native-led fentanyl treatment center (KOMO TV)
COURTS (STATE)
- WA legal complaint accuses KCPOA’s Juvenile Division of ‘illegal diversion’ of suspects (The Center Square)
- Manuel Ellis case: Deliberations to restart for a second time after juror gets COVID-19 (FOX 13)
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Tacoma Police launch new crime dashboard (KIRO TV)
- Green River killer victim identified as teen girl from WA (The Seattle Times)
CYBERSECURITY
DAMS
EDUCATION
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE
- Biden administration moves to protect oldest trees as climate change brings more fires, pests (AP)
- USPS to decide on Wenatchee mail operations in up ‘to a few weeks’; union claims decision is final (The Wenatchee World)
HOMELESSNESS
- New numbers show increase in Washington homelessness (KIRO TV)
- Report: Seattle – King County region has third most homeless people in the U.S. (The Center Square)
- Homelessness increased across the nation and state this year – but not as quickly as in Spokane (The Spokesman-Review)
- Spokane extends Salvation Army contract to operate largest homeless shelter, but questions linger (The Spokesman-Review)
- EDITORIAL: Don’t forget the names of the homeless (Yakima Herald-Republic)
LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS
- Scrutiny mounts over sale of aging forests in Grays Harbor (The Daily World)
- State sets aside 2,000 acres of forestland (Peninsula Daily News)
- Washington State Parks purchases Bear Creek Lodge property (The Spokesman-Review)
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LEGISLATURE
- Women are close to holding half the seats in WA’s Legislature. Here’s why it matters (Washington State Standard)
- WA state senator who brought gun on flight fined by TSA, he says (The Seattle Times)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Spokane Valley council shares legislative priorities with state lawmakers (The Center Square)
- Harrah Mayor Barbara Harrer, 91, retiring after 56 years of public service in Washington (Yakima Herald-Republic)
- Kittitas County seeks volunteers for Short-Term Rental Committee (Daily Record)
MENTAL HEALTH
- More people are calling WA’s 988 suicide crisis hotline (Washington State Standard)
- Suicides spike at WA prisons, prisoners say they need more access to mental health care (NW News Network)
MILITARY & VETERANS
- Navy delays releasing draft environmental impact statement on PSNS’s new dry dock plans (Kitsap Sun)
OTHER STATES
- States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire (AP)
- Oregon’s population dropped again in 2023, according to new Census Bureau estimates (The Oregonian)
- California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water (AP/The Oregonian)
STATE GOVERNMENT
- More than $2.7 million proposed for transition in governor’s office (Peninsula Daily News)
- New state law allows DCYF to investigate abuse allegations at residential facilities (KING TV)
TRANSPORTATION
- Major state transportation leaders announce departures as mounting issues affect commuters (KIRO TV)
- Washington remains among states with highest gas prices in the country (KOMO TV)
- Getting around during Seattle’s holiday travel surge (Axios – Seattle)
- These are Tacoma’s worst-rated bridges. What’s the city’s plan for its aging inventory? (The News Tribune)
- White House backs industry effort to standardize Tesla’s EV charging plugs (AP)
- C-Tran CEO Shawn Donaghy to take job in San Diego; leaves award-winning legacy for Vine lines (The Columbian)
- Passenger traffic at Pangborn Airport up, challenges lie ahead (KPQ Radio)
WILDLIFE