New Washington law authorizes tax breaks for affordable housing built on state land; Patchwork policy-making on local levies creates disparities for WA students

ABORTION

• COLUMN: Abortion access in WA isn’t a sure thing. Here’s why (Naomi Ishisaka/The Seattle Times)

AGRICULTURE

• U.S. agriculture lines up against California locomotive rule (Capital Press)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for AI (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Credit card delinquency rates hit worst level since 2012 in new Fed data (FOX 13)
• Spokane title company helps strike racist restrictions from property titles for free (KREM TV)
• Defending cyberspace: Cyberattacks have become a cost of doing business in Clark County (The Columbian)

CANNABIS

• As other states struggle with illicit cannabis, Washington remains a beacon of success (The Inlander)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Neighbors of Maltby recycling facility assert polluted runoff, noise (The Everett Herald)

CONGRESS

• Cantwell wants an online privacy law but has slowed efforts for years (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• U.S. Senate spending panel calls for extending pay boost for Forest Service firefighters (Spokane Public Radio)
• EDITORIAL: Congress should pass digital privacy bill crafted by WA leaders (The Seattle Times)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Lobbying the Legislature from behind bars (Washington State Standard)
• Money, politics, debate over crime victims: What’s stalling prison reforms in Olympia (NW News Network)
• OPINION: Green Hill School deserves second chance – now let’s see results (Sen. John Braun/The Chronicle)
• EDITORIAL: Jail understaffing is dire. Let counties do their own training (The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Renton PD Chief: ‘Status quo isn’t working’ to curb juvenile crime (KVI Radio)

DRUG CRISIS

• Here comes an illicit drug 40 times more potent than fentanyl (The Conversation/The Oregonian)
• At Herald forum, experts affirm Housing First model, despite downsides (The Everett Herald)
• COLUMN: Homeless addicts the real reason for Seattle Public Library closures (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

EDUCATION

• Patchwork policy-making on local levies creates disparities for WA students (The Washington Observer)
• SPS to investigate declining enrollment using new grant (The Seattle Times)
• 3rd high school for Richland? Replace middle schools? Tell school leaders your thoughts (Tri-City Herald)

ELECTIONS

• OPINION: Why we’re in favor of ranked-choice voting and even-year elections (Lisa Ayrault, executive director of FairVote Washington, Kenia Peregrino, statewide coordinator with Washington for Equitable Representation, and Tony Ivey, political and civic engagement manager for Washington Conservation Action/The Seattle Times)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• U.S. homes face costly retrofits for induction stoves, EV chargers (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)
• PSE ‘may need to look at resources that start on natural gas’ before power shortage (The Center Square)
• Wenatchi-P’squosa people demonstrate against proposed solar project in central Washington (KNKX/High Country News)
• Washington man arrested, charged in connection with 2022 attacks on Oregon electrical grid (KUOW/OPB)

ENVIRONMENT

• Eastside carbon emissions still below pre-pandemic levels, studies find (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Focus on restoring healthy forests, lush habitats (The Columbian)

GUN RIGHTS

• WA has passed lots of new gun laws. Could they be in legal trouble? (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: High-capacity magazine ruling treats Framers as prophets (The Daily News)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Rising complaints of unauthorized Obamacare plan-switching and sign-ups trigger concern (KFF Health News/The Seattle Times)
• Hundreds of workers at Sacred Heart to go on strike (KXLY TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• FAFSA rollout delays highlight WA barriers to higher education (Cascade PBS)
• Whatcom Community College president to retire after 17 years (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)

HOMELESSNESS

• Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside? A rural Oregon city asks the US Supreme Court (AP)
• City of Tacoma criticized for taking sides in Supreme Court case over public camping laws (The News Tribune)
• Killing of West Seattle homeless man a window into tension in neighbors (The Seattle Times)
• Groups target homelessness: Discussion hosted by PeaceHealth examines challenges, notes seniors increasingly affected (The Columbian)
• EDITORIAL: Among obstacles, hope to curb homelessness (The Everett Herald)

HOUSING

• New Washington law authorizes tax breaks for affordable housing built on state land (The Spokesman-Review)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Environmental groups sue to stop proposed golf course on state park land in Westport (Washington State Standard)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Man dead in shooting involving Clark County sheriff’s deputies in Salmon Creek (The Columbian)
• Thurston County Sheriff wants a helicopter, GPS trackers, cameras and nets. Here’s why (The Olympian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle City Council floats department shifts to aid police staffing issues (The Center Square)

OTHER STATES

• Measure 114: Oregon Appeals Court keeps gun control law on hold (The Oregonian)

PARKS

• Mount Rainier visitors react to new timed entrance reservation policy (KUOW Radio)

SECURITY

• Sea-Tac Airport on alert for potential security delays, threats amid Israel-Iran conflict (KOMO TV)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Elon’s spambot problem comes for the Inland Northwest, sparring with a state senator and disturbing a mayor on ‘X’ (The Inlander)

SPORTS

• Is a high school sports transfer portal coming to Washington? Talks underway, fears grow (The News Tribune)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• How Washington’s red tape led a widow on a death certificate odyssey (The Columbian/The Seattle Times)

TRANSPORTATION

• Getting there: Finally fully funded, North Spokane Corridor on track for completion in 2030 (The Spokesman-Review)
• WSDOT urges drivers to use caution after 8 work zone crashes in one week (KOMO TV)
• Electric school buses are coming to Washington state (KPQ Radio)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Puyallup Tribe to have 17 acres of waterfront land added to reservation (KUOW Radio)

VAPING

• Vape ‘quit kits’ distributed to over 100 youth, county sees drop in usage (Daily Record)

WATER

• Not just on the West Plains: New EPA standards place Spokane water’s PFAS level slightly above federal limit (The Spokesman-Review)