Reactions come in over WA budget proposals from legislative Democrats; Gov. Bob Ferguson blocks release of WA man convicted of killing 3 in SeaTac tavern

Reactions come in over WA budget proposals from legislative Democrats

FOX 13 — On the opposite side of the aisle, legislative Republicans have staked out strong opposition to the spending plans. What they’re saying: “It is an awfully troubling direction that the House and Senate majorities would take us in,” House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, told reporters Tuesday.

Gov. Bob Ferguson blocks release of WA man convicted of killing 3 in SeaTac tavern

The News Tribune — The move by Inslee to reverse course on the matter in January drew the ire of Republicans, as well as victims’ families. House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, an Auburn Republican, and state Rep. Joshua Penner, an Orting Republican, wrote a letter Monday asking the governor to stand by his commitment to backing crime survivors. Stokesbary applauded Ferguson’s action in a Tuesday statement. $

HOUSE & SENATE REPUBLICAN MEDIA AVAILABILITY

• Democrats push for the largest tax increases in state history | March 25, 2025

AGRICULTURE

• Washington State University warns of severe honey bee losses in 2025 (KHQ TV)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• The price of the ‘American dream’ in Seattle (Kitsap Sun) $
• OPINION: Should striking workers be paid by their employers not to work? (Elizabeth New (Hovde), director of the Center for Health Care and Center for Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center/Clark County Today)

CAPITAL BUDGET

• Project funding for Bremerton’s West Sound Tech in jeopardy as state budget cuts loom (Kitsap Sun) $

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Thurston County, WA officials investigate 2 fentanyl overdoses in jail (FOX 13)
• Clallam County inmates ‘micro-dosing’ to get sober (KING TV)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• U.S. Supreme Court in 7-2 ruling upholds Biden administration regulation on ghost guns (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Ferguson cancels parole for man convicted of triple murder (Washington State Standard)
• Gov. Ferguson cancels parole for man convicted of murdering three people (The Center Square)
• Ferguson cancels parole for triple murderer who was set to be released from prison (KOMO TV)
• Gov. Ferguson blocks release of Timothy Pauley, a three-time convicted killer (KING TV)

DATA CENTERS

• Ferguson announces formation of data center workgroup (KIT Radio)

EDUCATION

• Kelso School District experiments with AI use in the classroom (The Daily News) $
• OPINION: Legislature should remove barriers to education, especially for low-income students (Jacob Vela, chief policy officer at League of Education Voters, and Aaron Yared, director of policy and advocacy at Building Changes/The Spokesman-Review) $

ELECTIONS

• Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship (AP)
• State attorney general responds to Trump’s order forcing major changes to Washington’s elections (The Spokesman-Review) $

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue leaders worry about service cuts as cities, ports adopt taxing scheme that grabs new revenue (The Columbian) $

ENVIRONMENT

• Wood is key to building. Importing it is worse than responsible Washington logging (Amy Harding, commissioner with the Port of Olympia/The Olympian) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• WA Republican state representative asks President Trump to rethink Medicaid cuts (The News Tribune) $
• Trump admin investigates Oregon’s largest school district for allowing trans students to play sports (AP)

GUN RIGHTS

• Republican-backed bill addresses ‘vexing problem’ of unlawful gun possession (The Center Square)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Vaccines urged as whooping cough cases rise (Axios – Seattle)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WSU Tri-Cities research caught in crossfire of Trump education cuts. Is financial aid next? (Tri-City Herald) $
• CWU focuses on retention amid declining enrollment (Daily Record) $
• Clark College enrollment up more than 5% in the past three years but still below pre-pandemic levels (The Columbian) $

HOMELESSNESS

• State crews clearing encampment, deploying boulders under downtown Tacoma freeway (The News Tribune) $
• New poll shows strong support for stronger limits on public camping in Vancouver (Clark County Today)

HOUSING

• Benton Co. raises housing permit fees. How do they compare to other counties? (Tri-City Herald) $

IMMIGRATION

• ICE arrests WA farmworker activist in Sedro-Woolley (The Seattle Times) $

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Judges side with hunters in corner crossing case, but issue remains unsettled in Washington, Idaho (The Spokesman-Review) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• WWPD to host second town hall on drugs and gangs (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) $

LEGISLATURE

• Lawmakers condemn protest at home of Democratic WA legislator (Washington State Standard)
• New bill in Olympia may require open captions in theaters statewide (KHQ TV)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• From rights to resumes: Spokane punts ‘Homeless Bill of Rights’ for ‘Ban The Address’ (The Center Square)
• Spokane proposes shielding gender-affirming care from Trump crackdowns (The Center Square)
• Port of Olympia commission delays vote on airport master plan update after appeal (The Olympian) $

MENTAL HEALTH

• Partnership works to train Snohomish County mental health doctors (The Everett Herald) $
• Columbia River Mental Health abruptly cuts off Clark County services (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Vietnam War veterans’ commemoration at WVC campus (NCW Life Channel)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Ferguson’s ‘impossible’ choice as state worker raises clash with budget (The Seattle Times) $
• Proposal to drain rainy day fund ‘dangerous,’ treasurer says (KING TV)
• Push to save Rainier School in Buckley intensifies after state budget writers consider closure (KING TV)

OTHER STATES

• A bill to cap class sizes in Oregon has widespread teacher support. But it could also mean less attention for students who need the most help (The Oregonian) $
• Oregon’s voluntary pay-by-mile program for motorists is 10 years old, still a trial (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Senate votes to outlaw discrimination against Oregon tenants based on immigration status (The Oregonian) $

PARENTAL RIGHTS

• Proposed changes to Parents Bill of Rights sparks ire (KIRO TV)

POLITICS

LEGISLATURE

• Frank Chopp remembered as champion for WA housing & homelessness (Cascade PBS)

STATE

• EDITORIAL: WA needs more Ralph Munros (The Seattle Times) $

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Enumclaw Middle School evacuated after device was detonated, no reported injuries (MyNorthwest)

TAXES

• Who are the real killjoys in Olympia? Democrats for taxing fun or Republicans for cutting programs that spread joy? (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Tax hike proposals fly in Democratic controlled Washington Legislature (KVI Radio)
• ‘This is catastrophic’: Seattle payroll tax revenues $47M short as jobs leave city (KIRO TV)
• OPINION: Washington lawmakers propose billions in new tax increases (Jason Mercier, Vice President and Director of Research of Mountain States Policy Center/The Center Square)
• OPINION: Mayors to WA lawmakers: Lift the local property tax cap (Traci Buxton, Des Moines mayor and president of the Sound Cities Association, and Amy Ockerlander, Duvall mayor and president of the Association of Washington Cities/The Seattle Times) $

TRANSPORTATION

• Gas prices on the rise: A look at national and WA trends (Columbia Basin Herald) $

TRANSPORTATION BUDGET

• House and Senate propose substantial gas tax hikes to close budget gap, community weighs in (KIRO TV)
• WA Senate, House contemplate gas tax hike to address transportation budget shortfall (KOMO TV)
• Higher gas prices on the horizon for Washington drivers (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)

WATER

• Pre-flood warning issued as Yakima River swells with melting snow. Low areas threatened (Tri-City Herald) $
• EDITORIAL: River treaty reversal requires explanation (The Columbian) $

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• Western Washington braces for severe thunderstorms, large hail (MyNorthwest)

WILDLIFE

• New orca calf born to descendant of whale once captured and held by SeaWorld (KING TV)

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