Seattle-area express tolls soon to go as high as $15; Lawmaker blames state agency for no hearing on his child care provider bill

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Controversial A.I. tool raises concerns. Benton sheriff could be 1st in WA to use it (Tri-City Herald)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Union membership fell slightly in Washington in 2023 (Axios – Seattle)
• A WA bill would allow non-citizens to obtain professional licenses (Crosscut)
• Under pressure, Boeing drops request for a 737 MAX 7 safety exemption (The Seattle Times)

CANNABIS

• Washington lawmakers make another run at legalizing homegrown marijuana (Washington State Standard)
• Washington state lawmakers want to curb pot shop robberies (Axios – Seattle)
• First marijuana dispensary operating under ‘equity’ guidelines set to open in Arlington (KING TV)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Washington bill would show impact of Climate Commitment Act on energy prices (The Center Square)

CHILD CARE

• Lawmaker blames state agency for no hearing on his child care provider bill (The Center Square)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Nobody wants to retire in Washington state (KPQ Radio)
• OPINION: Remembering the courage of Fred Korematsu (Eugene Lee, a lawyer who lives in Seattle/The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• EDITORIAL: Want to cut crime and make cities safer? Give ‘convicts’ a second chance. No, really (The News Tribune)

DAMS

• Legislators to grill Biden team on dams (The Lewiston Tribune)
• House GOP members look to block Lower Snake River dam breaches (CQ-Roll Call/The Seattle Times)

EDUCATION

• Washington Legislature discussing Holocaust education bill for schools (KNDO/KNDU)
• The Seattle School Board rule that nobody seems to want to enforce (The Seattle Times)
• Olympia school board pushes school closure decision to April 25. Here’s why (The Olympian)
• Sticker shock hits taxpayers in this Tri-Cities district, but schools still face cuts (Tri-City Herald)
• Lawmakers push to ban cell phones in Washington classrooms (FOX 13)

ELECTIONS

• EDITORIAL: Presidential primaries need some adjustments (The Columbian)

ENVIRONMENT

• Hundreds of volunteer hours later, litter on Highway 14 is impossible to keep up with (The Columbian)
• Batteries are not allowed in the garbage after new ban takes effect in Seattle (KING TV)
• EDITORIAL: Recycling bills could use a little reuse, refocus (The Everett Herald)

GUN RIGHTS

• Lawmakers propose an 11% tax on the ‘privilege’ of buying ammunition (The Center Square)
• WA gun owners would have to carry gun liability insurance under proposed bill (The News Tribune)
• Should you be required to have liability insurance if you own a gun? (MyNorthwest)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington doctors, patients hope at-home care will continue (KING TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Washington is first in the nation for need-based financial aid (KNDO/KNDU)
• Evergreen board approves spending up to $1 million to address costs tied to student death (The Olympian)

HOMELESSNESS

• King County Regional Homelessness Authority to replace interim CEO (The Seattle Times)

HOUSING

• Senate rent stabilization bill’s fate hangs in balance with Sen. Cleveland weighing her vote (The Columbian)
• State considering short-term rental tax (The Wenatchee World)
• More renters and their furry friends could stay together if bill to reduce pet deposits passes (The Spokesman-Review)

LEGISLATURE

• The first cutoff looms (The Washington Observer)
• Bill that would strengthen animal cruelty penalties in Washington heads to the Senate (KING TV)
• Bill raises penalties for threats, attacks on school sports officials in WA (The Center Square)
• Bill from Rep. Chris Corry combats tax proposals by majority party with creative solution that won’t cost taxpayers (KLCK Radio)
• Corry introduces bill to help cities and counties without tax increase (KIHR Radio)
• House passes bill to streamline the Working Families Tax Credit process in Washington (KNDO/KNDU)
• Tougher punishment for harassing election workers passes the House twice, now confronts the Senate (The Spokesman-Review)
• Sex trafficking prevention curriculum to be made mandatory in Washington state (KHQ TV)
• Proposal allows deadly force cases to be handled by Attorney General’s office (Washington State Journal/Daily Record)
• Proposed bill would provide benefits for survivors of ride-share drivers killed on the job (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Reject bill that would circumvent prosecutors’ role in court (The Seattle Times)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• New process created to review offensive landmarks and street names in Spokane, including Monaghan statue (The Spokesman-Review)
• Gig Harbor spent $457,600 on LED streetlight bulbs; most quit working (Peninsula Gateway/The Seattle Times)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon officials seek funding from Legislature to support summer food program for low-income kids (The Oregonian)
• Oregon moves to restore, reinstate climate change regulations derailed by natural gas lawsuit (Oregon Capital Chronicle/The Columbian)
• Idaho House passes bill creating mandatory minimum prison sentences for fentanyl trafficking (The Lewiston Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION

• Seattle-area express tolls soon to go as high as $15 (The Seattle Times)
• I-405 express lanes soon to become more expensive for commuters (The Everett Herald)
• I-405 and SR 167 toll lanes to increase toll rates to maximum $15 on March 1 (The Center Square)
• Speed cameras on Washington highways; Lawmakers hope to curb number of crashes (The Center Square)
• Tacoma wants to reduce fatal wrecks to zero. 2023’s total shows how hard that will be (The News Tribune)
• $80M in improvements headed to Tacoma, Lakewood Sounder stations, nearby neighborhoods (The News Tribune)
• Buying tires could become a lot harder (MyNorthwest)

VAPING

• Washington Legislature considers paying for vape detectors in schools, but do they deter vaping? (The Spokesman-Review)

WILDLIFE

• Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead (KUOW Radio)

WOLVES

• N.E. Washington excels at wolf recovery, now seeks relief (Capital Press)