AGRICULTURE & WATER
- WA Gov. Jay Inslee praises 1st-of-a-kind ‘green’ fertilizer plant planned in Richland (Tri-City Herald)
- Attorneys see opportunity to advance ag policies in court (Capital Press)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- New year, new wages: 22 state minimum wage raise led by Washington with $16.28 (KOMO TV)
- Seattle online retailer Zulily going out of business (The Seattle Times)
CENSUS
CHILD CARE
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
- Seattle’s Jewish community heightens security for Hanukkah amid rising threats (KOMO TV)
- OPINION: Hamas atrocities trigger memories of growing up Jewish in Seattle (Henry Aronson Henry Aronson, citizen-activist who’s been a civil rights lawyer in Mississippi and a Port of Seattle commissioner/The Seattle Tim
CONGRESS
- Despite skipping climate summit, McMorris Rodgers leads GOP messaging on energy policy (The Spokesman-Review)
- Vancouver to receive nearly $5.7 million for improvements along Fourth Plain, Cantwell announces (The Columbian)
COURTS (FEDERAL)
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Seattle matches 1994 homicide record of 69 as violent crime rises in city (KOMO TV)
- The fight against organized retail crime heats up in Washington (Axios – Seattle)
- Seattle Police recover video of car purposely hitting pedestrians (MyNorthwest)
- Puyallup man sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiring to attack Pierce County power substations (KING TV)
DAMS
- ‘Highly irregular’: Legal experts weigh in on leaked Snake River dam package (Capital Press)
- Bentz to lead hearing on removal of lower Snake River dams (KWHT Radio)
- Mayor of Carnation meets with Harrell’s office to discuss ‘compensation’ for Tolt Dam alarms (KIRO TV)
DRUG CRISIS
- Should Seattle reconsider safe drug-consumption sites? We look at Vancouver’s example (The Seattle Times)
- Spokane drug agents seize press capable of making 17,000 fentanyl pills an hour (The Spokesman-Review)
- Inslee meets with Tri-Cities leaders to discuss priorities for combating fentanyl crisis (Tri-City Herald)
- On the streets, opioids sometimes more potent than fentanyl: nitazenes (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
- EDITORIAL: Taking positive steps in fight against fentanyl (The Columbian)
EDUCATION
- The Health Clinic opens at Garrison Middle School, giving students access to care (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- Darrington school reduces lunchroom waste with new milk dispensers (The Everett Herald)
- COLUMN: Seattle student failed quiz for saying men can’t get pregnant (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
ELECTIONS
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Two bills seek to protect, expand hydropower production (The Center Square)
- Gasoline pipeline leaks near Mount Vernon, spilling into creek (The Seattle Times)
ENVIRONMENT
FISH
HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS
- After cutbacks and labor strife, what’s next for Washington’s hospitals? (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- Washington caps insulin costs at $35/month. More reforms may come (Crosscut)
- Spokane startup Litehouse Health aims to address nursing shortage (Spokane Journal of Business)
- Nationwide cancer doctor shortage forces Trios in Tri-Cities to halt oncology treatment (Tri-City Herald)
- State funds will help Yakima Health District meet growing needs next year (Yakima Herald-Republic)
- OPINION: The Affordable Connectivity Program enhances health care equity (Mark Wakai, chief population health officer in the Washington and Montana region for Providence/The Spokesman-Review)
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Analysis: As fury erupts over campus antisemitism, conservatives seize moment (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
- As Harvard president faces pressure to resign, some faculty show support (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
- More WA students will be eligible for college financial aid next year (The Seattle Times)
- Seattle promised free college. How’s it working out? | Ed Lab revisited (The Seattle Times)
- As EWU reviews programs, calls to revisit athletics spending rise again (The Spokesman-Review)
- Health care, computer science major among fastest growing at INW universities (Spokane Journal of Business)
- Mediator joins negotiations between YVC and faculty union (Yakima Herald-Republic)
HOMELESSNESS
- City’s plan to sweep encampment will close down part of Wheeler Avenue next week (The Olympian)
- EDITORIAL: Without the right leader, King County’s homelessness crisis will not subside (The Seattle Times)
HOUSING
- Tacoma tries out new tax break meant to create lower rents. Will it work going forward? (The News Tribune)
- Tacoma’s renter rights’ measure is in effect, but the city won’t enforce it (MyNorthwest)
- Is requiring new apartments to include affordable units the right move for Vancouver? It’s working in Redmond (The Columbian)
- Housing Code Consequences: Zoning meant to encourage middle housing could complicate market (Spokane Journal of Business)
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
INVASIVE SPECIES
LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Chehalis tribal officer involved in shooting at Lucky Eagle Casino, Sheriff’s Office says (The Olympian)
- EDITORIAL: Incoming sheriff seeks outreach to strengthen trust (The Everett Herald)
LEGISLATURE
- New minimum wage, gun waiting period begin Jan. 1. Here’s what else takes effect in new year (The News Tribune)
- Naming of two state buildings awaits action by lawmakers (Washington State Standard)
- Legislation eyed to reform gift card protections for consumers (The Center Square)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- King County approves .1% sales tax hike for cultural programs (The Center Square)
- EDITORIAL: Put the brakes on plan to close King County youth detention center (The Seattle Times)
- EDITORIAL: Franklin County needs a commissioner who can help end the bickering, dysfunction (Tri-City Herald)
MEDIA
OTHER STATES
- Gov. Tina Kotek’s listening tour brings her to every county, giving an ear to rural Oregonians (The Oregonian)
- Oregon State University receives grant to launch collaborative wildfire resilience research (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
POLITICS
STATE
SOCIAL MEDIA
- How your child’s online mistake can ruin your digital life (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
- Attacked by conservatives, UW misinformation researcher gears up for 2024 (The Seattle Times)
STATE GOVERNMENT
- WA GOP fights secretary of state’s effort to track election misinformation (The Seattle Times)
- Washington state’s pension plans’ contributions double over last nine years (The Center Square)
TRANSPORTATION
- Cascadia bullet train stuck at the station as feds dole out big bucks for rail (Washington State Standard)
- Stop sign change in Everett shines light on neighborhood traffic safety (The Everett Herald)
WEATHER & CLIMATE
