Should Washington’s public schools ban students from using cellphones?; Puyallup police, sheriff’s deputy to be honored with Law Enforcement Medal of Honor

OUR NEWS RELEASES FROM THIS WEEK

• Rep. Bruce Chandler announces retirement after 26 years in the Washington State House of Representatives
• Rep. Gina Mosbrucker will not seek a sixth term in the Legislature

THE FIX WASHINGTON PODCAST

• Episode 1: Rep. Dan Griffey and Rep. Travis Couture | Drug crisis
• Episode 2: Rep. Peter Abbarno | Crime and affordability crises
• Episode 3: Rep. J.T. Wilcox | A discussion on his time in the Legislature

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Employee preferences on remote work are taking a surprising turn (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• San Juan County ‘encouraged’ by initial results of 32-hour workweek (The Seattle Times)
• Hundreds attend Yakima May Day rally in support of worker rights (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• As opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza grows, Boeing arms sales draw scrutiny (The Seattle Times)

CHILD CARE

• Child care now costs more than a mortgage, study finds (FOX 13)
• With childcare at a premium in Kitsap, provider lands state grant to fuel expansion (Kitsap Sun)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• City of Tacoma ranked among the top 100 places to live in the U.S., here’s why (The News Tribune)
• New study names the top 100 best US cities to live in, including one Tri-Cities mention (Tri-City Herald)
• COLUMN: When it comes to attending protests, Seattle is surprisingly average (Gene Balk/The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Southwest Washington farmers call on Congress to keep conservation funding in farm bill (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Farm bill movement encourages ag groups (Capital Press)
• OPINION: Support Eyes on the Board Act and help kids focus on school, not TikTok (Julie Barrett, founder of Conservative Ladies of Washington/The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• ‘Sexually violent predator’ arrested for 1984 Everett woman’s murder after DNA cracks case (KOMO TV)
• Was a W. Richland killer grooming his victim in 6th grade? What a WA investigation found (Tri-City Herald)

DAMS

• OPINION: The many consequences of breaching the Snake River dams (Jason Mercier, vice president and director of research, Mountain States Policy Center/Capital Press)

EDUCATION

• Should Washington’s public schools ban students from using cellphones? (Washington State Standard)
• Washington implements new inclusive learning law: What you need to know (KPQ Radio)
• Auburn educator honored as State Teacher of the Year at White House event (FOX 13)
• Washington high school ranked third-best in nation in 2024 U.S. News annual ranking list (The News Tribune)
• ‘A safe space for all:’ After-school club discusses antiracism, history and politics (The News Tribune)
• Students were primed for First Amendment talk. This Pierce County district backed out (The News Tribune)
• Yakima school superintendent responds to community questions about budget cuts (Yakima Herald-Republic)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Demand for electricity in the Pacific Northwest expected to jump 30% (KUOW Radio)
• Demand for electricity in Northwest projected to grow 30% in decade, triple previous estimates (Oregon Capital Chronicle/The Columbian)
• Centralia’s coal plant has to close next year. Can other communities learn from their transition? (KNKX Radio)
• Coal transition: Betting on hydrogen with an energy technology grant (KNKX Radio)
• Company aiming to build fusion power plant near Malaga visiting site (KPQ Radio)

ENVIRONMENT

• Over half of West Plains wells exceed PFAS limits, Ecology finds. Many private wells have PFAS chemicals over ten times the new federal limit (The Spokesman-Review)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Biden backs peaceful protest, denounces campus ‘chaos’ over Gaza (Washington State Standard)
• Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in ‘Obamacare’ next year (AP)

FISH

• System malfunction leads to deaths of 1 million salmon at Skagit County hatchery (KOMO TV)

HANFORD

• EDITORIAL: Hanford site nuclear deal is hopeful development. But will it work this time? (Tri-City Herald)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Over 10,000 Premera-insured MultiCare patients in Spokane at risk of losing in-network care at the end of May (The Spokesman-Review)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Why students are protesting at the University of Washington campus (FOX 13)
• Evergreen signs agreement with students to move toward divesting from companies profiting in Gaza (The Olympian)
• Whitman students protest for divestment from Israel during trustees meeting (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• UW football players charged with assault after allegedly attacking bicyclist plead not guilty (KING TV)

HOMELESSNESS

• More students experiencing homelessness in Washington (Cascade PBS)
• Spokane County renews funding for homeless relocation program (The Center Square)

HOUSING

• Average mortgage rate rises again, reaching highest level in more than 5 months (AP)
• Filling a need: New homes coming to Moses Lake (Columbia Basin Herald)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Puyallup police, sheriff’s deputy to be honored with Law Enforcement Medal of Honor (The News Tribune)
• Thurston Sheriff plans to pilot GPS trackers, grappler nets in pursuits this summer (The Olympian)
• For trial of Auburn police officer accused of murder, lawyers probe jurors’ views on deadly force (KUOW Radio)

LEGISLATURE

• Washington state increasing felony severity of animal abuse (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)

OTHER STATES

• Police move in to clear NYU encampment, US campus arrests grow to 2,200 in pro-Palestinian protests (AP)
• Portland police vehicles destroyed in suspected arson (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

PARKS

• State park nearly doubles number of campsites in preparation for centennial celebration (The Olympian)

POLITICS

STATE

• EDITORIAL: Listen, and learn, to bridge the political divide (The Seattle Times)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Lawmakers push social media crackdowns (Pluribus News)

SPORTS

• Girls flag football could become official high school sport (Axios – Seattle)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Family of man killed by fellow patient at Eastern State Hospital files lawsuit against the state (KXLY TV)
• Mobile Department of Licensing office hits the road in Washington (KING TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Travel alert: Washington ferry prices have gone up amid wave of riders (MyNorthwest)
• COLUMN: Eastside’s light rail expansion is good for the climate and the economy (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Bree Black Horse formally sworn in to prosecute MMIP cases in federal court (Yakima Herald-Republic)

WATER

• WA Dept. of Ecology files lawsuit officially launching Nooksack River water rights process (The Bellingham Herald)
• Columbia Basin farmers hopeful irrigation program will stretch water resources (The Center Square)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• The Inland Northwest could burn again: Potential for more wildfires highlights need for safety, preventative measures (The Spokesman-Review)

WILDLIFE

• As WA zebra search continues, officials ask people to stop crowding area (The Seattle Times)
• Few survivors remain after relocation to North Cascades (Peninsula Daily News)
• EDITORIAL: Consider relocation from the bear’s perspective (Capital Press)

WOLVES

• Washington’s gray wolves moving further west; federally delisted from ESA (The Center Square)