Starting his final year in office, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stresses he isn’t finished yet; Lot-splitting sprints out of the house

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• ‘Forever chemicals’ decline in Vancouver water but officials unsure why (The Columbian)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat (AP/MyNorthwest)
• Can AI solve Seattle’s traffic woes? Google thinks so (KUOW Radio)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Washington lawmakers look at providing unemployment benefits to striking workers (Washington State Standard)
• NTSB focus on Boeing, Spirit assembly work after Alaska Airlines blowout (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing holds employee all-hands meeting amid mounting safety concerns (KUOW Radio)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• State pays out $250K to inmate for neglect of Monroe prison injury (The Everett Herald)
• OPINION: Bring back oversight for WA’s jails. Lives depend on it (Hailey Ockinga, anti-incarceration activist, community organizer and executive director of Beyond These Walls, and Ethan Frenchman, Disability Rights Washington staff attorney/The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Seattle I-5 protest surprised WA State Patrol; arrests possible (The Seattle Times)
• New report explains why WSP didn’t make arrests after protest that blocked I-5 for hours (KIRO TV)

EDUCATION

• Vancouver funds tutoring program aimed at addressing learning loss in at-risk communities (The Columbian)
• Whatever happened to Richland’s plan to build a 3rd high school to ease crowding? (Tri-City Herald)

ELECTIONS

• Washington bill could ban some cities from having odd-numbered year elections (The Center Square)

FISH

• Just how healthful is salmon? (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• New bill aims to solve healthcare shortage by offering med school scholarships for underserved areas (The Spokesman-Review)
• Comprehensive Healthcare gets $4 million to open walk-in clinic, improve access to treatment (KAPP/KVEW)
• American Red Cross faces emergency blood shortage (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WSU offers student workers union deal (The Lewiston Tribune)

HOMELESSNESS

• Severely decomposed body found at Seattle homeless encampment (FOX 13)
• ‘It feels like nobody cares’: Homeless Spokane couple struggling to find shelter as temperatures get colder (KXLY TV)

HOUSING

• Lot-splitting sprints out of the house (The Washington Observer)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Clark County sheriff’s Deputy Drew Kennison stands tall after losing part of left leg when tree crushed patrol vehicle (The Columbian)

LEGISLATURE

• Starting his final year in office, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stresses he isn’t finished yet (AP)
• Inslee vows to press ahead on climate policy and other priorities in final year of term (Washington State Standard)
• ‘Our state is stronger than ever’: Inslee addresses priorities in final State of the State address (KING TV)
• Inslee delivers final State of the State as legacy initiatives face uncertain future (The Center Square)
• 3 takeaways from Gov. Jay Inslee’s last ‘State of the State’ address (NW News Network)
• Gov. Inslee to WA lawmakers: ‘I’m not riding into the sunset’ (The Seattle Times)
• ‘The strongest state in the nation’: Gov. Jay Inslee delivers State of the State address (The News Tribune)
• In last annual address, Inslee tells Washington lawmakers the state is the best it’s ever been (The Spokesman-Review)
• In final State of the State, Inslee touts progressive policies, asks lawmakers to keep going (Spokane Public Radio)
• Meet two guests of honor at Inslee’s annual state legislature address this year (The Spokesman-Review)
• 12th District Rep. Steele assuming new leadership role in House (KPQ Radio)
• Wash. bill proposes categorizing student athletes by chromosomal makeupmy (MyNorthwest)
• Washington Republicans introduce bills targeting abortion providers and transgender youth (KXLY TV)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Spokane City Council reconsiders limiting open forum after backlash (The Spokesman-Review)
• Spokane City Council gets an earful for proposed limiting of public comments (The Center Square)
• Vancouver rejects outsized bid to address sewage pump issue (The Center Square)
• New Yakima council members open to idea of strong mayor form of government (Yakima Herald-Republic)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Spokane Public Schools partners with nonprofit to expand student mental health services (KXLY TV)

OTHER STATES

• Gov. Tina Kotek’s first year in office was not what her critics expected (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• An Oregon judge enters the final order striking down a voter-approved gun control law (AP)
• Better data needed to track impact, effectiveness of Portland area homelessness tax (The Oregonian)

POLITICS

BALLOT MEASURES

• Washington SOS gives preliminary certification to six ballot initiatives (The Center Square)
• Secretary of State notifies Legislature of initiatives likely to be on ballots (Snoqualmie Valley Record)

RURAL BROADBAND

• Rep. Waters introduces bipartisan legislation that would help further rural broadband expansion (KLCK Radio)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• High school basketball refs with body cams? It’s possible when Gig Harbor plays Peninsula (The News Tribune)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Q&A: Gov. Jay Inslee talks policing, housing and his final year (Crosscut)
• Washington Governor Inslee to sign executive order to reduce recidivism (KXLY TV)

TAXES

• Report: Wind and solar projects cause tax shift in Washington (Capital Press)

TRANSPORTATION

• Washington ferries’ vessel shortage listed as a top challenge in 2024 (The Center Square)
• OPINION: Walsh has solution for WA’s costly culvert catastrophe (Rep. Jim Walsh/The Daily News)
• EDITORIAL: Fully explore option of Sound Transit fare gates (The Seattle Times)

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• Blizzard Warning in effect for the Cascades, WSDOT recommends delaying mountain pass travel (KING TV)
• The jury is still out when it comes to lowland snow this weekend in Western WA (MyNorthwest)

WILDLIFE

• OPINION: Don’t be fooled by activists bashing WA ‘trophy hunters.’ I’m proud to be one (Clarence Rushing, a Washington native and board member on the Washington chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers/The News Tribune)