Thousands of Washington state employees take part in lunch hour walkout; Study: Seattle has the 2nd worst traffic congestion in U.S.

AGRICULTURE

• Over 300 groups call on Congress for a robust farm bill (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Some Boeing machinists unhappy with new contract proposal (KING TV)
• US inflation reaches a 3-year low as Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest rates (AP)
• NFIB: ‘Some rays of hope in Washington’ even as small biz optimism remains low (The Center Square)
• Just miles from Kroger’s court battle, a food desert shows what’s at stake (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Gratitude for a Boeing contract good enough for workers to consider (The Seattle Times)

CHILD CARE

• OPINION: Kids are back in school, but too many parents are still out of work (Capri Jackson is a precinct committee officer, and former abuse preventionist turned stay-at-home mother/The Spokesman-Review)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• What’s behind declining birth rates (FOX 13)
• New WA State Fair memorial honors Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII (The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on funding bill with proof of citizenship mandate despite dim prospects (AP)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• No answers provided for Green River Killer’s move to King County jail (The Center Square)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Seattle to pay attorneys $750,000, wipe arrest records in graffiti case (The Seattle Times)

COURTS (STATE)

• WA appeals court hears challenge to $17B transpo law based on single-subject rule (The Center Square)
• Judge maintains $2M bail for teen accused of Alderwood mall shooting (The Everett Herald)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Washington among states most affected by cryptocurrency fraud (KIRO TV)
• Police arrest man accused of killing pedestrian in downtown Spokane (The Spokesman-Review)

DRUG CRISIS

• Spokane County Commissioners approve first opioid settlement contract with Maddie’s Place (KREM TV)

EDUCATION

• Student testing data reveals a steady decline in English scores (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
• Highline Public Schools will reopen Thursday following possible cyberattack (KING TV)
• COLUMN: New test scores show WA schools aren’t over COVID. They could be (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Chelan County first responders ‘never forget’ the tragedies of 9/11 (KOZI Radio)

FISH

• Hood Canal summer chum returning to Union River in record numbers (Kitsap Sun)
• Fish passage work on tap in Port Angeles starting next year (KONP Radio)

HANFORD

• Judge finally rules on $45B WA nuclear site contract affecting thousands of workers (Tri-City Herald)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Almost 50 million Americans have had an Obamacare plan since 2014 (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WWU public service employees join statewide walkout amid union contract negotiations (The Bellingham Herald)
• Clark College classified staff walk out to protest low wage offers from state (The Columbian)

HOMELESSNESS

• ‘Survive until you find something.’ Shelters sparse for Pierce County’s homeless kids (The News Tribune)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Quarantine for Japanese beetles extended in Washington, new rules take effect September 15 (KIRO TV)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Pierce County mine under fire for proposed expansion. We took a look inside the operation (The News Tribune)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Washington state changed how it handles police misconduct. Here’s how it’s going (KNKX Radio)
• Native group cuts ties with Seattle Police Department (The Seattle Times)
• New street cameras allow police to search for vehicles connected to crimes (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Thurston deputy suspended after ‘women don’t belong in law enforcement’ remark, Sheriff says (The Olympian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle City Council considers 7 ‘stay out’ drug or prostitution zones (The Seattle Times)
• Seattle pays millions to settle lawsuit by two bicyclists who crashed along streetcar rails (The Seattle Times)
• Spokane punts measure mitigating impact of homeless shelters, services on neighbors (The Center Square)
• Sunnyside Council continues discussion on removing mayor (Yakima Herald-Republic)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Coping 101: High school student podcast tackles mental health topics (KOMO TV)

OTHER STATES

• National historic preservation council cuts off consultation on Lava Ridge wind project (Capital Press)
• Another Portland area school district will consider closing some schools amid low enrollment (The Oregonian)

PARKS

• Olympic National Park leads Washington’s National Parks in visitor numbers (KONP Radio)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Bail $250K each for two Vancouver men accused of bringing guns to Mountain View High School (The Columbian)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Facebook is blocking emergency warnings as wildfires roar through West (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• WA and 41 other AG’s want warning labels on social media sites (KONA Radio)

SPORTS

• COLUMN: Sadly, mocking the Cougs during Apple Cup week just isn’t as much fun as it used to be (Danny O’Neil/Tri-City Herald)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Thousands of Washington state employees take part in lunch hour walkout (Washington State Standard)
• State workers walk out across WA to call for wage increases (The Seattle Times)
• ‘Public employees deserve better’ state workers say as they walkout over contract talks (The Olympian)
• State employees conduct walkouts across Washington for fair union contract, staffing (Tri-City Herald)
• Low participation in Tri-Cities Walkout for Washington (KNDO/KNDU)

TRANSPORTATION

• Study: Seattle has the 2nd worst traffic congestion in U.S. (Axios – Seattle)
• Joint project replaces culvert with steel bridge (Peninsula Daily News)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Yakama Nation awarded $1 million to fight gang, cartel violence (KNDO/KNDU)
• Washington Bureau of Indian Affairs officer indicted in sexual assault of prisoner (The Spokesman-Review)

WATER

• Drought was declared in Washington last spring. How are the conditions going into fall? (Tri-City Herald)

WILDLIFE

• Plan to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls to save another PNW owl species set to begin (KING TV)
• Dead harbor seal in Puget Sound helps expand knowledge on infectious disease (Kitsap Sun)