WA Supreme Court considers cutting public defender caseloads; NBA commissioner says expansion talks, expected to include Sonics, will start in fall

AGRICULTURE

• Why are fertilizer prices so high right now for farmers? (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
• OPINION: Lewis County agriculture statistics show importance of local farmers (Maureen Harkcom, president of Lewis County Farm Bureau/The Chronicle)
• EDITORIAL: Tentative Columbia River deal looks good for ag interests (Capital Press)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• OPINION: Artificial Intelligence can be first line of defense in limiting wildfires (Sebastian Griffin, lead researcher for the Junkermier Center for Technology and Innovation at Mountain States Policy Center/Capital Press)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• More Americans apply for jobless benefits as layoffs settle at higher levels in recent weeks (AP)
• How Seattle can support its artists despite rising prices (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing workers signal support for strike if contract talks fail (Washington State Standard)
• Schoesler: Using tools correctly is key concept (The Lewiston Tribune)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Judge dismisses utility’s suit against cap-and-trade (Capital Press)

CONGRESS

• Cantwell says she’ll cut path for privacy bill despite opposition (CQ-Roll Call/The Columbian)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• OPINION: WA is breaking its pact to rehabilitate juvenile offenders (Sen. Noel Frame/The Seattle Times)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denies Clark County’s attempt to dismiss wrongful death suit in Kevin Peterson Jr. shooting (The Columbian)

COURTS (STATE)

• WA Supreme Court considers cutting public defender caseloads (Washington State Standard)
• $42 million tort claim accuses Washington AGO, WSU of racketeering (The Center Square)
• Convicted Longview child murder’s sentence lowers after WA Supreme Court ruling (The Daily News)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Man impersonates WDFW employee, steals boat motors totaling nearly $60,000 (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)

CYBERSECURITY

• Cyberattack may threaten WSU students and staff through third-party vendor (KHQ TV)

DRUG CRISIS

• King County K9s help deputies seize more than 80 pounds of drugs (MyNorthwest)

EDUCATION

• Momentum builds for phone-free schools (Pluribus News)

ELECTIONS

• COLUMN: Rebuilding trust face to face (Sue Lani Madsen/The Spokesman-Review)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Washington state is far below average in number of first responders (KPQ Radio)
• CKFR firefighter injured during blaze that destroyed five-unit complex (Kitsap Sun)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• How utilities are holding up to the power demand during Spokane’s heat wave (The Spokesman-Review)

FISH

• How this year’s high summer temperatures pose a threat to local trout, salmon (The Spokesman-Review)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Looking for local public health data? Whatcom County’s just became a lot more accessible (The Bellingham Herald)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• UW Tacoma implements plan to restore power as it enters week two of outage (The News Tribune)
• National space science project led by Central professor earns trip to NASA (Daily Record)

HOMELESSNESS

• Spokane may prop up scattered-site homeless shelter model as soon as Aug. 1 (The Center Square)
• Now with more authority to outlaw public camping, what will Pierce County leaders do? (The News Tribune)
• ‘Tough love.’ Pierce County city says police can remove homeless from public property (The News Tribune)
• For people in Whatcom County, living on the streets could mean dying on the streets (KING TV)

HOUSING

• Pierce County residents have requested millions for eviction prevention so far in 2024 (Washington State Standard)

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

• EDITORIAL: Human trafficking isn’t a faraway fear — it’s a local concern (Yakima Herald-Republic)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Capital Mall area is set to become a mixed-use urban neighborhood. Here are the details (The Olympian)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Seattle interim police chief fires officer who made ‘vile’ comments (The Seattle Times)
• Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz not selected for Austin police chief job (KING TV)
• Vancouver police Chief Mori announces retirement after two years in the position (The Columbian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County awarded $450K federal grant for alternative youth detention system (The Center Square)
• Ex-Franklin Co. administrator lands on his feet. He’ll be staying close to Tri-Cities (Tri-City Herald)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Drowning of service member prompts shutdown of all Joint Base Lewis-McChord beaches (The News Tribune)

OTHER STATES

• Could Oregon’s state school funding mechanism change next year? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Oregon won’t press for criminal charges in case involving Democratic Party of Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• EDITORIAL: Wolf attacks out of control around NE Oregon town (Capital Press)

PARKS

• State commission weighs permanent closure of Cama Beach cabins (The Everett Herald)

RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Weyerhaeuser investing $1 million into Raymond to support community (KXRO Radio)

SECURITY

• Gunman had searched for images of Trump and Biden, FBI says (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

SPORTS

• NBA commissioner says expansion talks, expected to include Sonics, will start in fall (The Seattle Times)
• Washington parent group filing federal challenge to Biden Title IX changes (The Center Square)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Software error scrambles Washington hunting tag draw (The Spokesman-Review)

TRANSPORTATION

• North Cascades Highway closes due to wildfire (The Seattle Times)

WATER

• Yakima River basin water supply drops a little (Capital Press)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Donkey Fire southwest of Pe Ell fully contained (The Chronicle)
• Fire report: Sunbanks Fire mostly extinguished (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Cougar Creek Fire grows to 3,100 Acres in Asotin County; evacuations ordered, containment efforts intensify (The Lewiston Tribune)
• Pioneer Fire continues to expand, inch closer to Stehekin (KPQ Radio)

WOLVES

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to vote on moving wolves off endangered species list (KXLY TV)