Washington makes another run at heat pump rules; ‘It’s not going to be secure’; Concerns grow after another Echo Glen escape

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Amazon launches AI assistant, joining Microsoft and Google in chatbot race (Puget Sound Business Journal)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• A WA worker’s death reveals the limits of safety enforcement (Crosscut)
• Seattle lobbying firm Strategies 360 files for bankruptcy amid legal feud (The Seattle Times)
• Workers sue WA mushroom farm, allege wrongful firings, labor violations (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: It now takes at least 6 figures for a family to get by in Seattle (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

CENSUS

• These are the states Washington residents moved to the most in 2021, 2022 (KING TV)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Campaign renews push to adopt teens from foster care (KOMO TV)
• Washington 1st in US for parental financial support of adult children, study reveals (KOMO TV)
• ‘There are more people than ever’: Washington food banks scramble to provide for families (KIRO TV)
• When he charted a path opposite his friends, a ‘big brother’ could have helped (The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Gluesenkamp Perez co-sponsoring bipartisan Farmland Security Act (The Reflector)

CORONAVIRUS

• COVID cases and hospitalizations rose through September, Yakima Health District reports (Yakima Herald-Republic)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• EPA seeks pause in suits over forced electrification of trucks (Capital Press)

COURTS (STATE)

• State Supreme Court puts ruling that gave Oregon State, Washington State control of Pac-12 on hold (KING TV)
• Former legislative candidate John Ley pleads not guilty in voter fraud case; his lawyer says charges politically motivated (The Columbian)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• It’s peak shopping — and shoplifting — season. Police in Washington and other states are stepping up antitheft tactics (NPR/Oregon Public Broadcasting)

CYBERSECURITY

• Puget Sound-area surgical group says security breach might have exposed patient data (The News Tribune)

DAMS

• Leaked ‘secret plan’ reveals Biden admin’s $1B+ proposal preparing for Snake dam breaching (Tri-City Herald)

DRUG CRISIS

• Mother loses 16-year-old to fentanyl overdose; warns parents of how accessible the drug is (KING TV)

EDUCATION

• Seattle Public Schools admits students sent controversial cards to Moms for Liberty (KOMO TV)
• Marysville schools stare down drastic cuts to sports, libraries, more (The Everett Herald)
• Bainbridge Island schools considering closing Ordway Elementary, Commodore Options (Kitsap Sun)

ELECTIONS

• Spokane, other Washington counties certify Nov. 7 election results (The Center Square)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Washington makes another run at heat pump rules (Washington State Standard)
• How much renewable energy states use (Pluribus News)

FISH

• OPINION: Inslee in state of denial over salmon recovery efforts (Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center/The Spokesman-Review)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• With recent RSV treatment shortage, Kadlec Pediatrician gives tips to navigate Respiratory Illness Season with young ones (KEPR TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• YVC creates a pathway for students looking to get a degree in STEM (KNDO/KNDU)

HOMELESSNESS

• Burien chooses location for homeless shelter as county deadline passes (The Seattle Times)
• Overnight cold weather shelters and daytime warming centers in Snohomish County (The Everett Herald)
• City adopts new boundaries aimed at keeping people from sleeping on sidewalks during the day (The Olympian)

HOUSING

• New survey highlights possible cuts to red tape for Washington housing construction (The Center Square)
• County Council set to approve more than $130M for affordable housing (The Everett Herald)
• High demand for apartment rentals continues in Yakima, with not enough supply, survey shows (Yakima Herald-Republic)

IMMIGRATION

• Nine detainees still refusing meals at Tacoma immigration facility as protest hits 18th day (Washington State Standard)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Officer involved shooting in Puyallup leaves one suspect dead (MyNorthwest)
• ‘My rights were violated’: Everett officer arrests woman filming him (The Everett Herald)
• Vancouver police sergeant wins lawsuit against city, chief (The Columbian)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Proposed hourly wage increase in unincorporated King County stuck in limbo (The Center Square)
• Clark County Council begins process to address climate change with growth management plan update (The Columbian)
• Lynnwood council, jarred by anti-Semitic rants, approves tax increase (The Everett Herald)

MEDIA

• OPINION: The loss of responsible local newspapers and reporters is a problem for democracy (Darlene Hein, president of the League of Women Voters of Thurston County; and Dee Anne Finken, Board member of the League of Women Voters of Washington and chairs the League’s Local News and Democracy Committee/The News Tribune)
• OPINION: ‘I was censored by The Seattle Times’ (Liv Finne, Washington Policy Center/The Center Square)

MENTAL HEALTH

• ‘They failed her’: Mother of slain Medical Lake girl calls for more mental health resources after her death (The Spokesman-Review)

OTHER STATES

• $600 million in housing, homelessness initiatives top Kotek’s priorities for upcoming legislative session (The Oregonian)
• Oregon’s legal psilocybin clinics draw hundreds – mostly from out of state (Oregon Capital Chronicle/Washington State Standard)
• Portland teachers ratify contract with nearly 95% approval, school board passes unanimously (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Idaho’s infant, mother death rate is rising, new report finds (Idaho Capital Sun/Washington State Standard)

PARKS

• National Park Service is changing the annual pass policy (KONP Radio)

POLITICS

NATIONAL

• ‘She loved people’: Rosalynn Carter honored during tribute service in Atlanta (FOX 13)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• ‘It’s not going to be secure’; Concerns grow after another Echo Glen escape (FOX 13)
• Three teens who escaped Echo Glen detention center have violent criminal histories (MyNorthwest)

TRANSPORTATION

• Vashon Island struggling economically due to state ferry crisis (MyNorthwest)
• OPINION: Save our ferry system: A plea for help from an islander (Paul Bunning, San Juan Island resident and has been a PBS Radio correspondent and Northwest editor for The Spokesman-Review/The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: To land a second airport, WA’s case must be ironclad (The Seattle Times)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Victims of wildfire in Elk learn more about state, federal resources in town hall meeting (KREM TV)