Washington ranks second in country for most vehicle thefts, study says; A new Washington law aims to get air support on fires more quickly

AGRICULTURE

• Meet Washington’s newest billion dollar industry. But it just got a gutpunch (Tri-City Herald)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• AI can only do 5% of jobs, says MIT economist who fears crash (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)
• Apple’s AI is landing soon on iPhones. Here’s what it’s like. (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Where Washington ranks with the other 50 states for price of groceries (KPQ Radio)
• Inflation rate is slowing. So why isn’t it making a difference for so many Spokane residents? (The Spokesman-Review)
• Seattle approves $20.76 minimum wage in 2025; will be highest in the U.S. (The Center Square)
• Boeing, union of striking machinists to resume negotiations Monday (KING TV)
• Washington AG seeks sanctions against Albertson’s in opioid suit (The Spokesman-Review)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• In Seattle area, Oct. 7 anniversary marks year of devastation, anxiety (The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Local Jewish community in need of support more than ever (Jacob Herber, spiritual leader of Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Synagogue on Mercer Island and a member of The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and USCG Auxiliary chaplain/The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• The next big dilemma for the U.S. Senate GOP: Who should lead them in 2025 and beyond? (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)
• Rep. McMorris Rodgers reflects on nearly two decades in Congress (KXLY TV)
• Even as he exits, Washington’s Derek Kilmer is still trying to fix Congress (CQ-Roll Call/The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Expiration of the farm bill hurts us all (Christine E. Hamp, president of the National Grange/Capital Press)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Supreme Court taking the bench with ghost guns, a capital case and transgender rights on the docket (AP)
• U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Colstrip pollution challenge (Daily Montanan/The Spokesman-Review)

COURTS (STATE)

• Bremerton judge accused of retaliation after saying she’s been threatened by ex-employee (Kitsap Sun)
• The Spotlight: How an accused killer walked out of jail after admitting to brutal murder in Washington (FOX 13)
• Thurston County prosecutors drop rape, kidnapping charges against Uber driver (FOX 13)
• Spokane prosecutors decline to charge deputies in November shooting (The Spokesman-Review)
• Judge delivers maximum sentence to three men convicted for defacing the ‘Friendship Fence’ in Chehalis (The Chronicle)
• EDITORIAL: State can no longer shirk its responsibility for public defenders (Yakima Herald-Republic)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Washington ranks second in country for most vehicle thefts, study says (KOMO TV)
• As federal funding for crime victims plummets, advocates ask Washington lawmakers for help (Washington State Standard)
• Report: More than 50 jihadist cases in 29 states show ‘persistent terror threat’ (The Center Square)
• OPINION: Long prison sentences don’t keep us safe (David Trieweiler, trial attorney and member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers/The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: Homeless man brutally assaults Seattle rider as King County Metro claims bus is safe (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

DRUG CRISIS

• Member of Lummi Nation speaks out after major drug ring bust (KING TV)
• Spokane law enforcement supports new anti-fentanyl smuggling bill (KXLY TV)
• Overdoses calls, deaths level off in Whatcom County. Here’s what local officials are doing (The Bellingham Herald)

EDUCATION

• Vaccine exemptions rise among Clark County kids, mirroring national trends (The Columbian)
• Interim Marysville superintendent tells staff, families ‘this is about we’ (The Everett Herald)
• Lack of bus drivers has Basin districts looking for solutions (Columbia Basin Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Mismanagement in Seattle Public Schools: a lesson in what not to do (The Seattle Times)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Washington Task Force activated for hurricane relief (KIRO TV)
• Unusual earthquake activity at Washington’s Mount Adams, but no signs of eruption threat (Washington State Standard)

ENVIRONMENT

• Washington fines farmer co-ops for not using enough recycled plastic (Capital Press)
• Last week’s Southwest Washington odor still remains a mystery (The Daily News)
• COLUMN: How ‘commingled’ recycling fails us — and what some startups are doing about it (Melissa Davis, deputy opinion editor and The Seattle Times, and Josh Farley, member of The Seattle Times editorial board/The Seattle Times)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• As gun violence increases in the PNW, so does its toll on doctors (Cascade PBS)
• Residency program helps physicians understand Spanish-speaking patients (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• OPINION: In Seattle, the doctor will not see you now, or any time soon (Nicole Hussey, local artist and writer/The Seattle Times)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• With FAFSA delayed again, students are uncertain about how to stay in school (Spokane Public Radio)
• Colleges are having special trainings for incoming students after the year of protests (Spokane Public Radio)
• WSU student charged in campus threats and extortion cases pleads guilty (KQQQ Radio)
• Skagit Valley College launches new programs (Skagit Valley Herald)

HOMELESSNESS

• Auburn strips requirement of shelter from homeless camping ordinance (The Seattle Times)
• Woman identified after remains found in suitcase during Seattle encampment sweep (FOX 13)
• COLUMN: The saga of Seattle’s empty tiny homes is building to a head (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

HOUSING

• As affordable housing disappears, states scramble to shore up the losses (AP)
• Spokane Housing Authority halts housing voucher program, affecting families in need of assistance (KXLY TV)
• DNR transfers public lands to Pierce County to build affordable housing (KIRO TV)
• Unpacking Tacoma’s zoning changes, Washington’s middle housing push (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

IMMIGRATION

• Biden will allow legal status to lapse for migrants from four countries (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Lack of King County cold case unit leaves families in limbo (FOX 13)
• Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders struck by impaired driver in Lacey (KING TV)
• Thurston County aims to open new sheriff station in 2026. How will the county pay for it? (The Olympian)
• Monroe police commander is a finalist for Burlington chief (The Everett Herald)

LGBTQ+

• King County $1.8 million LGBTQ veteran homeless facility accepting applications (The Center Square)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Utility rates could soon increase as Tacoma faces $24M gap in proposed 2025-26 budget (The News Tribune)
• Edmonds facing potential layoffs, furloughs and tax hikes (KING TV)

MEDIA

• COLUMN: Elections are always important, especially in a changing world. That’s why newspapers need to change, too (Rob Curley/The Spokesman-Review)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Two Washington men were arrested in mental health crises. Only one survived (The Seattle Times)
• Washington death was ‘natural’ until The Seattle Times asked why. Here’s what to know (The Seattle Times)

OPEN GOVERNMENT

• Spokane requires notary for some public records requests – ‘a waste of tax dollars,’ critics say (The Spokesman-Review)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Washington estimates a $39 million drop in projected revenue through 2029 (KIRO TV)

OTHER STATES

• Idaho leaders want feds to answer their water question (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)

PARKS

• Visit all Washington’s state parks for free on World Mental Health Day (KXLY TV)
• Mount Rainier is shrinking and now has a new summit (The Seattle Times)
• 14 Washington motorized Sno-Parks will not open this winter (The Seattle Times)
• Does Yakima Sportsman State Park have an image problem? (Yakima Herald-Republic)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Snapchat brushed aside warnings of child harm, documents show (Spokane Public Radio)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Plastic producers face fines for not using enough recycled material in their products (KIRO TV)
• State health department introduces new app for cancer survivors (KIRO TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Three decades in the making: WSDOT to complete North Spokane Corridor by 2030 (The Center Square)
• Oregon, Washington move ahead with tolling plans for present and future Interstate Bridge (KING TV)
• Lack of EV chargers dogging Washington agency’s electrification efforts (The Center Square)
• What Washington’s EV rebates bought (The Washington Observer)
• World’s second-longest girders installed over I-5 in Fife (MyNorthwest)
• Platforms and shelters improperly built on new Capitol Hill RapidRide (The Seattle Times)

TRANSPORTATION BUDGET

• Gas tax revenue coming up short in new transportation revenue forecast (The Center Square)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• DCYF award grants to early learning programs for tribal nations (KIRO TV)
• Nearly $1 million federal grant will boost Lummi Nation’s fight against domestic violence (The Bellingham Herald)

WATER

• Yakima basin irrigators end season with 52% of normal water supply (Capital Press)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• A new Washington law aims to get air support on fires more quickly (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• IRS announces tax relief for wildfire victims in parts of Washington, including the Yakama Nation (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• Weather turns prescribed burn into wildfire 15 miles southeast of Walla Walla (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Evacuations set to Level 1 (BE READY) for area near Currier Canyon Fire in Kittitas County (KNDO/KNDU)

WILDLIFE

• Endangered Northwest orca population drops as three males die (KUOW Radio)

Whidbey Island floating clinic hopes to save orcas (The Everett Herald)