Washington state’s spending spree drives massive deficit; First bills drop ahead of WA’s 2025 legislative session

AGRICULTURE

• GOP governors urge reauthorization of farm bill, call 2018 bill ‘outdated’ (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Older women are changing the face of the U.S. labor force (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• Developer Martin Selig defaults on $240M debt as Seattle office woes mount (The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Let’s hope Boeing labor deal marks start of a new phase of manufacturing growth (Kris Johnson, Association of Washington Business/The Reflector)

CHILD CARE

• WA 2-year-old loses foot to lawnmower at daycare, DCYF revokes license (FOX 13)

CONGRESS

• ‘No family should be above the law’: MGP blasts Biden’s decision to pardon son (The Chronicle)
• MGP helps secure $454,436 to support Columbia River barge service (The Reflector)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• OPINION: Find more space for juvenile offenders, but stop putting them with adults (Sen. John Braun/The Reflector)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• What medical care for transgender minors is at stake in Supreme Court case (AP)

COURTS (STATE)

• Washington judges uphold $35M judgment against Facebook (The Spokesman-Review)
• Judge throws out attempted recall of Seattle School Board president (KUOW Radio)
• OPINION: Why WA should stop electing its judiciary (Peter Boersema, from Shoreline and graduated from St. John’s College/The Seattle Times)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Washington is a top state for this devastating holiday crime (KONA Radio)
• Search continues three years after Oakley Carlson’s disappearance (KING TV)

DAMS

• New Trump administration could bring shift in approach to Snake River dam breaching (Idaho Statesman/The Columbian)

EARLY LEARNING

• Clark County could lose preschool slots because of state budget cuts (The Columbian)

EDUCATION

• Native American students miss school at higher rates. It got worse during the pandemic (The Seattle Times)
• ‘Perfect storm’ thrashed Richland school’s budget. But are more cuts looming next year? (Tri-City Herald)

ELECTIONS

• Cortes flips 18th district state legislative seat (The Reflector)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Tsunami researchers hunt for clues about the next big Pacific NW quake (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• King County hits $11 million in storm damage, meeting threshold for FEMA aid (FOX 13)
• Tacoma firefighters warn of dire impact from budget cuts and call for urgent action (KOMO TV)
• OPINION: Tacoma is proposing drastic cuts to the fire department. It would be a bad mistake (Allyson Hinzman, president of the Tacoma Firefighters, IAFF Local 31; Dr. Tarak Patel, Tacoma physician; and Jeanie Mitchell, community advocate/The News Tribune)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• 3 lawsuits claim Inslee, regulators sidestepped state law to approve Eastern WA wind farm (Tri-City Herald)

ENVIRONMENT

• Seattle’s glass recycling network shatters as wine bottle maker closes (The Seattle Times)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• How Biden changed his mind on pardoning Hunter: ‘Time to end all of this’ (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)

FISH

• EDITORIAL: Chum salmon run shows habitat restoration is worth the effort (The Seattle Times)

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• Salmonella-linked cucumbers sicken five Washingtonians amid string of national foodborne illness outbreaks (KUOW Radio)

HOUSING

• State audit finds low-income tenant homeownership program ‘ineffective’ in Whatcom County (The Bellingham Herald)
• Bellingham mulls ending parking-space mandates to boost housing (KNKX Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• ICE can use Boeing Field for deportations, appeals court rules (The Seattle Times)
• Ninth Circuit rules in favor of federal deportation (The Center Square)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Spokane County Sheriff’s Office unveils new high tech center intended to help solve crimes more efficiently and effectively (The Spokesman-Review)

LEGISLATURE

• First bills drop ahead of WA’s 2025 legislative session (Washington State Standard)
• Retiring Rep. J.T. Wilcox receives lifetime achievement award from Washington Farm Bureau (The Chronicle)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County fingerprint levy renewal would cost less than current levy rate (The Center Square)
• Spokane County adopts 2025 budget relying on nearly 20% of available fund balance (The Center Square)
• Spokane’s building fees jump again next year as city tries to afford growth (The Spokesman-Review)
• PUD commissioner pleads not guilty to bribery, unlawful compensation charges (The Chronicle)
• Mabton Mayor urges Washington Supreme Court to declare recall petition against her ‘null and void’ (KAPP/KVEW)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Washington state’s spending spree drives massive deficit (The Center Square)
• Gov. Inslee imposes WA spending freeze amid budget shortfall (The Seattle Times)
• Inslee imposes government spending freeze amid projected revenue shortfall (KOMO TV)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s budget proposal urges more money for housing, education and mental health (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• High school principal indicted in student abuse scandal (KOMO TV)
• Portland police spent $1.2 million in overtime during Election Day week (The Oregonian)
• California lawmakers will begin a special session to ‘Trump-proof’ state laws (AP)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Seattle plans to double school zone speed cameras next year (Axios – Seattle)
• Rape suspect arrested in Graham, WA after standoff prompts school lockdown (FOX 13)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Ferguson names Casey Sixkiller new director of the WA Department of Ecology (The News Tribune)
• Sixkiller appointed WA director of Ecology (Columbia Basin Herald)

TAXES

• Washington counties zero in on tax shift legislation (Capital Press)

TRANSPORTATION

• WSDOT provides update on pilot project using drones to fight graffiti (The Center Square)
• New fines coming in 2025 for WA license plate law (FOX 13)
• Alaska Airlines forced to ground flights Monday due to IT issues (MyNorthwest)