The Capitol Buzz is a daily summary of online news clips from across the state, discussing policies and politics affecting Washington state.
AGRICULTURE & WATER
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- Management shake-up at Alaska Air will bring layoffs (The Seattle Times)
- Small businesses eligible for drought assistance (Gorge Radio-KIHR)
CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- Senate confirms 15 more judges, wrapping up a GOP priority (AP/The Seattle Times)
- Social Security checks will grow in 2019 as inflation rises (The Seattle Times)
- Congress approves bill requiring tribal village to be built along Columbia River (Yakima Herald)
- OPINION: Washington lawmakers should repeal medical device tax (Richard Fabian is president and chief operating officer of SonoSite. Joe Robinson is senior vice president, Health Systems Solutions of Philips North America/Puget Sound Business Journal)
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- It’s devastating! Family members react to death of capital punishment in Washington state (KCPQ TV)
- ‘He got away with murder’ – Family of corrections officer reacts to court ruling on death penalty (MyNorthwest)
- Death penalty ruling anguishes Spokane Valley mother who lost daughter in 1996 attacks (The Spokesman-Review)
- ‘Disappointed,’ says father of murdered 12-year-old girl on death penalty ruling (KOMO-TV)
- Family of murder victim reacts after court rules death penalty violates Constitution (KING TV)
- Death penalty struck down by Washington Supreme Court, taking 8 men off death row (The Seattle Times)
- State Supreme Court strikes down death penalty, converts sentences to life in prison (The News Tribune)
- List of inmates whose sentences are changed from death row to life in prison (The Seattle Times)
- Bellingham teen-killer’s death sentence commuted due to state Supreme Court ruling (The Bellingham Herald)
- Court ruling on death penalty could end the long debate in Olympia over capital punishment (The Seattle Times)
- The study that killed the death penalty in Washington (Crosscut)
- State Supreme Court calls a ‘timeout’ for Washington Bar Association to review its rules (The Seattle Times)
- Lookout in Camille Love shooting sees 50-plus years shaved off his original sentence (The News Tribune)
- U.S. Marshals complete 3-month operation against gang-violence in Wash.; 263 arrests made (Seattle P-I)
- Multi-agency operation takes gang members off the streets (KOMO-TV)
- These 8 areas of King County have 95% of the shootings (KING TV)
- Courthouse security training included an element of realism: gunfire (Kitsap Sun)
- Jury awards $4.9 million to man fired after losing vocal chords to cancer (KOMO-TV)
- Witness: Lakewood cop arrested for DUI told her not to call police after he crashed his car (The News Tribune)
- Officer body cameras not on Walla Walla Police’s agenda (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- OPINION: A message for survivors: We hear you and support you (Mary Ellen Stone, executive director of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center/The Seattle Times)
- COLUMN: WA’s death penalty can’t be justified until we fix the system (Knute Berger/Crosscut)
- COLUMN: Death penalty ruling is proof Supreme Court has been bought off (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)
- EDITORIAL: The end of the death penalty is a proud day for Washington (The Seattle Times)
DAMS
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- Local students work to end bullying for National Bullying Prevention Month (KOMO-TV)
- Citing technological mishap, state will again seek to delay hearing for Freeman shooting suspect Caleb Sharpe (The Spokesman-Review)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Natural gas shortage is over, Puget Sound Energy says (The Everett Herald)
- Washington could see gas shortage after British Columbia pipeline explosion (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
- Turn up the heat and take long showers, but pipeline rupture still may raise gas prices (The Bellingham Herald)
- Committee to finalize recommendations for proposed Longview coal terminal (The Daily News)
ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
HANFORD
HEALTH CARE
HIGHER EDUCATION
HOMELESSNESS
HOUSING
- Hoping for Seattle-area rents to get cheap? Don’t hold your breath (The Seattle Times)
- TCC uses former Tiki Apartments to expand housing help for students (KOMO-TV)
- OPINION: Unique deal means redemption for vilified landlord, housing for TCC students who need help (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)
- COLUMN: Slowing real estate might let us catch our breath — or knock the wind out of us (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)
IMMIGRATION
LEGISLATURE
MARIJUANA
MILITARY & VETERANS
- Still wondering why his wife died in Bremerton military hospital, former officer takes his case to Supreme Court (The Seattle Times)
- Petition filed for Supreme Court review of Naval Hospital Bremerton nurse wrongful death suit (Kitsap Sun)
OPEN GOVERNMENT
OPIOIDS
OTHER STATES
- Oregon wildfire costs hit record high of $514 million in 2018 (AP/The Oregonian)
- Oregon claws back $13 million for inflated solar tax credits (The Oregonian)
POLITICS
CONGRESS
- Former regional TV news exec seeks 4th District Congressional seat (KIT Radio)
- Democrats try to flip Washington district for the first time (AP/KOMO-TV)
- Lisa Brown: From legislator to educator to serious contender for Congress (The Spokesman-Review)
- From Kettle Falls to the Capitol, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers used conservative bona fides to rise through ranks (The Spokesman-Review)
ELECTIONS
LEGISLATURE
Sasha Bentley (D) seeks open seat in the 14th District (KIT Radio)
Chris Corry (R) seeks open seat in the 14th District (KIT Radio)
15th Legislative District, Position 1: Bruce Chandler vs. Jack McEntire (Yakima Herald)
First-time candidates face off for state House seat (Skagit Valley Herald)
State rep candidates tackle issues at Rotary forum (The Wenatchee World)
STATE GOVERNMENT
TAXES
TRANSPORTATION
- Construction frenzy: The low Highway 520 bid is $30 million more than expected (The Seattle Times)
- Washington State Ferries looks for billions to replace old boats (KCPQ TV)
- Transportation Benefit District board wants to hear from Thurston County residents (iFiberOneNewsRadio-KMAS)
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
- Additional $55 million sought to fight fires in Washington state (Yakima Herald)
- ‘Historic’ wildfire funding request goes to Washington Legislature (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
WILDLIFE