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AGRICULTURE

• Washington grape growers see wine glass as half-full (Tri-City Herald)

BUDGET & TAXES

• Tax breaks to benefit data centers, food processors (Columbia Basin Herald)
• BLOG: More on capital-budget grants for wine, water (Jordan Schrader/The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Reforms tied to state budget worth wait (Rep. Larry Haler/Tri-City Herald)
• OPINION: Public blame game on McKenna not entirely accurate (Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, 9th District/The Olympian)
• EDITORIAL: State Boosts Construction (The Columbian)

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

• Why talking jobs is better than campaigning on values (Crosscut)
• US consumer spending slowed in March, income rose (Seattle Times)
• Business Presents a New Report Card – Gives State an Incomplete (Washington State Wire)
• Microsoft, Barnes & Noble team up on Nook (AP/Everett Herald)
• US consumer spending slowed in March, income rose (AP/Kitsap Sun)
• COLUMN: Boeing brings out the best in South Carolina (Ron Brinson/Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Business boom continues in Grant County (Jonathan Smith and Emily Braunwart, Grant County Economic Development Council/Columbia Basin Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Hats off to Boeing’s South Carolina team (Seattle Times)

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Seattle ‘gangster’ pimp gets record sentence (Seattle Times/Yakima Herald-Republic)
• State high court refuses to hear convicted killer Kevin Hilton’s case (Tri-City Herald)
• Walla Walla prision unit reopens in July (Tri-City Herald)
• Police look for killer of 24-year-old in Lacey (AP/Everett Herald)

DAMS

• EDITORIAL: Dam debate obscures other ways to help fish (Spokesman-Review)

EDUCATION (K-12) & SCHOOL SAFETY

• Can more rigorous academics help Rainier Beach? (Seattle Times)
• Seattle schools likely to ask voters for record $1 billion-plus in 2013 (Seattle Times)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Desert Claim wind project not likely to go up this year (Daily Record)
• Navy nears power deal to help avoid California blackouts (AP/Everett Herald)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• EDITORIAL: Keep student loan rates low (The Olympian)
• EDITORIAL: Congress has waited far too long to fix retirement programs (The Olympian)

GAY RIGHTS

• Presbytery dismisses four churches in gay spat (The Olympian)

GUN RIGHTS

• OPINION: Here’s an argument waiting to get started (Larry Simoneaux/Everett Herald)

HEALTH CARE

• Tricare fee increases blocked, but that’s not likely to last long (Everett Herald)
• Prescription rate for high-strength painkillers at troubling all-time high (The News Tribune)
• EDITORIAL: Health care costs: news of savings and of waste (Spokesman-Review)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Sen. Murray decries potential rise in interest rates on student loans  (Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: America: From educational leader to underachiever (The News Tribune)

IMMIGRATION

• COLUMN: Think Arizona is bad for immigrants? Try our Olympic Peninsula (Danny Westneat/Seattle Times)

LEGISLATURE

• COLUM
  N: Failure to pass toxic-chemical bill put profits over children’s safety (Sen. Sharon Nelson/Seattle Times)

MARIJUANA

• Medical-marijuana dispensaries run into trouble at the bank (Seattle Times)
• BLOG: A vending machine for marijuana? In California (Scott Gutierrez/Seattle P-I)

MILITARY

• Spokane tries to preserve Fairchild AFB (AP/Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Murray Still on the Prowl (The Columbian)

POLITICS

STATE

• Democrat McClendon challenges Overstreet in 42nd District (Bellingham Herald)
• In race for Congress, Kilmer cruises in raising campaign cash (Kitsap Sun)
• Democratic convention prepares for ’12 vote (The Columbian)
• Hadian looking to clean house in gubernatorial race (Tri-City Herald)
• BLOG: Video exchange puts McKenna on hot seat (Jim Camden/Spokesman-Review)
• BLOG: “Get a job” used to get Inslee a job (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)

NATIONAL

• One month in Congress will pay $15,000 (Everett Herald)
• Obama, Clintons deepen political and policy ties (AP/Everett Herald)
• BLOG: Bromance (Everett Herald)
• COLUMN: Ryan’s the ‘ordinary guy’ GOP has fallen in love with (Jonathon Weisman/New York Times/Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Reform Conservatism rises to challenge Obama liberalism (Micheal Gerson/Seattle Times)

SEX OFFENDERS

• Ex-King’s Way coach pleads guilty to sex with student (The Columbian)

STATE GOVERNMENT 

• Many state employees see bulked-up salaries (The Olympian)
• State’s expensive love affair with 4-wheel drive hybrid SUVs (Seattle Times)
• Privatized liquor sales: what will happen? (The Columbian)
• EDITORIAL: Governor must drive harder bargain with state employees (Seattle Times)

TRANSPORTATION

• Port Townsend-Seattle foot ferry plans still afloat (Peninsula Daily News)
• Mukilteo considers new, big road (Everett Herald)
• Ferries will reduce crews on most vessels this summer (Kitsap Sun)
• Survey shows state ferry workers lag in pay behind peers (Kitsap Sun)
• BLOG: Repaving helps avoid more costly roadwork (Bill Sheets/Everett Herald)