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ABORTION

• Ultrasound exhibition by anti-abortion activists draws protests in Idaho (AP/Oregonian)

 

BUDGET & TAXES

• Legislature considers new maneuver for fixing budget (The Olympian)
• 3rd state budget solution afloat in Olympia could end partisan struggle (Seattle Times)
• BLOG: No budget agreement yet (Jim Camden/Spokesman-Review)
• BLOG: Can new $238M budget ‘trick’ end session logjam? (Brad Shannon/The Olympian)
• BLOG: Budget proposal offers $238 million; could it break logjam? (Jordan Schrader/The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Legislature’s budget cuts threaten to hurt quality of long-term care (Craig LeVee, owner of Lacey’s Roo-Lan Health Care Center and The Lodges/The News Tribune)
• COLUMN: Even if the state’s budget crisis has abated, taxes still matter (Richard Davis, president of the Washington Research Council/The News Tribune)

 

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

• Paccar gets order for 1,000 Kenworth trucks (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Washington gained 54,900 jobs in 12 months through February (The Columbian)
• State unemployment drops, and some extended benefits set to expire in April (Washington State Wire)
• BLOG: Unemployment rate drops to 8.2 percent (Christina Salerno/TVW)

 

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Student arrested after weapons found near Arlington school (Everett Herald)
• Man who says he has AIDS bites state trooper (AP/Everett Herald)
• Lacey standoff ends with suspect taking own life (AP/Everett Herald)
• Mother of boy in Armin Jahr shooting pleads not guilty to charges (Kitsap Sun)

 

EDUCATION (K-12) & SCHOOL SAFETY

• EDITORIAL: Head start on high tech (The Columbian)

 

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• EDITORIAL: Global supply, not Obama, causes shifts in gas prices (Spokesman-Review)
• EDITORIAL: Shadowboxing on solar (Oregonian)

 

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

• BLOG: Health impacts likely to be included in Gateway Pacific study (John Stark/Bellingham Herald)
• COLUMN: ‘New’ name not only progress for UWT trail (Peter Callaghan/The News Tribune)
• EDITORIAL: For now, a welcome accord on trail use (Yakima Herald-Republic)

 

HEALTH CARE

• Wash. to appeal over emergency contraceptives (AP/The Daily News)
• Pair of state agencies to appeal Plan B ruling (The News Tribune)
• BLOG: State appeals Plan B ruling in Ralph’s case (Brad Shannon/The Olympian)
• BLOG: Gov. Gregoire says Washington state will appeal Plan B ruling (Christina Salerno/TVW)
• OPINION: National health care reform helps all Americans (Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber/Oregonian)
• EDITORIAL: Court has chance to affirm meaningful health care reform (The Olympian)

 

IMMIGRATION

• Special food aid on state cutting block (Spokesman-Review)

 

LABOR

• State backs Vancouver school district in labor dispute (The Columbian)

 

LEGISLTURE

• No budget deal, but some lawmakers taking pay (Everett Herald)

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• MLIRD re-addresses 20
  12 budget (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Puyallup weighs red-light camera contract renewal (The News Tribune)
• Eatonville considers dissolving police force (The News Tribune)

 

MARIJUANA

• Court papers detail big pot farming operation (Everett Herald)

 

MILITARY

• Pentagon nominates new Lewis-McChord commander (AP/Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: JBLM’s issues need to be considered in context with Army’s (The News Tribune)

 

POLITICS

BALLOT MEASURES

• State: Potential I-502 pot revenue double what supporters predict (Seattle Times)
• BLOG: Former Whatcom judge Nichols supports legalizing marijuana; B’ham resident donates $15k to effort (Jared Paben/Bellingham Herald)
• BLOG: Tax coffers, not cartels — pot initiative backers (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)
• EDITORIAL: Traffic, workplace issues make marijuana legalization problematic (The Daily News)

 

LOCAL

• Clallam Superior Court judges: Williams won’t run, Wood will, Taylor undecided (Peninsula Daily News)

 

STATE

• Mukilteo Republican to run against Larsen for Congress (Everett Herald)
• BLOG: Tom Bjorgen to run again for Court of Appeals judge (Brad Shannon/The Olympian)
• BLOG: Mukilteo Republican Dan Matthews to challenge Rep. Larsen (Jared Paben/Bellingham Herald)

 

STATE GOVERNMENT 

• Washington liquor agency endures tough transition to privatization (Oregonian)

 

TRANSPORTATION

• 520 toll rates to increase in July (Seattle P-I)
• Studded tire deadline extended to April 16 (AP/Everett Herald)

 

WATER

• Counties team to help sell Yakima River Basin water plan (Tri-City Herald)