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BUDGET & TAXES

• EDITORIAL: Legislators need to get this budget right (Seattle Times)

 

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

• Boeing issues layoff notice for 39 Puget Sound defense workers (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• After closure of state tourism office, a new nonprofit group fights to keep Washington on travelers’ radar (Oregonian)
• Wages rise in Whatcom, but slower than many other counties (Bellingham Herald)

 

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• New judge keeps schedule for Scherf hearings (Everett Herald)
• Mother charged in toddler’s accidental shooting death (Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Public deserves televised access to the constitutional fight over health care reform (Oregonian)
  EDITORIAL: Supreme Court generally conservative by nature (The Daily News)

 

EDUCATION (K-12) & SCHOOL SAFETY

• OPINION: If voters favor charter schools, why can’t state lawmakers? (Robert Enlow and Jonathan Bechtle/Seattle Times)

 

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• BPA asked to clarify transmission line plans (The Daily News)

 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• Obama: End tax breaks for big oil (AP/Seattle Times)
• OPINION: President’s proposed budget threatens health of national parks (Sean Smith, Northwest policy director, National Parks Conservation Association/The News Tribune)

 

GUN RIGHTS

• EDITORIAL: Concealed guns and stupidity: A deadly combination (The News Tribune)

 

HANFORD

• Energy Secretary Chu to visit Hanford in June (Tri-City Herald)

 

HEALTH CARE

• Number of whooping cough cases levels off on Peninsula (Peninsula Daily News)
• Does Obamacare collapse without individual mandate? Supreme Court ponders (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• New take on federal powers may emerge from health-law review (Washington Post/Seattle Times)
• BLOG: Health care reform – the people affected & Rob McKenna (Jessica Gao/TVW)
• BLOG: Q&A: Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler on the health care exchange (Christina Salerno/TVW)
• OPINION: Healthcare reform’s Achilles’ heel? (Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times/Crosscut)
• COLUMN: Whether Obamacare wins or loses, Obama wins (Froma Harrop/Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Health-care reform shouldn’t be confused with civil rights (Kathleen Parker/Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Lawmakers lack resolve to cure our health care (Spokesman-Review)

 

IMMIGRATION

• Seattle joins effort to fight Arizona immigration law (Seattle Times)

 

LEGISLATURE

• There’s no sign special session will end April 10 (AP/The Olympian)
• Gregoire to Throw in Towel, Begin Signing Bills (Washington State Wire)
• BLOG: Morning update: Day 18 (Jordan Schrader/The News Tribune)

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Safety, jobs at issue in Bothell annexation (Everett Herald)
• Washam denies using public resources in a bid to oust Lindquist (The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Timber-dependent counties need help (Don Brunell/The Columbian)

 

MARIJUANA

• I-502 advocates support ‘local solution’ for dealing with marijuana prohibition (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• Seattle group files initiati
  ve in Bellingham to curb local pot busts (Bellingham Herald)
• Group plans pot initiative in Everett, five other cities (AP/ Everett Herald)
• BLOG: Top B.C. doc: Regulate pot like booze, tobacco (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)

 

MILITARY

• Sen. Murray begins investigation into military hospitals’ PTSD designations (The Olympian)

 

POLITICS

ELECTIONS

• First look at six Democrats running for Congress (Everett Herald)

LOCAL

• Boldt flap prompts two to quit GOP board (The Columbian)

STATE

• Spokane to host Inslee, McKenna for governor debate (Spokesman-Review)
• Inslee changes course, will now do business debate (AP/The News Tribune)
• Troopers Furious About Ferguson’s Volunteer Work for Death-Row Cop-Killer (Washington State Wire)
• In reversal, Inslee accepts June debate with McKenna for governor (Seattle Times)
• BLOG: McKenna thinks justices will keep health care law minus mandate (Jerry Cornfield/ Everett Herald)
• BLOG: McKenna v. Inslee: A modest debate proposal (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)
• BLOG: DelBene wins Teamsters, Machinists’ backing (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)
• BLOG: Inslee reverses course, agrees to AWB debate (Austin Jenkins/The Washington Ledge)
• EDITORIAL: Inslee’s decision to join AWB debate a good one for voters (Seattle Times)

 

STATE GOVERNMENT 

• Auditor: Woman stole $73K from Olympia-based state association (The Olympian) COLUMN: Pave historic parade grounds? Hold your horses(Peter Callaghan/The News Tribune)

BLOG: Static in Olympia over Wash. State Patrol radio upgrade (Austin Jenkins/The Washington Ledge)

 

TRANSPORTATION

• CRC maps out project timeline (The Columbian)
• Construction to begin on new 520 bridge (Seattle P-I)
• Modern design, retro touches: Here comes the new 520 bridge (Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: BRT — Too Early to Decide (The Columbian)

 

TRIBES

• Tribe takes control of child welfare from state (Seattle Times)