The Capitol Buzz is a daily summary of online news clips from across the state, discussing policies and politics affecting Washington state.
OUR NEWS RELEASES FROM THIS WEEK
- Vick reintroduces legislation to prevent local governments from implementing an income tax
- House unanimously approves Caldier bill limiting hospital notification time on rape kits
- McCaslin bill to help daycare providers passes House committee
- Kraft bill seeks to move toward third-bridge connecting Southwest Washington to Oregon
- House Public Safety Committee approves Griffey bill to eliminate statute of limitations on certain sex crimes involving children
- Chandler proposal would change how state procures IT services
CAPITOL BUZZ RADIO/AUDIO
AGRICULTURE & WATER
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- King County jury awards $123 million to victims of Ride the Ducks crash (The Seattle Times)
- Affirmative action initiative will be on legislators’ agenda (AP/KLCK Radio)
- Food wholesaler Unfi plans to expand Ridgefield facility (The Columbian)
- Shopko is closing Kennewick and Prosser stores (Tri-City Herald)
- Honeywell plans to cut jobs and close its Renton office (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- Local unions seeing membership increase following statewide trend (The Daily News)
- Bankruptcy judge gives Sears another chance (AP/The Everett Herald)
- Seattle businesses prepare for more snow in an already brutal start to the year (Puget Sound Business Journal)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers introduces bill to codify ‘net neutrality’ provisions (The Spokesman-Review)
- Mason County U.S. Rep. Kilmer re-introduces bill to boost access to quality health care in rural areas (KMAS/iFiberOneNewsRadio)
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Washington lawmaker proposes changing life without parole sentences (KING TV)
- Northwest lawmakers grapple with death penalty legislation (KNKX Radio)
- Sexual assault survivors win in Washington House, push on to Senate (KIRO TV)
- Spokane officials ask state for closer watch on repeat criminals (The Spokesman-Review)
- Spokane Mayor describes his own home break-in to highlight crime in the Lilac City (KHQ TV)
- She was jailed for shoplifting. A month later she was dead (KUOW Radio)
- Seattle’s new FBI special agent in charge says this Washington, not the other one, is his priority (The Seattle Times)
- Yakima jail will stop holding inmates for ICE (Crosscut)
- Police union quickly backs officers as probe begins into man’s fatal shooting in North Seattle (The Seattle Times)
- Blaine Police chief resigns after 169 days and receives $28,000 severance agreement (The Bellingham Herald)
- Judge tells Tri-Cities child pornographer he has 28 years in prison to prove he’s not a monster (Tri-City Herald)
- OPINION: Stop locking up teen girls for nonviolent offenses (Ann Muno, director at the Justice for Girls Coalition of Washington state/The Seattle Times)
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- Teachers share how more diversity in classrooms can prevent burnout and better serve students (The Seattle Times)
- Here’s why many Seattle Public Schools special education students stayed home this week (KUOW Radio)
- School budget cut scenarios to be posted Friday (The Wenatchee World)
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES
ENERGY & UTILITIES
ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
- Democrats seek Green New Deal to address climate change (AP/The Columbian)
- Northwest air quality agencies oppose possible delay to federal wood stove compliance rules (NW News Network)
- Army Corps to hold outreach meeting amid frustration in Southwest Washington (The Chronicle)
- Whatcom Land Trust spends $4 million to protect this wild Whatcom habitat for the future (The Bellingham Herald)
- Whatcom Land Trust buys Blaine and South Fork acreage (KGMI Radio)
- EDITORIAL: Hope for public lands in Senate package of bills (The Everett Herald)
FISH
GUN RIGHTS
HEALTH CARE
- Vancouver-area measles outbreak reaches 56 people (The Oregonian)
- State debunks ‘patient zero’ speculation in Clark County measles outbreak (The Columbian)
- Amid measles outbreak, battle over vaccine choice to play out in Olympia (MyNorthwest)
- Telemedicine’s challenge: Getting patients to click the app (AP/The Seattle Times)
- Health officials, governor discuss Washington’s infant mortality rate (NW News Network)
- Johnson & Johnson will list drug prices in TV commercials (AP/The Everett Herald)
- Hands On Children’s Museum offers free dental screenings in February (KMAS/iFiberOneNewsRadio)
HOMELESSNESS
HOUSING
- Tiki tenants take their new influence to Olympia (KOMO TV)
- Lawmakers say 2019 is the year for sweeping, statewide action on housing (KNKX Radio)
- Seattle-area home prices drop to lowest point in two years — down $116,000 since last spring (The Seattle Times)
- Grays Harbor County awarded HUD Grant to provide permanent supportive housing (KBKW Radio)
- Legislation would make tiny home zoning easier (Columbia Basin Herald)
IMMIGRATION
LEGISLATURE
- Dwarf-tossing ban would exempt licensed wrestling matches (The Spokesman-Review)
- Human composting bill passes Washington State Senate, headed to House for a vote (iFiberOne TV)
- Hawkins on the legislative whirl (KPQ Radio)
- OPINION: We need to make it easier to access democracy (Sen. Andy Billig/The Spokesman-Review)
- COLUMN: How do you actually make the rich pay more? (John Carlson, 570 KVI/Crosscut)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
MEDIA
MENTAL HEALTH
MILITARY & VETERANS
OPIOIDS
OTHER STATES
STATE GOVERNMENT
- New bill requires sexual harassment complaint data (AP/KIRO TV)
- EDITORIAL: Unchecked state Salary Commission must be abolished (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
TECHNOLOGY
- Microsoft backs Washington state’s facial recognition bill as Amazon mulls support (Bloomberg News/The Seattle Times)
- Technology is taking on addiction. Now there are smartphone apps to help prevent relapses (NW News Network)
TRANSPORTATION
- Sound Transit prepares for its own construction squeeze in 2020 (The Seattle Times)
- Sen. Sheldon: Lane-sharing, no helmets safer for motorcyclists (MyNorthwest)
- 50 years after the 747 first flew, a 797 is on the horizon (The Everett Herald)
- COLUMN: Sound Transit spent $250K of your money on steel octopus (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)
- COLUMN: Requiring drivers to signal when exiting roundabouts (Travis Baker/Kitsap Sun)
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
WILDLIFE
- Diverse group of outdoor enthusiasts urges Legislature to fully fund the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (The Spokesman-Review)
- Whale watching moratorium called vital part of recovery (MyNorthwest)
- COLUMN: After orca death, experts weigh when to intervene to help ailing killer whales (Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun)
WOLVES
