Capitol Buzz

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Winter weather spells good news for regional water supply (Daily Record)
• Federal judge to rule next week on farm-worker pay injunction (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• State agency considers extending Okanogan County apple maggot zone (The Wenatchee World)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Amazon confirms fulfillment center in Spokane Valley; new facility will employ more than 1,000 (The Spokesman-Review)
• FAA using satellite technology to monitor every Boeing 737 MAX in flight (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing clears out its Commercial Airplanes headquarters complex in Renton (The Seattle Times)
• Insurance industry helped write changes that ‘gutted’ bill to take credit scoring out of insurance (KIRO TV)
• Tyson Foods to pay workers for getting the COVID vaccine (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
• COLUMN: Business owner who left Seattle for Arizona was ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired’ (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)

CONGRESS

• McMorris Rodgers introduces Wildfire Wireless Resiliency Act (KWHT)

CORONAVIRUS

• National coronavirus vaccine supply expected to surge, according to analysis (Bloomberg News/The Oregonian)
• Some 90% of COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Washington are delayed this week, state says (The Seattle Times)
• Equity gaps in vaccine distribution not as wide as first interpreted after further review (The News Tribune)
• COLUMN: I gave vaccine shots for one day. Now I may not be able to again (Dr. Niran Al-Agba, pediatrician in Silverdale/Kitsap Sun)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Seattle pays $10,000 to settle lawsuit over homeless sweep (AP/iFiberOneNewsRadio-KMAS)

COURTS (STATE)

• Divided Washington Supreme Court blocks Freedom Foundation political contribution case against unions (The Spokesman-Review)

CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• WA Rep: Police tactics bill appeases ‘political group’ at expense of safety (MyNorthwest)
• Washington Senate passes police arbitration bill (KCPQ TV)
• Grays Harbor County Jail inmate dead, found hanging in his cell (The Daily World)
• Vancouver drops most police killing protest charges (AP/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Report: Woman shot dead over attempted theft of Loren Culp sign (iFiberOneNewsRadio-KMAS)
• EDITORIAL: Steps toward police reform, but a misstep on disciplinary actions (The Seattle Times)

DAMS

• Seattle’s Skagit River dams hurt salmon, orcas and Native American culture, agencies say (KING TV)

EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY

• During Puyallup tour, Inslee says kids can return to school without teachers being vaccinated (The News Tribune)
• As other school districts open, Seattle remains split on returning to classrooms (The Seattle Times)
• Washington could tie school district COVID-19 relief to campus return plan (KING TV)
• In-person instruction makes difference at Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center (Columbia Basin Herald)

ENVIRONMENT

• OPINION: Climate lawsuits detract from the real solutions (George Nethercutt, former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2005, representing Washington’s 5th Congressional District/The Spokesman-Review)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• OPINION: Biden must quickly reinstate protections for ‘America’s salmon forest’ (Mike Dombeck, served as 14th chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1997-2001, and Chris Wood, worked on the roadless rule for the Forest Service and president and CEO of Trout Unlimited/The Seattle Times)

HEALTH CARE

• WA health care often lacks language services for immigrant patients (Crosscut)

HOMELESSNESS

• COLUMN: After years of drama, outgoing young adult shelter provider questions Tacoma’s support (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)

HOUSING

• WA lawmakers look to fix climate while solving the housing crisis (Crosscut)

LEGISLATURE

• Washington state lawmakers say BLM group complaint is tactic to ‘intimidate or bully legislators’ (The Seattle Times)
• WA legislators make another push for free period products in schools (KXLY)
• Three bills sponsored by Rep. Vick advance past committee (The Reflector)
• Abbarno introduces bill to prevent waste discharge from vehicles into waterways (The Reflector)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle falls out of top 10 in annual ranking of best-performing cities (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Two Lacey Fred Meyer employees urge City Council to adopt hazard pay ordinance (The Olympian)
• With no control over state energy code, Lacey City Council approves ordinance (The Olympian)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Suicide prevention team idea moves forward (The Reflector)
• OPINION: Why direct cash is a critical mental health strategy (Jesse Paulsen, MD, is a third year Psychiatry Resident at the University of Washington. Maeve Sloan is a third year Psy.D. Student at Antioch University Seattle and current practicum student in a local primary care clinic/Washington State Wire)

OTHER STATES

• Some Oregon school districts let top administrators, office employees who don’t work with children sign up for vaccine appointments (The Oregonian)
• Oregon landlords whose tenants are behind on rent can now apply for relief (The Oregonian)

POLITICS

ELECTIONS

• Advocates say ranked choice voting will restore trust in democracy; Secretary of State’s Office opposes it (Washington State Wire)

SECURITY

• States remain split on guns in capitols after armed protests (AP/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

SPORTS

• High school football returns to Whatcom (finally) with seven games, and more to come (The Bellingham Herald)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Gov. Inslee names head of Washington state’s new Office of Equity (The Seattle Times)

TAXES

• Pay-per-mile tax gets a test drive in Washington Legislature to augment gas tax (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• Capital gains tax makes progress as lawmakers continue bid to tax state’s wealthiest residents (MyNorthwest)
• King County begins mailing out property tax bills; some areas to see double-digit increases in rates (Seattle P-I)
• Arlington, Marysville push state to extend key tax break (The Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: State tax system desperately needs overhaul (The Columbian)

TRANSPORTATION

• Inslee taking ‘strategic role’ when it comes to transportation package (KPQ Radio)
• COLUMN: Scoop: Deal links carbon-fuel standard with transpo package (Jerry Cornfield/The Everett Herald)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• On the Colville reservation, the vaccination rate is nearly double the state’s, despite challenges (The Spokesman-Review)

WILDLIFE

• No cougar at Discovery Park, but WDFW says big cats are closer than you might think (KIRO TV)