Capitol  Buzz

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• State’s 2nd outbreak of bird flu confirmed in Spokane County (AP/The Everett Herald)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Alaska Airlines suffers another spate of flight cancellations, infuriating passengers (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Economic benefit of cruises is clear — so is environmental impact (The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Parents consider breast milk donations, lactation consultants during formula shortage (FOX 13)
• What to know if you can’t find baby formula in Seattle-area stores amid nationwide shortage (The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Local Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers staff to host mobile office hours in Colfax and Pullman (KQQQ Radio)
• OPINION: Congresswoman Herrera Beutler leads the way on crucial kidney care bill (Jeananne Edwards, executive director of Community in Motion/The Reflector)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Attorney who led effort to dismantle FBI child-porn site named federal public defender in Western WA (The Seattle Times)

COURTS (STATE)

• Seattle judges agree to city attorney’s request to prosecute repeat offenders (The Seattle Times)
• Memorial service to honor late Washington Supreme Court justices (The Center Square)

CRIME

• City Attorney Ann Davison on her tough-on-crime plans for Seattle (Crosscut)
• Residents pack Sunnyside Council meeting to voice concerns about shooting that injured five (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• COLUMN: Yakima police helping fight Sunnyside gang crime (Lance Tormey/KIT Radio)

DAMS

• AP investigation finds Washington state has 50 dams in ‘poor’ condition that need repairs (AP/OPB)

EDUCATION

• Seattle Schools settles sexual abuse lawsuit for $3 million (The Seattle Times)
• These students rallied to save Chinese classes at their schools. District makes decision (Gateway News/The News Tribune)
• Everett High students walk out again to protest ‘rape culture’ (The Everett Herald)

EMERGENCY POWERS

• Nevada’s COVID emergency declaration to end May 20 while Washington’s lingers (The Center Square)

ENVIRONMENT

• OPINION: Painting a brighter future: How Washingtonians came together to give old paint new life (Nick DiBartolo, of Spokane, and Kim Harless, of Vancouver, Washington, are Washington program coordinators for PaintCare/The Spokesman-Review)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Sweeping, limited or no powers at all? What’s at stake in the mask mandate appeal (Kaiser Health News/The Seattle Times)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Community college leader says state is not doing enough to help low-income students (The Seattle Times)
• Washington universities struggle to serve all their students’ mental health needs. Here’s why (The Seattle Times)

HOMELESSNESS

• City to sweep homeless encampment at Woodland Park, park closed through the week (FOX 13)
• EDITORIAL: Edmonds ‘camping’ ban won’t solve homelessness (The Everett Herald)

HOUSING

• Washington is the first state to require all-electric heating in new buildings (Crosscut)
• Thurston County single-family home sales fall 12 percent, new data show (The Olympian)
• Spokane County’s housing demand remained strong in April as median remains above $425,000 (The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: Years ago, around half of young King County residents owned homes. Here’s how much that’s changed (and why) (Gene Balk/The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Despite growing interest rates Yakima home market strong (Lance Tormey/KIT Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• EDITORIAL: Immigration loophole harms local family (The Columbian)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Small Thurston County community worries logging proposal threatens neighborhood (FOX 13)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• The Spotlight: City of Everett’s unique approach to hiring police officers (FOX 13)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Former King County Drainage District commissioner, wife face 15 federal charges (KING TV)
• Port of Moses Lake buys land using eminent domain (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Stevens County suit over $130,000 in homeless funds adds a new twist (The Center Square)

MEDIA

• Spokesman-Review hires James Hanlon to cover rural counties through Report for America program (The Spokesman-Review)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• JBLM soldier dies in Tacoma car crash (KING TV)
• Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers says rumors of VA Hospital closing are “false” (KHQ TV)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• San Juan Islands waterway could be renamed to honor Indigenous leader (The Seattle Times)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• Fentanyl treatment for teens faces parental obstacles, lack of locations (FOX 13)

TAXES

• Why is Washington taxing a (bag) fee? (KIRO TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Record high gas prices in Washington, Idaho (KREM TV)
• Here’s when the North Cascades Highway is set to open (The Bellingham Herald)

WILDLIFE

• Missing Puget Sound crab pots cause estimated 180,000 annual crab deaths (MyNorthwest)