Capitol  Buzz

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Unemployment rates fall throughout eastern Washington (Spokane Public Radio)
• Ready for its close-up, Washington sees moviemaking rebound (Washington State Standard)
• As the remote work battle rages, employees are holding the line (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Downtown foot traffic jumped after Amazon’s return, data shows (Puget Sound Business Journal)

CHILD CARE

• An inside look at the childcare crisis, impacts on working families (KXLY TV)

CONGRESS

• McCarthy, bracing for defections, eyes a fraught path to a debt limit deal (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Congress trying to tackle rising prescription drug costs by cracking down on PBMs (KIRO TV)
• Bipartisan coalition introduces Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights in Congress (The Center Square)
• COLUMN: Nobody in D.C. is actually going to stop the debt crisis (Dave Ross/MyNorthwest)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Feds to pay $800K for allowing child abuser, murderer into girl’s WA home (The Seattle Times)

CRIME

• Gun violence rising on Washington state highways (MyNorthwest)
• 2 charged in federal court after major Everett fentanyl bust (The Everett Herald)
• Kent business owners frustrated with perceived lack of action by city, police on street racing (KING TV)

EDUCATION

• Homelink program is ready to support families (KWHT Radio)

ELECTIONS

• EDITORIAL: New WA laws expand voting access and convenience (The Seattle Times)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Environmentalists protest as green-energy project clears hurdle in Washington (Capital Press)

ENVIRONMENT

• UW Medicine: Climate change causing longer allergy seasons (MyNorthwest)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• White House unveils new efforts to guide federal research of AI (AP/MyNorthwest)

FISH

• Work to remove final fish farming net pens underway in Washington waters (FOX 13)

FOOD SAFETY & SECURITY

• CDC investigating salmonella outbreak in Oregon, Washington, 4 other states linked to cookie dough (AP/Oregon Public Broadcasting)

GUN RIGHTS

• ‘Not tools of self-defense’: Ferguson makes case for Washington’s new semiautomatic rifle ban (Washington State Standard)
• Poll: Most Americans say curbing gun violence is more important than gun rights (NPR/Oregon Public Broadcasting)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington ambulance companies faring better after Medicaid boost (KPQ Radio)
• Providence posts $345M loss as financial woes continue (Puget Sound Business Journal)

HOMELESSNESS

• King County Executive accuses city of Burien of ‘lease scheme’ to evict people from homeless encampment (FOX 13)

HOUSING

• $30M affordable housing project to start construction soon in Edmonds (The Everett Herald)

LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Vancouver takes first step toward extending warehouse moratorium (The Columbian)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• WSP sergeant reassigned after citing innocent driver in crash involving fellow trooper (KING TV)
• Seattle Police recruitment falls short as response times increase (MyNorthwest)
• ‘A cause of concern right now’: Seattle Police spending 28% of budget on overtime (The Center Square)
• Spokane police to get new full-body restraints to more safely detain suspects (The Spokesman-Review)
• Family of man with BB gun who was fatally shot by Tacoma officer gets $3.1M settlement (KIRO TV)

LEGISLATURE

• WA State Rep. Chris Corry named ranking Republican on House Appropriations Committee (The Center Square)
• Abbarno appointed top Republican of House Capital Budget Committee, wins hydrogen award (The Chronicle)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle City Council passes new tree ordinance (Crosscut)
• Investigation: No wrongdoing in mayor, deputy mayor relationship (The Everett Herald)
• New Whatcom County Jail could cost over $200 million. Here’s where it may go (The Bellingham Herald)
• Vancouver City Council awards $4.23M to organizations that support affordable housing (The Columbian)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Black kids face racism before they even start school. It’s driving a major mental health crisis. (AP/The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: State’s mental health care office holds promise (The Columbian)

OPEN GOVERNMENT

• Future uncertain for the WA State Sunshine Committee’s oversight of public records (The Olympian)
• ‘Sunshine’ Committee discusses having WA Legislature sunset the committee (The Center Square)

OTHER STATES

• Boycotting Oregon GOP senators vow to stay away until last day of session (AP)

POLITICS

ELECTIONS

• Are Seattle’s democracy vouchers working? The results so far are mixed (KUOW Radio)

PRIVACY

• States sue telecom company over billions of alleged illegal robocalls (Pluribus News)
• Critics say Seattle app-based workers proposal creates ‘serious privacy concerns’ (The Center Square)

RURAL BROADBAND

• Kittitas County working toward broadband equity with $11 million in grants (Daily Record)

SPORTS

• Washington State athletic department implements temporary freeze on hiring and other measures as Pac-12’s financial issues persist (The Spokesman-Review)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Gov. Inslee fires first director of WA equity office (The Seattle Times)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• Fentanyl crisis disproportionately impacting Native Americans in King County (KOMO TV)
• Lummi Nation hosts statewide tribal summit to address fentanyl crisis in Washington (FOX 13)

TRANSPORTATION

• ‘The Super Bowl for the ferry system’: Washington State Ferries getting ready for summer season (KING TV)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Tribes ramp up pressure on WA over gas prices as climate laws’ effects take hold (The Seattle Times)
• More known about boarding school for Native students in what was North Yakima, but specific information is still scarce (Yakima Herald-Republic)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Firefighters call for improved fire shelters as wildfire seasons get hotter, longer and more dangerous (KING TV)

WILDLIFE

• Grizzly bear reintroduction discussed (KOZI Radio)
• New pen key to recovery of hurt raptors (The Daily World)