Capitol  Buzz

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Washington counties get second chance at farm preservation (Capital Press)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• More Americans turning to a ‘side hustle’ out of necessity (MyNorthwest)
• WA food bank lines grow as COVID-era benefits end, grocery prices rise (The Seattle Times)
• Washington to disburse $10 million to Adams, Snohomish, and Spokane Counties (The Center Square)
• Boeing works to absorb lessons from the MAX crashes and improve safety (The Seattle Times)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Washington farmers fume over fuel surcharge (KING TV)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• At 16, she took a bullet to the head. Now Tacoma teen wants to help young people heal (The News Tribune)

CONGRESS

• GOP measure would overturn student loan relief (AP)
• House committee looks into Biden canceling $200 million to Chinese company (The Center Square)

CORONAVIRUS

• EDITORIAL: Have we learned the lessons of COVID orders? (Capital Press)

COURTS (STATE)

• Family of hiker killed on WA trail plans to sue county, alleging ‘sabotage’ (oregonlive.com/The Seattle Times)

CRIME

• COLUMN: Predators in the neighborhood (Sue Lani Madsen/The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: This level of graffiti is like defacing the Great Pyramid (Dave Ross/MyNorthwest)

CYBERSECURITY

• Microsoft: State-sponsored Chinese hackers could be laying groundwork for disruption (AP/MyNorthwest)
• EDITORIAL: Social media worries click with government (The Columbian)

EDUCATION

• We ‘don’t cross picket lines,’ school bus drivers authorize strike (MyNorthwest)
• Tumwater School District suspends its virtual academy. Here’s what happened (The Olympian)
• Wenatchee School Board hears opposition to book bans (The Wenatchee World)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• ‘There is NO lahar’: Volcano warning was false alarm (Washington State Standard)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Building Code Council delays new codes due to 9th Circuit natural gas ruling (The Center Square)
• Washington’s heat pump push hits a snag (Washington State Standard)

HANFORD

• Miss America and nuclear engineering. 2 things you don’t expect to go together (Tri-City Herald)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• A new WA law may not cure hospital staff shortages, nurses say (Crosscut)

HOMELESSNESS

• Fight over Burien homeless camp intensifies (KIRO TV)
• Vancouver’s 4th Safe Stay Community proposed for upper Main Street, near Kiggins Bowl (The Columbian)
• COLUMN: $177M high-rise won’t solve Seattle homeless crisis (Ursula Reutin/MyNorthwest)

HOUSING

• Housing restrictions are leaving more PNW sex offenders homeless (Crosscut)
• ‘We need to find solutions’: Local renters struggle with rising prices (KIRO TV)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Lagging Seattle police hiring efforts ‘really distressing,’ council member says (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Court documents reveal drug K-9 overdosed after exposure to 110 pounds of fentanyl (KOMO TV)

LGBTQ

• Supporters pack council meeting. Now Pride flag will fly over this Pierce County city (The News Tribune)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• COLUMN: An incarcerated writer slammed conditions at the Pierce County Jail. We should listen (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)

LONG-TERM CARE

• WA Cares paycheck deductions begin July 1 (KING TV)
• COLUMN: Washington’s long-term care program still flawed as new tax looms (Kris Johnson President of Association of Washington Business/Kitsap Sun)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• VA secretary says Spokane VA’s budget won’t suffer as result of flawed records system (The Spokesman-Review)

OPEN GOVERNMENT

• EDITORIAL: Fight for transparency in WA government (The Seattle Times)

OTHER STATES

• As Oregon Senate GOP boycott hits ‘crucial point,’ governor begins talks (AP)
• Revised Oregon CAFO bill clears key hurdle, others remain (Capital Press)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• State looks to dump leased real estate as remote work leaves offices empty (Washington State Standard)
• State insurance commissioner highlights new rules under state pet insurance law (The Reflector)
• Washington’s nonstop battle to keep parks, forests green begins with insect traps (FOX 13)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• COLUMN: Seattle partners admit funding fentanyl pipes over treatment (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• For Yakama Nation, green energy projects echo colonization (KUOW Radio)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• State taking input on new rules for working outdoors in wildfire smoke (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• A piece of wildfire safety gear that works every time, isn’t mandatory in Washington state (KING TV)
• It’s time to prep for summer weather extremes, Seattle (Axios – Seattle)

WOLVES

• Wolves big topic in town hall (The Lewiston Tribune)