The Capitol Buzz is a weekday summary of online news stories from across the state, highlighting policies, politics and other issues that affect Washingtonians.
AGRICULTURE & WATER
- Ecology toughens stance on water use by Washington farm (Capital Press)
- COLUMN: Supporting WA agriculture is better for everyone (Mark Hambelton, tree fruit grower from Wenatchee and Chairman of the Board for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association/The Seattle Times)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- Business association ‘disappointed’ by WA L&I’s proposed workers comp rate hike (The Center Square)
- Fed-up consumers are increasingly going after food companies for misleading claims (KNKX Radio)
- Fed keeps rates unchanged but signals likelihood of another hike this year to fight inflation (AP)
- Why U.S. hotels are missing more than 238,000 employees (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)
CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM
CONGRESS
- Northwest lawmakers weigh in as House GOP infighting raises government shutdown risk (The Spokesman-Review)
- WA infrastructure highlighted in House oversight hearing (KNWN Radio)
- Takeaways from Garland’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
COURTS (FEDERAL)
- An Oregon city wants the U.S. Supreme Court to approve its camping ban. San Diego’s on board (The San Diego Union-Tribune/The Seattle Times)
- Clark County firefighting recruit mimicked lynching Black colleague, federal lawsuit alleges (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- EDITORIAL: Plaintiffs’ agenda now the law of the land (Capital Press)
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Washington state has the nation’s seventh-highest reported crime rate (The Center Square)
- Washington makes Top 10 crime list (KNWN Radio)
DRUG CRISIS
- Seattle City Council passes drug possession bill that aligns with WA state law (The Center Square)
- Seattle mayor signs approved ordinance that allows city attorney to prosecute open drug use (FOX 13)
- Annual overdose deaths in Lewis County reach all-time high with three months left in 2023 (The Chronicle)
EDUCATION
- WA students are scoring higher on state assessments. Is Thurston County following? (The Olympian)
- Here’s when Seattle Public Schools will announce possible school closures (KUOW Radio)
- Attendance rates still haven’t recovered from COVID, but Spokane’s On Track Academy thinks it has a path to student success (The Inlander)
- Google extends lifespan of Chromebooks — a change that could save school districts millions (The Mercury News/The Columbian)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Heat pumps key to WA, coalition’s plan to end building emissions (The Seattle Times)
- Can farms, solar energy installations coexist in the Columbia River Basin? (Columbia Insight/The Columbian)
- EFSEC hearings on Horse Heaven wind project trail off (Capital Press)
ENVIRONMENT
- Could selling sewage save the Salish Sea? (Crosscut)
- Wildfire smoke is eroding decades of air quality improvements, study finds (Washington Post/The Spokesman-Review)
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE
- Biden is using executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps (AP)
- White House to announce first federal office of gun violence prevention, AP sources say (AP)
- Beginning farmers and ranchers committee seeks nominees (Daily Record)
FISH
- State grants $1.5M for salmon recovery projects in Walla Walla County (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- Lewis County salmon recovery projects receive more than $1 million in state grant funding (The Chronicle)
HIGHER EDUCATION
- College enrollment slide is finally letting up. What’s driving the change in Tri-Cities (Tri-City Herald)
- WSU Academic Student Employees Union files ‘unfair labor’ suit against university (KREM TV)
HOMELESSNESS
- Homelessness authority shuttering Partnership for Zero pilot program in Seattle (The Center Square)
- ‘King County homeless organization lays off one-third of its staff as pilot project expires (MyNorthwest)
- Spokane illegal camping cleanup cost city taxpayers $629,000 last year (The Center Square)
- Everett’s Palisades Village could be educational model for Bremerton housing solutions (Kitsap Sun)
- EDITORIAL: Safe Stay communities humane, efficient (The Columbian)
HOUSING
IMMIGRATION
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- SPD oversight group demands officer under investigation for Jaahnavi Kandula comments be put on leave (The Seattle Times)
- A SW Washington sheriff pushes the limits of official powers while in training (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Auditors give Spokane books high marks but credit questions arise amid deficit (The Center Square)
- County Council delays vote on requiring businesses to take cash (The Everett Herald)
- New resolution exempts Lewis County employees from future mask mandates (KING TV)
- Proposition to close Columbia County Library is unconstitutional, court commissioner rules (The Spokesman-Review)
- Yakima Council divided over mayor’s 911 call over signature gatherers (Yakima Herald-Republic)
- COLUMN: Mayor scolded for calling 911 on ‘far right-wing’ signature gatherers (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
MEDIA
MENTAL HEALTH
- Tacoma School District is working to address students’ mental health despite limited funds (KING TV)
- ESD 105, Astria partner for student mental health in central Washington (KNDO/KNDU)
OTHER STATES
- Gov. Tina Kotek claws back $2.7M in homelessness funds from Multnomah County (The Oregonian)
- Oregon student achievement remains mired far below pre-pandemic levels, new test scores show (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- Efforts to roll back parts of Oregon drug decriminalization law gain momentum (Oregon Capital Chronicle/Washington State Standard)
- Balancing act: Idaho’s water managers weigh supply, demand (Capital Press)
REDISTRICTING
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Washington’s paid family leave program could see more delays (Axios – Seattle)
- Washington public pension system expected to be fully funded by 2027 (The Center Square)
TRANSPORTATION
- Prices skyrocket on WA transportation projects, and fewer contractors want the jobs (The Seattle Times)
- WSDOT’s ‘mobility dashboard’ logs billions of travel miles, and more (The Center Square)
- Ferry system operating at ‘bare minimum’ as unexpected damage takes toll on aging fleet (FOX 13)
- Bellevue light-rail line isn’t open yet, but something’s already broken (The Seattle Times)
- New issue may impact opening of Sound Transit’s Eastside light rail line (MyNorthwest)
- COLUMN: Is Inslee’s plan working? The electric car age arrives — for some (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)
TRIBAL ISSUES
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
- New fire east of Darrington closes stretch of rural road (The Everett Herald)
- Fire Report: Olympic blazes still growing, Dorian fire 30% contained (Columbia Basin Herald)
WOLVES