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
- Water supply looks positive for area irrigators as 2021 growing season kicks off (Daily Record)
- Washington wine industry looks to promote diversity (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- March unemployment rate in Washington drops to 5.4% (AP/KOMO TV)
- Bill that protects low-income Washingtonians from wage garnishment signed into law (iFiberOneNewsRadio-KMAS)
- EDITORIAL: Get grants moving to help entertainment venues survive (The Seattle Times)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
- COLUMN: Bride in tears as Inslee rolls back Pierce County the day before her wedding (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)
- EDITORIAL: New Black history holiday good for Washington. But don’t slight this minority group (The News Tribune)
CONGRESS
CORONAVIRUS
- Inslee says no to Pierce County’s request for more COVID-19 vaccine doses (The News Tribune)
- Pierce County Exec: Rollback to Phase 2 will cost jobs at a crucial time (MyNorthwest)
- GOP lawmakers urge Inslee to halt phase rollback for Cowlitz, Pierce, Whitman counties (KOMO TV)
- Washington Senator: Phase 2 rollback is Inslee ‘enacting his full authority that we seceded to him’ (MyNorthwest)
- COVID-19 vaccine eligibility opens to everyone 16 and older in Washington, but supply still lags demand (KING TV)
- Every Washington adult is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine today. Here’s what you need to know (Seattle P-I)
- Cowlitz County officials prepare for increase in COVID-19 vaccine demand as eligibility opens to all 16 and older (The Daily News)
- Clark County Public Health chief urges vaccinations as case counts climb (The Columbian)
- J&J COVID-19 vaccine pause to remain in place while officials seek more evidence on rare clots (KCPQ TV)
- Vaccine ‘breakthrough’ cases double in Washington, but still .01 percent of all vaccinations (KCPQ TV)
- Washington’s state-run vaccination sites to extend hours to improve access (KUOW Radio)
- Several fully-vaccinated Tri-Citians still caught COVID. What health officials are saying (Tri-City Herald)
- COVID-19 tests provide crucial clues about how to fight coronavirus, but they’ve fallen in Washington state (The Seattle Times)
CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Slew of police reform bills headed to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk (AP/The Spokesman-Review)
- Inslee signs bill banning private prisons, including Tacoma ICE facility (KNKX Radio)
- Local law enforcement agencies tracking police reform legislation closely (KOHO Radio)
- Columbia County passes drug possession ordinance in response to Blake ruling (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- State lawmaker introduces bill to provide legal counsel to victims of violent crimes (MyNorthwest)
- Car prowls increasing as more people get outdoors under fewer COVID-19 restrictions in King County (KCPQ TV)
- Kent to pay $4.4 million to family of Black man killed by police (The Seattle Times)
- Former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran will investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer (The Seattle Times)
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- Students in Washington won’t have to take two standardized tests this spring, OSPI says (The Spokesman-Review)
- Standardized tests for Washington state students delayed until fall 2021 (The Seattle Times)
- Bill on lead in school water heads to governor (Columbia Basin Herald)
- Seattle teachers union approves deal for middle- and high-school return (The Seattle Times)
- Walla Walla Public Schools set April 26 for full-day return for K-8 students (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- City hopes to have homeless encampment near Seattle middle school cleared by next week (MyNorthwest)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
GAMBLING
HANFORD
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Pacific Lutheran University will cut 36 faculty, several majors (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- COLUMN: Stop the college sports ‘arms race’ (Tom McMillen, CEO of Lead1 Assn. and a former U.S. representative from Maryland, and Brit Kirwan, former chancellor of the University System of Maryland and former president of Ohio State University/The Seattle Times)
HOMELESSNESS
HOUSING
- Clark County supply of homes can’t keep up with ongoing demand (The Columbian)
- COLUMN: How single-family zoning and regulatory fees lead to high housing costs in Seattle (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)
LEGISLATURE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Law and Justice Council members push back against proposal to dissolve their group (The Spokesman-Review)
- Decision on controversial Yakima health board rules tabled again (Yakima Herald-Republic)
MARIJUANA
MENTAL HEALTH
OPERATING BUDGET
OTHER STATES
- Mixed success for 2021 Oregon gun bills so far (The Oregonian)
- Oregon Senate approves bill to give residential tenants until February to repay missed rent (The Oregonian)
SPORTS
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Western State Hospital CEO who led Washington’s psychiatric facility through turbulence to step down (The Seattle Times)
- State worker visited Vancouver home days before boy dies of starvation, court doc says (KOMO TV)
- Washington state auditor’s report details unemployment fraud (KUOW Radio)
TRANSPORTATION
TRIBAL ISSUES
- Washington to replace D.C. statue of settler Marcus Whitman with one of activist Billy Frank Jr. (The Spokesman-Review)
- In view of Billy Frank Jr.’s canoe, Gov. Inslee signs bill to send statue to D.C. (The News Tribune)
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
