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
- Loss of cattle killed in blizzard nearly $4 million. State helps with disposal (Tri-City Herald)
- State provides $100,000 to remove cows killed in Sunnyside blizzard (Yakima Herald)
- Water Outlook: Storms help snowpack in Yakima Basin, but mountain totals uneven (Yakima Herald)
- Refrigeration legislation has Rep. Dye hot (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- Applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell to a low 216,000 (AP/The Columbian)
- Resumption of high-level U.S.-China trade talks raises hopes (AP/The Columbian)
- OPINION: Living wage and unions: A history easily forgotten, and a call to action (Kelly Masjoan, executive board of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 29/The Spokesman-Review)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Citizen panel accuses Seattle police of backtracking on reforms, violating federal agreement (The Seattle Times)
- U.S. Supreme Court ban on excessive forfeitures likely will affect Spokane police (The Spokesman-Review)
- Local lawmakers support retaining the death penalty (The Daily News)
- Anti-dog fighting bill would make it a felony to steal animals for use as bait dogs (The Spokesman-Review)
- New bill takes aim at state’s rape kit backlog KUOW Radio)
- Civil Air Patrol officer allegedly sex-trafficked babysitter (The Everett Herald)
- Juvenile center director back on job after staff complaints (The Daily World)
- Omak man, 23, arrested for alleged threats against Washington sheriffs (The Spokesman-Review)
- Man arrested for threatening county sheriffs over Washington’s new gun law (The Seattle Times)
- Washington among top 5 states with most missing persons per capita, report says (KREM TV)
- Five sexually violent predators now live under one roof in Spokane (KXLY)
- COLUMN: Giving prisoners serving life sentences a chance for release is a good idea (Matt Driscoll/The Bellingham Herald)
- EDITORIAL: Prioritize and fund the clearing of rape-kit backlog (The Seattle Times)
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- State bill would require comprehensive sex education in public schools (KCPQ TV)
- Report: Majority of tested Washington school taps have unsafe lead levels (MyNorthwest)
- There’s still lead in water at schools in Whatcom County, new report shows. How worrisome is it? (The Bellingham Herald)
- Tacoma Public Schools seeks input on $30 million in cuts (KING TV)
- Rural ACT test takers suffer from weak technology (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
- US mining sites dump 50M gallons of fouled wastewater daily (AP/The Everett Herald)
- Puget Sound toxic wood removal could take 10 years without more funding (KING TV)
- How forecasting ‘underwater weather’ could save WA’s shellfish (Crosscut)
- 1,100 acres of Grayland waterfowl purchased by WDFW, Ducks Unlimited (The Daily World)
- Oyster growers push for pesticide permits to control burrowing shrimp this summer (KNKX Radio)
- Local experts speak in favor of community forest grant program bill (KOHO Radio)
GUN RIGHTS
- House committee advances domestic violence gun seizure bill (AP/Seattle P-I)
- Matt Shea introduces bill to repeal I-1639 gun measure (KIRO TV)
- House bill would amend and repeal I-1639 rules (KXRO Radio)
- EDITORIAL: Up to courts, not law enforcement, to determine legality of gun law (Yakima Herald)
HEALTH CARE
- Vancouver-area measles outbreak grows to 68 (The Oregonian)
- Measles vaccine opponents take fight to the state capital in wake of new bill (KOMO TV)
- Washington lawmakers weigh two vaccine exemption bills (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
- Harris’ bill to raise smoking, vape age clears state House (AP/The Columbian)
- House votes to raise smoking age to 21 (The Spokesman-Review)
- Goehner, Steele vote with majority to raise tobacco purchase age (KPQ Radio)
HIGHER EDUCATION
- UW Medicine mistakenly exposed information on nearly 1 million patients (The Seattle Times)
- Legislation introduced to investigate UW Medicine data breach (Seattle P-I)
HOUSING
- Residents facing gentrification could get priority for affordable housing under new Seattle plan (The Seattle Times)
- New report dispels landlords’ long-held fears (Puget Sound Business Journal)
LEGISLATURE
- Want an extra hour of daylight all year? Washington considers making the change (Tri-City Herald)
- Washington could ban eyeball tattoos (The Spokesman-Review)
- Voting for more than one candidate in an election suggested (The Spokesman-Review)
- 35th Legislative District Representative Drew MacEwan (KMAS/iFiberOneNewsRadio)
- EDITORIAL: 51st state bill a great opportunity for dialogue (Columbia Basin Herald)
- EDITORIAL: Splitting state takes liberties with representation (The Everett Herald)
- EDITORIAL: A couple of bills worth following (Daily Record)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Bremerton seeks its first poet laureate (Kitsap Sun)
- Spokane seeks $1.7 million from contractor for delayed sewage tank project (The Spokesman-Review)
MILITARY & VETERANS
OPEN GOVERNMENT
- Public-records debate in Olympia may be decided in court (Crosscut)
- EDITORIAL: Lawmakers must follow state’s Open Records Act (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
OPIOIDS
OTHER STATES
- Official state pet? Plastic straw ban? 18 eye-catching Oregon bills introduced in 2019 (The Oregonian)
- Recent snowfall is helping Oregon snowpack recover (AP/The Columbian)
POLITICS
ELECTIONS
LOCAL
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Renton School District construction bond falls short of required voter turnout (The Seattle Times)
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Arlington school bond again falls short of required 60% (The Everett Herald)
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EDITORIAL: Threshold for school bonds worth reconsidering (The Everett Herald)
STATE GOVERNMENT
- March food stamps to arrive early for some Washington recipients (KING TV)
- COLUMN: Freedom Foundation sues Attorney General Ferguson over public records (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest)
TAXES
- Supporters say working families tax credit would rebalance Washington tax code (KOHO Radio)
- OPINION: Taxes: A closer look at your bill (Deanna Walter, Chelan County Assessor/The Wenatchee World)
- COLUMN: What a surprise: Democrats eye the need for higher taxes (Jerry Cornfield/The Everett Herald)
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSPORTATION
- FAA approves start of commercial flights at Paine Field (The Seattle Times)
- Paine Field is cleared for passenger takeoff, FAA says (The Everett Herald)
- State considering feasibility study for potential Tacoma fast ferry (KIRO TV)
- Alaska ferry system may cut some of its run to Bellingham (The Bellingham Herald)
- Amazon’s driverless car strategy comes into focus (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- Boeing, Delta Air Lines could benefit from FAA decision on Vietnamese airlines (Puget Sound Business Journal)
WILDLIFE
