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
- As baby boomer farmers retire, a new generation is stepping up in the Mid-Columbia (Tri-City Herald)
- 2019 shaping up to be one of Washington’s worst droughts (KING TV)
- With the cherry harvest underway, what to expect in 2019 (Yakima Herald)
- With harvest season upon us, here’s how Whatcom farming is changing (The Bellingham Herald)
- OPINION: Trump’s trade deal is good for WA farmers. Here’s why (U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse/Crosscut)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- First flight of Boeing’s new 777X delayed at least until the fall (The Seattle Times)
- While airlines rake it in, catering staff at Sea-Tac airport threaten to strike (Crosscut)
- Little dealmaking for Boeing in Paris after 737 Max crashes (KOMO TV)
- How does Boeing change the subject at the Paris Air Show? (KUOW Radio)
- They came, they competed, and they liked it so much they returned to Whatcom County (The Bellingham Herald)
- EDITORIAL: Port, proceed with caution in fossil-fuel debate (The Columbian)
CENSUS
- ‘Boycott that question’: Citizen query unnecessary, says chair of Washington state census committee (The News Tribune/The Seattle Times)
- Rapid Washington child population growth draws need for support (KPQ Radio)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- North Dakota: Feds should stop Washington state’s rail rules (AP/Seattle P-I)
- OPINION: More mercury in the fish we eat? Don’t let the EPA weaken water-quality rules (Nate Tyler, council member for the Makah Indian Tribe, Amy Grondin, commercial fisherman and co-owner of Duna Fisheries, and Chris Wilke, executive director of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance/The Seattle Times)
- EDITORIAL: Newhouse did the right thing. He put people over party (Tri-City Herald)
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- ‘We need to make some changes.’ Commission recommends major overhaul of Washington sentencing laws (NW News Network)
- He’s accused of abusing his authority. This Tri-Cities judge says prove it (Tri-City Herald)
- Appellate judges uphold $7.5 million jury award against Spokane County (The Spokesman-Review)
- Audit: King County Sheriff’s Office isn’t doing enough to keep its high-risk equipment secure (KNKX Radio)
- Yakima police kick-off effort to fight violent crime (KIT Radio)
- Emphasis patrol nets 119 violators of new distracted driving law (KEPR TV)
- OPINION: Details matter in independent investigations of police shootings (Deborah Jacobs, director of the King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight in Seattle/The Seattle Times)
- COLUMN: It may not seem like it, but crime in Spokane is down (Shawn Vestal/The Spokesman-Review)
EARLY LEARNING
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- Most Spokane elementary schools dropping art class in favor of science (The Spokesman-Review)
- Tacoma, Bethel, Seattle school districts have the most students enrolling in large online schools (KNKX Radio)
- Moses Lake School District begins work on $118 million budget for 2019-20 (Columbia Basin Herald)
- ‘Our second chance’: Discovery High School grads ‘triumphed’ despite obstacles (The Daily News)
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Governor to test drive first all-electric school bus (AP/Seattle P-I)
- Southwestern Washington’s Port Of Kalama says methanol refinery can’t export for fuel (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
- “Solarize Yakima” campaign will encourage residents to adopt solar-powered energy (Yakima Herald)
ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
- Ocean viruses threaten loss of species in the Pacific Northwest (MyNorthwest)
- Two Longview companies fined by Ecology for violating environmental laws (The Daily News)
- Over $60,000 in penalties for sunken boats in Grays Harbor and Pacific County (KXRO Radio)
- Infusion of federal money propels Meadowdale Beach project (The Everett Herald)
- State applauds Blue Mountain regional trails plan (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
FISH
- This three-decade mission to catalog local fish turned into a literary work of art (Crosscut)
- Coastal recreational salmon season opens June 22 with higher coho quota (The Daily World)
FOOD SAFETY
- WinCo Foods recalls frozen raspberries due to possible Norovirus contamination (KHQ TV)
- WinCo’s frozen raspberries from Washington farm recalled (The Bellingham Herald)
HANFORD
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Upgrades mean safer shelter, better bus access for Olympic College riders (Kitsap Sun)
- New scholarship aims to help students pursue two-year degrees (Skagit Valley Herald)
HOMELESSNESS
- Lacey approves ban on unsanctioned homeless camping (MyNorthwest)
- Olympia City Council to weigh first Home Fund award this week (The Olympian)
- Homeless families find RV parks more affordable living option (The Columbian)
- OPINION: Seattle homelessness crisis requires a stable solution (Mike Butler, president, operations and services at Providence St. Joseph Health, and Dr. Guy Hudson, CEO of Swedish Health Services/Puget Sound Business Journal)
- EDITORIAL: Extraordinary generosity will help homeless crisis (The Seattle Times)
HOUSING
- Rent control in Spokane is idea gaining ground (The Spokesman-Review)
- Grant-funded solar panels installed on low-income housing complex in Cle Elum (Daily Record)
- Seattle-area home sales buck national trend (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- OPINION: Don’t blame developers for the burdens of growth (Ryan Makinster, government affairs director for the Building Industry Association of Clark County/The Columbian)
- EDITORIAL: Use 6-month review to strengthen housing efforts (The Everett Herald)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Bremerton at odds with Kitsap County over pending rules regarding violent sex offender housing (Kitsap Sun)
- Fireworks ban sought for south Snohomish County (The Everett Herald)
MARIJUANA
MILITARY & VETERANS
- DSHS report: Retsil veterans home’s response on patient’s gun endangered others (Kitsap Sun)
- Air Force’s KC-46 tanker delays won’t affect Fairchild operations (The Spokesman-Review)
OPIOIDS
- Opioid response plan approved in Thurston County (KIRO TV)
- City Council to consider suing opioid manufacturers, distributors (The Spokesman-Review)
- Task force formed to fight Clark County opioid issue (The Columbian)
OTHER STATES
- US Supreme Court won’t hear Oregon wedding cake case, tells state appeals court to reconsider (The Oregonian)
- When children die on Oregon’s watch, state officials may soon have to say more about what went wrong (The Oregonian)
POLITICS
ELECTIONS
- EDITORIAL: ‘Democracy voucher’ program worth watching (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- EDITORIAL: Paper ballots make Washington state elections secure (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
LOCAL
NATIONAL
- Trump owes Spokane $65,000 for 2016 rally, but other campaigns owe money, too (KXLY TV)
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee part of Democratic presidential debate on first night (The Spokesman-Review)
- Governor Inslee selected to appear on first night of Democratic Presidential debates (KOMO News)
- COLUMN: Spin Control: Inslee has plenty to win or lose from upcoming debates (Jim Camden/The Spokesman-Review)
RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Superfeet hoping to bring European elite athlete technology to everyday people (The Bellingham Herald)
- ‘Fine-tuning’ of proposed Longview fertilizer plant delays release of impact statement (The Daily News)
- Westport boat launch parking area paved, other marina improvements near completion (The Daily World)
TAXES
- With $5.7 million in ‘general fund,’ is the soda tax poor people funding government? (MyNorthwest)
- OPINION: Refuse to cooperate with state audit, lose taxing authority (Jason Mercier, Washington Policy Center/The Daily World)
TRANSPORTATION
- Getting There: Spokane Valley to select design following $1.2 million federal grant for Pines Road rail project (The Spokesman-Review)
- Five years, 34 crashes and only five riders walked away uninjured (The Bellingham Herald)
- Train derails Saturday in Aberdeen (The Daily News)
- Consensus on replacing the I-5 Bridge? (The Columbian)
- Volkswagen emissions settlements to help C-Tran buy 10 electric buses (The Columbian)
TRIBAL ISSUES
- Lummi Nation launches new campaign to save dwindling orca population (KCPQ TV)
- A troubled land: White Swan shaken by recent spree of homicides (Yakima Herald)
- In White Swan, even job opportunities close by can be hard to reach (Yakima Herald)
- EDITORIAL: Giving voice to missing and murdered indigenous women (The Seattle Times)
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
- The goats are coming (The Wenatchee World)
- Clark County fire marshal issues early burn ban (The Columbian)
- Study: West should look to Southeast’s prescribed burn model (KOHO Radio)
- EDITORIAL: It’s time to stop the bucket brigade. State needs funding source to prevent and fight wildfires (The News Tribune)
WILDLIFE
