Washington in Focus

Two ballot measures loom large for Spokane voters in the upcoming Nov. 7 general election. Measure No. 1  calls for a two-tenths of 1% increase in the countywide sales tax – that is, 2 cents more on every $10 purchase – beginning next April and continuing over 30 years. There is an exemption on motor vehicle sales and leases. If enacted, the measure over time will raise an estimated $1.7 billion f...

Brad Meryhew, chair of the Washington State Sex Offender Policy Board, said he wants to clear the air regarding a research document by an outside agency that was brought up by Cathy Dahlquist, a former state legislator, at the board's Sept. 21 meeting. The  document  is a summary put together by the SOPB’s data scientist of a draft Model Penal Code document from the  American Law Institute , a Phi...

King County’s work to address a pandemic-caused caseload backlog has seen some success as of late, but over 1,500 more serious cases remain unaddressed. According to the criminal case backlog  report , the district court-filed backlog was fully addressed as of March 31. Yet the report notes that Superior Court felony pending cases are not expected to reach pre-COVID 19 pandemic volume within the n...

Spokane City Council members on Monday unanimously approved a measure regulating local massage and reflexology businesses as a safeguard against potential prostitution, human trafficking and other related crimes. Council president Lori Kinnear said the  ordinance proposal  enables the city to affirm the certifications or credentials of such businesses or individual practitioners and deny or revoke...

An annual report reveals that King County’s program to house people through 15 sites used more than $70 million to house 803 people due to incomplete construction and other issues. The Health Through Housing initiative’s primary goal is to open 1,600 units of affordable housing for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming unhoused in King County. The county previously anticipated it would me...

A divided Spokane City Council voted 4-3 Monday night to censure Mayor Nadine Woodward for her brief on-stage appearance at a large Christian worship gathering last month when she received a prayer blessing from controversial former state Republican legislator Matt Shea. Woodward, council members and others who testified criticized the measure as a political attack timed just weeks before ballots...

Target announced the closures of nine stores across four states, including two in Seattle, Wash. due to retail theft, but some Seattleites are unfazed over the stores closing down. In a Tuesday  news release , the retailer stated it can't continue operating the stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of its employees and customers, and contributing to unsustainab...

The Washington State Legislature may consider legislation giving the State Liquor and Cannabis Board further rulemaking authority regarding the use of biometric age verification by private entities selling alcohol or cannabis products. “I think with the biometrics, it’s just a matter of time before it’s coming in,” Director of Policy and External Affairs Justin Nordhorn told the Senate Labor & Com...

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority is winding down its pilot program that focused resources on getting homeless people in the downtown Seattle area into shelters. Partnership for Zero , a public-private collaboration with the aim of ending unsheltered homelessness in downtown Seattle, was started in 2022. Its goal was to achieve what's known as “functional zero" – that is, enough serv...

The city of Bellevue is considering an $18 million  project  that would convert vehicle lanes in various local arterials into bike lanes, a move city officials believe would reduce biker fatalities and improve non-vehicular commuting without negatively affecting traffic conditions. However, opponents are arguing that the project would achieve none of those objectives. Support this podcast: https:/...

It looks like Spokane County won't be getting as much federal aid as anticipated related to the recent area wildfires. “We’ve done some damage assessments for the public assistance program, which is anything to do with infrastructure,” said Assistant Director of Operations for the Washington State Emergency Management Division Stacey McClain at Tuesday morning's Spokane County Board of Commissione...

One gas station in Kent, Washington got more than its fair share of business Wednesday morning in hosting an event that gave motorists a gas tax holiday of sorts. Approximately 200 drivers got some relief at the pump there, paying just $3.82 a gallon which is the current national average, thanks to the Washington chapter of Americans for Prosperity and Future 42, two groups which put on the two-ho...

The Bellevue City Council is receiving pushback from residents over a transportation benefit district that, if funded as proposed, would  generate  an additional $10 million in sales tax revenue. While proponents within city hall say it’s necessary to cover some transportation projects, including maintenance work, some critics have called it an unnecessary and permanent “slush fund” and one of man...

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability is investigating footage of a police officer who made light of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a Seattle police vehicle in January. The Seattle Police Department released  footage  showing Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer on a phone call, reportedly with Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan, on Jan. 23....

Legislation passed this session and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee was intended to boost the number of electricians in Washington state. Some small electrical contractors, however, argue the new law is hurting their businesses. Senate Bill 5320  requires applicants for a journey level electrician certificate to have completed an approved apprenticeship program to take the required examination...

Washington state’s third quarterly auction of emissions allowances under the cap-and-trade program established by the Climate Commitment Act brought in more than $541 million, according to a Wednesday summary report put out by the Department of Ecology. That dollar figure is derived by multiplying the $63.03 allowance price at the Aug. 30 auction by the 8.585 million allowances that were sold. Sup...

Since 2019, the Seattle Police Department has had 669 officers resign, according to data obtained by the SPD. The total number of deployable officers has now shrunk down to less than 900, according to the Seattle Police Officers Guild, a staffing crisis they say is primarily driven by a hostile ideological and political climate within the city. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/...

The Seattle Police Department is continuing investigations into an increase in robberies in the city’s South Precinct. According to the department, there have been 14  reported incidents  of pattern robberies in the South Precinct from June through Aug. 25. The department suspects more robberies have gone unreported. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/washington-in-focus...

Spokane Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel has cleared the way for a ballot initiative that would ban camping within 1,000 feet of places like schools, playgrounds and child care facilities to appear on the November ballot. Local attorney Brian Hansen, the man behind the initiative, argues it will – if passed – protect children. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/washington...

Earlier this month, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a request by Puget Sound Energy to increase its natural gas rates to cover the costs of the state’s cap-and-trade program under the Climate Commitment Act. However, the  approval  also carried with it a stipulation that the utility provider could not show on customers' bills the reason for the rate increase, a deci...

A coalition of 22 Washington state counties and the Washington State Association of Counties are suing the Washington Department of Social and Health Services over the department's administration of behavioral health services. According to the  lawsuit , filed in Pierce County Superior Court, the department failed a fundamental obligation by refusing to provide mental health services to conversion...

When most of the county comes together during times of public crisis like the wildfires currently ravaging the countryside, the Spokane County Sheriff’s department wants residents to be aware that not everyone is there to help. Two individuals have been arrested for residential burglary in a region of Medical Lake that is part of the Gray Fire evacuation zone, according to a Tuesday  news release...

The state of Washington might create a “cash for clunkers” program to subsidize the purchase of electric vehicles and encourage a transition away from high emission gas vehicles. It’s one of several potential recommendations under consideration by the state Electric Vehicle Advisory Committee to include in an impending Transportation Electrification Strategy update. Support this podcast: https://p...

A month full of events in Seattle resulted in over one million people using light rail, King County Metro buses and the water taxi during three notable days in July. Sound Transit saw record-breaking ridership numbers thanks in large part to the Major League Baseball All-Star game, multiple Taylor Swift concerts, the Capitol Hill Block Party music festival and a Seattle Mariners home series agains...

The Washington State Department of Ecology has announced the results of last week’s emergency carbon auction, and it seems the carbon business is booming with all $62.5 million in shares selling. The closed-bid, fixed price auction consisted of two 527,000 credit tranches, with the first tranche priced at $51.90 per credit and the second at $66.86 per credit. Support this podcast: https://podcaste...