Briefs
Looking for child care in Washington? A new online marketplace aims to help
Parents across Washington may soon be able to search in one place online for child care openings in their neighborhoods. Kinside, a Seattle-based startup, has launched a website where families can find real-time prices and openings at child care centers. Currently, the program only allows people to search for openings in the Seattle area, but […]
Nine detainees still refusing meals at Tacoma immigration facility as protest hits 18th day
The seventh recorded hunger strike this year at a federal immigration detention center in Tacoma has gone from 105 detainees to nine, La Resistencia, a group that advocates for the facility’s closure said on Tuesday. The hunger strike started at the Northwest Detention Center 18 days ago, with detainees protesting conditions there and demanding that […]
Over 200 employees hired to staff Tukwila behavioral hospital bought by Washington
Washington has hired a little over 200 employees to staff a Tukwila psychiatric hospital the state bought in August for nearly $30 million, according to Jo Sahlin, a spokesperson for the newly-named Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health Hospital. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open Olympic Heritage on Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said he wanted the […]
Consumer spending drives another $200M in expected state revenue growth
Washington’s economy is churning a little slower as consumers keep spending but homes aren’t selling at the pace they were a year ago. A new revenue forecast released Monday projects state tax collections will reach $66.9 billion for the two-year budget cycle that began July 1, an increase of $191 million from what chief economist […]
State hauls in nearly $900M from first year of capital gains tax
Washington’s new capital gains tax brought in $890 million in its first year, state officials said Wednesday. Those proceeds, garnered from the state’s wealthiest residents, will be funneled into early learning and child care programs, and to school districts in need of dollars for construction and renovation projects. “The new funds could not come at […]
Tacoma tenants’ rights measure passes with fewer than 400 votes
Update: This story was updated 5 a.m. on Wednesday to reflect new results in the race and an updated number of ballots left to count. A Tacoma ballot measure that would provide some of the state’s strongest protections for renters has passed with supporters having just 361 more votes than those voting against it. The […]
Lisa Brown on track to be Spokane’s next mayor
Update: Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward conceded late Monday in the race against Lisa Brown. As of Monday, Woodward had 47.7% of the vote, compared to Brown’s 51.7%. Longtime Democratic politician Lisa Brown will likely be the new mayor of Spokane, following a heated contest between her and incumbent Nadine Woodward. The race to lead Washington’s […]
WA transportation services back online following cyberattack
Following three days of outages, many of the Washington State Department of Transportation public web services are restored, the agency reported Friday. A cyberattack hit the department starting Tuesday, cutting online access to statewide traffic cameras, ferry trackers and oversized freight permitting. As of Friday morning, ferry schedules, some ferry tracking on the mobile app, […]
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer will not run for re-election
Washington Democrat Derek Kilmer will not run for re-election to represent Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives, he announced Thursday. Kilmer, who lives in Gig Harbor, is on his sixth term representing Washington’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula and most of Tacoma. He was first elected in 2012. […]
WA hires leader for new investigative unit focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people
A member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe with nearly three decades of law enforcement experience will take a lead role at a new state investigative unit devoted to unsolved cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Monday that he has hired Brian George as the chief investigator for […]
Traffic deaths are down in Finland. WA leaders will travel there to find out how
As Finland saw traffic fatalities plummet last year, Washington tallied a record number of deaths on its roads. Next month, state lawmakers and transportation officials will travel to the Nordic nation to learn how it’s succeeded in making traveling safer on its roadways. Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, will be […]
Kaiser Permanente and Washington workers reach deal to avoid strike
Kaiser Permanente and thousands of its Washington workers have agreed on a tentative labor contract, averting a strike planned for Wednesday had no deal been reached. Absent an agreement, about 3,000 employees at 36 locations, including nurses, social workers and medical assistants, were prepared to walk out from Nov. 1 to 8. Instead, starting Wednesday, […]