Passenger ferry expansion closer but faces stormy seas ahead
OLYMPIA [By: Cassie Diamond] – Legislation that seeks to get more passenger-only ferries on Puget Sound cruised out of the state Senate Friday, March 6, with bipartisan support, but it isn’t out of choppy waters yet. The Senate made several revisions to House Bill 1923, dubbed the Mosquito Fleet Act, that leave the measure’s supporters […]
Bill to regulate ALPR Cameras passes state Senate, now heads to House
OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]—A bill establishing a regulatory structure for automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras advanced out of the state Senate Wednesday, Feb. 4. Senate Bill 6002 would restrict the use of ALPR cameras by state and local agencies, set a retention period for the data collected and limit the sharing of data. ALPR cameras, also […]
Sen Liias bill would expand pedestrian access in construction zones
OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]—Hospitals, parks and schools: These key locations are the focus of a bill that would require accessible pedestrian passage to be maintained during construction there. The prime sponsor of Senate Bill 6311, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said the measure was born out of a story he heard from Monroe about a hospital that […]
ICE Out: Heated debate on bill to bar hiring of ICE agents
OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]—Lawmakers clashed during a public hearing for a bill that would prohibit Washington law enforcement agencies from employing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers hired after Trump’s second-term inauguration. During a House Community Safety Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 29, the division between Democratic and Republican legislators regarding their stances towards ICE was made […]
Senate bill addresses grocery closures in food deserts
OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]– When the Fred Meyer in Tacoma’s South End neighborhood closed in September 2025, local resident Steven Bock said he considered leaving the area. “Our store was a primary food source of our district for almost 50 years, half a century,” Bock said. “My neighborhood is now without its last source of food […]
