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 […]
Bill proposes permanent tax break for senior centers
OLYMPIA [ANNIKA HAUER]—Roughly 200 senior centers in Washington state could become permanently exempt from paying property taxes under a proposed bill, which passed its first committee Feb. 3. In 2017, House Bill 1526 established that senior centers did not have to pay those taxes. That bill had an automatic termination, or “sunset clause,” set for […]
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 […]
Bill seeks to expand state’s involuntary treatment law
OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]—The Senate Law and Justice Committee held a hearing Feb. 2 for legislation that would make it easier to commit someone to involuntary mental health treatment. Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 6296, which is scheduled for an executive session Feb. 3. Salomon said there is a need to […]
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 […]
Eddie Bauer operator to file Chapter 11 closing all North American stores
The operator of Eddie Bauer stores is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to Women’s Wear Daily, a move expected to close all of the outdoor apparel retailer’s approximately 200 brick-and-motor locations across North America, including more than 10 in Washington state. Eddie Bauer is a 106-year-old American outdoor apparel and gear […]
Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison for attempted assassination of President Trump
FORT PIERCE, Fla.— Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced on Wednesday, February 4, to life plus 84 months in federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon for the Southern District of Florida imposed the sentence. “Ryan Routh’s heinous […]
Trump admin awards $1M in emergency funds to WA workers affected by December’s record flood
OLYMPIA – The Employment Security Department was awarded a $1 million disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to help workers living in Washington who were affected by December’s severe weather and record flooding. Employment Security will submit a full application to USDOL within 60 business days for additional disaster recovery funds for a […]
‘Pie Crust Promise,’ Rally at Capitol pushes for Parental Rights and Girls’ Sports protections
OLYMPIA—Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday to rally in support of two citizen initiatives aimed at restoring parental rights in schools and barring biological males from competing in female sports, voicing frustration that Democratic leaders in the Legislature have refused to hold hearings on the measures despite constitutional requirements. […]
