No cops hired so far with WA’s new $100 million grant program
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Money from Washington’s new $100 million program to boost police hiring has yet to reach cities and counties. Local officials have been frustrated with the rollout of the grants championed by Gov. Bob Ferguson to address Washington’s status as dead last in the nation in police staffing per capita. They complain it’s been […]
WA governor’s $1B borrowing plan to buy new ferries sinks in Legislature
OLYMPIA [Tom Banse]—Budget writers in the Washington Legislature on Monday declared their intent to eventually buy more hybrid electric ferries to modernize the state ferry fleet. But newly unveiled House and Senate transportation spending proposals left at the dock a $1 billion borrowing request from the governor to pay the tab, raising doubts about when and how […]
Lynnwood terminates Flock Safety cameras due to trust and oversight issues
LYNNWOOD—The Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously on Monday, February 22, to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, scrapping a controversial network of automated license plate recognition cameras that had drawn months of fierce community backlash over privacy invasions and potential misuse for immigration enforcement. The Council’s decision was a swift reversal for a program once […]
WA Democrats drop push for business tax to cover Medicaid costs
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington state Democrats are likely abandoning plans for a new tax on employers like Walmart and Amazon, whose workers get health coverage through Medicaid. The proposal came amid recent federal cuts to the program, which provides insurance for low-income Americans. The Senate’s budget committee was set to vote on advancing the legislation last […]
Judge Dave Larson (Ret.) announces run for Washington State Supreme Court
Judge Dave Larson (Retired) officially announced his campaign for Position 5 on the Washington State Supreme Court today, Monday, Feb. 23, following the retirement announcement of Justice Barbara Madsen. Larson enters the race with massive statewide momentum, having earned over 1.6 million votes and coming within 0.61% of a seat on the state’s highest court […]
Orca Tap to Pay for your next transit ride starts Feb 23
Orca Tap to Pay has officially launched for transit agencies across the Puget Sound region. This new feature allows riders to simply tap their contactless Visa, Mastercard, Discover® Network, or American Express credit or debit cards, or cards in digital wallets, using Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, or Samsung Pay™ to ride. How the new Tap to Pay feature works: ORCA […]
Marysville opens nominations for Marysville Business Awards
Help us honor the best of the best! The City of Marysville presents three business awards annually to outstanding local businesses. “Our city’s economic success is built on the dedication of businesses of all sizes and industries. We’re proud to recognize their achievements and welcome the new businesses that continue to choose Marysville,” Mayor Jon […]
Budget bills in WA Legislature would tap rainy day fund, spend heavily on legal payouts
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street and Bill Lucia] —Democrats in the Washington Legislature on Sunday proposed tapping the state’s rainy day savings account and slashing hundreds of millions of dollars for a child care program for low-income families to balance the state’s budget into next year. But under their plans, the state’s main operating account would have a more […]
Commentary: Crush Cartels to Secure US Borders Forever
What happened today in Mexico is why every country on planet Earth enforces its borders and have immigration control. With 2 million “got aways” in the U.S. under the Biden Administration, the U.S. is now open to foreign terror attacks by cartels — not just Mexican but also Russian and Chinese. For years, Islamists terrorists […]
Third Assassination Attempt on Trump: Armed Man Killed at Mar-a-Lago Breach
Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of North Carolina, was shot dead early Sunday after breaching the secure perimeter of the Mar-a-Lago estate—home of President Donald J Trump. This marks the third apparent threat to President Trump’s life in less than two years. President Trump was not home during the incident as he was in White House. […]
