Dear people of WA: The case for another voter-enacted open government law

March 10, 2023 at 2:03 pm Updated March 10, 2023 at 3:03 pm By  Kate Riley  Times editorial page editor Just over 50 years ago, Washington voters approved Initiative 276, which demonstrated the citizenry’s righteous desire to keep tabs on their elected officials. With that vote, the state Public Records Act established the right of the

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King County needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage

Homes are seen along the east side of Beacon Hill in Seattle. King Co. needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times, 2022) By  Heidi Groover  Seattle Times business reporter Just how much new construction is necessary to meet our region’s housing shortage? King County would need

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The battle is on to increase housing supply; we’ll see if it works

Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood with the Magnolia neighborhood in the distance as seen from the Space Needle. (Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times, 2021) By Jon Talton Columnist This may be the year of aggressive efforts to increase the housing supply in Washington and Seattle. A total of 13 bills are moving through the Legislature

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Be bolder to get light rail done, expert panel tells Sound Transit

By  Mike Lindblom  Seattle Times staff reporter Outside experts warn that Sound Transit light-rail extensions, already years late, will careen into endless delays unless the board and executives adopt a big-time mindset to match the 116-mile network they promised the voters. That means a harder line dealing with 53 local governments, which sometimes view transit

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