By The Seattle Times editorial board The Legislature returns to Olympia on Monday for a jampacked short session. In 60 days, lawmakers are expected to get to work grappling with gas prices, drug deaths, transportation woes, and mental health needs, among many issues. Adding pressure are November elections, and limited fundraising windows, for most of
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Des Moines’ north star, The Landmark on the Sound, is heading south
By Tantri Wija Special to (c) The Seattle TimesSeen from the air, the former Masonic Home of Washington in Des Moines has a bulls-eye view of Maury Island. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)IT SOUNDS LIKE a plot out of a gothic novel: an old building, a product of the Jazz Age, erected by an ancient
... continue reading.As tree species face decline, ‘assisted migration’ gains popularity in Pacific Northwest
By NATHAN GILLES and Columbia Insight The Associated Press PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — As native trees in the Pacific Northwest die off due to climate changes, the U.S. Forest Service, Portland, Oregon and citizen groups around Puget Sound are turning to a deceptively simple climate adaptation strategy called “assisted migration.” As the world’s climate warms,
... continue reading.New Seattle law phases out emissions from large buildings by 2050
Your garden’s magical ingredient: a worm bin
By Erica Browne Grivas Special to At Home in the Northwest If your garden could ask, it would have only one thing on its holiday wish list: a worm bin. Experienced gardeners know that abundant harvests are fed by the health, makeup and diversity of their soil, and the fastest way to improve your soil
... continue reading.Sound Transit nears approval on flat $3 fare
By Mike Lindblom Traffic Lab is a Seattle Times project that digs into the region’s thorny transportation issues to explore the policies and politics that determine how we get around and how billions of dollars in public money are spent. It is funded with the help of community sponsor PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company. Seattle Times editors
... continue reading.Burien chooses site for homeless shelter as county deadline passes
Burien has chosen this lot owned by Seattle City Light at South 136th Street and 4th Avenue South as the future site for a tiny home village. The village will use King County money and resources, after months of delay and debate around how to handle a growing number of homeless people in the public
... continue reading.Huge spike in costs to help salmon could derail WA transportation budget
By David Kroman and Mike Reicher Seattle Times staff reporters Times Watchdog stories dig deep to hold power accountable, right wrongs and create change. This work is made possible by The Seattle Times Investigative Journalism Fund. Donate today to support watchdog journalism in our community. Come January, lawmakers will face a surprise that will strain Washington’s transportation
... continue reading.Judge rules WA lawmakers can withhold documents via ‘legislative privilege’
By Claire Withycombe Seattle Times staff reporter OLYMPIA — A Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that the law allows Washington state lawmakers to withhold records that are “privileged.” Although the scope of that privilege has yet to be precisely defined, transparency advocates were despondent after Friday’s ruling, worrying that it delivers a sharp
... continue reading.One court case changed how West Coast cities deal with homeless encampments
By Greg Kim Seattle Times staff reporter Five years ago, federal judges ruled it was “cruel and unusual” for cities to fine or arrest homeless people for sleeping outside when they had nowhere else to go. Fast-forwarding to recent months, elected officials in Seattle and along the West Coast are railing against the decision, asking
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