Patients line up to pick up medication for opioid addiction at a clinic in Olympia in 2020. Washington’s new drug-possession law increases the penalty for drug possession from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor. Public drug… (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)More By The Seattle Times editorial board The Washington Legislature needed extra innings to finally come
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Post McCleary, WA school funding doesn’t add up
By David S. Knight and Kendall Fujioka Special to The Times Washington’s K-12 school finance system remains broken just six years after an overhaul effort. And state education leaders have demonstrated a lack of urgency to address the fundamental problems. The system is not progressive with respect to student race, ethnicity or economic status. While
... continue reading.How to go birding by boat in Western Washington
1 of 7 | A passenger photographing pigeon guillemots off Cypress Island. (Bryony Angell) By Bryony Angell Special to The Seattle Times Typical of outdoor enthusiasts ready for a mid-June weekend in Western Washington, my friend Roniq Bartanen and I were dressed in seasonably appropriate rain gear and woolens. Binoculars and camera in hand, we joined
... continue reading.Seattle utilities consider massive efforts that could help green our grid
March 22, 2023 at 7:00 am The $2 billion Goldendale Energy Storage Project proposes to generate 1,200 megawatts of power with pumped-storage hydropower, using upper and lower reservoirs above the John Day Dam. Leaders of the Yakama Nation say the proposed location is sacred, holding archaeological, ceremonial and First Food gathering sites… (Washington State /
... continue reading.Misguided Legislature keeps chipping away at Public Records Act
By Dick Clever Special to The Times “The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.
... continue reading.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
... continue reading.The next McCleary? Tiny district with decaying school buildings sues WA state
March 12, 2023 at 6:00 am Updated March 14, 2023 at 12:01 am 1 of 22 | Jeff Rooklidge, a science teacher at Wahkiakum High School, talks about the equipment students have to use when they work on experiments. The faucets are not necessary because the sinks no longer work. Rooklidge has made… (Ellen M.
... continue reading.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
... continue reading.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
... continue reading.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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