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.
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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
... continue reading.Your guide to must-see Seattle-area museums
By Seattle Times staff The Great Indoors beckons this time of year. February is also Seattle Museum Month, when those who stay at a participating downtown Seattle hotel can get half-price admission to participating museums. What better time, then, to visit our region’s wealth of museums? Here in the Puget Sound area, we’ve got museums for
... continue reading.As tech jobs melt, the trades beckon. This Tacoma plumber makes $140K+
Feb. 17, 2023 at 7:00 am Journeyman plumber Will Lane, right, talks about a job with apprentices Ricky Bui, left, and Tonya Miller in a Des Moines home. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times) By Erik Lacitis Pacific NW magazine writer MEET WILL LANE, 31, of Tacoma, who never went to college. He’s a
... continue reading.Seattle Times Editorial Andrew Lewis 911
Albuquerque built non-police 911 response fast — why can’t Seattle? Dec. 15, 2022 at 2:22 pm Updated Dec. 16, 2022 at 2:50 pm The Albuquerque Community Safety department sends behavioral health responders who go out in the community and respond to calls dealing with unsheltered individuals who may need assistance. (Courtesy of Roberto E.
... continue reading.Tacoma author creates an illustrated travelers atlas for PNW islands
Feb. 3, 2023 at 7:00 am 1 of 2 | The Malaspina Galleries have been impressing visitors for centuries — they were recorded in land survey logs by Spanish explorers in 1792. (Chandler O’Leary) By Chandler O’Leary Editor’s note: The following is an edited excerpt from “On Island Time: A Traveler’s Atlas,” a new book
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