Northwest

Meet the producer

Meet the producer

We turn the tables on our host and ask her a few questions in this bonus episode. Chiefly, what are you doing? And why?!

Meet the producer
Bigfoot eludes state recognition yet again

Bigfoot eludes state recognition yet again

A twice-failed bill would have named the mythic creature as the official state cryptid.

Bigfoot eludes state recognition yet again
Photo by Cacophony/Wikimedia

Bill to tax oil in pipelines advances in state Senate

The measure would also update state oil spill contingency plans.

Photo by Cacophony/Wikimedia
Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia

Program before lawmakers could strengthen mental health crisis response

The aim is to provide those in need with services instead of jail time.

Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia
Inslee pushes back against offshore drilling in Washington

Inslee pushes back against offshore drilling in Washington

Statements from the governor and the state attorney general come in response to a shift in federal plans.

Inslee pushes back against offshore drilling in Washington
Light rail funding could be in trouble if car tab taxes decrease. Photo by Richard Eriksson/Flickr

Republican lawmakers call for further action on car tabs

Senate Democrat slams their efforts as “unthoughtful sledgehammers.”

Light rail funding could be in trouble if car tab taxes decrease. Photo by Richard Eriksson/Flickr
Photo by Nicole Jennings

Proposed law would make tampons free for some college students

The bill would ensure that those with low incomes can have access to clean products, say proponents.

Photo by Nicole Jennings
Carbon tax plan advances in the state Senate

Carbon tax plan advances in the state Senate

Bill moves out of committee with lower tax rate than governor proposed, a “monumental step.”

Carbon tax plan advances in the state Senate
Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia

A bill before lawmakers would outlaw concealed carry on private property

Opponents say that such a move would undermine the safety and rights of gun owners.

Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia
Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia

Washington health insurance market in flux

Premiums have skyrocketed, prompting a response from lawmakers.

Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia
A sign from an earlier era at the Seattle Fire Department headquarters. Photo by Alex Garland

Washington lawmakers seek to increase nuclear attack preparations

Bipartisan bills in the House and Senate could remove Cold War-era emergency planning restrictions.

A sign from an earlier era at the Seattle Fire Department headquarters. Photo by Alex Garland
By Nicole Jennings

Lawmakers still grappling with court mandated education funding

Roughly $1 billion more is needed, and school districts want their local levies.

By Nicole Jennings
University of Washington students walk to their meeting in the state reception room in the capital building in Olympia. Photo by Taylor McAvoy

Students lobby for state funded tuition grants

University of Washington students from the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses met with lawmakers on Monday to lobby for support of higher education bills during… Continue reading

University of Washington students walk to their meeting in the state reception room in the capital building in Olympia. Photo by Taylor McAvoy
Cooke Aquaculture Pacific’s work area and office west of the Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook serves the company’s salmon farm. Photo by Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News

Cooke Aquaculture fined $332,000 for Cypress Island farmed salmon escape

The operation also faces possible closure if legislators pass a bill that would ban the use of Atlantic salmon in state aquaculture.

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific’s work area and office west of the Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook serves the company’s salmon farm. Photo by Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News
Photo by Cacophony/Wikimedia

Affirmative action could make a comeback in Washington State

Two decades after a voter-approved initiative made the practice illegal, legislators are calling for a reversal.

Photo by Cacophony/Wikimedia
Bill that would reduce car tab rates passes the state House

Bill that would reduce car tab rates passes the state House

Transit advocates fear it will cut funding for key projects.

Bill that would reduce car tab rates passes the state House
Senate Labor and Commerce Committee members Senators Karen Keiser, D-Kent; Bob Hasegawa, D-Beacon Hill; and Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue. Photo by Taylor McAvoy

Workplace bullying and sexual harassment bills go before lawmakers

In the midst of the #MeToo movement, legislators seek a culture shift.

Senate Labor and Commerce Committee members Senators Karen Keiser, D-Kent; Bob Hasegawa, D-Beacon Hill; and Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue. Photo by Taylor McAvoy
Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia

Vetoed tax cut for manufacturers again pushed in bipartisan effort

Bill would lower business and occupation tax by 40 percent over four years.

Photo by Visitor7/Wikimedia
State House speaker talks taxes, death penalty, and harassment

State House speaker talks taxes, death penalty, and harassment

Democrat Frank Chopp has had the speaker title since 1999, and he says he’s not retiring this year.

State House speaker talks taxes, death penalty, and harassment
Puget Sound orcas surface near Tacoma. Photo by Mike Charest/Flickr

Orca Protection Act aims to protect Pacific Northwest’s iconic whales

Senator Kevin Ranker says the orca population in Puget Sound is down to 83, the lowest it had ever been.

Puget Sound orcas surface near Tacoma. Photo by Mike Charest/Flickr