In the News

A new bill introduced to the Washington Legislature, now in session, would require tire manufacturers to reformulate the rubber in their tires to remove a chemical responsible for killing large numbers of coho salmon and other fish. If approved, the legislation would give tire manufacturers nine years to find a suitable replacement for the compound 6PPD, a chemical additive used to extend the life of nearly every tire on the market today. The chemical readily combines with ozone to form 6PPD-quinone, ...

State Senate and House transportation leaders say state budget problems should not derail the long-awaited North Spokane Corridor is still fully funded. Speaking to the media Friday, state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said he is confident the corridor will be completed by the 2030 goal. “That project is on track, and we are going to finish it,” Liias said. “We are going to get the job done on those, and the budget we passed last year ...

The days might be numbered for your next Puget Sound ferry ride to be a fleeting offline oasis, free from the incessant demands of email, pop-up ads and doomscrolling. Washington State Ferries is yielding to requests from commuters for internet access, which the state Legislature heard and turned into an order for a Wi-Fi pilot project.

A who’s who from Washington state business and Democratic politics on Thursday extolled the virtues of alternative jet fuel and said the state would strive to become the nation’s leading enabler of greener flying. The occasion was a splashy launch event in Snohomish County for a new state-funded eco-fuel development nonprofit, dubbed the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator.

Broken roads, old ferries and devastation left by December’s storms are top of mind for the Democratic and Republican leaders on the Legislature’s transportation committees. That’s where the agreement ends. Washington state legislators see a tough couple of months ahead for transportation spending. The short session begins Monday and won’t see massive changes to policy. Lawmakers have just 60 days to tweak the $15.5 billion transportation budget agreed to during last year’s 105-day session. In the meantime, roads continue to deteriorate, and ...

EVERETT — State Senate Majority Leader Marko Liias told members of the business community in Everett on Wednesday that Washington needs to prioritize using state transportation funds to create thousands of new jobs. Liias, D-Edmonds, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, told those at Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s annual Legislative Kickoff that he will focus on new job creation when the 2026 legislative session begins on January 12.

Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) was awarded the Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion by Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Washington legislators will have two opportunities in their upcoming session to support the local news industry, if they’re not completely focused on growing the state budget. State Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, is preparing a new version of Senate Bill 5400, the measure he introduced last January to raise taxes on dominant tech platforms profiting from local news.