Category Archives: In The News

One of the building blocks of Puget Sound aquatic life is disappearing from the ecosystem, and scientists have only a fuzzy idea of why it’s happening and what to do about it. What the scientists do know is that they are ...

New legislation moving through the state Senate and House of Representatives would fund several climate-friendly projects, including fully funding the Guemes Island ferry run by Skagit County. The transportation package was presented in part by Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes). She ...

Frustration is mounting over cancelled sailings and service disruptions to Washington State Ferries, and there are calls among lawmakers to make funding ferries a priority in the next legislative session’s transportation package. On Oct. 7, the Washington State Department of ...

By Levi Pulkkinen A landmark bill in the state Legislature has split environmentalists, with some questioning whether it will reduce pollution in communities hardest hit by it. Competing efforts to enact landmark climate change legislation have fractured the state’s environmental ...

A bill to prevent paying sub-minimum wage to persons with disabilities passed the Washington State senate last Thursday. SB5284 would eliminate so-called sub-minimum wage certificates that allow employers to pay disabled employees less than minimum wage. Democrat Emily Randall called ...

A state Senate bill that would extend COVID unemployment benefits to undocumented workers got a committee hearing in Olympia yesterday. Seattle Senator Rebecca Saldaña, a Democrat, is a primary sponsor of the bill intended to cover 270,000 persons in Washington. ...

Ferries are not just green-and-white boats to the families and businesses of the 10th District. To us, those boats are vital connections to work, school, and services like doctors and dentists. Reliable ferries are essential to our local economy and ...

A proposed bill in the Washington State Senate would give cities a tool to fund affordable housing construction by taxing vacation rentals listed on sites such as Airbnb and VRBO. Introduced by Sen. Liz Lovelett, an Anacortes Democrat, SB 5012 ...

Several state legislators are reviving the Healthy Environment for All Act, a law that aims to address decades of racial and economic disparities that affect the health of people who live and work in more heavily polluted areas of Washington ...

With the state legislative session opening Monday, COVID-19 is on the top of the minds of legislators who represent residents of Skagit County. They say they plan to fight for relief for businesses and families who are struggling because to ...