Politics

Politics

From the capitol to the campaign: What the 2022 legislative session could mean for Washington state elections

From lawmaking to campaigning in the blink of an eye ⁠— that’s what Washington state legislators have done after adjourning their 60-day session late last week.

Big Tech keeps watch on Ukraine cyber war

The war on the ground in Ukraine is devastating. But before the ground offensive came a cyber attack that threatened Ukraine's government. We’ll talk with Seattle University School of Law professor Mark Chinen about how Big Tech is getting involved.

Law & Courts

New book traces Black women’s innovative advances across the history of human rights

‘Black women have been deeply engaged in trying to figure out how to get this country to accept, to understand, to learn about human rights.’

Politics

The end-emic phase is near? Washington's mask mandate ends soon

It's the end of the statewide mask mandate as we know it — and not everyone feels fine.

Washington’s longtime insurance commissioner accused of mistreating staff

Mike Kreidler, Washington’s longtime insurance commissioner, is facing allegations that he verbally mistreats staff. Current and former employees say it’s part of a pattern that’s gotten worse in recent months and is contributing to high turnover in the office. Kreidler says he has high standards for his staff, but said he will work to be more careful in how he deals with people.

Politics

WA Democrats want to increase spending by about $6 billion

The state’s revenue picture just keeps getting rosier and rosier. That means state lawmakers have billions more to spend, save or return to taxpayers; Democrats are opting to spend more.

Government

Democrats in Olympia undeterred by anger from Oregon, Idaho and Alaska over targeted fuel tax

Majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature on Tuesday narrowly beat back a third attempt to squelch a new tax they proposed on gasoline and diesel exported to neighboring states from Washington refineries.

Politics

Washington says goodbye to its mask mandate, but not its state of emergency...yet

Washington state lawmakers are moving forward with legislation to curb the governor’s executive powers. The move comes after strong use of the powers amid the pandemic, and as Governor Jay Inslee is rolling back some Covid-era orders.

Politics

These bills still have a chance as Washington lawmakers close the first half of 2022 session

It's crunch time in Olympia where lawmakers are moving forward with bills that survived their committee deadlines last week.

Arts & Life

Tacoma Public Libraries are ‘more than brick and mortar’

What happens when the library gets shut down? For one thing, the need for a library does not go away.