(The Center Square) – In what seems like a race for the levies, Spokane City Council voted to postpone the proposed $225 million parks levy until February, opting instead to advance the public safety levy to the August ballot. This is the second time the council has voted to postpone the parks levy since its proposal. The levy would have cost taxpayers 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Spokane's Parks & Recreation department constitutes about 2.3% of the city's budget, while annual revenue and grants bring the total parks budget to around $24 million. The passage of the parks ..read more

(The Center Square) – Voters in 13 legislative districts have been moved into new districts for 2024, following an unsuccessful request for a stay in the case of Palmer v. Hobbs. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied the request in a ruling on April 2. The case is now back in the 9th District Circuit Court of Appeals. Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik adopted a new Washington state legislative map to create a majority-Latino voting district in central Washington. Lasnik’s decision to redraw the 15th Legislative District comes after his ruling in August 2023 in Palmer ..read more

(The Center Square) – There seems to be some confusion among certain state agencies about workers who received exemptions from WA Cares, Washington’s mandatory long-term care benefit program. The program is paid for by 58 cents out of every $100 earned deducted from their paychecks. WA Cares provided a one-time opportunity for people to opt out, if they could show they had private long-term care insurance in place before Nov. 1, 2021. This opt-out provision is no longer available to new applicants. Elizabeth New, policy analyst and director of the Centers for Health Care and Workers Rights at ..read more

(The Center Square) – Tacoma Public Schools is reducing the number of bus routes next school year in order to save about $1 million in transportation costs. The school district reduced its bus routes due to a high cost-per-rider ratio. According to a presentation to the school board, Tacoma Public Schools spent nearly $3,078 per rider in the 2021-202 school year, the highest among a cohort of 20 Washington state schools. Tacoma Public Schools Chief Communications Officer Tanisha Jumper told The Center Square in an email that the district analyzed its transportation system and compared it to ot ..read more

(The Center Square) – Nearly 50 years later, Spokane is celebrating its anniversary of hosting the 1974 World's Fair with a nine-week-long event. The Expo 50 Celebration will begin on Saturday, May 4, and continue through July 4. In 1974, when Spokane was the smallest city to host the World Fair, it drew an astounding number of attendees, with millions of people flocking to the city. The first-ever environmentally focused world's fair set the region on a path to flourish, something city officials hope to reignite. Residents and visitors have the opportunity to attend dozens of events throughou ..read more

(The Center Square) – Whitman County residents are up in the air over a proposed wind farm that would cost approximately $300 million to build. The Whitman County Board of Commissioners held meetings on Monday to discuss the project and hear community members’ pleas to protect their landmark. County Planner Alan Thomson said an extensive process would ensue once applications are filed. The proposed Harvest Hills Wind Project could provide power to 90,000 homes for 25 to 30 years as part of the state’s goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2045. The company spearheading the controversial projec ..read more

(The Center Square) – Sound Transit, after nearly a decade of construction of a new light rail line in Eastside King County, has finished an initial segment, with passengers now having access to transport between Bellevue and Redmond. Light rail services for residents in the county’s Eastside opened on Saturday. However the new Link 2 Line is not fully complete. Construction continues with the new light rail line going deeper into downtown Redmond with two additional stations. The full Link 2 Line is anticipated to open next year. The $3.7 billion East Link Extension project was approved by vo ..read more

(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council has begun discussions on a proposed bill that would amend the city’s App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance. The bill, sponsored by Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson, attempts to reduce labor costs for network companies, while still guaranteeing a minimum earnings standard for app-based workers. Council Bill 120775 would remove minimum wage adjustments, reduce the per-mile rate, and remove the mileage factor from the current minimum wage law, resulting in a minimum payment standard of $19.97 per hour, along with 35 cents per mile for enga ..read more

(The Center Square) – Washington State University announced that T. Chris Riley-Tillman has been selected as the institution of higher learning's new provost. He will succeed Elizabeth Chilton, provost and executive vice president, starting July 1. The hunt for a replacement ended Thursday on a search began in January after WSU President Kirk Schulz acknowledged the need to separate the chancellor and provost positions. Chilton became provost and executive vice president in 2020 and then adopted the role of chancellor in 2022. She’s served in both roles for the past two years. WSU paid Chilton ..read more

(The Center Square) – The Washington state primary is still more than three months away, but Democrats are making clear which of their candidates running for governor they will support. There’s no official endorsement at this point, but an organizing effort called the “Coordinated Campaign” has decided to put its eggs in the basket of outgoing Attorney General Bob Ferguson. State Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, says he was told about a month ago that the state party was offering an early buy-in to the Coordinated Campaign, which supports Democratic candidates across the ballot. Buying in meant p ..read more