Coverage of elections, legislation, and political accountability across Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson agreed to a $4,000 ethics settlement after admitting he violated state ethics law by flying former adviser Mike Webb on a State Patrol aircraft. Furthermore, the same week the settlement was announced, Axios revealed a secret approval policy requiring most state agencies to clear press releases and reporter responses through the…
The Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled on May 4, 2026 that voters cannot block the new Washington millionaire’s tax through a referendum. Specifically, the court found that Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6346 is shielded from referendum because Democratic lawmakers attached a “necessity clause” declaring the tax essential to state government operations. The 9.9% tax on…
Seattle data center plans triggered the largest constituent response City Hall has seen in years. 54,000 messages flooded council inboxes after the Seattle Times revealed four tech companies wanted to build five hyperscale data centers consuming 369 megawatts — roughly one-third of Seattle’s average daily power. Two developers have since withdrawn. Three Council members introduced…
The denial of Washington’s $36.6 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program request landed last Friday. Governor Bob Ferguson asked for $182.3 million in February to recover from December 2025’s historic flooding. FEMA approved Individual Assistance and Public Assistance — but flatly denied the statewide hazard mitigation funding. No reason was given. Meanwhile, Oregon received over $19…
The Newsweek Navy food photos published April 24, 2026, claim to show food shortages on the USS Abraham Lincoln during active military operations against Iran. The chain of custody breaks down at every link. The original sailor is anonymous. The intermediary, Gerald D. Givens Jr., is described in Newsweek’s own copy as a vocal critic…
Who really runs Seattle? Not Bruce Harrell. Not Katie Wilson. The mayor’s office has changed hands twice in five years. The corporate-real estate machine and the labor-progressive machine spend millions fighting each other on stage. Behind them, the same 18-member appointed boards, the same three or four political consulting firms, the same 60-plus revolving-door lobbyists,…
The Sound Transit failure is now officially a $185 billion boondoggle with a $35 billion cost overrun and a $20-30 billion affordability gap through 2046. Every man, woman, and child in the three-county tax district now owes roughly $55,000 toward a rail system most of them will never ride. Pierce County voted against ST3 and…
Pierce County voters rejected ST3 in 2016. They lost the regional vote, and have paid the Sound Transit tax for a decade. Now Sound Transit is proposing to terminate the long-promised Tacoma Dome Link Extension at Fife instead of completing the line to the Tacoma Dome — citing a $34.5 billion funding shortfall. Pierce County…
On April 19, 2026, King County Parks cut the ribbon on Black Panther Park Skyway — a public park at Renton Avenue South and 75th Avenue South dedicated to the legacy of the Black Panther Party. The project was funded through the King County Parks Levy, a property tax every county homeowner pays. One of…
