Monday Evening Headlines

I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill.

We all remember this song. It made it all seem so simple and turns out it's not who writes,

influences, and kills, bills, it gets messy. I'm Scott Greenstone.

And I'm Libby Dankman. On Sound Politics, we tell that story. The inside track on how

policy gets made in this Washington and the other one. And how it impacts you.

It's now on the KUW app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUW Newsroom. This is Seattle now. We're now two Friday the 13th down

after Friday and one more to go this year. I'm Paige Browning with a roundup of today's

top stories. It's Monday, March 16th.

An Air Force captain from Covington, Washington is among the service members who've died as part

of the U.S. War with Iran. The U.S. military has identified Captain Ariana G. Savino, age 31,

as one of the six people who died when a refueling plane crashed in Iraq last week.

She trained at Central Washington University and was made captain in the 99th Air Refueling

Squadron in 2021. In response, Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have expressed condolences

to her family and said their hearts are breaking over the deaths of people who gave the ultimate

sacrifice and service of the country. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

A very busy post session signing weeks underway for Washington Governor Bob Ferguson. On Saturday,

Ferguson signed over a dozen bills into law. One makes it easier for Washington to distribute

its state stockpile of abortion medication to health care providers by lowering the cost barrier.

I'm very familiar with this medication, how important is and the threat to preventing individuals

from having access to it. We so appreciate all the advocates who help make this legislation possible

and who advocate in general to ensure reproductive freedom for all Washingtonians.

Another new law creates a new wage recovery fund, allowing the state to pay workers who are

owed unpaid wages while the state pursues the employer. And soon to head to the Governor's desk,

the Immigrant Worker Protection Act. This one requires employers to notify their workers within

five business days if the federal government is coming in to request their employment eligibility

documents. And then there's the Tesla loophole. Ferguson's expecting to sign a bill closing a

loophole that's benefited the EV maker for around a decade. Scott Greenstone has more.

In recent years, Washington electric car buyers have been starting to branch out from buying

Teslas. Even though buying from electric car makers like Rivian or Lucid is harder,

you have to go out of state or buy online. Washingtonians have been, you know,

by their behavior, by their voting with their pocketbooks, voting with their feet,

purchasing these vehicles and bringing them here.

State Senator Marco Leis, a Democrat, passed a bill last week closing a loophole Tesla secured

in 2014 when it was the main name in the electric car game. That loophole keeps Rivian and Lucid

from selling here. You can go into Rivian's showroom in Seattle, but you can't buy any cars there

or discuss financing. In about three months, when this bill goes into effect, you can walk in and

buy a car just like in a Tesla dealership. Scott Greenstone, KUW News.

On to the weather. Western Washington's getting another week-long period of rain starting

today, heavy at times. The rain and warmer temperatures could melt much of the long-awaited snow

that fell in the mountains last week. Stevens Pass got about 26 inches of snow,

and Snoqualmie got about 44 inches through the weekend. But the National Weather Service reports

the cascade basin still at just 40 to 50 percent of its normal snowpack. Moving on to more

environment news, fewer fish in West Coast waters will be watched over by federal regulators.

More from KNKX Environment Reporter Bellamy-Pale Thorpe.

Over the last 50 years, a system of co-management between states, tribes, and the federal government

has worked to protect fish stocks. It's credited with reducing overfishing,

rebuilding stocks, and boosting sustainability. But the federal government says the 500 stocks and

species it now helps manage is too much. There are lots of fish out there. Not everything needs to

be managed all the time. Merrick Burton is executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management

Council, which oversees West Coast Fisheries plus Idaho. He says cuts from the Trump administration

have slashed the staff of the federal regulators and scientists that they work with.

In our region, the estimates are around 40 percent of their staff, which is staggering.

And so this has led to a national conversation of how many species can we really manage?

Last fall, the Pacific Council agreed to remove 39 fish stocks from active federal management,

and at its most recent meeting, it removed another eight stocks. In Washington, this means

popular species like blue and deacon rockfish will no longer be subject to federal catch limits

or have essential habitat protection once the cuts are finalized.

I'm Bellamy-Pale Thorpe reporting.

Seattle area basketball fans are getting hyped for next week's NBA governors meeting,

ESPN's reporting, The Board, is expected to vote to begin expanding the league to Seattle

and Las Vegas. ESPN reports that if approved, the new teams could begin in the 2028-29 season.

An expansion fee could run as high as $10 billion. Seattle's been without an NBA franchise since

the supersonic's left for Oklahoma in 2008. The Seattle storm remained the city's sole professional

basketball team and their season tips off May 8th. Speaking of basketball announcements,

it was tense as the University of Washington women's basketball team waited to hear what

March Madness held in store for them.

That's the Huskies reacting yesterday to news that they will be heading to the NCAA tournament

as the number six seed. The team will face number 11 seeds South Dakota State this Friday in Fort

Worth, Texas. It's the Huskies' second straight NCAA tournament appearance. Last year they fell

in the first four. In more sports news, Husky and Cougar fans may soon be able to put their money

where their fandom is. The Washington State Legislature passed the sports wagering integrity

act before a journey last week. This allows bets at tribal casinos on in-state college sport

programs like UW, WSU and Gonzaga.

In Critterwatch today, Washington has now enlisted the help of a Marmot to help remind people

to keep the state's roads clean. Northwest Public Broadcasting's Courtney Flatt has more.

That's the sound of the star of Washington's new We Keep Washington Liter free campaign.

A Marmot puppet who's reminding people to think before they throw trash out of their car

or don't secure their loads and let them breathe flat out of the back of trucks.

According to the State Department of Ecology, around 38 million pounds of litter gets tossed

in public areas every year. Last year at the Department of Ecology, along with the Department

of Transportation, spent $17 million to pick up litter around the state. But officials say they

can't get all of it. The new ads ask people not to toss their trash even when no one's looking.

A 2022 study from the Department of Ecology found most of Washington's litter is cigarette

butts, food wrappers and construction debris. New data on Washington's litter is expected next year.

I'm Courtney Flatt. Finally today, the Seattle area is down a bagel shop.

After 25 years in business, Blazing Bagels has abruptly closed all its locations,

citing what the company called Unforeseen Circumstances. In an email to employees,

the company said it expects to file for bankruptcy.

Next time on Seattle now, a mural that depicted Japanese American incarceration was defaced six

years ago on the Bellevue College campus. American history that had been censored for years upon years

is being censored again like my work to tell. The story is being censored like what's going on here.

Now that mural is going back up, permanently. We'll talk with the artist Tuesday morning.

And that's all for today from the KUOW Newsroom in Seattle. Our producer is Brooklyn Jamers and

Flowers. I'm Paige Browning, Seattle now and KUOW are members of the NPR network. See you later.

Music festivals and fan conventions, art walks, author events and reading parties.

The next few months are amazing for art and culture in the Seattle area.

And every week KUOW's Art and Culture podcast Meet Me Here will give you the inside scoop.

From inspired recommendations to surprising chats with artists, you'll discover what's

truly special about Seattle's creative communities. Listen to Meet Me Here on the KUOW app

or wherever you get your podcasts.