The end of the fiscal year is getting dangerously close, meaning over 30,000 government workers have received layoff notices in preparation for a potential government shutdown if an agreement on the budget is not reached by midnight on Friday.

Without the $15 minimum wage law, Seattle would have 5,000 more jobs in the city – according to a study done by the University of Washington.

After UW shared research proving the minimum wage law has been hurting Seattle workers, the mayor’s office “Called Up Berkely.” Read more about the events that led to Mayor Ed Murray’s office reaching out to, “researchers known to be sympathetic towards minimum wage laws,” so they could obtain a positive report before the UW one came out and showed how the minimum wage hike has been harmful to Seattle. (Read more here)

The King County Council voted to sell the downtown bus station so that they can double the size of the Washington State Convention Center.

Grays Harbor County will now have health coverage, after Premera Blue Cross changed their position and decided to offer plans in the insurance exchange for individuals.

A report on Spokane’s police department has shown they need 44 more officers, which would cost up to $5.5 million, in order to sufficiently staff the agency. City Councilwoman Lori Kinnear said, “I need to have a conversation with the mayor, and (Police) Chief (Craig) Meidl, about what this report is telling us, and where do we go from here?”

Klickitat County now has two companies willing to offer insurance, after previously receiving no bids for insurance coverage when they were due earlier this year. Molina Healthcare of Washington and BridgeSpan Health Co. will be stepping up to the plate in Washington to offer insurance plans to individuals.

More than 700 kids have new bikes after Bud Clary Toyota of Yakima donated bikes to students at 26 participating schools who retained perfect attendance records during the 2016-17 school year.

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