“My party is reacting with indifference to one of the biggest crises rural Washington has ever faced,” Sen. Tim Sheldon (D-Shelton) wrote on the Washington State Wire. Sen. Sheldon has detailed the problems brought on by the Hirst decision, including the shaky future of growth in rural Washington, explaining that, “No water means no development.” (Read more here.)

Criminal records more than two years old would not be legitimate cause for landlords to deny people tenancy in their apartments in Seattle if the Fair Chance Housing ordinance introduced to City Council by Mayor Ed Murray is approved. People with records that show arrests but no convictions would also fall under protection by the Fair Chance Housing ordinance.

Residents near the Cedar Grove Composting site in Maple Valley are complaining about a composting and waste facility, with one resident saying the smell of the compost is “so strong it was burning my throat.” Cedar Grove is now facing lawsuits for the smell put off by their facility.

Tacoma may turn a hotel that was shut down by the city for a meth problem into a center for homeless people. The Pacific Lodge, formerly known as the Calico Cat Motel, is being touted as the next site for homeless housing by Tacoma Mayor Strickland and others.

Yakama Nation tribes may no longer be exempt from state gas taxes after the Department of Licensing requested the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the state Supreme Court ruling that allows the exemption.

1 million people may have had their personal information compromised after thieves broke into a WSU storage facility and stole an 85-pound safe containing personal information,  including social security numbers. Officials do not know yet if the thieves were able to successfully break into the safe and interpret the data.

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