A clash over salmon-blocking road culverts saw state Attorney General Bob Ferguson argue against the federal government and Washington tribes in front of the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday.The issue centers on whether the state must replace road culverts that block salmon passage. It’s also proof that Ferguson does, in fact, occasionally take on lawsuits that aren’t about the Trump Administration. (Seattle Times)

The State Superintendent is celebrating a new system to help parents identify deficiencies in all schools. The tool will make data available to parents so they can look up test results at their children’s school and compare them to other schools in the district and the state. (Spokesman-Review)

Over half of the U.S. Forest Service’s budget last year went to fighting wildfires. $130 million of that was to combat 50 large fires on USFS lands in Washington. A new federal funding mechanism could lead to increased efforts by the state Department of Natural Resources to manage public land and change the way wildfire fighting costs are funded. (Lens)

Never wanting to be mistaken for someone with class, Kshama Sawant took the expected ‘low-road’ in response to the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush. After the Women’s March tweeted their condolences, Sawant tweeted: “This is terrible. @womensmarch organizers have helped lead historic protests since Trump’s election but this tweet shows how, without a political compass, even well-meaning progressives can end up giving cover to ruling class & ultimately undermining struggles against oppression.” (MyNorthwest)

Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez openly criticized the process to create a new business head tax, asking if the members of the Progressive Revenue Task Force have conflicts of interest. Juarez wrote in a memo: “The task force is urgently advising the council to vote for a $75 million tax increase. Why are three programs explicitly given preference in this report? Are these three programs shown preference because particular task force members are more closely associated with these programs than other programs of similar merit?” (KING 5)

The Washington State Department of Transportation apologized for the “inappropriate message” posted on a traffic sign earlier this week. A driver snapped a photo of an I-5 traffic sign with “U Suck” plastered across it. (Q13 Fox)

The U.S. Department of State appears poised to move forward on plans to modernize the Columbia River Treaty with Canada. An open town hall meeting to discuss modernizing the treaty – which governs flood control, river flows, and hydroelectric dams – is set for 5 p.m. on April 25 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane. (Sunnyside Daily Sun News)

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