“I can honestly say, we’ve got the best weed in the United States of America.” That’s a quote from Washington State’s very own Governor Jay Inslee, during his recent appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. (Seattle Times)

Former Congressman Al Swift, a Bellingham Democrat who served eight terms, died in Virginia at age 82. Swift won his first term in 1978, replacing his boss Lloyd Meeds, and didn’t run for re-election in 1994. Former district director Jill McKinnie told the Times, “He loved the institution, he loved his job. He would reach across to both sides of the aisle, and really got a lot done.” (Seattle Times)

The state Dept. of Labor & Industries greatly increased the penalty against a Sumas farm based partly on the “publicity” over a case in which it was found blameless. A department manager advised a fine of $4,617 for late meal breaks and other violations, but higher-ups increased the fine to $149,800. In an internal memo before the fine was levied, the department noted: “In addition, this is a high-profile case with much publicity.” (Capital Press)

James Lynch, spokesman for Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, was caught editing Lindquist’s Wikipedia page to make it more favorable. Wikipedia editors deemed Lynch’s edits “vandalism.” Lynch averred, “I made changes to the Wikipedia page after noticing the page was heavily weighted in the negative, which provided an entirely one sided, unfair view of the office.” But it wasn’t really about “the office,” now was it? (Tacoma News Tribune)

The Tax Foundation estimates Seattle City Council’s employee hour tax could cost businesses more than $540 per full-time employee per year. While the tax itself would not be a first for cities, Seattle would be breaking new ground with the exorbitantly high rate: 26.04 cents per hour. Seattle’s tax would be “11 times the size of a tax Chicago abandoned for contributing to unemployment,” the foundation wrote. (Tax Foundation)

With one of the worst commutes in North America (18th to be exact) Tacoma sees its share aggressive driving. One common maneuver is when drivers, as The News Tribunedescribes it, “sneak around traffic back-ups by using the far-right lane, then cut back in front of you when the lane’s about to run out.” The Washington State Patrol is looking to dissuade drivers from jumping the line with $136 tickets to those who re-enter the freeway. (Tacoma News Tribune)

A year after losing her son in a drop at Palouse Falls, Dorothy Prophet is pushing for more signage and warnings at the state park. “[Prophet] said she doesn’t want to close the park, or limit access to those willing to take the risk, but instead wants to make sure people know what they’re getting into before starting.” (Spokesman-Review)

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