HB 1038, which would increase the number of tasting rooms allowed under a domestic winery license, passed through the House on its way to the Senate. The bill would allow wineries to operate four separate winery locations. The current maximum is two.

HB 1420, which would authorize theatrical wrestling schools to hold wrestling shows, passed through the House. The bill is now being seen by the Senate, where it saw some “heated debate” in the last round of discussion.

A bill to void non-compete agreements for independent contractors and people who have been laid off of work has passed the House and is headed to the Senate. The bill would allow more room for employees to challenge non-compete agreements as well as see the agreements at an early stage in the hiring process. Seattle employment lawyer Alex Higgins points out that, “We can have confidentiality agreements and non-solicitation agreements that adequately protect employers.”

SB 5161 would allow more theaters to sell spirits and beer for consumption on the theater premise. Theater owners are worried that without loosening liquor laws in theaters, they won’t be able to compete with in-home entertainment options such as Netflix or Amazon. The bill has passed through the Senate and awaits a hearing in the House.

The Bellevue Police Department is looking for diverse candidates to hire. The push for a more diverse police force includes allowing candidates who have used marijuana in the past to join. “The fact of the matter is that marijuana is legal in this state; it’s still a federal violation… we live in a different time. So we reduced it down to one year… so if you haven’t smoked marijuana in the past 12 months, you’re good to go,” explained Police Chief Steve Mylett.

Sound Transit intends on pushing 140 homeowners out of the way in the Tacoma area. Sound Transit reports they only need to borrow property during construction, but homeowners received letters saying their land may be needed to expand the light rail. Additionally, Sound Transit has set aside $3.2 million to acquire land – meaning they do not intend on simply camping out for construction, but do plan on taking land from whomever necessary to finish their billion-dollar project.

Everett is suing Purdue Pharma for allowing Oxycontin to be funneled into the city’s black market. Mayor Ray Stephanson led Everett in spending millions to fight back against OxyContin and heroin abuse and are now suing the maker of the drug for “supplying OxyContin to obviously suspicious pharmacies and physicians and enabling the illegal diversion of OxyContin into the black market.”

Ivan Duran has been chosen by the Bellevue School Board as their next superintendent. Duran’s experience in education comes from Denver, Colorado where he served as assistant superintendent for elementary schools. His successes include turning around six low-performing schools and moved state assessment performances from low-to-mid-ranking percentiles in language arts and math.

The Spokane City Council voted to begin moving a $1.75 million loan for developer Ron Wells to begin renovating the Ridpath Hotels into apartments. The money is being provided from discontinued federal rental assistance programs. Wells needs a total of $19.5 million to renovate the old Ridpath Hotels into a newly renovated hotel as well as housing units for students and early career professionals.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane) and the two Senators from Washington are requesting the KC-135 tankers that are leaving McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas be sent to Fairchild. “Fairchild is the clear choice to receive these aerial refueling tankers because it meets and exceeds the basing criteria identified by the Air Force in its Feb. 8, 2016 announcement about the reassignment,” the three wrote in a letter to Acting Air Force Secretary Lisa Disbrow.

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