Washington’s 39 counties are calling out state government for new costs and burdens that the counties are expected to pay for. Though not one of the larger unfunded mandates, Lewis County and others point to a state requirement for more ballot drop-box locations. They contend it’s a clear breach of a 1995 state law that is supposed to prevent the state from imposing new costs without reimbursing counties. “[The Legislature] pretty blatantly violated the statute,” Eric Johnson of the Washington State Association of Counties said. (Centralia Chronicle)

The state’s new public records task force convenes its first meeting today, following this spring’s dustup after the Legislature tried to largely exempt itself from open government laws. The task force includes eight legislators, three members of the public, three media members, and one open government advocate. “I think the Legislature by and large now recognizes that we shouldn’t be exempt from the Public Records Act,” state Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland) said. “Now the question becomes, if we’re going to be subject to the PRA, are there special circumstances that should be considered? And I think yes, there should.” (Associated Press)

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Susan Hutchison is making federal mismanagement of forests and wildfires a key campaign theme. Hutchison points to the Yakama Nation as a government getting forest management right. “They have healthy, verdant forests. And right next to them are the federal forests that are full of beetles and bugs and decay, and they are ripe for forests fires.” (My Northwest)

Protesters supporting Seattle Marriott hotel workers were arrested on Labor Day for blocking the street. The incident converged two ongoing stories highlighted by Shift into one. One is labor unions’ increased emphasis on organizing hotel and hospitality workers, the other the City of Seattle’s decision to crack down on people who illegally block streets. The union, UNITE HERE Local 8, says workers don’t have regular schedules and don’t know if they’ll get enough hours to pay the bills. (Seattle Times)

The president of The Evergreen State College is apologizing because state resources were used to ferry students to a Sumas farm protest last year. Six faculty members have been “strongly reprimanded” after the group Save Family Farming filed a complaint, which included photo and video evidence of state-funded vehicles bringing in student protesters. Labor groups argued Sarbanand Farms was negligent in a foreign farmworker’s death, but a later state investigation found the man died of natural causes and cleared the farm of wrongdoing. It did fine the farm for unrelated meal break violations. (KGMI 790)

The man who legally changed his name to DumpOzzie Dot Com to challenge Spokane Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich died in an Idaho motorcycle crash. Scott Maclay, the “Harley-riding respiratory therapist” running a “conspiracy-theory-fueled campaign” for sheriff, crashed and died after riding over loose gravel on the roadway near Mashburn, Idaho. Maclay received 12% in the August primary to Knezovich’s 88%. (The Spokesman-Review)

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