Washington State Department of Transportation is requesting an amendment to state law concerning the metrics used to evaluate the effectiveness of tolling. “I think it sends the message that DOT is more interested in preserving the toll lanes and the money they get from drivers than they are in providing reliable trips to working families,” Washington Policy Center Transportation Director Mariya Frost said. WSDOT is making a blatant money grab and hoping drivers don’t notice. (The Lens)

Rep. Vicki Kraft (R-Vancouver) introduced legislation that would fund a study to put a third bridge in between Southwest Washington and Oregon. 70,000 Clark County residents commute to Oregon daily and Rep. Kraft believes this is the best way to reduce congestion. “Simply upgrading or replacing the I-5 Bridge would not provide the congestion relief needed on this commuter and freight corridor,” Kraft said in a written statement. “That’s because the freeway comes to a bottleneck on the Oregon side.”

Councilmember Kshama Sawant, Seattle’s most well-known socialist, has made alienating herself and her allies an artform. This time Sawant is creating an even deeper divide between her and the mayor’s office over the homelessness issue. Sawant is stalling the nomination process of the Mayor’s pick to be a new Human Services Director. Perhaps the mayor should abdicate her hiring and firing responsibilities to the outside socialist political committee like Sawant. (MyNorthwest)

While Seattle throws more and more money away by overinvesting on bike lanes, Puyallup is considering a different approach. The city is mulling over the idea of banning bicycles from sidewalks in the downtown area. If passed, the ordinance would not apply to bicycle cops, medical personnel, and kids 12 and under. (MyNorthwest)

Inmates at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell are staging a hunger strike, protesting the quality of food served at breakfast. “The inmates up here, they want to be able to have hot breakfast once again,” said inmate Michael Linear. “Now we’re on day five up here.” In 2015 the prison replaced hot breakfast with a boxed meal, usually including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a muffin, bran bar, cereal and powdered milk. Sounds like a typical continental breakfast at your small-town hotel. (Spokesman-Review)

With the help of a Washington state grant preschoolers at Blue Ridge Elementary School will see longer days, as the classrooms expand services to full days, five days a week beginning next fall. Currently seven Blue Ridge classrooms operate at 3.25 hours a day, four days a week. Administrators are confident parents and students will enthusiastically embrace the change. (Union-Bulletin)

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