Anywhere-but-home is Jay Inslee’s favorite place to be

You’d think being governor of a state would keep you pretty busy, but then, you wouldn’t be Jay Inslee. It seems Inslee has anywhere else but Washington to be lately, and anything but his day job to do. He’s busy chasing renown and attention, not tackling issues at home. (Shift WA)

Governor Inslee took a short break from campaigning for president to appoint Teresa Berntsen as director of the Department of Licensing. Berntsen has a bachelor’s degree in public administration and gender studies from The Evergreen State College. The previous director resigned after uproar over licensing data being given to federal immigration officials (Washington State Wire)

The state Supreme Court is set to decide whether Washington’s Public Records Act applies to lawmakers after a Supreme Court Commissioner said the case can skip the Court of Appeals and go before the justices. Lawmakers say they plan to craft a bill next year based on recommendations from a task force. (Associated Press)

Volunteers collecting signatures to repeal Seattle’s employee head tax say they’re being harassed by supporters of the tax. One volunteer recalled, “Five young men showed up and lined themselves next to me… in a couple of instances trying to prevent petitioners from signing, which is not allowed.” (My Northwest)

King County’s annual count of homelessness found over half of homeless people were sleeping outside versus in shelter. The count also showed that more than 70 percent of the county’s unsheltered homeless people were in Seattle. (Seattle Times)

Business owners and residents were so mad at Mayor Durkan for “duping” them into thinking she’d heard their concerns on bike lanes, they canceled a planned neighborhood walk with her office. One resident said, “Her deputy mayor told us they would work with us to our faces on a Friday afternoon in city hall the other week. Then they decided to move forward anyway without even having the conversation they promised us.” (My Northwest)

The defense spending authorization act approved by the U.S. House will keep the Department of Energy’s two Hanford offices separate through 2024. Cong. Dan Newhouse said that reauthorizing the Office of River Protection would help “keep federal cleanup efforts stable.” (Tri-City Herald)

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