Spokane City Council President and mayoral candidate Ben Stuckart is no stranger to ethics problems.  But now it appears he could be facing even more serious charges that could imperil his political ambitions.  Our investigative reporting has unearthed a series of troubling official and political activities that appear aimed at solely benefiting his politically connected big-money donors. (ShiftWA)

All states who currently collect a capital gains income tax say it is the most volatile and unpredictable source of income.  Yet Washington Democrat lawmakers continue to push the idea at the state level.  Besides the unpredictable nature of the tax, all the states and the federal government have all categorized capital gains as an income tax (and thus unconstitutional in Washington). (Washington Policy Center)

A new lawsuit claims that Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has not defended state law equally by not holding Sound Transit accountable for how it determines car tab fees.  The class-action lawsuit against Sound Transit and the Department of Licensing claims that outdated calculations have been used to determine car tab fees. (MyNorthwest)

Starting today, owners of hybrid and electrical cars will have an additional $75 added to their car tab fees.  The state-imposed fee will help pay for electric charging stations on the state’s highways.  (Seattle Times)

While liberal politicians keep removing transportation choices and forcing people to ride public transportation, buses are becoming more dangerous for passengers and drivers.  Cameras on King County Metro buses have caught shootings, assaults, robberies, harassment, and sexually explicit behavior.   (KIRO-TV)

Seattle’s latest tax on those with low and fixed incomes was signed into law by Mayor Jenny Durkin.  The 24 cents per gallon tax on home heating oil will begin next fall just as the weather becomes colder.  Currently there are approximately 18,000 homes in Seattle who use heating oil.  Most of these homes are older and are in lower income neighborhoods and many have senior citizen residents.  Mayor Durkin said the tax was justified due to climate change.  (Seattle Times)

Mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward has praised the city of Marysville’s “zero tolerance” method of handling its homelessness problem.  Marysville provides people with the options of going to drug/alcohol treatment and if they decline, then they will be prosecuted for all crimes they are accused of committing. (KXLY)

Yakima’s decade long crime-free housing program has a positive track record in keeping rental properties safe.  Lease agreements include a crime-free addendum which states the tenant cannot commit a crime on the property and if one is committed the lease will be terminated.  (Yakima Herald)

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