Jay Inslee Unveils Campaign Climate Plan: Cut U.S. Greenhouse Emissions In Half By 2030

By Austin Jenkins
Gov. Jay Inslee speaks with reporters following a talk on climate change at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, Jan. 22, 2019. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3
Campaigning for president in California on Friday, Washington's Gov. Jay Inslee called for all new cars and new buildings to be carbon-free by 2030 and all electricity to go carbon-free by 2035. Inslee's announcement at a press event in Los Angeles marks his first concrete policy idea since launching his campaign two months ago on a platform of combating climate change. Read More

Booked And Buried: After Dehydration Death, Grieving Father And Jail Chief Form Surprising Bond

By Austin Jenkins
Fred Farris, the father of Keaton Farris, and Island County Jail Chief Jose Briones pose together on the Coupeville Wharf. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3
Four years ago this month, Keaton Farris died naked, dehydrated and malnourished on the floor of an isolation cell in the Island County Jail on Whidbey Island. Farris, who was bipolar and in the throes of a mental health crisis, had been arrested 18 days earlier for failing to appear in court for allegedly stealing and cashing a $355 check. An investigation later found Read More

Washington Senate Democrats Propose New Taxes On Capital Gains, Support For Wildfire Funding

By Austin Jenkins
Washington State Sen. Manka Dhingra speaks to reporters during a briefing on the Senate Democratic budget on Friday. AUSTIN JENKINS / N3
Washington Senate Democrats on Friday proposed a capital gains tax that would fund a suite of tax reductions for low-income families, small businesses and senior citizen homeowners. The tax proposal was rolled out in conjunction with the Senate Democrats' unveiling of a $52 billion two-year state spending plan, which followed a House Democratic budget presentation earlier Read More

‘Hey Guys, How You Doin’?’ How Jay Inslee Introduces His Ambition Beyond Washington State

By Austin Jenkins
Gov. Jay Inslee enters a conference room at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College where he spoke to students in January. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3
As Washington Gov. Jay Inslee inches closer to a likely run for president, he's starting to sound more and more like a candidate on the stump than a two-term incumbent, even when addressing audiences at home. At a recent legislative forum in Olympia, Inslee recounted his first foray into politics 30 years ago and told the story behind one of his first votes as a freshman Read More

Jay Inslee Proposes Big Boost In State Spending, New Taxes In Two-Year Washington Budget

By Austin Jenkins
Gov. Jay Inslee announced his proposed budget for the 2019-21 biennium at a Capitol news conference Dec. 13, 2018. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing a hefty $10 billion increase in state spending over the next two years to maintain current services and fund new priorities, including mental health and orca recovery. To pay for it, Inslee is once again pushing for a new state capital gains tax on high income earners as well as an increase in the business and occupation tax on Read More

‘A Necessary Precaution.’ Washington’s Blind Lieutenant Governor Wants Security At Public Events

By Austin Jenkins
Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib is requesting money in the next two year state budget to hire security. JEANIE LINDSAY / N3
Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, who is blind and has faced vitriol online, is requesting funding in the next two-year state budget to hire security when he attends large, public events. The request is contained in an agency "decision package" submitted by Habib's office to the Office of Financial Management as part of the lead-up to the budget writing process. Read More

Western State Hospital Nurse Describes Violent Attack That Left Part Of Her Ear Missing

By Austin Jenkins
Berni, a nurse at Western State Hospital, shows where a patient bit off her earlobe during an assault in September. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS
The attack on Berni that September evening was the third serious patient-on-staff assault at Western State Hospital in a two-month period. In August, two other members of the nursing staff had been pushed to the floor and stomped by patients, according to press reports and hospital administrators. One of the nursing staff who was attacked appeared so bloody that a coworker Read More

‘Deep State’ Or Deep Sixed? The Washington Supreme Court Race That’s Getting Buried

By Austin Jenkins
Washington State Supreme Court building in Olympia. CREDIT: TONY OVERMAN
Six years ago, Steven Gonzalez's last name likely cost him votes in his first race for the Washington Supreme Court. He won nonetheless. Gonzalez is just one of three sitting Washington justices up for re-election this year. Justices Susan Owens and Sheryl Gordon McCloud are running unopposed after their opponents were bounced from the ballot because they were disbarred Read More
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