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- The next legislative session starts Monday.
So It Begins: The Washington State Legislature’s new session starts on Monday, but Democrats and Republicans are already fighting. KING 5 reports that Democratic representative Ross Hunter thinks there’s no way the state can pay its existing obligations without new taxes, while Republican senator Andy Hill says no new revenue is necessary.
Meanwhile, Firefighters Pray About Budget Problems: Firefighters near Bonney Lake in Pierce County held a prayer vigil Thursday to pray that God keeps their community safe since they might not be able to thanks to cuts in staffing levels at the fire department.
Update from Paris: Authorities in France faced two hostage situations this morning: one outside Paris involving two suspects from Wednesday’s shooting at Charlie Hebdo and another at a kosher supermarket at the edge of the city. Some are now reporting that the two Charlie Hebdo suspects have been killed and their hostage freed. Follow BBC live updates here.
Pedestrian Killed on I-5: Someone jumped onto the freeway from the North 92nd Street overpass this morning, killing herself and blocking all lanes of northbound Interstate 5.
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- People living in the ‘burbs and commuting into the city are finding higher living costs too.
Everywhere Gets More Expensive: Seattle is getting more expensive, but so are the suburbs.
Another Possible Charter School in Seattle: The group opening two charter high schools in the city is now eyeing a third location—a former church in West Seattle—and working with a California-based charter school developer to buy and remodel the building.
State’s Only Bilingual Courtroom to Shut Down: The Spanish-speaking judge who runs a popular bilingual municipal courtroom in Des Moines is moving on to a new job, so the court will go back to using interpreters. “There’s an intrinsic value in knowing that the person that you’re before understands what you’re saying and that you get to be responsible for your own words,” the judge told Seattle Times columnist Sarah Stuteville.
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- King County wants to release nonviolent offenders while they wait to see a judge in order to save on jail costs.
Should Nonviolent Offenders Have to Wait in Jail to See a Judge? King County plans to create a list of nonviolent felony offenses. When people show up at the jail for those crimes, instead of waiting in jail to see a judge, they’ll be fingerprinted and released (as long as they have no outstanding warrants), reports KING 5. The county’s budget director, who authored a memo about the plan, tells the station, “I think it’s fair to say that neither [King County executive Dow Constantine] or the council members like this idea.”
Tenant Groups Claims Special Treatment for Development Company: The group Displaced Tenants for Accountability and Transparency, which is affiliated with the Tenants Union of Washington, is requesting a court reverse a permit renewal for a downtown project, reports the Seattle Times. The city renewed a permit last month to give Triad Civic Center LLC until 2016 to turn an empty lot across from City Hall into a public plaza with office, residential and retail space. The tenants group claims that permit had expired two years earlier and its renewal was special treatment because the city has a financial interest since it gave part of the block to the developers.
Did You Hear? Paseo Is Back. With the same food and new managers.
Ugh. Bill Cosby, who’s facing multiple rape allegations, made this joke in Canada yesterday: “You have to be careful about drinking around me.”
