Washington State Rep. Nicole Macri plans to introduce legislation to repeal the state ban on rent control.
Washington State Rep. Nicole Macri plans to introduce legislation to repeal the state ban on rent control. nate gowdy

Seattle Is Now the Fifth Most Expensive City for Renters: New census data shows that the median amount paid by Seattle renters reached $1,448 last year. Gene Balk crunches the numbers (and tells us why maybe we should all just move to Wichita).

Another Effort for Rent Control in Washington? Democratic State Representative Nicole Macri plans to introduce legislation during the upcoming session to repeal the state ban on rent control.

Six Women Sue Harvey Weinstein, Seek to Represent "Dozens, If Not Hundreds": The Associated Press reports that six women have filed a suit against Harvey Weinstein and seek to represent a class of "dozens, if not hundreds" of other women. The suit claims his efforts to cover up alleged sexual assaults "amounted to civil racketeering... According to the lawsuit, actresses and other women in the film industry were lured to industry events, hotel rooms, Weinstein’s home, office meetings or auditions under the pretense that they were to discuss a project."

Could Washington Encourage Disclosure of Workplace Sexual Harassment and Assault? State Senator Karen Keiser wants to try. Keiser has introduced a bill to ban employers from using non-disclosure agreements to restrict employees' ability to speak out about workplace sexual misconduct. The next legislative session starts January 8.

Two Injured in Shooting near Graham-Kapowsin High School: Two 16-year-old boys were wounded in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near the school in Pierce County. Police say one 17-year-old male is in custody and they are searching for two other suspects. They say the shooting may have been gang related. UPDATE: A second suspect has now been arrested.


Thousands of Washington Children Could Lose Health Insurance: The federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired in September, as Republicans in Congress tried and failed to repeal Obamacare. Two months later, it has not been renewed and states like Washington are running out of money for the program. But the state hasn't communicated that to affected families, reports the Seattle Times.

Ferg v. Trump—Again: In his 18th lawsuit against the Trump administration, Ferguson and 14 other attorneys general say the Environmental Protection Agency is illegally postponing standards for ozone pollution, the Seattle Times reports.

Third Gender Option Could Be Coming to Washington Documents: State health officials are considering adding a third gender option, X, in addition to "female" and "male" on Washington birth certificates. Officials heard public comment on the proposal Tuesday.

The Costs of Deportation: Don't miss this Liz Jones story exploring how much deportation costs and why it often fails. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates three weekly deportation flights between Texas and Mexico City," Jones writes. "Gustavo Lavariega knows the routine well. 'Hours in the plane, eating with one hand,' Lavariega said, pushing his hands together to show how detainees travel in handcuffs. 'Everything just one hand.'" ICE pays about $10,900 per deportation, Jones reports, and there is a recidivism rate of about 29 percent for people caught along the southwest border.