Capitol Buzz: Prospects dim in Olympia for special legislative session on coronavirus budget shortfall; Governor puts two week pause on further reopening in Washington state, strengthens mask order

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Drought leads to disaster declaration for NW counties (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
• Ferndale just started pumping from its new well. Did residents taste the difference? (The Bellingham Herald)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• The rise and fall of TTF Aerospace (Puget Sound Business Journal)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Seattle-area evangelicals wrestle with racism and their own silence: ‘We repent’ (The Seattle Times)
• Amid calls for racial justice, first-time youth activists rise to the front (The Seattle Times)
• LULAC wants Clark County to declare racism a public health crisis (The Columbian)
• A city on edge: Presence of armed groups in Olympia amid protests raises concerns (The Olympian)
• ‘We the People’ event featured fun, food trucks and political speeches (The Daily News)
• EDITORIAL: Tri-Cities can open and Hanford is saved. Not such a bad 4th of July (Tri-City Herald)

CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• Newhouse: USMCA comes at a crucial time for the American economy (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
• OPINION: U.S. House needs to OK Great American Outdoors Act (Joe Rotter is a partner, guide and shop pro at Red’s Fly Shop/Yakima Herald)
• OPINION: Why Washington needs the P-8 sub hunter (Emily Wittman, president and CEO of the Aerospace Futures Alliance/Puget Sound Business Journal)

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• As body cameras gain more attention, their uses are expanding well beyond law enforcement (The Seattle Times)
• Protester killed on Seattle freeway was dedicated to cause (AP/Seattle P-I)
• Huge Confederate monument toppled at Seattle’s Lake View Cemetery (KOMO TV)
• WSP: Protesters will not be allowed to enter I-5 (KIRO TV)
• The Divide: Seattle mayor, police chief on decision to end ‘CHOP’ (KCPQ TV)
• Brandi Kruse: An elegy to Seattle’s ‘CHOP’ (KCPQ TV)
• Benton sheriff commander quits, citing Hatcher ‘consumed with hostility, anger and lies’ (Tri-City Herald)
• Seattle police killed Charleena Lyles. Now her cousin works to reform deadly force investigations (KNKX Radio)
• Deputy DeRosier, Kalama police officers awarded Medal of Honor (The Daily News)
• OPINION: Surplus military equipment helps protect victims, law enforcement (Bill Elfo, the elected Sheriff of Whatcom County/The Bellingham Herald)
• EDITORIAL: The moment has arrived for all of Thurston County to consider police reforms (The Olympian)

EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY

• Kent teacher charged with child rape after former middle-school student reported their ‘sexual relationship’ (The Seattle Times)
• Why aren’t Seattle schools more racially diverse? Look at the neighborhoods (The Seattle Times)
• New Spokane schools leader faces ‘significant challenge’ leading district during pandemic (The Spokesman-Review)
• Some in-person instruction, some online in Sumner Bonney Lake schools in ’20-21 (The News Tribue)
• Looks like it will be some in-person learning, some online for Puyallup schools in ’20-21 (The News Tribune)
• Olympia Fourth of July protest sets off discussion about education reform (The Olympian)
• Families process the abrupt shift to distance learning in the school year that just ended (KNKX Radio)
• OPINION: Black Lives Matter message belongs in our schools (Nathan Gibbs-Bowling, 2016 Washington State Teacher of the Year and co-founder of Teachers United, Mandy Manning, teaches in Spokane and 2018 Washington state and National Teacher of the Year, and Amy Campbell, teaches in Camas and 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year/The Seattle Times)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• OPINION: Is history repeating itself? 20-year anniversary of the Western energy crisis (Kurt Miller, executive director, Northwest RiverPartners/The Wenatchee World)

ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS

• Ongoing Latah Creek cleanup efforts receive $1.75 million boost from state (The Spokesman-Review)

FISH

• Tracking sockeye: Research on fish could lead to new projects in Yakima River basin (Yakima Herald)

GAMBLING

• Suquamish Tribe among first applicants for sports betting in Washington (Kitsap Sun)

HANFORD

• Cantwell amendment foils attempt to raid Hanford cleanup money for military weapons (Tri-City Herald)

HEALTH CARE

• OPINION: Our health care system isn’t really a system at all. Let’s try again to reform it (Frank Turner, retired physician/The Olympian)

HOMELESSNESS

• Amazon homeless shelter boosts unique program for sick kids (AP/KOMO TV)

HOUSING

• Study: Rent control would wipe out year’s worth of housing (Lens)

IMMIGRATION

• Gov. Inslee urges Trump to ‘abandon any efforts’ to end DACA protections (MyNorthwest)

LEGISLATURE

• Prospects dim in Olympia for special legislative session on coronavirus budget shortfall (The Seattle Times)
• Chokeholds, tear gas, police reform top agenda for WA Legislature (Crosscut)
• Senator’s bill aims to prevent a second CHOP in Seattle, other cities (MyNorthwest)
• Washington legislators of color lead police reform discussion ahead of session (The Spokesman-Review)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Twisp mayor’s leadership through 3 devastating disasters has forged an inspiring sense of community and resiliency (The Seattle Times)
• Ethics complaint filed against Quiring over systemic racism discussion (The Columbian)
• Mason County officials accused of illegal actions related to proposed gravel mine (Kitsap Sun)
• COLUMN: Face it, Quiring is the problem (Greg Jayne/The Columbian)
• COLUMN: Call it the ‘boss tax:’ Seattle finally finds a potent way to tax the rich (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Mayor Durkan backs a protest on freeway, but not near her home (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

MEDIA

• After coronavirus shuttered presses, Seattle’s street newspaper is printing again (The Seattle Times)

OTHER STATES

• Prosecutor: Armed protesters were likely within bounds (The Lewiston Tribune)

POLITICS

BALLOT MEASURES

• A presidential year without a statewide initiative to the people? A first since 1928 in Washington. (NW News Network)
• Should electronic signatures be enough to qualify initiatives? (MyNorthwest)
• High court to decide I-976 fate (Lens)

CONGRESS

• Accusations of “red-boxing” in the 10th District congressional race, explained (Washington State Wire)
• 10th Congressional District candidate debate: Full video and highlights (Washington State Wire)
• Newhouse faces five challengers in 4th congressional district primary (The Spokesman-Review)

ELECTIONS

• Supreme Court says state can punish WA faithless electors (Everett Herald)

LEGISLATURE

• Legislative candidate suspends campaign to focus on community work (MyNorthwest)
• Sen. Mike Padden faces Democrat John Roskelley, Independent Ann Marie Danimus in 4th district primary (The Spokesman-Review)

RURAL BROADBAND

• Local PUDs say they should be eligible for broadband funding (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Fish Lake wildfire burned family’s forest in a day, and they say DNR missteps hindered five-year battle for railroad payout (The Spokesman-Review)

TRANSPORTATION

• ‘100 deadliest days’ are call to action to acknowledge, eradicate erratic teen driving (The Bellingham Herald)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• This court case could weaken WA’s Indian Child Welfare Act (Crosscut)
• Yakama Nation to continue appeal against mining expansion (KAPP-TV/KVEW-TV)