(The Center Square) – Opening statements took place Thursday in King County Superior Court in a case involving Bayer-owned Monsanto and, or PCB, exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB, at Sky Valley Education Center in the Monroe School District. According to Nick Rowley, co-founder of Trial Lawyers for Justice, “Monsanto falsified science by switching out dead rats with live rats and publishing fraudulent research that was used for decades to hide the truth about the
(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released an update to his city growth plan proposal to bring down housing costs and boost housing choices. The updated proposal, titled the “One Seattle Comprehensive Plan,” increases zoning capacity to more than 330,000 new housing units, which more than doubles the city’s current housing capacity. The initial plan estimated that at least 112,000 new units of housing will be needed over the next 25 years. The
(The Center Square) – Records show Spokane put nearly $100,000 from the city’s general fund toward “information mailers” for the mayor’s proposed tax increase while grappling with a $25 million general fund deficit. According to a September 2024 Intrafund Budget Transfers sheet, Spokane transferred $99,798 between three departments’ general fund budgets for the mailers. Councilmember Michael Cathcart said $50,000 is the threshold for asking for the council’s approval, but since the sum was split, it
(The Center Square) – The city of Tacoma is spending $35,000 to install an LGBTQ pride-themed crosswalk in the downtown core. The rainbow-colored crosswalk will be installed between 9th Street and 11th Street on Broadway near where the Downtown Farmers Market operates each summer. The crosswalk is also located in close proximity to several schools, theaters and transit centers. The $35,000 stems from the city’s Council Contingency Fund, which provides an established amount of funding
