(The Center Square) – Ballot boxes opened Friday as voters consider renewing a 0.2% Spokane Transit Authority sales tax, while the agency continues to spend less and generate more than it had budgeted. If approved, the sales tax, worth about $30 million annually, would continue to cost taxpayers 2 cents on every $10 spent until 2048. It is the only portion of STA’s 0.8% sales tax rate currently subject to voter approval, and STA has
(The Center Square) – A week after a King County Corrections Officer suffered minor injuries as an inmate attempted to stab staff members with a weapon made of broken tablet pieces, the Corrections Guild is calling on management to immediately intervene and implement policy changes. The July 10 incident happened as corrections officers were attempting to move an inmate to Western State Hospital for court-ordered mental health treatment. The inmate had a “shank” made of
(The Center Square) – Former Washington Governor Gary Locke had some harsh words for the Democrat-controlled state legislature Thursday during an economic conference that included business and policy leaders from across the state. The Association of Washington Business Institute (AWB) and Washington Roundtable hosted the daylong Economic Future Solutions Summit event at the Hilton at SeaTac. Following opening remarks, Locke, a Democrat, took the stage alongside former Office of Financial Management Director Marty Brown. Locke,
(The Center Square) – Faced with fewer World Cup tourists than originally expected, Seattle hotel operators came up with a creative way to boost revenue. Raise their rates. “When a person is trying to attend the game, there is no flexibility on the date they need to attend a game,” said Michael Stathokostopoulos, a senior director of hospitality analytics at CoStar Group. “Hotels know that, so they can increase rates in order to capture that
