(The Center Square) – A legal challenge aimed at keeping a Pierce County charter amendment off the Nov 3 ballot was rejected Friday by a Thurston County Superior Court judge. The proposal that challengers hoped to keep off the ballot, asks Pierce County voters if they want to switch to having an appointed, rather than an elected sheriff, and remove Sheriff Keith Swank from office by Jan 1, 2027. “The court did recognize that we
(The Center Square) -It’s going to get harder to skip paying the fare on the Sound Transit light rail system. Faced with an almost $35 billion budget deficit to complete the transit system, Sound Transit board members are hoping fare gates will help bring in needed revenue. Sound Transit statistics show that around a third of passengers currently skip the $3 one-way fare. The transit agency’s board voted on August 27 to add gates at
In Seattle, the first day of school narrowly avoided becoming the first day of an illegal strike. High-stakes contract negotiations between Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association dominated back-to-school news until negotiators reached a tentative agreement at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 1. Avoiding an illegal strike was welcome news for thousands of families. But more importantly, how long can Seattle Public Schools afford to operate this way? Seattle is Washington’s largest public school
(The Center Square) – The Department of Children, Youth, and Families laid off roughly 11% of staff at the Echo Glen juvenile detention facility in late June and early July despite a history of significant problems including a 2023 violent escape, public records obtained by The Center Square show. As of 2025, there were 277 total employees at the facility, and around 30 staff were laid off. The detention facility houses boys up to 18
