Washington in Focus

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Department of Transportation’s $203 million project to repair a major section of Interstate 5 is underway with northbound traffic limited to two lanes for the next four weeks. Revive I-5 is a multi-year project with significant work on the Ship Canal Bridge located in Seattle. The project began on July 18 with northbound I-5 completely shut down through downtown Seattle up until Monday at 5 a.m. 

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(The Center Square) – The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services' spending since 2015 has nearly tripled from $9 billion to $25.4 billion, a 182.22% increase heavily driven by long-term care cost increases due in part to an aging population. Since the 2013-15 budget, long-term care spending grew from $3.8 to $12.9 billion, and now represents half of DSHS’ biennial budget. 

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(The Center Square) – Washington state faces deficit spending by 2028 as lawmakers just hit taxpayers with the state's largest combined tax increase – all driven by massive state spending increases over the past decade, an investigation of state budgets by The Center Square found. Washington state spent about $80 billion in the 2013-15 budget but is set to spend more than $173 billion in 2025-27, a more than 116% increase over that time. U.S. inflation since 2015 has risen just 35.63%. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – Six months after Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson took office with a moderate-sounding tone that encouraged many Republicans, state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, says Ferguson has instead proven to be in “lockstep” with majority party Democrats in the Legislature. “He put forward a very bipartisan, no-nonsense … I just want good government image during the session,” the Senate Minority Leader said in a Monday interview with The Center Square. 

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(The Center Square) – Despite recording the second consecutive decline in homelessness since 2016, the Spokane City Council’s conservative minority questioned that data on Monday – one of the two members had participated in the Point-in-Time Count last January, calling the feedback “unreliable.” The 2025 Point-in-Time Count released Monday recorded 1,806 people experiencing homelessness in January, a 10.6% dip compared to 2024. City staff were supposed to lead a committee meeting on Monday with the data but fell behind on the agenda, citing last-minute changes they made that morning. 

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(The Center Square) – Washington state faces deficit spending by 2028 as lawmakers just hit taxpayers with the state's largest combined tax increase – all driven by massive state spending increases over the past decade, an investigation of state budgets by The Center Square found. Washington state spent about $80 billion in the 2013-15 budget but is set to spend more than $173 billion in 2025-27, a more than 116% increase over that time. U.S. inflation since 2015 has risen just 35.63%. 

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_125d37f2-c487-4bfa-a2db-1bae50f7177f.html

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(The Center Square) – Washington’s Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee, or SURSAC, is distancing itself from recent recommendations made by a subset work group that included having the state set up a “buyers club” to ensure a ”safer supply” of illegal drugs for addicts. SURSAC was created via legislation in 2021 to provide suggestions to lawmakers regarding substance use policy and treatment options. In 2023, SURSAC released the Substance Use and Recovery Services Plan, which included forming a statewide work group to explore a framework for safe supply, rather than the more dangerous illicit street market for hard drugs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – DoorDash is raising its service fees in Seattle – again – due to the city’s laws for app-based workers. The on-demand delivery and pickup services company says the hikes are necessary to continue services in Seattle, where the company operated at a loss in 2024. However, the company also reported $3 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2025, with a 13.1% net revenue margin. 

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(The Center Square) – Washington’s Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee, or SURSAC, is distancing itself from recent recommendations made by a subset work group that included having the state set up a “buyers club” to ensure a ”safer supply” of illegal drugs for addicts. SURSAC was created via legislation in 2021 to provide suggestions to lawmakers regarding substance use policy and treatment options. 

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_142f5cc5-3b40-4fe8-8a58-82f36983fe18.html

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(The Center Square) – The Bellingham Public Works Department is considering utility rate increases with combined monthly costs for homeowners increasing $54 over the next three years in order to repair 100-year-old pipe infrastructure. The proposed combined-utility-wide bill increase is set at 12.7% in 2026, or approximately $152 per month for a single-family home. 

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