The battle of budgets begins in Olympia
Washington Republican legislative leaders released a version Tuesday that they say closes a $12 billion gap without raising taxes or making major spending cuts.
“We provide a budget that lives within its means," said Sen. Chris Gildon (R-Puyallup).
"It provides a reasonable level of growth. And we’re providing this two weeks prior to any other budget that you’re going to see because we want to have this out in the public space for scrutiny. We want you to look at it. We want you to look at the numbers, to check our math.”
Gildon says the Republican version calls for legislative leaders to forgo new labor agreements with state employee unions. He says those total about $3 billion.
“We recognize that we cannot fund those without raising taxes on every single person in Washington state. But we want to offer them middle ground. We want to offer a compromise position, something that we believe is reasonable and honors the collective bargaining process," he said.
Gildon says Republicans propose to award those employees with $5,000 bonuses.
The GOP budget was released as leaders in the Democratic-controlled House and Senate are finishing up their own version and Governor Bob Ferguson’s team is crafting its own budget.
Everett Senator June Robinson, who is leading the Democratic budget writing, says she disagrees with the proposal to change the labor agreements. She says the Republicans also propose to move spending away from popular climate programs to other priorities.
Idaho lawmakers approve new immigration criminalization proposal
Idaho state senators gave an OK Tuesday to the latest version of a bill creating a new state crime cracking down on illegal immigration.
Law enforcement in Idaho could check a person’s immigration status if they’re being detained or suspected of a separate crime.
If found to be in the country illegally, a person’s first offense would be considered a misdemeanor and felonies for subsequent offenses under House Bill 83.
Anyone who transports into Idaho someone who’s in the country illegally and has previously committed a crime could face a felony charge with a minimum one-year sentence in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
“We need to take the steps that we can as part of our state sovereignty,” said one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Todd Lakey (R-Nampa). “We’re obligated as senators to make sure we’re trying to protect our communities and protect our citizens.”
State senators amended the bill last week, which Lakey said ended in a compromise between the House and Senate.
The latest version no longer requires a person convicted of illegal immigration to be deported at the end of their sentence.
Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti (D-Pocatello) said illegal immigration is an issue for the federal government to fix – something he says they haven’t been doing.
“But I’m not sure the solution is for the 50 states to all allow them to not do their job in this arena,” Ruchti said.
Texas passed a similar law in 2023, which is currently on hold pending a ruling from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
ACLU of Idaho released a statement shortly after the state senate passed the legislation calling it “blatantly unconstitutional." The group said it would sue to block it should it become law.
“It attempts to supersede federal immigration mandates by, in effect, enabling local law enforcement to act as immigration agents,” said Amy Dundon, ACLU of Idaho’s lobbyist.
The bill cleared the Senate along party lines. House lawmakers must agree to the amendments before it could reach Gov. Brad Little’s desk.
Together Spokane plan goes before SPS board
The Spokane Public Schools board will consider a proposal designed to consolidate a school and the district administrative offices at its meeting Wednesday night.
It’s Phase One of a plan meant to save the district millions of dollars in the long term.
Superintendent Adam Swinyard says under Phase One, the offices and the Community School would both relocate to a building in the University District that’s currently occupied by the Colleges of Spokane.
He said the space is perfect for the Community School, which is a project-based learning program.
"Flexible spaces where kids could collaborate, form different sizes of groups at different times of the day and also be in a footprint and a location in the city where they can integrate with nonprofits," Swinyard said at a press briefing. "They can integrate with higher ed. They can integrate with local government. They can integrate with local government. They can integrate with the business community because that's what brings these projects to life."
The district bought the building in January, but Swinyard said moving the Community School and administration to the new location would take three to six years.
With rent from current tenants, Swinyard says SPS could make about a million dollars a year in revenue, and relocating could save the district up to 5 million dollars.
If voters approve the Together Spokane ballot measure in November, the district could start to implement Phase Two.
That would see SPS partner with the city of Spokane and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture on a shared storage facility and upgrade their new location, as well as allowing the district to sell or lease some of its properties—including the Bancroft Building, the Old Jefferson Building and the district's current administrative building.
New details revealed in case of Idaho student killings
The trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in the fall of 2022, is scheduled for August.
Emerging evidence—and the lack thereof—might shape the future of the case.
Kohberger’s defense team is still working to get evidence against him suppressed before his upcoming murder trial.
Andrea Burkhart is a criminal defense attorney in Washington who has been following the case. She said a lot of the evidence so far is circumstantial, like the proposed map of Kohberger’s alleged traveling the night of the killings based on cell phone data or even the DNA found on the knife sheath at the scene of the crime.
"They don't have, apparently, like a body fluid or something associated with it that might tell a clearer picture about how that DNA came to be in that location and when it came to be in that location," Burkart said.
The defense needs to present a reason why his DNA was found on the knife sheath and convince the jury that their explanation constitutes reasonable doubt, she said.
The weapon used in the killings has still not been found.
WA House passes bill restricting external National Guard entrances
A bill aimed at preventing other states from sending their national guard members into Washington has been approved by the state House of Representatives.
Pierce County Democrat Sharlett Mena said the bill would align Washington with similar laws in other states.
"I, for one, do not want an outside armed force coming into our state to enforce their policies that may not be consistent with policies we have that could lead to potential conflict," Mena said.
Some worry the bill could delay national guard members from border areas who are called in to battle wildfires that move across state lines
Aberdeen Republican Representative Jim Walsh oppose, saying it doesn’t address cases where federal law takes priority over state policy.
"This bill does not restrict a President Trump or any future president from federalizing national guard units and bring them into the state to defend the northern border and enforce federal immigration policy," Walsh said.
The bill passed 58-37 and now moves to the state Senate.
Gonzaga goes to the NCAA tournament for the 26th consecutive year
For a Gonzaga program that's had great success in the West Coast Conference the last quarter century, this was a year full of challenges.
The Bulldogs went into this week's conference tournament as the number two seed. But it played some of its best basketball of the year Tuesday night and knocked off the first-seed St. Mary's Gaels, 58-51, in the tournament final in Las Vegas.
The Bulldogs are the WCC's automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament. Mark Few’s team will find out on Sunday where it will play its first round game.
The Zags got off to quick start, rolling to an early 18-5 lead. But St. Mary’s chipped away and outscored Gonzaga 11-3 in the last four minutes to pull within two at halftime. Gonzaga held the lead the entire second half, though it was close all the way to the end.
Gonzaga played stellar defense, holding St. Mary's to 20 points in the second half and 38% shooting, including 0-16 from three-point range.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Braden Huff with 18 points. Khalif Battle scored 14, Graham Ike 11 and Ryan Nembhard 10.
Gonzaga has dominated the West Coast Conference in basketball the last quarter of a century, but this was St. Mary’s year. The Gaels won the West Coast Conference regular season championship, including two wins over Gonzaga. But the Zags won the game that counted the most and earned the league's automatic berth into the 68-team national tournament, though St. Mary's will likely be selected as an at-large team.
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Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick, James Dawson, Owen Henderson, Lauren Paterson and Steve Jackson.