Today's headlines:
- Can—and should—climate dollars and Washington's rainy day fund be used to address a projected budget shortfall? Democrats, Republicans and the governor all disagree.
- Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's cut-heavy budget takes a big slice out of public education. The state superintendent says he should reform tax code instead.
- As the legislative session opens, Washington senators are set to consider a bill to tighten standards for police chief and sheriff candidates.
- Idaho Gov. Brad Little says his state is in a strong economic position as the legislative session gets going. The latest forecast shows Idaho ending the fiscal year about $40 million in the red.
- A Washington conservation nonprofit consider using AI-powered alert systems to deter wolves from attacking livestock in remote areas.
- Spokane City Council gets in the weeds of a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day resolution, but is really asking a bigger question: What does messaging do for minority groups?
- Conservative initiative backer Brian Heywood says Washington legislators' refusal to set hearings on his measures is a "slap in the face."
- The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on an Idaho case with far-reaching implications for transgender rights.
And KNKX and Cascade PBS Murrow Fellow Nate Sanford joins to talk about his latest investigation into the use of ChatGPT by municipal workers in Washington. His reporting revealed a city employee in Bellingham used AI to "exclude" one vendor and favor another while writing contract requirements.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting contributed by Anna Marie Yanny, Sami West, Amy Radil, James Dawson, Courtney Flatt, Eliza Billingham, Nate Sanford and Owen Henderson.
The show is hosted and produced by Owen Henderson.
