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?Keep abortion safe and legal? reads a sign held by an activist on the steps of the Washington State Capitol.
Arizona became a U.S. territory in 1863 and adopted its first set of laws in 1864. One archaic statute sought to prosecute women for concealing a miscarriage. ?Another prescribed that a pregnant woman facing capital punishment should be executed after giving birth. Another banned abortion and sought to prosecute any physician who might administer one.
This week, the Arizona Supreme Court dragged that dead-and-buried statute back above ground. The court ruled that the 1864 abortion ban passed 48 years before statehood and women?s suffrage in Arizona should stand in 2024.
?Republican efforts to ban abortion have literally taken us back to the 19th Century,? said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. ?It?s a stark reminder no one can stay on the sidelines in this fight to preserve choice.?
Earlier this week, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a ban on abortions beyond six weeks of gestation. That?s before many women learn of their pregnancy. And in March, Alabama?s Supreme Court halted in-vitro fertilization and defined frozen embryos as unborn children, an opinion derived from the justices? extreme social politics rather than constitutional law.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Republican lawmakers have hurried to ban abortion, limit access to contraceptives, ?and invade the medical privacy of women.
Washington state has instead rushed to protect choice, privacy, and care access. ?Abortion providers in Washington state have experienced a 23% leap in patient volume, largely from women fleeing restrictive states for care. And neighboring Idaho has experienced a 22% loss in practicing obstetricians since its abortion ban took effect. Only half of Idaho?s counties have even one single obstetrician left.
Washington and pro-choice states are helping women. Conservative, rights-stripping states are hurting them.
Five newly DOC-certified fentanyl-detecting dogs pose with their handlers following a graduation ceremony on Thursday.
Harley, Luka, Timber, Raiden, and Rozzo are among a rare class of canine. They each passed a state Department of Corrections (DOC) program for fentanyl detection Thursday that just five dogs had completed before them. They?ll go to work right away in prisons statewide to prevent deadly fentanyl from coming in.
?Some of these dogs were rescues, and this was really the end of the line. They?re smart and active and they needed a job and purpose,? said DOC K-9 program manager Terry Hartman.
Fentanyl was a priority of the 2024 legislative session. Among other fentanyl prevention bills, Gov. Jay Inslee signed HB 1635 in March. The bill directs the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission to develop fentanyl detection curriculum for police canine teams. Once they do, many more police dogs statewide will learn to do what Harley and company have mastered.
?Fighting back against fentanyl is an all-hands, all-paws effort,? said Gov. Jay Inslee.
To address the scourge of fentanyl, Inslee signed a number of bills this session advancing fentanyl education, expanding treatment access, distributing lifesaving overdose reversal medications, and investing in Tribal recovery programs.
The Biden Administration Tuesday announced new national drinking water standards to protect 100 million Americans from ?forever chemicals.? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are byproducts of some industrial and manufacturing processes. They are virtually indestructible and are dangerous even at low concentrations. PFAS have infiltrated waters and soils across the nation, and they are linked to deadly cancers and other health conditions.
Washington state will adopt the new standards, which lower the allowable maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS in drinking water compared to current state regulations. The state Department of Health (DOH) monitors water systems for PFAS and has discovered over 1,228 water systems with detectable levels. According to early DOH estimates, 200 or so water systems statewide may have PFAS concentrations in excess of the new, reduced MCLs.
?Today?s announcement of robust, health protective legal limits on PFAS in tap water will finally give tens of millions of Americans the protection they should have had decades ago,? Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook said in a statement. ?It is the most consequential decision to regulate drinking water in 30 years.?
The Biden Administration?s announcement also came with $1 billion in supportive federal funding to help states cover PFAS testing and mitigation, including $17.3 million for Washington state. Treating contamination is expensive as ?forever chemicals? are exceedingly difficult to destroy. Washington state will have to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to treat contaminated water systems in the coming years.
In March 2022, Gov. Jay Inslee signed HB 1694 to ban PFAS from a broad range of products including apparel, cosmetics, and firefighting equipment ? all common sources of PFAS. It?s the nation?s strongest law regulating toxic chemicals in products. And state funds have supported research to mitigate PFAS. The state Department of Commerce has supported Tacoma-based startup Aquagga and other firms with grant funding to assist research into technology to destroy forever chemicals.
Washington delegation visits Vietnam to boost trade, clean energy collaboration
A Washington state delegation is forging new connections in Vietnam this week. The 45-member group includes private-sector members from Washington companies with Vietnamese ties like Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and SSA Marine, as well as representatives from state agencies. Washington State Department of Agriculture director Derek Sandison signed an agreement with Vietnam?s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Hoang Trung to facilitate business connections and agricultural trade. The agreement should prove fruitful for Washington wheat growers, according to Casey Chumrau, executive director of the Washington Wheat Commission. Representatives from the state Department of Commerce toured manufacturing facilities and discussed clean energy generation and trade with their colleagues from the state?s fifth-largest export market in Vietnam.
WA posts record year for EV and hybrid sales
Electric and plug-in hybrid cars account for 20% of all cars sold in Washington state ? double the national average of 9.5%. And new registrations for these vehicles jumped 43% from the prior year. The West Coast leads the nation in EV adoption: California ranks first, Washington second, and Oregon third. As nearly 40% of the state?s emissions are attributable to transportation, Washington?s leadership on zero-emissions vehicle adoption will contribute directly to better air quality.
Next week is National Work Zone Awareness Week
The week of April 15 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. Slow down and drive carefully around highway workers. In 2023, there were 1,228 collisions in work zones across Washington state and 10 fatal crashes. The number of work zone crashes is about average, but their severity is worsening due to speeding, recklessness, impairment, and distraction. Fatal work zone collisions doubled from 2022 to 2023.
WSU invents another new apple
Washington State University researchers have bred a new hybrid apple, a combination of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady varieties. The apple is less hard but more crisp and juicy than Pink Lady apples, according to the university. The apple is a product of a 30-year effort, and it?s expected to hit store shelves by 2029. The university is inviting suggestions to name the apple, currently known as ?WA 64.?
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