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Murder and violent crime in Washington fell slightly in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to the annual Crime in Washington report published this week by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). Property crime also fell nearly 12 percent. However, juvenile arrests increased by 24% and juveniles now account for 20.4% of arrests for motor vehicle theft (compared to 5.4% of arrests overall). Over half of all juveniles arrested were just 13 to 15 years old. Murder roughly doubled between 2019 and 2022 in Washington, though 33 other states still suffer higher rates of homicide. But this is the second year in a row that Washington?s murder rate has fallen.
In separate research, King County data indicates that overdose death may be starting to slow. Though rates remain well above pre-pandemic levels, folks speculate this may be the start of a shift from the 2023 peak.
In recent coverage by The Seattle Times, local outreach workers have noticed the change. So have local firefighters, who responded to the lowest number of overdose calls in two years. Some have pointed to now-common NARCAN, a medication that can swiftly reverse overdoses. Some have pointed to police intervention.
In May 2023, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill to restore appropriate sanctions for drug possession in Washington state, and in September, the City of Seattle imposed a public drug use ordinance. Neither policy is any sort of return to the problematic ?War on Drugs? declared in 1971; rather, they were instituted as guardrails to guide people suffering from addiction towards treatment. This spring, Inslee signed a slate of fentanyl-related bills to improve education, overdose prevention, treatment access, recovery supports, and first responder resources.
In a January, Inslee and state agency leaders reviewed progress to distribute substance use disorder treatment and overdose reversal medications. Statewide, more than 32,000 Washingtonians are receiving treatment for chemical addiction, up from just over 5,000 in 2011.
In March, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a slate of bills to improve overdose education, prevention, treatment, and recovery supports statewide.
You may notice unusual flashes of brilliant green light along state highways at some point. A burst of emerald light, far in the distance, through dense fog or the dark of night, may catch you off-guard. They come in peace ? these flashes are not extraterrestrial; they?re just state Department of Transportation work trucks.
WSDOT is debuting new safety equipment, including higher-visibility flashers and new reflective warning stripes on attenuator vehicles. Last year, the department even experimented with orange-colored road striping on I-5 to call attention to work zones. There are more than 1,200 work zone crashes in Washington state every year, and WSDOT workers are far too often endangered by reckless drivers. The department is expressing some creativity in protecting road crews.
WSDOT's new green flashing lights are more visible in foggy conditions.
Green light seems to cut through fog better than amber lights, allowing drivers to spot snowplows and salt trucks from further away in foggy or wintery conditions. And attenuator trucks, weighted trucks parked near work zones to absorb the impact of a wayward car, are switching out their black-and-yellow striping for white-and-red reflective striping.
These small changes may help WSDOT crews and vehicles be more visible. But Washington drivers should do their part by driving with greater care in work zones. Reckless, distracted, or impaired drivers hurt people. Slow down, pay attention, and ?give workers a brake.?
Washington remains a top state for business
In its annual report on America?s Top States for Business, CNBC rated Washington state as a top-ten state. The state earned high marks for its infrastructure, skilled workforce, quality of life, and technology and innovation.
?Paddle Safe? next week and from now on
Gov. Jay Inslee, in partnership with the Washington State Parks Boating Program, announced that July 21-27 is ?Paddle Safe Week.? Paddlers now account for 55% of statewide boating fatalities. The single most important way to paddle safely is to wear a life jacket on the water, and state law requires that all vessels carry a life jacket for every person on board. Washington State Parks published a list of other lifesaving precautions in its announcement.
Statewide burn ban issued for DNR lands
This week, the state Department of Natural Resources instituted a burn ban on all DNR-managed land statewide. Many other jurisdictions have imposed burn bans or restrictions, in some areas banning even recreational campfires. Before striking a match, research local burn restrictions. Wildfire has already torched more than 31,000 acres statewide this year. Nearly all wildfires are human-caused.
Watch out for unpaid toll scam
Some Washingtonians have received fraudulent texts requesting payment for unpaid tolls. The scam directs intended victims to an official-looking but illegitimate site. The actual website for WSDOT?s Good to Go! toll system is mygoodtogo.com. Beware variations of this web address. WSDOT cautions that when it texts Good to Go! account holders, it will direct them to log into their account to take action rather than issue a direct payment. For questions, you may call Good to Go! customer service at 1-866-936-8246.
Inslee visits two nuclear fusion competitors in Everett
Gov. Jay Inslee was ?energized? by his visit to two competing Everett companies racing to extract clean electricity from safe nuclear fusion. The two startups now employ a combined total of 500 people, and each has achieved promising milestones. Zap Energy has performed a fusion reaction that matched the surface temperature of the sun. Helion is building its seventh-generation reactor to generate electricity from the reactions an earlier model safely performed for three years.
Local athletes will represent Washington state in 2024 Olympic Games
Nineteen athletes with Washington ties will head to Paris later this month to represent the United States, and their home state, in the 2024 Olympic Games. Cashmere native Hailey Van Lith will join the USA women's basketball team, Seattle native and Olympic gold medalist Nevin Harrison will defend canoe-rowing title from the Tokyo games, and 17 more outstanding Washingtonians will attempt to make their mark on Olympic history.
New rules and funding will help stop methane leaks at landfills
Landfills create a greenhouse gas called methane, and methane is 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide. Newly-enacted rules, combined with funding from the Climate Commitment Act, may reduce landfill-related methane emissions by 1.6 million metric tons a year, a 36% reduction. Washington is the fourth state to adopt stronger landfill regulations than the federal government. The rules reduce emissions by requiring more timely installation of gas collection at landfills, and by requiring more frequent inspections for leaks and faults.
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 In Tacoma, garbage trucks are fueled in part by gases captured at the landfill.
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