A lower-rate EMS levy proposed by acting King County Executive Shannon Braddock would extend emergency services funding through 2031. The Medic One/EMS levy funds King County’s network of medical services, which operates in a coordinated partnership with four dispatch centers, five paramedic agencies, and 23 fire departments.
The Seattle City Council has approved a bill to allow residential housing near Seattle’s professional sports venues despite pushback from council members. Council Bill 120933 amends the city’s land use code to allow for workforce housing in the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District, which encompasses Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park.
The good news: Washington state is expecting a $54 million increase in anticipated revenue for the remainder of the current 2023-2025 budget cycle. The bad news: Revenue for the 2025-2027 and 2027-2029 budget cycles are down $479 million and $420 million, respectively, from the previous forecast in November.
Deemed necessary to implement the budget, Washington state lawmakers heard testimony on a bill on Wednesday that would close two rehabilitation centers to save $58.8 million per biennium. The cutoff to advance bills out of the house of origin was last week. However, with a massive shortfall looming overhead, either chamber can advance proposals necessary to implement the budget.
As the first day of spring blooms across our beautiful community, it's the perfect time to take stock of the Madison Park real estate market and how it compares to last year. With the first quarter of 2025 nearly behind us, homeowners and buyers alike are eager to see how the market is shaping up — especially with a new administration in place, which often sparks curiosity about potential shifts in the housing landscape.
Recently, the Washington State Legislature enacted a Clean Fuel Standard program, which directs fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity in their products such as gasoline and diesel. Now, the original bill sponsor for that program wants to modify it in a way that supporters believe will improve implementation.
Although the 2021 Climate Commitment Act’s primary goal is to reduce carbon emissions, supporters defending it against a failed initiative last year argued the revenue generated by it was vital to support air quality projects.
Seattle Center and Pacific Science Center (PacSci) announced a bold new partnership to advance PacSci’s mission and financial stability, preserve and expand public space, and establish new programming, including a Maker & Innovation Lab for STEM education and creative exploration.
Grade school at J.J. McGilvra in Madison Park brought together a tapestry of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. Some kids wore the latest fashions and arrived in shiny cars with chauffeurs who graciously opened the doors, while many others sported carefully mended hand-me-downs with patches and walked several blocks each day.
Washington drivers may be funding transit when they fill up their vehicles at the gas pump due not only to how carbon auctions under the Climate Commitment Act could be indirectly raising gas prices, but how CCA money has been appropriated by the state Legislature.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a proposed property tax levy renewal that would increase funding for a public campaign financing voucher program by 50%. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program was created and approved by voters in 2015 with the intention of increasing participation in local elections across all Seattle demographics and reducing the influence of larger donations in politics.
Between November 2024 and February 2025, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority activated its Tier 2 and Tier 3 cold weather response plans 40 times. That translates into the opening of short-term emergency shelters and the implementation of expanded emergency operations, including coordinating with cities for additional shelter sites and supporting food distribution and transportation.
We escaped late February’s wind-driven power outage by virtue of living on a luckier side of the street. When we checked Seattle.gov the morning after the storm, 18,000+ customers were out of electricity for the night. In our area, the power was out for about seven hours, seemingly typical for the city: short, temporary blackouts.
Spring is in the air! The Friends of Madison Park volunteers have been hard at work planning events and advocating for our neighborhood amidst the ongoing One Seattle Plan discussions, and Madison Park’s official appeal to the One Seattle Plan is now before the city examiner.
With Washington state facing a shortage of a million units, House lawmakers amended a bill Friday to cut statewide parking mandates to make room for the new homes over the next two decades. Lawmakers backed the proposal across party lines last month, passing it off the Senate floor on a 40-8 vote, with a few Republicans and Democrats dissenting.