King County Metro’s New Flat $2.75 Adult Fare Starts Sunday

KOMO News | KOMO Staff | June 29
http://komonews.com/news/local/king-county-metros-new-flat-275-adult-fare-starts-sunday

“King County Metro is switching to a single $2.75 fare for all its adult fare passengers, starting on Sunday. That means passengers will no longer pay surcharges for peak travel times or riding between zones. Metro’s fares for youth, seniors and disabled riders, and those enrolled in ORCA LIFT will not change, the agency said. The fare is a 50-cent reduction from its peak fare, but a 25-cent increase in its off-peak fare. Metro says 65 percent of its riders will either see the 50-cent drop or no change in their current fares, while the other 35 percent will see the 25-cent increase.”

Washington State Added the Population of Everett Last Year

KUOW | Carolyn Adolph | June 27
http://kuow.org/post/washington-state-added-population-everett-last-year

“Washington state’s population grew by 117,000 people this year from last, to 7.4 million people. That’s like gaining a city the size of Everett. But the state’s Office of Financial Management observes that’s down slightly from last year. Growth is still going strong, it says, just not at the frenetic pace we’ve seen over the last few years.”

Seattle Hits 20 Months as the Nation’s Hottest Housing Market, But Relief for Buyers May Be on the Horizon

GeekWire | Nat Levy | June 26
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/seattle-hits-20-months-nations-hottest-housing-market-relief-buyers-may-horizon/

“Seattle retained its long-running title of the hottest housing market in the country, according to the Case-Shiller national home price report, but there are signs of hope for would-be buyers frustrated by the slim supply in recent years. Seattle home prices in April rose 13.1 percent over the same period a year ago…Seattle has been atop Case Shiller’s index for 20 straight months now, and a combination of a historic population boom and record-low supply of homes for sale has been the primary driver of the city’s skyrocketing prices. Seattle’s streak is among the longest on record for Case-Shiller’s index.”

The Economies of Every US State and DC, Ranked from Worst to Best

Business Insider | Andy Klersz | June 25
http://www.businessinsider.com/state-economy-ranking-q2-2018-2018-6

“The US is a massive, complex economy, and so too are the component economies of the 50 states and Washington, DC, that make up the whole. Business Insider combined six measures of labor-market and general economic health for all the states and the District of Columbia…Washington state’s April 2018 average weekly wage of $1,168 was the second-highest among the states and DC, and its non-farm payroll job growth rate of 2.8% between April 2017 and April 2018 was the fourth-highest.”