See Who from Washington State is in Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’

Seattle TImes | Evan Bush | April 20, 2017

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/trump-foe-bob-ferguson-among-time-magazines-100-most-influential-people/

“Washington state must have quite a bit of clout in this world, if you believe Time magazine. Four people with deep ties to the state were recognized in the publication’s 2017 incarnation of its ‘Most Influential People’ list. Two — Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and philanthropist Melinda Gates — were been recognized before. Newly anointed were Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gen. James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis.”

 

Wind Power to Fuel Sound Transit Light-Rail Trains

Seattle TImes | Mike Lindblom | April 19, 2017

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sound-transit-will-buy-wind-power-to-reduce-light-rails-carbon-footprint/

“Sound Transit will buy 10 years of wind power to replace a dirtier mix of electricity where its trains run in SeaTac, the agency announced Tuesday. The supply for light rail, along with Angle Lake and Sea-Tac/Airport stations, currently comes from Puget Sound Energy, where coal and natural gas together provide 59 percent of the portfolio. But the contract for 2019-28 will replace those fossil fuels under PSE’s new Green Direct program. ‘When we reduce our own carbon footprint of that transit service, we’re creating an even larger benefit for the region,’ said Amy Shatzkin, sustainability manager for Sound Transit.”

 

University of Washington Ranks among the 10 Best U.S. Public Colleges

Puget Sound Business Journal | Melissa Crowe | April 17

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/04/17/top-american-public-colleges-university-washington.html

“The University of Washington is among the top 10 best public colleges in America, according to a new Business Journal ranking. The Business Journal’s sister publication in Buffalo, New York, ranks the schools using a 22-part formula that included admission rates, test scores, retention and graduation rates to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students. UW, which has more than 28,000 full-time undergraduate students, ranked No 7 with nearly 87 points…’The Business Journal’s rankings of public colleges and universities is an effort to assess how we are doing at educating our students and launching them on to the next phase of their lives,’ UW President Ana Mari Cauce said in a statement.”

 

Seattle, King County Councils Approve $1.3 Million in Legal Aid for Immigrants

Seattle Times | Daniel Beekman | April 17

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-king-county-councils-approve-13-million-in-legal-aid-for-immigrants/

“The Seattle City Council on Monday voted to create a $1 million legal-defense fund for immigrants whom the federal government attempts to deport. And the Metropolitan King County Council approved $750,000 for immigrant and refugee programs, including $300,000 for the defense of people in immigration court. The city and county will distribute the money to nonprofit organizations such as the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project to do the legal work.”

 

Seattle is Paying Up $49K to Get Tech Workers to Carpool

mynorthwest.com | Dyer Oxley (mynorthwest.com) | April 15

http://www.kiro7.com/news/local/seattle-is-paying-up-49k-to-get-tech-workers-to-carpool/512904181

“Seattle is ready to put up $49,000 to get downtown commuters to carpool…As part of Seattle’s Commute Trip Reduction program, the city is working with Scoop, a carpooling app. It is the only such partnership outside of the Bay Area. As part of a pilot program, users of the app will get $2-3 off each trip for each participant in the car. The pilot starts April 17, and will last three months. The $49,000 funding the pilot program comes from state funds.”