The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Board of Education is moving closer to officially updating and expanding a 2021 resolution that established an ethnic studies graduation requirement. Board members discussed “incorporating Ethnic Studies into the legislative platform, and/or addressing Ethnic Studies through the FutureReady graduation requirements initiative,” according to the agenda for

Washington state employees plan to walk off the job at noon on Sept. 10 to protest the compensation offers from Gov. Jay Inslee in the current contract talks. According to KOMO News: “WFSE negotiators said they want to express their frustration with where the labor talks have gone. They...

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Republican Party is officially challenging the results of the primary results in the race for state lands commissioner. The Office of the Secretary of State certified results of a hand recount on Wednesday, giving King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove a 49-vote edge over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson for the second-place finish in last month's primary

(The Center Square) – In the wake of Wednesday's school shooting in Georgia that left four dead, The Center Square reached out to the two candidates for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for their reaction and positions on school security, including having armed school resource officers on campus. C...

(The Center Square) – Washington state ranks No. 5 in the nation for stolen food stamp benefits that have been replaced by the federal government as part of a program aimed at offsetting the impact of electronic fraud, according to newly released data from the U.S. De...

(The Center Square) – Spokane County rolled out its 2025 preliminary general fund budget on Tuesday. The general fund is typically the most flexible account and gives a better insight into the county’s finances. The other funds will also roll out budgets in the coming months, but general fund expenditures are currently budgeted for roughly $18.6 million l...

(The Center Square) – The City of Spokane Valley announced Wednesday that an investigation found Councilmember Al Merkel violated the city council’s governance manual and potentially state law. The investigation ensued following a complaint from Councilmember Jessica Yaeger in June over Merkel’s use of the social media platform Nextdoor. Merkel frequents...

(The Center Square) – The Northwest Progressive Institute is blasting state Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, over his decision to officially endorse Initiative 2124, which would make participation in the WA Cares program voluntary. Voters will decide I-2124 this November. M...

(The Center Square) – August ended on a high note for a free market conservative think tank that helps public employees opt out of their unions. Maddie Dermon is director of communications at the Freedom Foundation, just coming off a record week for opt-outs. “...

(The Center Square) - It’s been two months since the launch of a Washington state home loan program aimed at countering racial discrimination in housing policies of the past. The Covenant Homeownership Program is a product of the state’s 2023 Covenant Homeownership Act, which directed the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to conduct a study on ways to reverse “racial disparities in home