In Our View

Payton Pavon-Garrido, 23, left, and Laura Castaneda, 28, right, push the ballots into the ballot drop box next to the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: Oppose efforts to deny eligible voters their right

The SAVE Act in Congress and a lawsuit against states intend to disenfranchise eligible voters.

 

People walk adjacent to the border with Canada at the Peace Arch in Peace Arch Historical State Park, where cars behind wait to enter Canada at the border crossing Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Blaine, Wash. Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but America kept similar restrictions in place, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from coronavirus travel bans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Editorial: Find respectful policy on tariffs, trade with Canada

Washington state depends on trade with Canada. The Trump administration’s belligerence is harmful.

 

30,000 coho salmon await release at the Hatchery and Environmental Education Center at Halls Lake in Lynnwood on April 5, 2019. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Editorial: Set deadline for chemical in tires that’s killing coho

A ban set for 2035 allows ample time to find a viable replacement for 6PPD, which kills salmon and trout.

 

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Editorial: Lawmakers should outline fairness of millionaires tax

How the revenue will be used, in part to make state taxes less regressive, is key to its acceptance.

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: A Seattle Sonics fan holds a sign before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Editorial: Seahawks’ win whets appetite for Sonics’ return

A Super Bowl win leaves sports fans hungering for more, especially the return of a storied NBA franchise.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: A Seattle Sonics fan holds a sign before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
A Sabey Corporation data center in East Wenatchee, Wash., on Nov. 3, 2024. The rural region is changing fast as electricians from around the country plug the tech industry’s new, giant data centers into its ample power supply. (Jovelle Tamayo/The New York Times)

Editorial: Protect utililty ratepayers as data centers ramp up

State lawmakers should move ahead with guardrails for electricity and water use by the ‘cloud’ and AI.

A Sabey Corporation data center in East Wenatchee, Wash., on Nov. 3, 2024. The rural region is changing fast as electricians from around the country plug the tech industry’s new, giant data centers into its ample power supply. (Jovelle Tamayo/The New York Times)
Advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rallied on the state capitol steps on Jan. 17. The group asked for rate increases for support staff and more funding for affordable housing. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)

Editorial: Limit redundant reviews of those providing care

If lawmakers can’t boost funding for supported living, they can cut red tape that costs time.

Advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rallied on the state capitol steps on Jan. 17. The group asked for rate increases for support staff and more funding for affordable housing. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
FILE — Federal agents arrest a protester during an active immigration enforcement operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood, Jan. 13, 2026. The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 28, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.” (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Editorial: Ban on face masks assures police accountability

Concerns for officer safety can be addressed with investigation of threats and charges for assaults.

FILE — Federal agents arrest a protester during an active immigration enforcement operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood, Jan. 13, 2026. The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 28, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.” (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)
Robotic hand playing hopscotch on a keyboard. Artifical intelligence, text generators, ai and job issues concept. Vector illustration.

Editorial: Help the county write rules for AI’s robots

A civic assembly of 40 volunteers will be asked to draft policy for AI use in county government.

Robotic hand playing hopscotch on a keyboard. Artifical intelligence, text generators, ai and job issues concept. Vector illustration.
Monroe’s Betzy Garcia celebrates scoring a touchdown against Everett during the game on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: School levies, bonds invest in future of students

Several school districts seek the support of voters for levies and bonds in the Feb. 10 election.

Monroe’s Betzy Garcia celebrates scoring a touchdown against Everett during the game on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
People read newspapers from the library selection at the Everett Public Library on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: Continue discussion on local journalism support

State lawmakers should reconsider legislation that can aid newspapers and other news sources.

People read newspapers from the library selection at the Everett Public Library on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A parent walks their children to class at Whittier Elementary on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: Everett schools warrant yes votes on bond, levy

The bond will add and renovate schools; the levy supports 15% of the district’s budget.

A parent walks their children to class at Whittier Elementary on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
People sit on benches in the main hallway of Explorer Middle School’s new athletics building on Oct. 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: Voters should approve Mukilteo schools levy, bond

The levy provides about 14% of the district’s budget. The bond funds improvements districtwide.

People sit on benches in the main hallway of Explorer Middle School’s new athletics building on Oct. 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank testifies before the Washington state Senate Law and Justice Committee in Olympia on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Screenshot courtesy of TVW)

Editorial: Find path to assure fitness of sheriff candidates

An outburst at a hearing against a bill distracted from issues of accountability and voters’ rights.

Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank testifies before the Washington state Senate Law and Justice Committee in Olympia on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Screenshot courtesy of TVW)
FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousands during his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington. A new documentary “MLK/FBI,” shows how FBI director J. Edgar Hoover used the full force of his federal law enforcement agency to attack King and his progressive, nonviolent cause. That included wiretaps, blackmail and informers, trying to find dirt on King. (AP Photo/File)

Editorial: King would want our pledge to nonviolent action

His ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ outlines his oath to nonviolence and disruptive resistance.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousands during his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington. A new documentary “MLK/FBI,” shows how FBI director J. Edgar Hoover used the full force of his federal law enforcement agency to attack King and his progressive, nonviolent cause. That included wiretaps, blackmail and informers, trying to find dirt on King. (AP Photo/File)
A Microsoft data center campus in East Wenatchee on Nov. 3. The rural region is changing fast as electricians from around the country plug the tech industry’s new, giant data centers into its ample power supply. (Jovelle Tamayo / The New York Times)

Editorial: Meeting needs for data centers, fair power rates

Shared energy demand for AI and ratepayers requires an increased pace for clean energy projects.

A Microsoft data center campus in East Wenatchee on Nov. 3. The rural region is changing fast as electricians from around the country plug the tech industry’s new, giant data centers into its ample power supply. (Jovelle Tamayo / The New York Times)
Institute for Tax and Economic Policy

Editorial: ‘Millionaires’ tax’ can deliver fairness, revenue

The governor’s proposal should be placed on the ballot, allowing voters a chance to rebalance tax fairness.

Institute for Tax and Economic Policy
Tina Ruybal prepares ballots to be moved to the extraction point in the Snohomish County Election Center on Nov. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Editorial: A win for vote-by-mail, amid gathering concern

A judge preserved the state’s deadline for mailed ballots, but more challenges to voting are ahead.

Tina Ruybal prepares ballots to be moved to the extraction point in the Snohomish County Election Center on Nov. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
FILE - The sun dial near the Legislative Building is shown under cloudy skies, March 10, 2022, at the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash. An effort to balance what is considered the nation's most regressive state tax code comes before the Washington Supreme Court on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in a case that could overturn a prohibition on income taxes that dates to the 1930s. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Editorial: No new taxes, but maybe ‘pay as we go’ on some needs

New taxes won’t resolve the state’s budget woes, but more limited reforms can still make a difference.

FILE - The sun dial near the Legislative Building is shown under cloudy skies, March 10, 2022, at the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash. An effort to balance what is considered the nation's most regressive state tax code comes before the Washington Supreme Court on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in a case that could overturn a prohibition on income taxes that dates to the 1930s. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Washington state's Congressional Districts adopted in 2021. (Washington State Redistricting Commission)

Editorial: Lawmakers shouldn’t futz with partisan redistricting

A new proposal to allow state lawmakers to gerrymander congressional districts should be rejected.

Washington state's Congressional Districts adopted in 2021. (Washington State Redistricting Commission)