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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks before signing a bill into law in Tukwila, Wash., Tuesday, May 4, 2021, that levies a new capital gains tax on high profit stocks, bonds and other assets for some residents of Washington state. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Opinion

Editorial: Inslee’s recent vetos may prove costly to his goals

Climate legislation wins may have come at the cost of support from fellow Democrats and tribes.

This Dec. 16, 2017 photo shows passengers lounging in the observation car of Amtrak's Coast Starlight on the way from Los Angeles to Seattle. The scenic 35-hour route travels from southern California to Seattle. (AP Photo/Nicole Evatt)

Opinion

Editorial: Time to get on board with infrastructure package

Amtrak’s return to daily service in Everett shows what can follow for transportation and more.

FILE - In this April 11, 2021, file photo, residents wearing masks walk in downtown Lake Oswego, Ore. Even as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved earlier this month to ease indoor face mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, states like Oregon and Washington are still holding on to certain longtime coronavirus restrictions (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File)

Opinion

Editorial: Trusting a mask ‘honor system’ for unvaccinated

Covid-19 is on the decline generally, but not so for the unvaccinated, even as mask rules are relaxed.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2017, file photo, provided by Idaho Fish and Game, Snake River sockeye salmon that returned from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho over the summer swim in a holding tank at the Eagle Fish Hatchery in southwestern Idaho. A meager return of sockeye salmon to central Idaho this year despite high hopes and a new fish hatchery intended to help save the species from extinction has fisheries managers trying to figure out what went wrong. (Dan Baker/Idaho Fish and Game via AP, File)

Opinion

Editorial: Act now to save salmon, regardless of dams’ fate

With a plan to remove dams on the Snake River shelved, leaders must commit to broader-based actions.

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2009 file photo, a pressman pulls a copy of one of the final editions of the Rocky Mountain News off the press in the Washington Street Printing Plant of the Denver Newspaper Agency in Denver. A survey by Gallup and the Knight Foundation released on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, finds Democrats much more willing than Republicans to see government funding help local news sources. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Opinion

Editorial: Covid, other pressures shouldn’t stop the presses

Sen. Maria Cantwell is seeking to help local journalism continue its work coverings its communities.

Gov. Jay Inslee signs the first bill, SB 1050 of the Climate priorities package, HB 1050, SB 5126 and HB 1091 at Shoreline Community College, Monday, May 17, 2021, with supporters surrounding him. The triple bill signing lays out the state's strategy for combating carbon emissions in the 21st century. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via AP)

Opinion

Editorial: Inslee’s partial vetoes threat to lawmakers’ work

The governor’s desire for due speed on climate issues is laudable; his executive overreach is not.

Zoe Charlebois, 10, left, and Makayla Goshen, 10, laugh as they make their friendship first aid kits during the InspireHER event at Snohomish Boys & Girls Club on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 in Snohomish, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Opinion

Editorial: For 75 years a safe place to hang out and more

The Boys Girls Clubs of Snohomish County have served the needs of kids and families for 75 years.

In this Wednesday, March 24, 2021 image from video provided by Duke Health, Alejandra Gerardo, 9, looks up to her mom, Dr. Susanna Naggie, as she gets the first of two Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations during a clinical trial for children at Duke Health in Durham, N.C. In the U.S. and abroad, researchers are beginning to test younger and younger kids, to make sure the shots are safe and work for each age. (Shawn Rocco/Duke Health via AP)

Opinion

Editorial: Parents have decision to make on vaccinating kids

With one vaccine now approved for kids 12 and older, parents shouldn’t wait for a school requirement.

Craig Jacobsen, a technician at Everett Transit, demonstrates how the electric buses are charged. The new system takes about four hours to charge the batteries. (Lizz Giordano / The Herald)

Opinion

Editorial: Get shovels ready for Biden’s transportation plans

The state and Sound Transit have work to do to benefit from Biden’s infrastructure investments.

toon mothers day

Opinion

Editorial: What Mom really wants is help for her family

For Mother’s Day, how about backing proposals for equal pay, child care and family tax credits?

A reporter watches the Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election being examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, who was hired by the Arizona State Senate at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Thursday, April 29, 2021. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)

Opinion

Editorial: Wyman right to object to Arizona ballot audit

An authority on election integrity, Washington’s secretary of state sees red flags in a rogue recount.

children homeless students

Opinion

Editorial: Joint program connecting homeless families, school

A multi-partner program is removing barriers that keep children out of school and caught in poverty.

Gary Holt, who reads bills being considered in the Washington House, wears a mask as he sits behind a plexiglass shield with reflections of state representatives meeting remotely on it, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia Wash. The House was considering a proposed new tax in Washington state on capital gains that would be imposed on the sale of stocks and bonds in excess of $250,000. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Opinion

Editorial: The ‘forgotten astronaut’ and the state GOP

Republican lawmakers in Olympia can appreciate the position of Apollo 11’s Michael Collins.

With desks stacked away to provide social distance spacing, tenth grader Zendon Bugge attends a World History class during the first day of school for Everett High students on Monday, April 19, 2021 in Everett, Washington. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Opinion

Editorial: Kids back in class; help keep them there

Plans for graduation ceremonies, summer school and the fall depend on our response to the pandemic.

Rep. John Lovick is sworn in at his home Friday afternoon in Mill Creek on January 8, 2021. (Kevin Clark/The Herald)

Opinion

Editorial: Seeking justice after the murder of George Floyd

Rep. John Lovick saw no justice in Chauvin’s verdict alone, but hopes for a path in lawmakers’ work.

This July 17, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows the Earth as the Apollo 11 mission travels towards the moon. It’s estimated that about 600 million people around the world watched as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969. (NASA via AP)

Opinion

Editorial: Climate action offers a better life at lower cost

There is no alternative to climate action in which we pay nothing. We are already paying.

Ian Terry / The Herald Westbound cars merge from Highway 204 and 20th Street Southeast onto the trestle during the morning commute on Thursday, March 30 in Lake Stevens. Photo taken on 03302017

Opinion

Editorial: Lawmakers must keep at transportation’s grand deal

The complex mix of bills can accomplish too much to surrender to opposition to taxes and costs.

This Aug. 23, 2020 photo shows a long line of unsold 2020 models charge outside a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo. The European Union is lacking sufficient charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, according to the bloc's external auditor. In a report published Tuesday, April 13, 2021, the European Court of Auditors said users are gaining more harmonized access to charging networks but the EU is still “a long way from reaching its Green Deal target of 1 million charging points by 2025." (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Opinion

Editorial: Bills’ merger makes clean-driving future possible

Combining two bills will aid the sales of electric vehicles and ensure ample charging stations.

FILE - In this undated photo, provided by NY Governor's Press Office on Saturday March 27, 2021, is the new "Excelsior Pass" app, a digital pass that people can download to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Vaccine passports being developed to verify COVID-19 immunization status and allow inoculated people to more freely travel, shop and dine have become the latest flash point in America’s perpetual political wars, with Republicans portraying them as a heavy-handed intrusion into personal freedom and private health choices. (NY Governor's Press Office via AP, File)

Opinion

Editorial: Vaccine passports can nudge more toward immunity

Used to persuade rather than exclude, the passports could increase access to businesses and venues.

Eric Brossard displays his commemorative Drug Court graduation coin that reads, "I came with hope, worked and learned. I have a new life. A life that I've earned." (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Opinion

Editorial: Court ruling requires focus on addiction treatment

A court decision allows for a more effective and affordable solution to substance use disorder.