By Jake Goldstein-Street | Reporter
Frequent ferry riders are likely waking up this morning with trepidation after a mass sickout by engine room employees on Monday caused massive disruption to Washington’s state ferry system, forcing most vessels out of service and hefty delays for the handful remaining. The workers’ union, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, said it didn’t coordinate the 23 employees who called out sick, instead describing it as a “frantic cry for help from an abused and frustrated group of highly-skilled and committed workers.”
Also in today’s edition…
• Justices call for another look at Washington’s legislative map.
• U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene predicts a House takeover by Democrats.
• And, prediction markets beef up lobbying efforts.
News tips, feedback, questions? Email us: [email protected]
The ferry Chimacum, seen here on the Bremerton run in 2024. (Photo by Tom Banse)
By Jake Goldstein-Street and Jerry Cornfield
Gov. Bob Ferguson told union leadership he understands their concerns but expects them to be back at work starting Tuesday morning.
“Causing significant harm and inconvenience to the people of Washington state is not the way to address those issues,” Ferguson said in a statement. “I was very direct in our meeting: My expectation is that every vessel on every route is fully operational no later than the first vessel sailing tomorrow morning.”
By Jerry Cornfield
On the first day of its new session, the nation’s highest court accepted a legal challenge to Washington’s political boundaries, then remanded it to a lower court to determine if the way a federal judge drew the lines in 2024 complies with a ruling earlier this year in a Louisiana redistricting case.
Monday’s action will not affect next month’s election. But it could lead to the state’s legislative district boundaries changing before they’re next scheduled to be redrawn in 2031, depending on the pace at which the process proceeds.
By Jennifer Shutt
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene expects her party to garner a majority in the U.S. House after next month’s midterms. In an interview Monday, she said the party would use that newfound power to serve as a check on the president’s power. At the top of the agenda is curbing the war in Iran and working on legislation to address healthcare costs.
“And of course, act as an independent branch and do our job to hold the administration accountable,” DelBene said.
By Kevin Hardy
State lawmakers of both parties across the country are growing increasingly frustrated with prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi, arguing they are avoiding state gambling regulations or gambling bans, gambling taxes and consumer protections.
In response, Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from a government watchdog group. Kalshi is in litigation with the Washington state attorney general’s office, with a judge ordering the company to curb operations here.
ICYMI
WA’s nation-high minimum wage rising to nearly $18 an hour in 2027 | by Jerry Cornfield
COMMENTARY: Artificial intelligence in the classroom | by Josh Aubol, Steve Stein and Peter Klosterman
Thanks for reading The Daily Standard. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.