By Bill Lucia | Editor
Construction got underway in Florida yesterday on a new, hybrid-electric vessel for Washington State Ferries. It’s the first new ferryboat to enter production for the state’s fleet in more than a decade. State officials were on hand at Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s Panama City shipyard to celebrate the cutting of the first steel for the vessel. Ferries chief Steve Nevey called it “a major milestone.” Also this week, Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office said the state would exercise its option to purchase a third ferryboat from Eastern Shipbuilding, in addition to the two vessels already on order.
Also in today’s edition…
A fellow Democrat who ran against U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in the primary says he won’t support her in the general election.
Vote-counting updates in legislative races.
And, worries the Spokane fires could rattle the state’s property insurance market.
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Sparks fly as Eastern Shipbuilding Group slices the first piece of steel for a 160-auto ferry ordered by Washington State Ferries. (Photo courtesy of Eastern Shipbuilding via WSDOT)
By Tom Banse
The anticipated delivery date for the first new plug-in ferry, to be named the Wishkah, remains four years away in summer 2030. Eastern Shipbuilding is expected to deliver the second and third ferries of the same design in 2031 and 2032.
Washington State Ferries urgently needs new vessels to replace aging ferries that are past or very near retirement age. While vessel construction is good news for ferry riders who’ve been frustrated in recent years by cancellations and delays, some question if the state is moving fast enough to upgrade its fleet. “One new ferry a year isn’t, I don’t believe, going to get Washington State Ferries out of the hole,” said Lopez Islander Ken Burtness, a retired ferry captain. “We need to be building two ferries a year.”
A bipartisan workgroup of lawmakers has started meeting with state ferry officials and has hired consultants to hash out how to pay for additional new ferries. The ferry system’s electrification plan calls for 13 more new ferries by 2040 in addition to the three on order.
By Jake Goldstein-Street
Democrat Brent Hennrich is sitting in third place with about 16% of the vote in his run to the left of U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Yesterday, he told the Standard he will not endorse Gluesenkamp Perez ahead of November as she seeks reelection in the highly competitive race for the U.S. House seat in southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
“Absolutely no way, shape or form will I support her,” Hennrich said. “I want her out of office,” he continued. “Just because you’re not a fascist, doesn’t mean you’re a Democrat.” Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate Democrat who has voted sometimes with Republicans in Congress, held about 37.5% of the vote in the district after Wednesday’s count. She and Republican John Braun, who had 39.4%, are on track to face off in the general election.
By Jerry Cornfield
In legislative races around the state, results continued to take shape as more votes were tallied on Wednesday.
Rep. Brian Burnett, R-Wenatchee, moved ahead of Democrat Stacy Willoughby after trailing in the 12th Legislative District. Burnett, a former county sheriff, led Willoughby, a first-time candidate and financial services professional, by 108 votes.
Ex-state representative Robert Sutherland, a conservative Republican, slipped to third in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Carolyn Eslick in the 39th District. Democrat Ida Keeley leads with 46.4%, followed by Republican Steve Ewing with 25.8% and Sutherland with 25.2%. Ewing trailed by 26 votes on Tuesday but moved in front by 148 on Wednesday.
In Spokane County, only a few hundred votes separate three candidates seeking to replace Democratic Rep. Timm Ormsby, who is retiring after two decades. Republican Natalie Poulson leads with 33.2%, followed by Democrats Pam Kohlmeier with 31.6% and Luc Jasmin III with 31.1%.
SEE ALSO: Takeaways from primary election night in Washington | by Jake Goldstein-Street
By Alex Brown
While some residents have had their policies canceled or seen their premiums rise in recent years, Washingtonians have largely been able to find property insurance coverage on the private market. And in recent months, the state has seen a decline in companies canceling property insurance policies, and rates have stabilized. In the wake of the Spokane fires, officials and consumer advocates worry that could change.
Washington faced a destructive fire season in 2023, with insurance companies paying out $240 million in claims related to wildfires. If this year is comparable, David Forte, an adviser with the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, said the market can probably absorb the losses. “But if it’s triple that, there may be an impact.”
Doug Heller, director of insurance with the Consumer Federation of America, a research and advocacy nonprofit, said there’d likely be fallout for ratepayers. “I fully expect the insurance companies to try to leverage the severity of this disaster to get rate increases, to argue for the ability to put new limits on coverage,” he said.
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