By Jake Goldstein-Street | Reporter
The director of the state Department of Enterprise Services stepped down Wednesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced. The agency head, Matt Jones, has been on personal leave since July 9 and will remain an employee. Cami Feek, the head of Washington’s Employment Security Department, will take over on an interim basis.
The reason Jones took leave and how long it will last remains unclear.
Also in today’s edition…
• Potential new high school graduation requirements.
• A parasite threatening Yukon River Chinook salmon.
• And, Oregon considers fees on undersea fiber-optic cables amid data center boom.
News tips, feedback, questions? Email us: [email protected]
Employment Security Department Commissioner Cami Feek joins Gov. Bob Ferguson at a press conference in May. (Photo courtesy of Employment Security Department)
By Jerry Cornfield
The Department of Enterprise Services manages state facilities, among other duties. It has more than 900 employees, a $280 million operating budget and a $1.2 billion capital program.
Feek is a veteran of state government, having worked stints with the attorney general’s office, Washington State Patrol and General Administration, the forerunner to the Department of Enterprise Services.
There will be a recruitment process for a new director, though no timeline for a permanent replacement has been disclosed.
Over at the Employment Security Department, Martin McMurry, the chief operations officer there, will serve as interim commissioner.
Stadium High School in Tacoma, Wash. (Photo by Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)
By Aspen Ford
For the first time in a decade, a state board is looking to revamp high school graduation requirements, with an eye toward helping students prepare for life after graduation. One proposal would require schools to offer two new classes: a half-credit health course and a one-credit course teaching financial literacy and life skills and dedicating time for students to work on their High School and Beyond Plans. But such changes would require funding from the Legislature, and the soonest they could take effect is for the class of 2031.
By Yereth Rosen
The Yukon River is known for producing some of the biggest fish in the world. Among them Chinook salmon, Alaska’s state fish. But the Chinook there face a new threat added to an already hefty pile that has led to plummeting numbers. It shows up in white spots in the salmon that make it stink of sour watermelon.
By Alex Baumhardt
For the first time, an Oregon state agency is proposing charging multinational telecommunications and tech companies for using the seafloor off the Pacific Coast for fiber-optic cables. Washington and California already require companies pay these fees. There are 16 active undersea cables off Oregon’s coast, as new data centers have spurred more of the cable in recent years.
ICYMI
WA sets another record with growing lawsuit costs | by Jake Goldstein-Street
WA ordered to pay $118M in teacher pension case; state appeals | by Jake Goldstein-Street
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