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Washington Supreme Court strikes down natural gas initiative

The court said I-2066 improperly combined distinct subjects, invalidating the entire measure.

News

Washington&#x27;s Supreme Court has struck down <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Initiative 2066" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/11/15/washington-natural-gas-ballot-measure-lawsuit-2066" data-vars-content-id="6509d0a3-3564-49da-b0fb-88494fb0ef33" data-vars-headline="Washington Supreme Court strikes down natural gas initiative" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/11/15/washington-natural-gas-ballot-measure-lawsuit-2066" target="_self">Initiative 2066</a>, a natural gas ballot measure approved by voters two years ago.Why it matters: The ruling invalidates the initiative, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="which sought" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/04/15/washington-natural-gas-initiative-fight" data-vars-content-id="6509d0a3-3564-49da-b0fb-88494fb0ef33" data-vars-headline="Washington Supreme Court strikes down natural gas initiative" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/04/15/washington-natural-gas-initiative-fight" target="_self">which sought</a> to roll back the state&#x27;s energy-efficient <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="building codes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/12/04/heat-pumps-building-codes-washington-state" data-vars-content-id="6509d0a3-3564-49da-b0fb-88494fb0ef33" data-vars-headline="Washington Supreme Court strikes down natural gas initiative" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/12/04/heat-pumps-building-codes-washington-state" target="_self">building codes</a> and to bar state and local governments from discouraging the use of natural gas.The latest: The court found the initiative violated a constitutional rule that requires laws to stick to a single subject.

Seattle's Yarn Dragon is a feast of color and craft

Crafters can feel luxe fibers, revel in saturated colors and peek in on the yarn dyeing process.

Touching the merchandise isn&#x27;t just allowed at Yarn Dragon in Pioneer Square. It&#x27;s kind of the point.Why it matters: As brick-and-mortar yarn and fabric stores disappear around Seattle, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Yarn Dragon" data-vars-click-url="https://yarndragon.com/" data-vars-content-id="02a2cd16-4f7d-45f7-b6ba-3bef75f04b0e" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s Yarn Dragon is a feast of color and craft" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://yarndragon.com/" target="_blank">Yarn Dragon</a> is betting there&#x27;s still something the internet can&#x27;t replicate: seeing the colors, feeling the fibers and maybe even watching the yarn being dyed.

Scoop: Equity director quits WA child welfare agency, alleging racial bias

The agency's equity director resigned and 5 others raised concerns about treatment of employees of color.

The equity director at Washington state&#x27;s child welfare agency resigned last week, citing &quot;discriminatory and biased leadership&quot; at the department.The big picture: Washington&#x27;s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) lists advancing racial equity as one of its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="top priorities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pubs/COMM_0058%20DCYF_Strategic_Priorities_2021-2026.pdf" data-vars-content-id="681e14c5-33bb-491d-b4df-ab0083369ca3" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Equity director quits WA child welfare agency, alleging racial bias" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pubs/COMM_0058%20DCYF_Strategic_Priorities_2021-2026.pdf" target="_blank">top priorities</a>. But the former director of the department&#x27;s equity office, Patricia Colemon, says the agency is failing to live up to that goal.

The relentless drip of Seattle's tech layoffs

Dozens of smaller cuts are piling onto major layoffs as the region's information jobs stagnate.

Giant layoffs may grab headlines, but Seattle&#x27;s tech sector is also enduring a seemingly relentless drip of smaller cuts — 50 jobs here, 100 there — that are taking a toll. Why it matters: The steady drumbeat is quietly chipping away at an economic engine that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="powered Seattle&#x27;s growth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/09/14/seattle-ai-jobs-amazon-microsoft-tech-economy" data-vars-content-id="b01a47ca-d424-4502-997c-2f00b35c769e" data-vars-headline="The relentless drip of Seattle&#x27;s tech layoffs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/09/14/seattle-ai-jobs-amazon-microsoft-tech-economy" target="_self">powered Seattle&#x27;s growth</a> for decades.

Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy

Just 10 companies generate 75% of Seattle's JumpStart payroll tax revenue, a new report finds.

Business

Seattle has become dangerously dependent on a handful of tech giants that powered the city&#x27;s decades-long economic boom, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city-commissioned" data-vars-click-url="https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/economicDevelopment/SeawallBuildingaResilientSeattleEconomy2026.pdf" data-vars-content-id="854b0de4-5541-425f-a342-21e11a186302" data-vars-headline="Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/economicDevelopment/SeawallBuildingaResilientSeattleEconomy2026.pdf" target="_blank">city-commissioned</a> report. Why it matters: The sweeping analysis says Seattle&#x27;s tech success has left its jobs, tax base and economic future vulnerable to the fortunes of just a few companies.

Trump tariffs have cost Washington importers $7.1 billion

Washington's tariff burden works out to $2,257 per household, with cars and trucks hit hardest.

President Trump&#x27;s trade actions have cost Washington importers billions since the start of 2025, giving the state the nation&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="15th-highest" data-vars-click-url="https://tariffs.org/rankings/" data-vars-content-id="f397205d-2246-4e61-840f-93dfd8201f6c" data-vars-headline="Trump tariffs have cost Washington importers $7.1 billion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://tariffs.org/rankings/" target="_blank">15th-highest</a> tariff burden. By the numbers: Washington importers paid an estimated $7.1 billion in Trump <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tariffs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/economy/tariffs" data-vars-content-id="f397205d-2246-4e61-840f-93dfd8201f6c" data-vars-headline="Trump tariffs have cost Washington importers $7.1 billion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/economy/tariffs" target="_self">tariffs</a> through June, according to National Taxpayers Union Foundation data.<ul><li>That&#x27;s the equivalent of $2,257 per household.</li></ul>

Seattle draws record summer crowds 

More than 3.7 million visitors came downtown in July as waterfront crowds hit a new high.

Downtown Seattle is having a blockbuster summer, with visitor numbers hitting an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="all-time high" data-vars-click-url="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-boosted-by-world-cup-smashes-record-for-summer-visitors/" data-vars-content-id="2a0caa76-0ffd-4d57-ba68-d154d276351b" data-vars-headline="Seattle draws record summer crowds " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-boosted-by-world-cup-smashes-record-for-summer-visitors/" target="_blank">all-time high</a> and locals packing the waterfront.Driving the news: More than 3.7 million unique visitors came downtown in July — 112% of July 2019 levels and 5 percentage points higher than last year, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Downtown Seattle Association" data-vars-click-url="https://downtownseattle.org/programs-services/research/downtown-dashboard/" data-vars-content-id="2a0caa76-0ffd-4d57-ba68-d154d276351b" data-vars-headline="Seattle draws record summer crowds " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://downtownseattle.org/programs-services/research/downtown-dashboard/" target="_blank">Downtown Seattle Association</a> data released last week.

Seattle bookstores turn a fresh page

New bookstores are opening as Seattle's longtime reading culture meets a nationwide retail revival.

While Americans may be <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reading fewer books" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/08/ai-america-literacy" data-vars-content-id="bdf0cc6b-f3dd-44d3-997b-95f6a39ae134" data-vars-headline="Seattle bookstores turn a fresh page" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/08/ai-america-literacy" target="_self">reading fewer books</a> these days, there&#x27;s a plot twist: Bookstores are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="staging a comeback" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/bookstores-barnes-noble-james-daunt" data-vars-content-id="bdf0cc6b-f3dd-44d3-997b-95f6a39ae134" data-vars-headline="Seattle bookstores turn a fresh page" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/bookstores-barnes-noble-james-daunt" target="_self">staging a comeback</a>.Why it matters: Once left for dead in the wake of Amazon&#x27;s rise and the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="death of Borders" data-vars-click-url="https://www.annarbor.com/business-review/borders-liquidation-chapter-11-ann-arbor-bookstore-chain-borders-group-e-books/" data-vars-content-id="bdf0cc6b-f3dd-44d3-997b-95f6a39ae134" data-vars-headline="Seattle bookstores turn a fresh page" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.annarbor.com/business-review/borders-liquidation-chapter-11-ann-arbor-bookstore-chain-borders-group-e-books/" target="_blank">death of Borders</a>, Barnes &amp; Noble and independent booksellers have pulled off a stunning turnaround, opening new stores and reporting higher sales.

Seattle data center ban mirrors wider AI backlash

Nearly half of Americans back a pause on new data centers as concerns about AI continue to grow.

About half of Americans support a temporary ban on new data centers like the one recently <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="passed in Seattle" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/05/15/seattle-data-center-moratorium-ai-energy" data-vars-content-id="914691b8-fa4f-42fe-b7f5-5195c0715c0d" data-vars-headline="Seattle data center ban mirrors wider AI backlash" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/05/15/seattle-data-center-moratorium-ai-energy" target="_self">passed in Seattle</a>, a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="survey finds" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/22/ai-data-center-backlash-poll" data-vars-content-id="914691b8-fa4f-42fe-b7f5-5195c0715c0d" data-vars-headline="Seattle data center ban mirrors wider AI backlash" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/22/ai-data-center-backlash-poll" target="_self">survey finds</a>.Why it matters: Data centers are becoming a stand-in for broader anger at an AI future — one many Americans don&#x27;t want but fear they&#x27;ll have to pay for.

Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, including 605 in Washington

The latest layoffs affect hundreds of workers in Redmond and elsewhere. More changes may be ahead.

Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs — roughly 2% of its global workforce — including hundreds of jobs in Washington state.Why it matters: Layoffs at the Redmond-based company, one of the Seattle area&#x27;s largest employers, will add to the steady stream of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tech job losses" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/02/02/amazon-layoffs-washington-seattle-tech-jobs-2026-expedia-tmobile-zillow" data-vars-content-id="30d14f0a-eb2f-4368-a2e1-22d985174c53" data-vars-headline="Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, including 605 in Washington" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/02/02/amazon-layoffs-washington-seattle-tech-jobs-2026-expedia-tmobile-zillow" target="_self">tech job losses</a> that have rolled across the Puget Sound region since last year.

World Cup crowds boost Seattle restaurant sales

Toast found beer sales jumped 212% while hot dog orders more than tripled near the Seattle stadium.

Soccer fans in Seattle are drinking a lot of beer and eating a lot of hot dogs during the World Cup, new data from restaurant technology company Toast suggests.State of play: To get a snapshot of the tournament&#x27;s impact on businesses near Lumen Field, Toast <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analyzed transactions" data-vars-click-url="https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/data/world-cup-2026-impact-restaurants-bars-tipping-data" data-vars-content-id="edad1696-a777-4398-a72d-f2d8e73bb766" data-vars-headline="World Cup crowds boost Seattle restaurant sales" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/data/world-cup-2026-impact-restaurants-bars-tipping-data" target="_blank">analyzed transactions</a> from June 19, when the U.S. played Australia.

Seattle's downtown ranks among nation's "stickiest"

The city's downtown scored highly in a survey measuring visit frequency and length of stay.

Seattle has one of the &quot;stickiest&quot; downtowns among U.S. cities, according to a new survey that asked residents how often they visit and how long they stay.Why it matters: The findings are another sign of how Seattle is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="drawing people" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/05/26/seattle-crowds-and-spending-surge" data-vars-content-id="dc21b683-8f4b-40d7-a465-cd2cb000f758" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s downtown ranks among nation&#x27;s &quot;stickiest&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/05/26/seattle-crowds-and-spending-surge" target="_self">drawing people</a> downtown after years of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="slow post-pandemic recovery" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/08/08/seattle-downtown-recovery-spring-2023" data-vars-content-id="dc21b683-8f4b-40d7-a465-cd2cb000f758" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s downtown ranks among nation&#x27;s &quot;stickiest&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/08/08/seattle-downtown-recovery-spring-2023" target="_self">slow post-pandemic recovery</a>.

REI union pushes boycott during anniversary sale

Union organizers are asking customers to avoid REI stores through May 25 after contract talks stalled.

Union workers at REI are urging customers to boycott the outdoor retailer&#x27;s anniversary sale this week — including in markets without unionized stores.The big picture: The boycott comes after the co-op and its union failed to reach a contract agreement last month, with the union calling management&#x27;s latest offer &quot;unacceptable.&quot;

A map showing estimated tariff impacts by state, as a per-household equivalent, due to executive orders imposed since January 2025. The range of tariff costs spans from $228 per household in Montana to nearly $6,000 per household in Michigan. States like California, Texas, Michigan and Georgia exhibit significant impacts, chiefly to their auto industries, while many western states show lesser costs.

Estimated tariff impact per household

Data: Trade Partnership Worldwide, via National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Note: Includes tariffs mandated by executive order only. Totals through June 2026. Map: Brad Jennings/Axios

Business 🏦

The relentless drip of Seattle's tech layoffs

Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy

Trump tariffs have cost Washington importers $7.1 billion

Seattle draws record summer crowds

Seattle’s new buzz is beverages with benefits