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Washington eyes tougher penalties for 30+ mph speeding

Speeding played a role in one-third of Washington's fatal crashes in 2024, killing 250 people.

News

Washington state lawmakers want to make it easier to criminally charge people who drive more than 30 mph over the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="speed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/06/02/washington-speed-limiting-law-repeat-speeders" data-vars-content-id="7a238d94-b3e1-4cc0-958a-01c9a0fcfc10" data-vars-headline="Washington eyes tougher penalties for 30+ mph speeding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/06/02/washington-speed-limiting-law-repeat-speeders" target="_self">speed</a> limit.Why it matters: Speeding was a factor in roughly one-third of Washington&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fatal crashes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/06/02/washington-traffic-deaths-decline-2024-pandemic-high" data-vars-content-id="7a238d94-b3e1-4cc0-958a-01c9a0fcfc10" data-vars-headline="Washington eyes tougher penalties for 30+ mph speeding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/06/02/washington-traffic-deaths-decline-2024-pandemic-high" target="_self">fatal crashes</a> in 2024, the most recent year of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="statewide data" data-vars-click-url="https://wtsc.wa.gov/dashboards/fatal-crash-dashboard/" data-vars-content-id="7a238d94-b3e1-4cc0-958a-01c9a0fcfc10" data-vars-headline="Washington eyes tougher penalties for 30+ mph speeding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://wtsc.wa.gov/dashboards/fatal-crash-dashboard/" target="_blank">statewide data</a>.

Blood Moon to light up skies early Tuesday

A rare total lunar eclipse will turn the Moon a deep, coppery red early Tuesday. Here's when to look up.

Set an alarm. A rare <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="total lunar eclipse" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/blood-moon-total-lunar-eclipse-photos" data-vars-content-id="10708e87-8b9c-4161-892b-f9d52e2e27ae" data-vars-headline="Blood Moon to light up skies early Tuesday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/blood-moon-total-lunar-eclipse-photos" target="_self">total lunar eclipse</a> will turn the Moon blood red early Tuesday in a spectacle visible across most of North America.The big picture: After this week, the Moon won&#x27;t fully disappear into Earth&#x27;s shadow again until New Year&#x27;s Eve 2028, marking a nearly three-year lull in total lunar eclipses, or Blood Moons, visible from North America, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per Space.com" data-vars-click-url="https://www.space.com/stargazing/lunar-eclipses/the-total-lunar-eclipse-on-march-3-will-be-the-last-until-new-years-eve-2028" data-vars-content-id="10708e87-8b9c-4161-892b-f9d52e2e27ae" data-vars-headline="Blood Moon to light up skies early Tuesday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.space.com/stargazing/lunar-eclipses/the-total-lunar-eclipse-on-march-3-will-be-the-last-until-new-years-eve-2028" target="_blank">per Space.com</a>.

Seattle readers share their takes on tipping

With $21.30 minimum wage and constant prompts, some Seattle readers are rethinking when to tip.

&quot;Tip fatigue&quot; has spread across America, and Axios Seattle readers are far from unified on what to do when the tipping screen is spun toward them.The big picture: A 2025 Bankrate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="survey" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/tipping-culture-survey/#negative-views" data-vars-content-id="a2f31eb6-8800-41f3-9cfe-33c6035d4a09" data-vars-headline="Seattle readers share their takes on tipping" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/tipping-culture-survey/#negative-views" target="_blank">survey</a> found that 41% of Americans think tip culture is &quot;out of control&quot; and that request screens actually prompt many Americans to tip less, not more.

Seattle Mariners fans head to Arizona spring training

For many Seattle fans, the season begins not at T-Mobile Park, but under the Arizona sun.

Sports

Baseball fans from Seattle and across the country are flocking to the desert as the Cactus League season kicks off throughout the Phoenix area.The big picture: This year marks the 79th season of the Cactus League — Major League Baseball&#x27;s Arizona spring training circuit — with 15 teams playing at 10 stadiums just miles apart.

$1B funding cut "a gut punch" for PNW hydrogen projects

WA and OR leaders say the clean energy grant loss could stall hydrogen efforts across the region.

Environment

Projects to build clean hydrogen infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest are reeling after the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump administration pulled" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/02/doe-ends-awards-vought-tweet" data-vars-content-id="2321bdb5-960f-4d14-9255-5008392f858e" data-vars-headline="$1B funding cut &quot;a gut punch&quot; for PNW hydrogen projects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/02/doe-ends-awards-vought-tweet" target="_self">Trump administration pulled</a> a $1 billion grant for the region&#x27;s hydrogen hub this week.Why it matters: The loss of the grant hurts efforts in Washington, Oregon and Montana to harness hydrogen as a clean fuel source — one that many view as an important tool to help decarbonize the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shipping" data-vars-click-url="https://time.com/6961248/green-hydrogen-shipping-decarbonization/" data-vars-content-id="2321bdb5-960f-4d14-9255-5008392f858e" data-vars-headline="$1B funding cut &quot;a gut punch&quot; for PNW hydrogen projects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://time.com/6961248/green-hydrogen-shipping-decarbonization/" target="_blank">shipping</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="aviation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319923009187" data-vars-content-id="2321bdb5-960f-4d14-9255-5008392f858e" data-vars-headline="$1B funding cut &quot;a gut punch&quot; for PNW hydrogen projects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319923009187" target="_blank">aviation</a> industries.

Ring of Fire shocks raise West Coast fears

A surge in Pacific quakes is garnering attention to Cascadia zone threats.

A recent string of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="powerful earthquakes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/30/earthquake-russia-tsunami-warnings-hawaii-japan-evacuations" data-vars-content-id="cdeba135-a72a-428d-a517-a98d30edd0db" data-vars-headline="Ring of Fire shocks raise West Coast fears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/30/earthquake-russia-tsunami-warnings-hawaii-japan-evacuations" target="_self">powerful earthquakes</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="volcanic eruptions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/03/nx-s1-5491540/russian-volcano-erupts-days-after-quake-shakes-region" data-vars-content-id="cdeba135-a72a-428d-a517-a98d30edd0db" data-vars-headline="Ring of Fire shocks raise West Coast fears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/03/nx-s1-5491540/russian-volcano-erupts-days-after-quake-shakes-region" target="_blank">volcanic eruptions</a> in Russia and Alaska serve as stark reminders that the U.S. West Coast — from Seattle to San Diego — lies along one of Earth&#x27;s most volatile tectonic boundaries.Why it matters: The same immense geological forces driving quakes, tsunamis and volcanoes far across the Pacific Ocean mirror those at work beneath Washington, Oregon and California, Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, tells Axios.

Washington's recycling system could get a major makeover

A new bill would require packaging producers to fund Washington's recycling system, aiming to cut plastic waste.

<figure><img alt="An empty plastic iced coffee cup sits on top of a blue recycling bin that is stuffed full, with green trees and paths vaguely visible in the background." height="2667" id="23012551-fb93-44fd-a1f8-55b4d34e4eff" src="https://images.axios.com/3WXk9RO2GayaOEc4DPO1hAJtpt8=/2025/04/01/1743540128418.jpg" width="4000"/><figcaption>A full recycling bin at Green Lake Park in 2021. Photo: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Washington state lawmakers are considering a major overhaul of the state&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recycling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/11/28/common-seattle-recycling-composting-mistakes" data-vars-content-id="fae3da8d-41a7-432d-bee3-5956e0ccb769" data-vars-headline="Washington&#x27;s recycling system could get a major makeover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/11/28/common-seattle-recycling-composting-mistakes" target="_self">recycling</a> system, which would be paid for largely by companies that make single-use packaging.Why it matters: Besides establishing a consistent statewide list for what&#x27;s recyclable and what&#x27;s not, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Senate Bill 5284" data-vars-click-url="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5284&amp;Chamber=Senate&amp;Year=2025" data-vars-content-id="fae3da8d-41a7-432d-bee3-5956e0ccb769" data-vars-headline="Washington&#x27;s recycling system could get a major makeover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5284&amp;Chamber=Senate&amp;Year=2025" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5284</a> would ensure that when people throw recycling in their curbside bins, the materials have <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="somewhere to go" data-vars-click-url="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/some-seattle-area-recycling-dumped-in-landfills-as-chinas-restrictions-kick-in/" data-vars-content-id="fae3da8d-41a7-432d-bee3-5956e0ccb769" data-vars-headline="Washington&#x27;s recycling system could get a major makeover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/some-seattle-area-recycling-dumped-in-landfills-as-chinas-restrictions-kick-in/" target="_blank">somewhere to go</a>, supporters say.

What Seattle's recent quake streak means for the "Big One"

A flurry of recent quakes has some Seattleites wondering if the "Big One" is coming.

A flurry of earthquakes in the Seattle area over the last couple of weeks has some residents asking if that means the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Big One" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/10/16/pacific-northwest-cascadia-earthquake-when" data-vars-content-id="81c72095-a227-4ced-ac23-5661356c0fa2" data-vars-headline="What Seattle&#x27;s recent quake streak means for the &quot;Big One&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/10/16/pacific-northwest-cascadia-earthquake-when" target="_self">Big One</a>&quot; is on its way.Why it matters: Scientists say it&#x27;s not a question of if, but when, the Cascadia subduction zone — a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="700-mile offshore fault" data-vars-click-url="https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunamis/tsunami-locations/jetstream-max-cascadia-subduction-zone" data-vars-content-id="81c72095-a227-4ced-ac23-5661356c0fa2" data-vars-headline="What Seattle&#x27;s recent quake streak means for the &quot;Big One&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunamis/tsunami-locations/jetstream-max-cascadia-subduction-zone" target="_blank">700-mile offshore fault</a> that runs from Canada to California — unleashes a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="massive earthquake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/09/20/pnw-earthquake-really-big-one-preparing-prep" data-vars-content-id="81c72095-a227-4ced-ac23-5661356c0fa2" data-vars-headline="What Seattle&#x27;s recent quake streak means for the &quot;Big One&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/09/20/pnw-earthquake-really-big-one-preparing-prep" target="_self">massive earthquake</a>, triggering a tsunami and spelling one of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="worst natural disasters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one" data-vars-content-id="81c72095-a227-4ced-ac23-5661356c0fa2" data-vars-headline="What Seattle&#x27;s recent quake streak means for the &quot;Big One&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one" target="_blank">worst natural disasters</a> on the continent.

Environment

$1B funding cut "a gut punch" for PNW hydrogen projects

Ring of Fire shocks raise West Coast fears

Mike Lee's proposed public lands sale blocked by Senate parliamentarian

Washington's recycling system could get a major makeover

What Seattle's recent quake streak means for the "Big One"