Sound Transit & Local Transit: Sound Transit approved a new light-rail strategy that keeps the “spine” funded but punts Ballard into indefinite limbo, cutting the neighborhood’s promised line short at the Seattle Center as the agency wrestles with a projected $34.5B shortfall. Seattle Public Safety & Housing: Seattle began removing resident-built barricades on Aurora-area side streets and replacing them with temporary traffic calming, while council members push for emergency authority to close streets for public safety. Homelessness Politics: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s push for 1,000 new shelter beds is colliding with staff turmoil, including the resignation of a senior homelessness adviser. State Economy & Taxes: Former Gov. Christine Gregoire warned Puget Sound leaders that “luck has run out,” citing stagnating job growth and rising affordability and permitting pressures. Courts & Crime: A Tacoma man convicted of attempted murder in the Point Defiance Park stabbing was sentenced to 22 years. Federal Immigration Enforcement: DHS is again raising the prospect of disrupting international flights tied to “sanctuary” cities, with Seattle and other host cities in the spotlight ahead of the World Cup. Tribal Rights: Quinault officials are set to meet federal and state parties over a push to expand fishery boundaries into Southwest Washington, drawing strong opposition from the Chinook. Workplace Disaster: Longview’s paper mill chemical tank implosion continues to drive recovery and cleanup scrutiny after multiple deaths and missing workers.