The IMPACT

A notorious pest has arrived in Washington which threatens to decimate the state's population of ash trees. We look at the response to the emerald ash borer invasion and explore how Washington monitors invasive species more broadly.

Could state-owned land help solve Washington's affordable housing shortage? A bipartisan group of lawmakers met with homebuilders in the Tri-Cities earlier this month to look at that question and debate how environmental rules and growth boundaries factor into production challenges and costs.Lt. Gov. Denny Heck joins us to discuss the tour and the takeaways.

his week we dive into the debate over Initiative 645. It’s an effort to repeal Washington’s new 9.9% state income tax on household income above $1 million.Featured interviews:  I-645 supporter - Jamie Herrera Beutler, Former U.S. CongresswomanI-645 opponent - April Sims, Washington State Labor Council President

Fifteen years ago, lawmakers endorsed a new model of higher ed for working adults that measures competence, not credit hours. The result was Washington's first state-endorsed nonprofit online university.With 50,000 degrees awarded to state residents since then, what does the future hold for WGU Washington?Guest: Tonya Drake, Regional Vice President, Western Governors University

As the state’s long term care program enters the benefits phase, we’ll look at what families need to know about qualifying for help and how the WA Cares rollout stacks up to earlier safety-net program debuts. That segment features a panel discussion with DSHS Assistant Secretary Bea Rector and ESD’s director of insurance services, JR Richards.In other news, we'll highlight the latest tsunami scenario to watch and tell you which beach town is building a new escape tower.