Housing & Permitting: Clark County builders say approvals are too expensive and slow, adding friction to new projects as the county’s community development leadership tries to streamline reviews. Local Housing Finance: Everett expanded its MFTE tax exemption program, lowering the unit threshold from 16 to four and widening where developers can qualify—aimed at boosting multifamily construction. Office-to-Apartments: Seattle continues to struggle with office conversions, with deep floor plans, plumbing rewrites, and costs keeping most potential projects on the sidelines. Transit & Construction Impacts: Seattle’s Denny Way Bus Reliability Project shifts traffic patterns starting Saturday near I-5 to improve Route 8 reliability. Workforce & Tech Economy: Seattle-area job data shows a sharp rise in truck-driver and security-guard postings while software-engineer roles keep falling, reflecting ongoing tech layoffs. Retail & Consumer Costs: Amazon says it collected about $600M in tariff refunds and will reimburse some shoppers automatically or use the rest for price cuts. Consumer Protection: A Seattle federal lawsuit accuses Amazon of “greenwashing” seafood sustainability claims, including “dolphin safe” and “wild caught.” Energy & Power: Washington’s only coal plant is shifting to natural gas as backup power for the region. Sports & Local Business: Schrier visited Cle Elum to highlight HopeSource’s Teanaway Court affordable housing project, while Mariners coverage underscores how tough the season has been at T-Mobile Park.