In The News

September 21, 2023

Northwest lawmakers weigh in as House GOP infighting raises government shutdown risk

by Orion Donovan Smith

WASHINGTON - As House Republicans struggled to overcome internal divisions and pass a short-term spending bill, Northwest lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday said a government shutdown appeared increasingly likely. After striking a deal with Democrats in May to limit federal spending in exchange for raising the nation’s debt ceiling to avert economic disaster, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has bowed to pressure from far-right lawmakers to demand steeper budget cuts and … Continue Reading


September 20, 2023

Why the White House is letting McCarthy flail

by Jennifer Haberkorn, Adam Cancryn

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is struggling to pass a bill to fund the government — and the White House isn’t about to throw him a lifeline. With just days to go before the government runs out of money, Biden’s team is watching Congress steam toward a shutdown, resigned to the reality that there’s little they can do now to fix the situation and confident the politics will play out their way. President Joe Biden has steered well clear of the chaos engulfing the House, where Republicans are … Continue Reading


September 09, 2023

Point of View: Bill aims to aid rural hospitals

by Derek Kilmer U.S. Representative

FORTY-NINE YEARS ago, I was born at what was then called Olympic Memorial Hospital. Over the years, members of my family and I received good, quality care from what is now known as Olympic Medical Center’s well-trained physicians and nurses and from a staff that genuinely cares about the community. But the future of health care in rural communities faces extraordinary challenges that threaten the ability of folks to access the care they deserve. Unfortunately, the reality for many Americans … Continue Reading


September 01, 2023

The Recompete Pilot Program can help rebuild distressed places—if policymakers properly fund it

by Timothy J. Bartik, Mark Muro

As politicians and pundits debate the merits of “Bidenomics,” one part of the administration’s economic strategy deserves special attention: the significant investments in “place-based” policies designed to boost growth in particular locations. Among these new investments is the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, authorized in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. This initiative is aimed at funding distressed local labor markets to bolster their prime-age (25- to 54-year-olds) employment … Continue Reading


August 22, 2023

BI gets money to revitalize Springbrook Creek

The city of Bainbridge Island has been awarded almost $2.6 million from the state Department of Transportation to revitalize the Springbrook Creek fish passage. “This is a critical step in the recovery of important ecosystems to boost salmon return,” Mayor Brenda Fantroy-Johnson said. The program is designed specifically to help communities remove and repair culverts that block salmon from their natural habitats. It’s part of the National Culvert Removal, Replacement and … Continue Reading


August 21, 2023

Strickland, Kilmer Announce Nearly $9.5M To Improve Fish Habitats In Puyallup River & Wapato Creek

Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland announcement. Today (August 18, 2023), U.S. Representatives Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Co-Chairs of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, announced that the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Port of Tacoma will receive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to improve fish passage in the South Sound. “The anadromous fish are an integral part of the South Sound … Continue Reading


August 19, 2023

OMC financial woes continue

by Paula Hunt

Olympic Medical Center commissioners were reminded of the organization’s persistent financial challenges related to revenue loss, stagnant patient volumes and low government medical reimbursement rates this week. Wednesday evening’s commissioner meeting was conducted virtually only out of caution due to concerns about a local resurgence of COVID-19. Chief Financial Officer Lorraine Cannon reported OMC lost $3.554 million in July. Most of the losses were due from a shortfall in … Continue Reading


August 16, 2023

Washington state legislators make pitch for high speed rail funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic members of the Washington state congressional delegation have written Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to lobby for federal funding to support development of a high speed rail route in the Pacific Northwest. The Cascadia High Speed Rail proposal calls for developing a route from Vancouver, British Columbia through Seattle to Portland, Ore. The Washington State Department of Transportation submitted an application to the Federal Railroad … Continue Reading


August 16, 2023

Coastal erosion threatens Kalaloch cabins

by Paula Hunt

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Mother Nature is encroaching on the cabins at Kalaloch Lodge, clawing away at the bluff and sending large chunks of sediment onto the beach below. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, on a Monday visit to the North Olympic Peninsula, got an up-close look at coastal erosion that has already led Olympic National Park to make plans to remove five of the cabins sitting closest to the rim this fall and implement a plan to address bluff loss estimated at between 1 to 10 feet … Continue Reading


August 15, 2023

Opinion: Want to Solve Polarization? Encourage More People to Volunteer

by Eboo Patel

I grew up volunteering. I taught people with physical disabilities how to swim at the B.R. Ryall YMCA in my hometown of Glen Ellyn, Ill. I tutored Eritrean refugees in English at a community center in nearby Wheaton. I served meals at the Salvation Army, the Men’s Emergency Shelter, and the Center for Women in Transition when I went off to college at the University of Illinois at Champaign. Volunteering was a social norm in my generation. During introductions at the beginning of … Continue Reading


August 15, 2023

New A.I. working group aims to shape policy for key Democratic bloc

by Emily Wilkins

WASHINGTON — Democrats on Capitol Hill are forming a new working group on artificial intelligence and prioritizing how to prevent deepfakes from wreaking havoc on personal lives, national security and the upcoming 2024 elections.  Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., will chair the new AI working group in the New Democrat Coalition, a 98-member bloc of House members that typically avoid the spotlight but wield significant influence over policy within the caucus. Lawmakers … Continue Reading


August 15, 2023

Moderate Democratic coalition creates AI working group

by Diane Bartz

Moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have formed a working group on artificial intelligence aimed at tackling the issue of what restrictions, if any, should be put on the technology. The New Democrat Coalition announced the formation of the group on Tuesday, saying it would work with the Biden administration, companies and other lawmakers to develop "sensible, bipartisan policies to address this emerging technology." While artificial intelligence has been used for several … Continue Reading


August 14, 2023

Op Ed: Major climate legislation will keep ports, air and water clean

by Maanit Goel

As an ocean protection advocate, I am vocal about looking to the ocean as a source of solutions to help us fight and adapt to climate change. Ocean climate action, ranging from renewable energy development to natural carbon-storing solutions, could provide a fifth of the greenhouse gas emission reductions needed globally to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.  Recent investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to … Continue Reading


August 14, 2023

Kilmer requests include Peninsula projects funds

Five of U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer’s 15 Community Project Funding requests are for projects on the North Olympic Peninsula. Kilmer said he and his staff received and reviewed more than 80 applications for consideration. Clallam County • Port Angeles Waterfront Center; requested amount $4 million; purchase of equipment needed to support completion of Field Arts & Events Hall. • Habitat for Humanity, Sequim; requested amount $2 million; development of … Continue Reading


August 13, 2023

Maritime industry focus of a Port Townsend visit

by Paula Hunt

PORT TOWNSEND — U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer sat down with members of the city’s maritime sector and local government officials at the Port Townsend Yacht Club to discuss the centrality of the area’s marine industry sited at the Boat Haven Marina and Boat Yard owned by the Port of Port Townsend. Kilmer, who represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula, is sponsoring a $6.16 million Community Project Funding request to replace the failing … Continue Reading


August 03, 2023

New multi-mission dry dock at shipyard could start in three years, leaders say

by Peiyu Lin

BREMERTON — The construction of the Navy's new multi-mission dry dock at PSNS & IMF — the first dry dock that will be capable of docking the nation's newest Ford-class aircraft carriers — could start as early as Fiscal Year 2026, it was announced at a meeting this week. Currently, 15% of the new dock's design is complete, but specific plans on where in the shipyard would the dry dock be located are still pending to be finalized. On Wednesday afternoon, Capt. Brent Paul, … Continue Reading


August 02, 2023

‘A Story of Shocking Function’ — Derek Kilmer Works to Fix Congress

by Sara Thompson

Ten years ago, then-state legislator Derek Kilmer considered running for Congress to replace the retiring Norm Dicks (D-6th), but he had some reservations. “I was conscious that if I was successful, I was signing up for a 3,000-mile commute and my kids were 3 and 6,” Kilmer said. “The other con was that I was going to Congress, and I was kind of repelled by it. “Then I thought maybe that’s the reason to do it. Because it’s a mess and because I have kids and … Continue Reading


July 29, 2023

Grants aid food bank, firefighters

by Ken Park

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles Food Bank has received $81,500 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will use those funds to continue to support its market as well as regional food banks and pantries. It is among three beneficiaries of $256,000 in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to the Olympic Peninsula. Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and Clallam Fire District 4 in Joyce received funding for equipment. “We received this funding to purchase equipment necessary for … Continue Reading


July 26, 2023

Kilmer leads pinning ceremony honoring Vietnam Veterans

by Michael S. Lockett

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-6th District, and local veterans took part in a ceremony honoring veterans of the Vietnam War with pins at the American Legion Monday night. Dozens streamed in from the heavy rain as veterans of the conflict came up one by one to receive recognition, thanks and a commemorative pin from Kilmer and from County Commissioner Jill Warne. “Part of my job here tonight is not just to give you a pin but to thank you, to thank you for your service and thank you for your … Continue Reading


July 25, 2023

Rep. Kilmer visits West Fork Dam in Hoquiam; seeks funding for removal project

Prior to an event on Monday where Representative Derek Kilmer presented local Vietnam War era veterans with pins to commemorate their service, he was in the area meeting with officials to look at a project in Hoquiam. On Monday, July 24, Rep. Kilmer (WA-06) met with City of Hoquiam officials to discuss the Hoquiam West Fork Dam Removal and Drinking Water Supply Project.  KXRO was on hand as Rep. Kilmer met with City Administrator Brian Shay and project staff to see the West Fork Dam … Continue Reading

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