A proposal to solve King County Transit's budget gap by raising car tab registration fees is likely to be heading to the ballot this November, according to several transit reports. The new fee, which would raise car tab rates by $20 for a two-year trial period, is expected to be formally announced by County Executive Dow Constantine tomorrow, who will bring the proposal to the King County Metropolitan Council for a vote. more ›

Gregoire just signed a bill that extends coverage for a state Medicaid family planning program, but the good news may be short-lived in the face of looming budget cuts. more ›

King County libraries walk the walk on privacy issues, local artists lose a source of funding, and the wording for the deep-bore tunnel referendum has been unveiled. more ›

On Sunday, February 1, regular Metro fares will increase by 25 cents. Their handy fare revisions chart [pdf] goes into more detail: kids, senior citizens, or disabled riders won't have to pay any more than previously to ride the bus, but regular riders will soon be paying $2 for the pleasure of riding in peak season and $2.50 for peak two-zone rides. Off-peak regular fare will be $1.75 for one- or two-zone rides. Metro blames "a weak economy, record fuel prices in mid-2008 and falling sales tax revenues" for their budget woes, and notes that the fare revision will help them maintain their current system rather than to increase route coverage or frequency. Guess that means fewer quarters in our bank account to spend on jalapeno poppers. more ›