Seattle, WA
Seattle, King County file lawsuit to upend natural gas initiative
King County and the city of Seattle are among two of several plaintiffs to file a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the newly passed initiative on natural gas.
Initiative 2066 prohibits state and local governments from restricting or “discouraging” Washingtonians’ use of natural gas in their homes and businesses. It was one of four initiatives on November’s general election ballot and it was the only one to pass — by about 3.4%.
Now, it’s set to amend state rules on which kinds of energy buildings should use, reverting a push by state legislators to make heating powered through electricity over natural gas.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court, asks a judge to block the implementation of I-2066, which its attorneys said misled voters “about its actual provisions” and violated Washington’s single-subject law.
“This initiative, the way that it’s written, it covers multiple different subjects, not just issues related to natural gas — which is what the initiative supporters focused on and suggested all that was at issue,” Paul Lawrence, an attorney for the plaintiffs and partner with Pacifica Law Group, said. “This has much broader impact on a number of other laws … including energy efficiency, to avoid the disproportionate negative health impacts from air pollution, and these other issues that go far beyond the issue of natural gas.”
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The suit claims I-2066 is unconstitutional, citing Article II, Section 9, of the Washington Constitution, which reads, “No bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.”
VP of External Affairs for Building Industry Association of WA comments
Jan Himebaugh, Vice President of External Affairs for the Building Industry Association of Washington called the claims “bogus”
“I think it’s just really sad that, once again, activists who think that they know what’s best for the people of Washington are trying to sort of undermine democracy,” she told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday. “The people of Washington spoke and Seattle and King County think they know better, so they’re going to tell the rest of Washington, ‘No, we think you got this wrong’ and that ‘You’re too dumb to know what you’re talking about.’”
While Governor Jay Inslee is not signed as one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, he raised the same legal argument just one day after the election, telling the press, “I think there is a very good chance the court will find that it was defective by violating the single-subject rule.”
When asked by KIRO Newsradio whether Inslee or his office had any direct or indirect involvement in the lawsuit, a spokesperson responded over email, “I think you’ll find many have voiced that argument. The governor is not party to the lawsuit.”
Founder of Let’s Go Washington releases statement
Brian Heywood, founder of the political action committee Let’s Go Washington — which heavily supported all four ballot initiatives — released a statement in response to the lawsuit, describing the city of Seattle and King County’s participation as shameful.
“Washington voters made their position clear: they want to protect natural gas and energy choice. Instead of spending time and money suing corporations, perhaps the (Attorney General Bob Ferguson), Seattle and King County should focus on enforcing the law and protecting the will of the people,” Heywood’s statement reads in part.
Despite Ferguson being named multiple times in Heywood’s statement, Ferguson’s office has not taken action to challenge the initiative and, in fact, declined a request to do so from the group bringing the lawsuit. In a letter sent Dec. 6 through their attorneys with Pacifica Law Group, the plaintiffs asked Ferguson’s office to “investigate and promptly institute legal proceedings” on I-2066’s constitutionality. Ferguson’s office replied three days later, rejecting the request and stating that initiatives have a “presumption of constitutionality.”
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Lawrence told KIRO Newsradio the request to Ferguson’s office was merely a procedural necessity to guarantee the plaintiffs had legal standing for such a lawsuit.
“There are dozens, if not more, cases of initiatives that have been declared unconstitutional — like this one,” Lawrence said. “There is a lot of precedence for that, and in fact, we’ll be citing in our brief on the merits a number of Washington state cases that involve this problem of wrongfully combining multiple subjects in the same initiative.”
At the time of publication, no hearing on the lawsuit is currently scheduled. While I-2066 went into effect on Dec. 5, the future of its implementation is uncertain.
Below is Heywood’s statement in full:
Let’s Go Washington is focused on the fairness and accountability of government organizations – the Governor-elect and Governor Inslee have the highest responsibility to side with the people. Washingtonians have voted to protect natural gas from being banned, now it’s time for AG Ferguson and other statewide organizations to enforce this law. If the SBCC won’t follow the law, the governor should demand their resignations.
Meanwhile, as citizens struggle to afford housing and pay their energy bills, shamefully, the City of Seattle and King County are leading the charge to eliminate energy choice and make living more expensive. Washington voters made their position clear: they want to protect natural gas and energy choice. Instead of spending time and money suing corporations, perhaps the AG, Seattle, and King County should focus on enforcing the law and protecting the will of the people.”
Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.
SEATTLE – Remember that iconic Gap advertisement with the girl group dancing to “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” that took the internet by storm in August?
What we know:
Katseye, the girl-group in the ad, are taking center stage at Climate Pledge Arena on Nov. 17, with ticket sales dropping on Thursday, May 21 and their new EP, Wild, is set to release on Aug. 14 via Hybe x Geffen Records.
The global girl group announced their WILDWORLD TOUR on Wednesday, bringing Katseye to arenas across Europe and North America this fall.
Katseye’s tour will kickoff in Dublin, Ireland on September 1, at Dublin’s 3Arena, while the North American portion of their tour launches Oct. 13 in Miami, Florida at Kaseya Center. Other honorable tour venue mentions include UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The WILDWORLD TOUR will conclude at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on Nov. 27.
Keep reading for ticket information and the full tour itinerary.
Ticket Information
What’s next:
Tickets will be available beginning at the end of May. Specifically, Weverse Artist Presale tickets will be available on Wednesday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m. local time, before the Katseye.World Presale at 3:00 p.m. local time.
General onsale begins Thursday, May 21 at 3:00 p.m. local time at www.katseye.world.
Tour itinerary
KATSEYE – WILDWORLD TOUR
UK/EU
9/1 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
9/3 – London, UK – The O2
9/6 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live
9/9 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
9/11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
9/13 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
9/15 – Antwerp, Belgium – AFAS Dome
9/17 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
North America
10/13 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
10/15 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
10/20 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
10/22 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
10/24 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
10/28 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
10/30 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
11/1 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
11/3 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
11/5 – Chicago, IL – United Center
11/7 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
11/10 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
11/11 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
11/14 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
11/17 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
11/19 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
11/21 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
11/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Mortgage Matchup Center
11/27 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
2026 Festival Dates
6/5 – New York, NY – The Governors Ball Music Festival
7/30 – Saint Charles, IA – Hinterland Music Festival
8/8 – Pasadena, CA – 88rising Festival: Head In The Clouds
The Source: Information in this story came from a press release from Katseye and the katseye.world website.
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SEATTLE – An upper level low will increase showers and isolated storms overnight. Some storms that develop could produce locally heavy rain, thunder and lightning along with gusty winds. The best chance will be along and east of the I-5 corridor. Scattered showers will be possible during the day. There is also a chance for a light dusting of snow in the higher mountains.
Upper level low will increase showers and isolated storms overnight with scattered showers possible during the day. (FOX13 Seattle)
Wind Advisory in Eastern Washington
As the disturbance crosses through the region, winds will be especially gusty in Central and Eastern Washington. A Wind Advisory will be in effect for many of these locations through late Wednesday night.
Winds will be picking up on Wednesday with gusts nearing 50 mph. (FOX13 Seattle)
What’s next:
After warming into the low 80s on Tuesday, Wednesday will feel quite a bit different. Afternoon highs will only be in the upper 50s and low 60s, a good 20 degrees cooler than just 24 hours ago.
Afternoon highs will be significantly cooler on Wednesday.
Looking Ahead:
Even after Wednesday’s early morning rain, the rest of the week will remain unsettled. Additional chances for showers and cooler into the weekend. We will again near 70 degrees by early next week.
Cooler and wet for Wednesday with additional showers possible this week.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
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How to get tickets for Journey’s new Seattle concert date at Climate Pledge Arena
Tacoma man accused of gunning down man sitting on sidewalk
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
There’s been a question about the future of Seattle Seahawks edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence this offseason.
It may have been answered Monday.
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Just weeks after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in February, ESPN’s Brady Henderson said “one of the first questions” the Hawks had to answer this offseason is “whether or not DeMarcus Lawrence is coming back.”
Generally, the sentiment in the months since has been that the 34 year old is not retiring, but there has not been a concrete answer from the five-time Pro Bowler or the Seahawks on his status for 2026. The closest thing to it came from Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald in late March, when he said, “To my knowledge, he’s coming back” to reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting in Phoenix.
In the Seahawks.com article Monday announcing Seattle’s signing of veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., there was a statement that seemed to indicate where Lawrence, who is a 12-year NFL veteran, stands on the retirement question.
Fowler said that before he ultimately decided to sign with the Seahawks, he talked for roughly a half-hour on FaceTime with Lawrence, who was his teammate with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and 2023.
Lawrence had a message that helped convince Fowler to join Seattle: “If you want to win a Super Bowl, you should come here.”
That sounds like a statement you’d hear from somebody who’s planning to play in 2026, doesn’t it?
Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard thinks so.
“(The Seahawks) have gotten no indication whatsoever that he is retiring. And on top of it, I kind of read this as I don’t think you go full-boat and sell the organization in that way unless you also want to be a part of it and … go get that ring again,” said Huard, a longtime FOX football analyst and former NFL quarterback, on Tuesday’s edition of Brock and Salk.
On top of it all, what Lawrence said to Fowler is a great sales pitch for the Seahawks.
“Dante Fowler made it really abundantly clear, the final push was DeMarcus Lawrence. And the final push was: you want to win a Super Bowl, then you’ve got to be a Seattle Seahawk. And I don’t think there is any stronger (sales pitch than) word of mouth,” Huard said. “… That’s what you want, right? In any business, in any kind of marketing, the best advertising and the best marketing and the best sales pitch is what? Word of mouth. And when it comes from within and somebody with the credibility that DeMarcus Lawrence has too and the relationship he has with Dante Fowler, that was the final selling point. Job well done.”
Brock Huard answers three football questions in the Blue 88 segment at 7:45 a.m. during each episode of Brock and Salk. Catch Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
• ESPN’s Wickersham explains why sale could mean a new stadium
• Seahawks’ list of potential Week 1 opponents continues to narrow
• Where Seattle Seahawks’ 2026 strength of schedule ranks
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