TJ Martinell
TJ Martinell is a native Washingtonian and award-winning journalist. Born and raised in Bellevue, he’s been involved in the news industry since working at his high school newspaper.
His investigative reporting for various community newspapers in the Puget Sound region has been recognized by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society for Professional Journalists.
A graduate of Eastern Washington University, he has a B.A. in journalism and was the news editor of EWU’s student university newspaper.
Will new clean energy policy work?
This legislative session state lawmakers approved SB 5116 sponsored by Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D-36) that puts Washington on a path to 100 percent clean...
Reforming the housing development process
Following a recent housing summit in Bellevue, the House Local Government Committee held a work session in Federal Way examining the various public policies...
Wildfire strikes near unhealthy forestland
The month of August has begun with an escalation of Washington’s wildfire season. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and tribal resources...
Hunt continues for Fish and Wildlife funding
During this year’s legislative session, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) requested $31 million to help plug a hole in its operating...
Should Washington keep aerospace tax incentives?
In 2003, the state legislature approved a package of tax incentives related to the aerospace industry to ensure Boeing would produce its 787 in...
Premera announces rural healthcare access grants
Healthcare insurance provider Premera has announced an investment of $10.5 million in grants over four years to Washington State University’s (WSU) community-based medical school...
Aerial attack helps check wildfire
As the intensity of this year’s wildfire season tapers, aerial attacks by state and federal agencies were able to check a fire that broke...
Long struggle ahead over water standards
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administer Andrew Wheeler last week signed a proposed rule repealing its water quality standards and restoring less stringent...
The big fix on fish barrier removal
Washington state lawmakers will have to come up with $3 billion in additional funding for more than 900 fish barrier removal projects if they’re...
“Cosmic Crisp” bred for Washington growers
After more than two decades of development in collaboration with the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington producers plan to...
The fight to fully fund guest worker program
Washington farmers in recent years have increased the number of applications for H-2A guest worker visas while the federal government has decreased funding to...
Single-payer system would require $28 billion in new taxes
This year the state legislature passed SB 5526 which created a standardized health plan through the public health care exchange. Business and industry groups opposed...
Forecast: Wildfires could come to westside
After a brief respite from wildfire activity earlier this month, new grassland fires have broken out across the state and more than doubled the...
“Treading water” in no man’s land
The state Wildland Fire Advisory Committee plans to recommend steps the state legislature can take to address areas in Washington not protected by any...
Lake Washington ferry service planned
A pilot program is in the works by a private developer to offer ferry service routes from South Lake Union to the 17-acre Southport...
How drivers feel about an RUC
This coming December the Washington State Transportation Commission’s (WSTC) road user charge (RUC) steering committee plans to submit recommendations to the legislature for the...
Ultra-high-speed rail: Silver bullet or pipe dream?
The Washington State Department of Transportation has released its business case analysis regarding the concept of an ultra-high-speed rail line from Portland through Seattle...
Seattle income tax set for high court showdown
In a new ruling the Washington State Division 1 of the Court of Appeals has struck down the city of Seattle’s 2017 local income...
Addressing Washington’s housing affordability crisis
A housing summit in Bellevue involving various stakeholders from the private and public sectors could represent a turning point in a statewide housing crisis...
Washington enjoys lull in wildfire season
At this time last year state, federal and local agencies were battling wildfires that forced the evacuation of rural central Washington communities and temporarily...
Navigating Washington’s housing crisis
Housing unaffordability similar to conditions in California was forecasted for Washington state during a July 8 housing summit in Bellevue. Whether or not Washington...
Is California Washington’s housing future?
Washington is experiencing a statewide housing shortage problem that is unlikely to change anytime soon, according to Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER)...
Palumbo’s District 1 seat filled
The King and Snohomish County councils voted last week to have Rep. Derek Stanford (D-1) fill the legislative district 1 Senate seat formerly occupied...
Addressing yesterday’s congestion today
As a new interstate work group continues to look at replacing the century-old I-5 bridge spanning the Columbia River from Vancouver to Portland, some...
Janus one year on – what’s next?
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision one year ago in which the court ruled that requiring public employees to pay union dues violated...
Longer curfew for Washington’s young drivers?
A draft proposal of the Washington State Strategic Highway Safety Plan Target Zero 2019 includes a list of recommendations to reduce traffic accidents that...
Improving Washington’s drought response
As the state Department of Ecology has declared a water drought in nearly half all Washington’s watersheds, a joint committee may make recommendations to...
New taxes for transit?
Investments at the local and state levels on transit throughout Washington state isn’t keeping pace with economic growth, and new revenue sources such as...
Hydropower project “new frontier” for clean energy
A Senate bill approved this session by state lawmakers will require Washington state utilities to provide carbon-neutral energy by 2035 and to achieve100 percent...
Washington’s economy remains steady
Washington’s economy continues to outperform the nation and pad state coffers – tade disputes between the U.S. and countries like China notwithstanding. The latest...
The world of tomorrow with 5G
For enthusiasts of 5th generation (5G) mobile networks technology in the private sector, it’s hard to understate the positive impacts. The expansion alone is...
Protecting “no man’s land”
In recent years, the state Wildland Fire Advisory Committee has offered recommendations on how to improve initial responses to state wildfires. Now, the 14-member...
Seattle biz community hopes for “change election”
Last year, backlash from Seattle’s business community and other Seattleites led to the repeal of the city’s $275-per employee job tax. At the time,...
State sues EPA over water quality standards
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for repealing water quality standards that overrode those...
Swapping sales tax exemption for a refund: Will it work?
An upcoming change to the state sales tax exemption for nonresidents and the reaction by different business entities reflect the diversity of Washington’s economic...
Locals headed to small biz boot camp
Recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Chinese imports continue to affect small business members such as Krystal and Blake Garfield with the family-owned...
Fish barriers the new ‘McCleary’ for lawmakers
For several years the 2012 state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision regarding the legislature’s legal obligation to fund basic education dominated the legislative sessions as...
Stakeholders weigh in on rangeland associations
Earlier this year Washington state lawmakers considered HB 1188 sponsored by Rep. Tom Dent (R-13) that would allow the creation of rangeland fire protection...
Sound Transit lawsuit sent to high court
The Commissioner of the Washington Supreme Court has granted a motion by Sound Transit to have a class action lawsuit filed against the ST3...
Utilities in support of lower Snake River dams
This legislative session, Washington lawmakers approved a bill calling for the state to achieve 100 percent clean energy, while at the time authorizing a...
Grant County wildfire prompts evac
Washington state’s first major wildfire of the season has broken out in Grant County grassland area near the Columbia Basin in central Washington, prompting...
Sound Transit asks for high court review
A year ago, a group of private citizens filed a class action lawsuit against Sound Transit, arguing that its motor vehicle excise tax (MVET)...
Inrix announces new “smart” traffic technology
Kirkland-based Inrix has released new artificial intelligence technology, INRIX AI Traffic, which the company says can provide hyper-accurate, live traffic data to a variety...
The growing market for mass timber
In recent years, significant state legislation and building code changes have occurred related to cross-laminated timber (CLT) – also known as mass timber –...
The challenge to Washington family farms
There are roughly 35,700 farms in Washington state, according to 2017 census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That figure represents the loss...
Bracing for statewide wildfire season
The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing for what could be a severe wildfire season on both sides of the Cascades. While...
Lawmakers: Veto bank tax bill
Several top-ranking Republican state lawmakers and a Democrat senator are calling on Governor Jay Inslee to veto SHB 2167, arguing it was passed by...
Is gridlock here to stay?
During this legislative session state lawmakers approved SB 5825 which makes the tolls on Interstate 405 and State Route 167 permanent. However, the legislation...
How timber sales can pay for forest health work
The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages 2.1 million acres of working forests located on state trust land with a legal mandate to...
EPA reverses water quality rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reversed its 2017 decision to override a water quality rule adopted by the Washington Department of Ecology with...
Urban density bill signed by Inslee
Governor Jay Inslee has signed E2SHB 1923 sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) into law – a bill that supporters hope will increase housing...
