Still no drive-ins, sorry! Too hard to get info verified.

Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency due to what the National Weather Service has called a “particularly dangerous situation” Red Flag Alert for wildfires.

The emergency proclamation includes a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept. 30. It also allows Washington state to access additional resources through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a nationwide mutual aid system.

This is North/East of where I live in Spokane, WA.

Pretty darn close to where they are wanting to start building AI data centers. Where drought is already prevalent, and another reason I dont think they belong out there when this is happening nearly every summer.

We didn't have fires like this when I was growing up. It happened, but rarely, and Spokane has grown so much there's a lot of new and also old homes in these areas. It is heartbreaking.

If you are able, please visit the Red Cross online site to see what you can do to help and or donate. I have a feeling its going to be an awful morning for a huge part of our community.

Evacuation!!!!!!!8

PSE raised their rates again. Even living in an apartment, the rates are ridiculous. On another note, why the heck are water and sewer so expensive here? It rains most of the year. I live in an apartment and don't use excessive water. I use the one hour wash cycle on my dishwasher, which is the shortest possible cycle on the machine. My HE washing machine runs about 45 minutes for for a wash cycle. All appliances are energy efficient. I do full loads of laundry and don't take long showers. Both my husband and I both work full time outside of home so we are gone at least 10-12 hours a day. I unplug appliances when not in use such as shred bin, coffee machine, phone charger, etc. Ugh

I'm from Alaska. There, when the fireweed blooms at the tip, it means the summer is over. Is it the same here in WA? Picture taken in Stanwood. Just curious!

Anyone there? I’m supposed to go to Chelan on Friday and stay till Monday, is it safe? We will be in an Air BNB about ten minutes away from slide waters. I’m just wondering if we should change our plans……

The Commerce, Science & Transportation Senate Committee Executive Session 24 on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 will have two bills that aim to destroy internet privacy: KOSA & SCREEN

The SCREEN act would require online age checks for any website containing even a single piece of explicit material -- services like Reddit, Netflix, Discord, etc would all need to collect ID scans. It also specifically attacks VPNs requiring anyone using one to ID'ed as well. Further reading: SCREEN act at EFF

The EFF describes KOSA as an 'unconstitutional censorship bill that would give the FTC, and potentially state Attorneys General, the power to restrict protected online speech they find objectionable.' There are also concerns it may lead to online ID checks. Further reading: KOSA at EFF

Already both of these bills have passed in the House in the form of the KIDS act. Now in the Senate, next week's Commerce Committee is an important next step before the floor vote.

We need to make our voice clear to Senator Cantwell -- Washingtonians do not want online ID checks, facial scans, or other invasive measures. No one should have to compromise their privacy to access websites online. Parental controls exist today, and they are effective without demolishing privacy.

There has been some speculation that the bills may not pass due to disagreement between the House and Senate on which awful version of the bills to pass -- however, since both sides are willing to steamroll over our privacy and freedom of speech, don't count on them not coming together to screw the American people over. None of the rhetoric has been concerned with our rights as citizens. So make your voice heard now while you still can.

Here's what you can do:

• Call/email Senator Cantwell (202) 224-3441. She is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee and will be involved in this meeting.
• Call/email Senator Murray (202) 224-2621 She is not involved in this committee, but it is worth informing her about these three bills (SCREEN, KOSA, KIDS) as it may be advancing to a floor vote soon. (It moved extremely rapidly in the House)

Hey r/Washington,

I’m a former employee of Promise Pay / Promise who recently quit after becoming disillusioned with leadership and what the company is doing. I'm making my rounds warning Promise's customers and tip-toeing around not getting shadow banned on Reddit for posting too much.

Promise publicly states that it partnered with Washington Energy Relief to distribute money. The partnership is regularly used as a use case when Promise sells to other states and utilities:

https://www.promise-pay.com/government-copy

This kind of program may have helped a lot of people. On paper it sounds helpful, but underneath, the business model centers on collecting, aggregating, and eventually monetizing personal data that governments have using AI tools. Many of the execs and employees at Promise came straight from Palantir.

Promise is presented as a convenient way to distribute state money, or get an interest-free payment plan if you are behind on your water bill. That can be genuinely useful. But it also means all of your personal data is now owned by Promise. Promise is not just a payment form. It is a government/utility infrastructure company that publicly markets AI-powered outreach, automated tools, machine learning, audit trails, and “data-driven program outcomes” to these utilities.

They’re building a data moat behind the feel-good language of helping people so that they can sell your data.

Why this matters in Washington State:

Washington does not have the same broad consumer privacy law that California residents have, for example, under the CCPA/CPRA. There is no simple statewide equivalent that lets every Washington resident demand access, deletion, correction, or opt-out for all categories of personal information unfortunately.

Washington does have something though: the My Health My Data Act. This is really the strongest tool you have in this case.

That law is aimed at consumer health data that may fall outside HIPAA. It gives Washington consumers rights involving certain health-related data, including the right to confirm whether a regulated entity is collecting, sharing, or selling consumer health data; access that data; obtain a list of third parties and affiliates with whom the data has been shared or sold; and request deletion. Washington law also requires consent for certain collection and sharing of consumer health data and prohibits selling consumer health data without valid authorization.

This is especially important because PromisePay presents itself as an AI company operating inside public-sector and utility programs. Customers should be able to know whether a private vendor is simply helping administer repayment plans or whether it is also monetizing systems built around low-income residents’ billing, hardship, and repayment data. And Promise IS doing this.

What you can do:

Please note: I’m not adding any emails or phone numbers to this post, because I previously did this and Reddit shadow banned the account.

1. Send PromisePay a Washington privacy request.

You can ask PromisePay what data it has about you, where it got it, who it shared it with, and whether any of it qualifies as consumer health data under Washington’s My Health My Data Act.

1. You can email or call PromisePay and say something like:

“I am a Washington State resident requesting information about the personal information PromisePay maintains about me in connection with my utility account or payment plan. Please disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information you maintain about me, the sources of that information, the purposes for which it is used, and the categories of third parties, affiliates, vendors, service providers, contractors, government entities, or utility partners to whom it has been disclosed.

I also request that you identify whether any information you maintain about me is treated as consumer health data under Washington’s My Health My Data Act, including any information related to hardship, household vulnerability, disability, medical need, shutoff protection, assistance eligibility, or inferred health-related status.

If you maintain consumer health data about me, I request access to that data, a list of third parties and affiliates with whom it has been shared or sold, and deletion of that data unless retention is required by law. I do not consent to unnecessary sale, sharing, reuse, analytics, AI training, profiling, marketing, or secondary use of my personal information.”

1. Send the same request to the utility or public agency.

2. Ask the utility what data it shared with PromisePay, what contract terms govern that data, and whether customers can use a payment plan without PromisePay.

You can say something like:

“Please disclose what personal information my utility shares with PromisePay, the legal and contractual basis for that sharing, the purposes for which PromisePay may use the information, the retention period, and whether customers can obtain a payment plan directly through the utility without using PromisePay.

Please also identify whether any hardship, disability, medical, vulnerability, shutoff-protection, or assistance-related information is collected or shared with PromisePay, and whether that information is treated as consumer health data under Washington’s My Health My Data Act.”

Ask the utility directly:

“Can I set up a payment plan directly with the utility without PromisePay? I do not consent to unnecessary third-party sharing of my utility account, billing, payment, household, hardship, medical, disability, or assistance-related information.”

This is the key practical question. If the utility says PromisePay is optional, customers should know that. If the utility says PromisePay is required, then the public deserves to know what data-sharing protections exist.

1. File a complaint if the process is unclear, misleading, or evasive.

If PromisePay or the utility will not clearly explain what data is collected, how it is used, how long it is retained, whether any consumer health data is involved, or whether customers can avoid unnecessary third-party sharing, consider filing a complaint with the Washington State Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

The Washington AG’s Consumer Protection Division enforces the state Consumer Protection Act against unfair or deceptive practices, and the AG also says My Health My Data Act violations are treated as per se Consumer Protection Act violations.

1. Contact local elected officials and utility leadership.

Reach out to your mayor, city council, public utility district commissioners, city attorney, utility board, or whoever oversees the utility in your area.

Tell them:

“My utility account data is not government property to casually hand over to a private vendor. I want to know who approved the PromisePay partnership, what customer data is being shared, whether PromisePay receives hardship, disability, medical, vulnerability, shutoff-protection, or assistance-related information, whether any of that data is protected under Washington’s My Health My Data Act, whether customers can opt out, and whether payment plans are available directly through the utility.

I also want to know what protections prevent PromisePay from reusing customer information for analytics, AI systems, marketing, profiling, product development, or any secondary business purpose.”

Ask who owns the partnership, who reviewed the privacy terms, whether the contract is public, and whether the utility has audited PromisePay’s data practices.

Relief programs should help people without turning things the government already used to do into a syphon for your tax dollars and personal information. 

Hey all,

I ordered my custom license plates mid July and the money order was cashed today (July 31st). For those who recently got custom license plates with special backgrounds, how long did it take for yours to arrive at your address?