Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air.

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So listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and WHYY.

Hey, good morning. I'm Paige Browning. It's Tuesday. This is Seattle now. At the end of March,

light rail trains will finally run between Seattle and the east side with stops in Mercer Island

and Seattle's Judkins Park.

It's not an overstatement that this connection is a huge deal for people who live or work on opposite sides of Lake Washington.

Coming up, we'll talk with KUOWW's growth and development reporter Joshua McNichols

about the economic power of a more connected region.

But first, let's get you caught up.

More people than ever were evicted in Washington State in 2025. In King County, specifically,

evictions increased 12 percent from 2024 to 2025, according to the Seattle Times.

Evictions have increased every year since pandemic protections ended in 2022.

Most of the cases involved non-payment of rent, and they disproportionately affected low-income tenants.

The Times reports that with almost half of King County renters cost burdened, the 2026 affordability

outlook is not great. Washington State Supreme Court Justice Barbara A. Madsen is retiring.

She was the first woman elected to the court and the first woman to serve two terms as chief

...