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Happy Friday from the KUOW Newsroom.

This is Seattle Now.

I'm Ruby Deluna with a roundup of today's top stories.

It's Friday, February 27th.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is calling on city departments to find ways to slash up to 10% of their

budgets. The Seattle Times says the request was outlined in a memo circulated this week. It said the

goal isn't to make across-the-board cuts, but to identify cost-saving options. Wilson's predecessor, former Mayor Bruce Harrell,

also asked city departments to brace for reductions,

but the Times reports he was able to avoid cuts

by leaning on the city's payroll tax on large businesses.

The city is facing $140 million deficit for next year. Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine says he's going to

meet with the King County Prosecutor's Office to see what can be done to hold copper wire thieves

more accountable. A series of incidents over the past few months has disrupted light rail service

around the region, including the latest one that happened this week near the Federal Way Station.

Sound transit has increased security measures and patrols in vulnerable areas over the past year, and lawmakers in Olympia introduced a bill that would have required scrap yards and scrap buyers to do more

to ensure they're not buying stolen copper and other metals. But that measure did not make it out

of committee in the current legislative session. And now some info from Olympia.

Washington State will soon shift decision-making power on vaccines away from federal bodies.

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