Seattle is a boom town. From manufacturing to tech, some of the world's biggest companies have brought jobs and wealth to the region.

But that comes with real growing pains. I'm Joshua McNichols. And I'm Monica Nicholsberg. We host Booming, a podcast that helps you make sense of the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.

From the big budget projects on Seattle's to-do list to the artificial intelligence age,

we get into the stories that hit your wallet and our region. Listen now on the KUOW app or wherever

you get podcasts.

Happy New Year's Eve from the KUOW Newsroom. This is Seattle Now. I'm Patricia Murphy with a roundup of today's top stories, the final evening headlines show of 2025. It's Wednesday, December 31st.

The conservative campaign that put four initiatives on the ballot last year has another two planned for 2026. Politics reporter Scott

Greenstone has more. This week, Let's Go Washington says they're submitting hundreds of thousands

of signatures to the Secretary of State for two initiatives. One, giving parents the right to see

school records of things like teens mental health counseling, the other initiative would keep

trans girls out of girls' sports. Brian Haywood is the wealthy sponsor behind Let's Go Washington.

This isn't a partisan issue. It's really not. And if one party is making it a partisan issue,

they're outstep with their constituents. Opponents say these initiatives could forcibly

out LGBTQ kids, disrupt classes,

and require girls to prove their biological sex while exempting boys' sports. The legislature can

either pass these two initiatives into law or let the voters decide next year. Scott Greenstone,

K-U-O-W News. As revelers get ready to say goodbye to 2025 and ring in the new year,

King County Metro is reminding people they can ride transit for free tonight.

Noel Gaska has more on your travel options this New Year's Eve.

After the clock has hit midnight and the confetti has cleared,

you can head home on a King County Metro or Sound Transit Express bus for free until 3 a.m.

Sound Transit is also extending service on the one-link light rail tonight, with trains operating every 15 minutes during late-night service that also runs until 3 a.m.

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