Governor Inslee to Tour Three Central Washington Sites

Governor Jay Inslee plans to make stops in Central Washington tomorrow (7/11) including a visit to the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell.

Inslee will meet with officials from the state Department of Corrections (DOC) for a roundtable discussion.

"Meet with staff and possibly incarcerated individuals as well. He likes to have a nice conversation about what they're doing and what's going on with the facilities." DOC spokesperson Chris Wright said.

Roundtable topics will include a rehabilitative model of justice to help inmates start a new trajectory after their release. The DOC says it's committed to reduce the use of solitary confinement by 90% in an effort to move Washington State out of an era of mass incarceration.

"We are closing one prison, Larch Corrections Center in the southwest part of the state, and that's a result of changes in sentencing and law and people not being given extremely harsh sentences anymore for simple drugs. So, we have 70% capacity of beds. We made the decision to close one prison." Wright added.

Governor Inslee also plans to visit Moses Lake for a groundbreaking on a sustainable jet fuel production facility. Lawmakers will be hosted by Twelve, a carbon transformation company, at its property to kick off construction. In May, Inslee signed legislation to incentivize production of sustainable aviation fuel within the state.

Inslee will also make a stop in Othello to learn more about Washington State University’s Honeybee and Pollinator Research Extension where the university hosts 325 active hives. Staff and students have pioneered new research on symbiosis between fungi and pollinators. One recent paper from the lab showed that mushroom mycelia may stave off viral infection in bees, and another showed that a type of fungus helps defend captive bees from parasitic Varroa mites.