Defense & Manufacturing: Shield AI is building its AI-piloted X-BAT unmanned fighter jet facility in Des Moines, aiming for $300M+ in direct investment and hundreds of high-paying jobs as production ramps in the Puget Sound region. Permitting & Housing Costs: A Seattle ex-software engineer launched Kolmo’s AI permit translator (kolmo.io/permits), mapping 457 verified rules across 80 jurisdictions so homeowners and contractors can cut through zoning and permit confusion. Labor & Wages: Washington’s minimum wage is set to rise to $17.73 an hour in 2027 (a 3.5% bump), with Seattle and other localities already higher. Local Government & Work Rules: King County is considering a new Office of Labor Standards focused on unincorporated areas—starting with outreach and education but pointing toward future “modern labor standards.” Public Safety & Enforcement: Pacific, Wash., is rolling out traffic safety cameras with a 30-day warning period, targeting speeding in park and school zones. Elections & Logistics: USPS is slowing delivery under Regional Transportation Optimization, which could affect mail ballot postmarks—especially for rural voters. AI in Seattle: Inworld acquired Ultravox (formerly Fixie), adding voice-agent tech for managing turn-taking and interruptions. Tech for Efficiency: Ai2 released Olmo-core 3 to make mixture-of-experts LLM training more efficient, scaling expert pools while keeping costs down.