Washington Tax Politics: Seattle entrepreneur Leslie Goeres says she’s house-hunting out of state after Washington’s new 9.9% “millionaires tax” on household income above $1M takes effect in 2028, as voters weigh Initiative 645 to repeal it. Transit Engineering: Seattle’s light rail is still a global oddity—world’s first floating passenger train—built to handle Lake Washington’s shifting lakebed and heavy loads. K-12 + STEM: Washington State Teacher of the Year Gabriela Whitemarsh will keynote WSU Tri-Cities’ Education Summit on Oct. 10, focusing on keeping human relationships central as AI reshapes learning. Food Safety Research: WSU’s Kang Huang secured multiple USDA NIFA grants to reduce spoilage and food waste, including new work on food-safe coatings. AI in Medicine: A study in NEJM reports an AI early-warning system reduced in-hospital deaths for high-risk patients by flagging deterioration sooner. Space Tech: Seattle-based Interlune says it recreated 15,000 years of solar-wind exposure on lunar soil in four hours to help test Moon-mining gear on Earth. Nuclear Power: The U.S. Army plans up to $2.2B for nuclear microreactors at military bases.