Government

Since gay marriage became legal late last year in Washington, there have been thousands of same-sex weddings. The Department of Health for the state says there were 2,413 gay marriages between December 6 of last year and March 31 of this year based on the number of signed marriage certificates have been turned into the state.

 Your Take On The News
Former Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna has launched a new web site and nonprofit, leading people to wonder whether or not he is done with politics. Snohomish County now has a new County Executive, John Lovick. The former sheriff took the position Monday. Governor Inslee has been criticized for the lack of progress being made on the budget and without a deal there may be a second special session for the Washington state legislature. Joni Balter of the Seattle Times, The Stranger’s Eli Sanders and Crosscut’s Knute Berger join us to wrap up the week’s news.

 Ask State Attorney General Bob Ferguson
A federal judge has ordered Washington state to fix hundreds of culverts allow water to flow underneath roads. Many Washington Indian Tribes claim the culverts block salmon passages. Why is state attorney general Bob Ferguson appealing that ruling? Also, what’s the possibility the state might sue over leaking tanks at Hanford? And what’s happening with the process to legalize marijuana? Ferguson joins us this hour to take your questions. Send yours now to Weekday.

Science News
Xconomy’s Luke Timmerman brings us the latest news in biotechnology.

Weekend Weather
State climatologist Nick Bond joins us with a weekend weather forecast.

The August primary election is only about two months away, but you might not even know it. The Seattle mayor’s race, which involves nine candidates, has yet to hit the front pages. Ask any random people on the street, and chances are they aren't even aware that a race is underway.

The candidates have been hard at work on the campaign trail,  but much of what they have been doing is not immediately obvious.

Correction 6/6/2013: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Staff Sgt. Bales was from Lake Tapps, Ohio.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the American soldier from Lake Tapps, Wash., charged with killing 16 Afghan civilians during night time raids on two villages last year, pleaded guilty Wednesday to avoid the death penalty. The judge, Col. Jeffery Nance has accepted his plea agreement which takes the option of the  death penalty off the table.

Forty-eight days: That’s the average time people who are suspected of immigration violations are held in detention in Washington state before they are released or deported. A new report from researchers at Syracuse University also concludes that among states with the largest populations of detainees, Washington ranks among the worst for long detention times: number 20 out of 30.

 Today Sergeant Robert Bales admitted to killing 16 Afghan civilians. How will Afghanis react if Bales does not get the death penalty?  What will that mean for the US troop withdrawal strategy? Patricia Murphy reports live from the trial, and Ross Reynolds interviews Larry Goodson, South Asian Specialist at the US Army War College; plus Kate Clark, a senior analyst with the Afghanistan analysts network, and President Hamid Karzai's brother Mahmood.