Austin Jenkins

Olympia Correspondent

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia–based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. He regularly files stories for NPR News. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) weekly public affairs program "Inside Olympia."

Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin was a freelance general assignment reporter at KING–TV, the NBC affiliate in Seattle. He also worked as a freelance education reporter for KPLU–FM, the Tacoma–based NPR station. Austin spent 2001 in Washington, D.C. as a Knight Foundation/American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. Austin has also worked as a television reporter in Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming; and Bozeman, Montana. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and has a B.A. in Government from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Over the years Austin has won numerous professional awards for his reporting. He lives in Olympia with his wife Jennifer Huntley and their two children.

Read Austin's blog, "The Washington Ledge: Dispatches From Olympia."

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Fictitious Driver Licenses
6:50 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Inslee Signs Law Allowing Fictitious Driver License Program To Continue

Credit Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 5:41 pm

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed a law that will allow the state’s fictitious driver license program to continue – but only for undercover law enforcement activities. At the bill signing Inslee backed away from a previous statement that he would apply a broad definition of the term “law enforcement.”

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Gas Tax Rally
3:57 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Backers Of Washington Gas Tax Package Rally At Capitol

Credit Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 3:13 pm

Pressure is mounting on Washington state lawmakers to approve a gas tax increase to fund road projects. Backers of the 10-cents-per-gallon proposal rallied at the state Capitol Monday. They’re pushing for a vote during the current 30-day overtime session.

The scene on the steps of the Capitol featured hardhats, signs and the chant “Pass it now. Pass it now.”

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Fictitious Driver Licenses
5:27 pm
Fri May 17, 2013

CIA Disappears From List Of Federal Agencies With Fictitious Washington Licenses

Credit Central Intelligence Agency

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 5:14 pm

Washington’s Department of Licensing has released a list of federal agencies that have received fictitious driver licenses for undercover operations. But the list made public Friday does not include the Central Intelligence Agency – even though the state agency previously acknowledged its work with CIA.

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Pot Rules Opposed
7:27 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Pot Draft Rules Already Face Opposition

Washington’s proposed marijuana rules aren’t even 24-hours old. But already critics are finding things not to like. The 46-pages of draft regulations were released Thursday. They cover everything from where marijuana can be grown to the criminal backgrounds of license applicants. But it’s the section on marijuana concentrates that’s getting some negative buzz. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.


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Marijuana Rulebook
4:46 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Draft Pot Rules Do Not Cap Grow Sizes Or Number Of Licenses

Credit Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 4:43 pm

Washington’s Liquor Control Board has published 46-pages of proposed rules for the state’s new recreational marijuana market. But the regulations released Thursday are largely silent on two major issues: the number of business licenses that will be allowed and the size of marijuana grow operations.

The draft rules address marijuana producers, processors and retailers. On the production side, the Liquor Control Board proposes to ban outdoor marijuana grows. Pot would have to be grown within a fully enclosed secure indoor facility or greenhouse.

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Marijuana Rules
3:59 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Washington Issues Proposed Marijuana Rules

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 3:34 pm

Washington’s Liquor Control Board has issued 46-pages of proposed rules for the new, legal recreational marijuana market. They cover everything from product labeling requirements to whether someone who’s been in trouble with the law can get a license to grow, process or sell marijuana.

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Marijuana Rulebook
5:17 pm
Wed May 15, 2013

Marijuana Quality Control Bible Nearing Completion

Credit American Herbal Pharmacopoeia

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 5:00 pm

Entrepreneurs who hope to cash in on legal marijuana will have some heavy reading to do Thursday. That’s when Washington’s Liquor Control Board is expected to release nearly 50 pages of proposed rules for growers, processors and retailers.

But it turns out that there’s another pot rulebook that’s also in development. It’s called the Cannabis Monograph. Think of it as an illustrated bible for pot quality control.

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Computer Security
4:56 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

Washington Courts Seek IT Security Review, Audit Following Breach

Credit Wikimedia

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 4:50 pm

Washington’s court system will hire an outside expert to perform a computer security review and audit. The move follows a hacking incident – revealed last week - that exposed nearly a hundred Social Security numbers and perhaps up to a million driver license numbers. But now there’s another cyber security concern at Washington Courts.

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Washington Special Session Agenda
4:48 pm
Mon May 13, 2013

Washington Governor Narrows Special Session Agenda

Credit Cacophony / Wikimedia

Originally published on Mon May 13, 2013 4:36 pm

The Washington legislature is back in session – for a 30-day extra inning. Washington Governor Jay Inslee Monday narrowed his agenda to three key items: the budget, a roads-and- transit funding package and a crackdown on impaired drivers.

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Fictitious Driver Licenses
4:35 pm
Fri May 10, 2013

US Attorney Blocks Release Of Information On CIA Driver Licenses

Credit Washington Department of Licensing

Originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 4:20 pm

The US Attorney in Seattle has stepped in to block the release of information about a once-secret program under which fictitious driver licenses were issued by the state of Washington. In a letter to the state, Jenny Durkan’s office says the documents are “classified national security information.”

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