1. The News Tribune (warning: paywall) takes a look at what Washington state's minimum wage—at $9.19 an hour, nearly $2 higher than the federal minimum—has meant for low-wage workers and low-paying businesses.

The bad news: Fewer teenage workers and prepackaged salad dressing. The good news: Minimum-wage workers in Washington state out-earn people earning the federal minimum by more than $4,000. 

2. Speaking of the minimum wage: According to the Economic Policy Institute, some 40 percent of US workers now make less than the minimum wage in 1968, which, adjusted for inflation, would be $16.50 an hour, the Contributor reports.

3. Yikes: The state of Washington stands to lose millions a year in federal aid if Congress fails to reach a budget deal, the Seattle Times reports—everything from immunizations to teachers' aides.

Cuts in federal immunization funding could also mean that 4,451 fewer kids receive vaccinations. Other core services, from breast- and cervical-cancer screening to inspections of health-care facilities and drinking-water protection, would be reduced.

4. The Times' Emily Heffter has a nice piece summarizing disgraced Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon's short career—from his election to the state house of representatives at 27 to his fall from grace over the past several months, culminating in his announcement last week that he would resign his seat in May over allegations that members of his staff were responsible for online attacks against his political opponents. 

5. Seattle is ranked second in the US for female entrepreneurs. That's the good news.

The bad news is, respectively, Geekwire's throwback headline ("Girl power"—oooh, edgy!), and subhead ("Seattle ranked second for women entrepreneurs.")

1962 calling; they need their copywriters back.

For the record: "Women" is a noun. Are there "men" entrepreneurs?