Free coffee? Lawmaker wants to bring back signs

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Volunteers and non-profit groups serve free coffee at 37 highway rest stops in Washington, but drivers don't always know when it's available because worn or damaged signs have not been replaced.

Sen. Kirk Pearson of Monroe has introduced legislation to restore the signs.

He says the coffee helps keep drivers alert and promotes highway safety.

The News Tribune reports the Transportation Department stopped replacing free coffee signs in 2012 because officials worried about the safety of volunteers who make the way along roadways to flip the signs open or closed.