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In Unusual Move, Seattle City Council Reverses 20 Budget Bills Imposing Checks and Balances on Executive Departments
Every year, as part of the budget process, the Seattle City Council adopts dozens of Statements of Legislative Intent (SLIs) and budget provisos, which serve as checks on the power of the mayor and executive departments and provide transparency into how the city is spending its money. A typical SLI might require a department to […]
TEDxEdmonds College Event
Edmonds College is seeking 12 speakers for its inaugural TEDxEdmondsCollege event on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at the Black Box Theatre. The event’s theme will be “Rethinking Resilience,” and it will feature passionate speakers who believe in the power of collective action and community support to build resilience and inspire paradigm shifts in the conversation […]
Harvard’s prestigious debate team loses to New York prison inmates
This should be a reminder to anyone who doubts the intellectual ability of individuals simply because they are in prison. In 2015, months after winning a national title, Harvard’s debate team has fallen to a group of New York prison inmates. The showdown took place at the Eastern correctional facility in New York, a maximum-security prison where […]
Illegal immigrant allowed to carry guns, judge rules
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman recently ruled that an illegal immigrant previously charged for carrying a semi-automatic firearm could legally carry guns under the Second Amendment. Illegal immigrants have previously been prevented from carrying guns and ammunition under 18 U.S.C § 922. Prosecutors charged Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, an illegal immigrant, in 2020 for carrying a semi-automatic […]
Federal judge redraws legislative map in central Washington
With the general election less than eight months away, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik adopted a new Washington state legislative map on Friday to create a majority-Latino voting district in central Washington. Lasnik’s decision comes after his ruling in August 2023 in Soto Palmer v. Hobbs that legislative maps drawn in 2021 by the Washington State […]
Child Welfare Crisis in NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC
From wrongful deaths to financial corruption, these incidents highlight systemic issues that jeopardize the safety and well-being of vulnerable children. This article covers only a portion of the challenges faced with the Child welfare systems across several states in the United States into the troubling state of child welfare in New Mexico, New York, North […]
Washington State Patrol pays $1.4M to settle lawsuit alleging trooper targeted drivers of color
The Washington State Patrol has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing a trooper of making pretext stops and targeting people of color and immigrants. All four of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the WSP and Trooper Cameron Osmer were arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of impaired driving […]
Gov. Inslee Signs Rep. Cortes’ Bill for Juvenile Justice Reform
Washington State has made progress in juvenile justice reform with Governor Inslee signing Substitute House Bill 2217, introduced by Rep. Julio Cortes (D-Everett). This legislation changes the state’s approach to juvenile offenders, recognizing the delays in juvenile justice proceedings due to court backlogs from the pandemic. The bill focuses on rehabilitation and fairness, allowing courts […]
Immigrants Can Get Student Aid Through New Rule
The U.S. Department of Education is now permitting parents who lack Social Security numbers to apply for federal student aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), marking an enhancement in educational accessibility for immigrants. The move, announced on Tuesday, addresses previous barriers that inhibited a segment of the student population from securing […]