Charter schools, which are popular with low-income and minority students, are denied access to the local levy funding which is available to the white and wealthier students in traditional schools.  This amounts to approximately $2,300 a student and about 17% of the schools’ operating revenue.  Washington currently has 15 charter schools serving 4,000 students. There is support for the legislature to end this inequality and allow charter schools to receive the same funding as traditional schools.  (Washington Policy Center)

Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant explained her poor showing in the August primary (received just 36.7% of the vote despite outspending her challengers 3 to 1) due to opponents who are fake progressive.   Sawant claims she is not divisive, but that people don’t like her because she does not support their “endless corporate greed.” (Q13 The Divide)

In a move that costs taxpayers millions with nothing to show for it, the Seattle Department of Transportation cancelled the contract to buy streetcars for the Center City Connector line that has been riddled with problems.  The 1^st Avenue project that was supposed to be completed in 2018 is now scheduled to be operational in 2026.  Besides being incredibly past due the project is already $65 million over-budget and studies have shown the line will not meet its ridership objectives. (Seattle Times)

A Pierce County hearing examiner will decide the next step for a proposed resort near Mt. Rainier National Park.  The 270-room hotel and 18-hole golf course will be located near Elbe in southeast Pierce County, just miles from the park. The once dormant project has regained interest and construction could begin soon depending on the examiner’s decision. (KING-TV)

Throughout Pacific Northwest history, controlled burns were a regular feature of Native American land management that controlled crowded trees, undergrowth, and pests. They are again being used on native lands and are gaining acceptance in federal and state forests. (Crosscut)

Three Washington apple growers are suing the U.S. Department of Labor over its unexpected decision that workers need to be paid nearly a dollar more an hour.  The companies contend that the government used inaccurate wage figures to determine the new pay scale which the growers state will have an adverse impact on their business. (YakTriNews)

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