“We now need to restore our movement around fundamental conservative principles.”  Shift’s Newsmaker Interview this week is with one of our favorite people in the media, Kirby Wilbur from KVI 570 (Weekdays 3:00PM – 6:00PM).  Kirby has been an insightful and steady voice for the conservative perspective for nearly 30 years.  Kirby shares with us the highlights of his career (including interviewing Richard Simmons live in the studio) and the local conservative movement (first gaining international coverage with a rally against “Hillarycare”).  He also shares his thoughts about what conservatives need to do to get elected in Washington State, the local liberal media, and the future of talk radio and the conservative movement. (Shift’s Newsmaker Interview and KVI AM)

The Washington State Supreme Court threw out a frivolous lawsuit brought by controversial Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal to silence his challenger Maia Espinoza.  Reykdal had claimed that Espinoza had used defamatory comments about him in her voters’ pamphlet statement. Espinoza’s statement bothered Reykdal because she referenced the extreme sex education bill which Reykdal wrote and then Democrats passed along party lines in the 2020 legislature. Espinoza pointed out to voters that Reykdal “ignored parents and educators by championing a policy that teaches sexual positions to 4th graders!” Perhaps that’s why the divisive law is now the subject of the Referendum 90 campaign. The court ruled that Espinoza’s statement contained no malice against Reykdal and voted 6-3 to throw out his case. (Washington State Supreme Court decision)

In the hotly contested 10^th Legislative District’s State Senate race, Republican incumbent Ron Muzzall is promoting his willingness to listen to all points of view, while his Democrat challenger Helen Price Johnson appears to be toeing the Democrat party line for more new taxes and bigger government. Muzzall, who was appointed last year to fill the seat vacated by the retiring Barbara Bailey, said recently, “I’m a big dialogue guy. Anybody who’s served with me knows that. I’m open to differing points of view. I’m willing to listen.” Meanwhile Price Johnson uses code words that show she favors even higher taxes, such as when she asserts, “Infrastructure investment is what we need right now.” Remember, whenever you hear a Democrat talk about “investment”, that’s your money going for their pet project, not their own cash.  The 10^th is a “swing” district and contains all of Whidbey Island, along with the Northwest portion of Snohomish County, and the Southwest part of Skagit County. (Everett Herald)

The number of people permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021. It’s hard to imagine now, but prior to the coronavirus pandemic approximately 16% of the world’s workforce were based at home.  A recent survey from Enterprise Technology Research (ETR) predicts that next year 1/3 of employees will be working from their homes. A spokesman for ETR stated, “There would be huge ramifications of this in a lot of areas, whether that is real estate, retail, restaurant or transportation.” Thus, while local transportation agencies are already seeking more tax dollars to complete expensive transportation projects, wouldn’t it be more rational to wait and see what the new transportation trends will by in the post-pandemic world? (Reuters)

A report from the Washington Policy Center refutes many of the claims made in a recent Seattle Times story on chinook salmon returns since the removal of the Elwha dams on the Olympic Peninsula.  The Times’ story states that “The Elwha dams are gone and chinook are surging back.” Yet the WPC report points out, “hatchery data show the Chinook salmon returns to the Elwha are the lowest in four years and the second lowest in the last seven.” Hardly “the surge” the newspaper story claims.  The Times’ report also falsely claimed that, by removing the dams, salmon runs will be less dependent on the hatchery and will “once again become 100% naturally producing.” Yet Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife surveys reveal that 96% of the Chinook salmon in the Elwha river are from the hatchery. (Washington Policy Center and Seattle Times)

Glen Morgan, from We the Governed, toured Seattle to produce a video report on the continuing decay of the city. Morgan uses the images of boarded-up small businesses damaged by riots and parks filled with homeless encampments to show why Seattle’s problems are important to the rest of the state. “Unfortunately, the problems have not confined themselves to Seattle. Just like any other disease, it spreads.” Morgan explains that the problems are often caused and perpetuated by the liberal “homeless industrial complex.”  Morgan asserts, “It starts with Governor Inslee and his complete and total unwillingness to solve the problems that exist in Seattle where he gets a majority of his votes.” (We the Governed)

Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best will now have a national audience for her perspective on law enforcement issues, as a commentator for NBC News and MSNBC. This morning, Best had her first appearance in her new role on the Today Show, which meant that she spent more time with that national audience than she did with members of the Seattle City Council when they were planning to slash public safety spending in the city (since they refused to talk with her).  This followed the Monday announcement that Best will be an analyst for KING5 News, the local NBC affiliate.  Regarding her decision to resign from the Seattle Police Department after the council slashed her budget and her pay, Seattle’s first black woman police chief said, “Honestly, for me, there was no other option. I wasn’t going to lay off those officers or try to run a department with half the resources.” Best stated this would have been especially difficult with violent crime on the rise. (Seattle Times)

Because Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler trounced her Democrat challenger Carolyn Long by 16.5% in the August primary, the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is forced to promote another round of phony poll numbers to sucker contributors into giving to Long’s desperate campaign. The DCCC released its latest fake numbers, claiming Long is within 2% of Herrera Beutler (49% – 47%) in the race for the Southwest Washington congressional seat. (BTW – One must seriously doubt any poll that has only 4% undecided.)  The DCCC did the same thing a couple of weeks after Long’s devastating performance in the August primary (because no one would contribute to her campaign), when the partisans released a poll that said she was within 4% of Herrera Beutler.  Long is well known for creating false impressions because reality is not her friend.  In June, the Long campaign was forced to apologize for falsely implying that the Longview Daily News had endorsed her campaign in one of their fundraising emails.  (DCCC media release, Secretary of State Election totals, Long 8/19 fundraising email, Long 5/27 fundraising email, and the Long campaign’s apology)

Yakima County health officials are concerned about the decreasing use of facemasks.  A recent survey found that only 84% of those entering local businesses were wearing face coverings.  This is down considerably from an August survey, which found 95% were donning facemasks. Another survey will be conducted this weekend, as there has been a slight increase in the number of reported COVID cases. (Yakima Herald)

Enrollment continues to decline (7.8% for Fall quarter) at Wenatchee Valley College (WVC), yet the Running Start program’s enrollment is up 14.8%.  The growing program allows juniors and seniors in high school to earn college credits for attending college classes.  The increase in participation is due to the uncertainties with distant learning programs available at area schools.  As one WVC administrator stated, “If school is going to be online anyway, why not earn college credit?” (Wenatchee World)

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