Losing elections can sometimes sharpen the mind, and for a couple of opportunistic Spokane Democrats, what is clearer to them after losing is how badly their fellow Democrats have done at representing the far Left of their party. That’s the story from the Spokesman-Review about the Democrats’ two newest state legislative candidates, Natasha Hill and Ben Stuckart, who both announced for an open state house seat by attacking other Democrats with sound bites like “(P)eople are fed up with high rent, lack of action on mental health, substance abuse, and rising costs “ and “we haven’t had leadership” as they seek to represent Spokane’s Third District, which has only been represented recently by (checks notes…) Democrats.

You might recall that Stuckart was rejected by Spokane voters when he ran for mayor and has since been housed and drawing a paycheck in the homelessness industrial complex and suing the voters for not wanting homeless camps in their neighborhoods. Hill is a local attorney who is better known for threatening to sue the city for not letting protestors control meetings than she is for losing badly in a race for Congress. You can read on to see how support for Hamas and other far Left positions figure into this race here… Spokesman-Review.

In another example of Spokane politicians trying to copy their failed counterparts in Seattle, the far-Left City Council majority emboldened by the November elections has decided to turn its meeting rules over to whatever protest groups are upset at that meeting.  That’s the lesson learned from the Spokesman-Review’s coverage that a “month after protesters threatened legal action, the Spokane City Council has voted to end a ban on standing as a sign of support or dissent during council meetings.”

If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is “the third time since the Oct. 9 resolution (supporting Israel) that the City Council has backed off from a rule change or interpretation that pro-Palestinian protesters perceived as an attempt to limit their ability to express dissent.” The extreme council members are extremely upset with the liberal activists that are their voting base, with one whining “(I)s this the best way to combat racism in Spokane, focusing on which two rows you can stand in? I don’t think so.” Read on to see how one activist even left the door wide open to violence to get their way, saying, “I was hoping you all remember that when people have all the nonviolent options stripped away from them, they’re left with one thing.” … Spokesman-Review.

Shift will leave with little comment this sad tale of the Inslee administration flushing another $7.5 million of taxpayer money down the public waste toilet to settle a court case because too many of the bureaucrats toiling under Gov. Inslee can’t seem to do their jobs – and they can’t count on Attorney General Bob Ferguson to win a court case over clean water in Washington state. That’s what we learn from the (Tacoma) News Tribune writing, “the roughly 200 current and former (sexually violent predator) residents who are eligible have until June to file paperwork to get their share of the $7.5 million, which the DSHS statement said amounts to $263 per month they were on McNeil Island” and suffering from dirty drinking water. … (Tacoma) News Tribune.

Officials are being a bit too tight-lipped about a rumor going around downtown Seattle that a serial killer may be targeting the city’s homeless. That’s the story captured by KIRO Newsradio, that an “arrest in a Seattle homicide from earlier this month is prompting questions about the case’s potential links to similar crimes in the same area— and whether the city’s unhoused population is being targeted by violence.”

The police chief sidestepped a direct question about serial killer concerns, saying, “like all other investigations, we look for previous cases to see if there’s any links.” However, a “source within the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) told KIRO Newsradio on condition of anonymity that they have responded to at least three incidents in that area involving violence towards unhoused people, all in the past month,” and now the FBI is involved. … KIRO Newsradio.

Shift has been periodically keeping you updated on the budget problems that are popping up at public school districts around the state (thanks to Democrat policies causing school closures and poor test results). Now we hear from KUOW about another district essentially declaring the need for bankruptcy restructuring, as the “state education department has stepped in to help Tukwila School District avoid insolvency. The 2,700-student district south of Seattle ended its fiscal year with a negative fund balance and faces an estimated budget shortfall as large as $4.5 million.”

The state is always quick to absolve local officials of any accountability, suggesting “Tukwila’s situation is largely due to vulnerabilities many Washington school districts currently share.” Of course, those “vulnerabilities” they share are mainly higher personnel costs thanks to union-friendly contracts demanded by union-friendly school board members (and union-friendly legislators), which have saddled schools with high costs as students flee for better options.