In a story not from The Onion, the Seattle School District is spending $100,000 on a study to determine why it has lost nearly 4,000 students since 2019 and how to get them back. Not surprisingly, the reasons contemplated by the Seattle Times, which include lower birth rates, migration, online school, and other options, might play some role, but we suspect the loss of parental rights and the far-left agenda that is foisted upon them probably plays a much bigger role than they want to admit. Hopefully the gold-plated study shows what we already know…The Seattle Times

Jay Inslee’s former Commerce Secretary and Spokane’s new Mayor, Lisa Brown, proposed a $40M public safety levy. She says if not passed, it will put the city at risk by cutting up to 200 public safety jobs. She blames the previous mayor for not providing adequate funds to sustain operations and using one-time funds as a backfill. The proposed levy, however, has no “sunset” meaning that it would be permanent. As usual, this appears to be the same tactic of putting something most people support on the ballot while protecting unpopular pet programs in the general fund…The Center Square

Despite having higher headcounts overall, Seattle Public Libraries are having rolling closures due to “staffing shortages.” The real reason for the shortages is policy failures that have turned libraries into drug dens and homeless shelters, requiring more staff to be security guards and mental health intervention specialists in addition to librarians. But honestly, who could have possibly seen that coming?…Jason Rantz

Starting June 1, foam take-out containers and single-use coolers will be illegal to sell in Washington State. Under a law passed in 2021, restaurants and stores that use or sell these products after June 1 could be fined up to $1,000 for repeated violations. This follows the ban on foam packing peanuts that went into effect last year as a result of the same legislation. Farewell trusty take-out containers, thanks for the good times…Washington State Standard

The U.S. Census of Agriculture was recently released and showed that fourteen farms in Washington state disappeared each week over the past five years. Between 2017 and 2022, 3,717 farms disappeared, compared to 3,426 in the past decade. This disturbing trend means less locally grown food and less meat purchased directly from local ranchers. We can only hope that west side legislators will start listening to those from east of the mountains to understand the impact of their policies on the ag community so we can reverse this trend before it’s too late…Washington Policy Center via The Seattle Times

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