Governor Inslee continues to receive criticism for being out of touch with agriculture because of his thoughtless act of bringing apples from the quarantine zone Western Washington – which turned out to be maggot-infested – into Eastern Washington.  Despite representing Central Washington orchardists in the state legislature and Congress for six years, and even signing legislation related to fruit quarantine restrictions in 2018, the governor was unaware that he was breaking state law by taking apples grown on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia to the areas devastated by wildfires in Bridgeport, Omak, and Malden.  Inslee’s actions demonstrate the reason behind the restrictions of bringing home-grown fruit into areas economically dependent on the tree fruit industry, as his apples were contaminated by maggot larvae and could easily threaten the local crops.  Thus, while thousands of its citizens are impacted by the wildfires, Douglas County is needlessly having to spend resources tracking down the location of one of the boxes of Gov. Inslee’s apples to ensure the maggots do not spread into local orchards. It is feared that someone might have dumped the apples near an orchard.  Inslee’s office issued a statement saying “We regret this mistake. This is a good reminder of the importance of awareness around apple quarantine.” It is also a good reminder that our governor lacks that awareness, and is seemingly clueless about laws that protect the economic activities that support hundreds of thousands of Washington residents.  (Spokesman Review, Senator Brad Hawkins webpage, Douglas County Facebook post and News Tribune)

Governor Jay Inslee’s Department of Ecology (DOE) failed to obtain receipts/records for 15% of the work done to clean up an old mining site near Granite Falls.  The Washington State Auditor’s Office released a report showing that nearly $375,000 was unaccounted for during the work to remove toxins at the former Monte Cristo mining site.  A spokesman for the Auditor’s office stated its conclusions of DOE’s actions, “Their monitoring clearly wasn’t adequate.” Sounds like someone at the top in Ecology must be ready for a promotion, given the way Gov. Inslee’s rewards incompetence in his administration (see Employment Security Department for details). (Everett Herald)

Christopher Rufo writes a short essay on the need for Americans, especially conservatives, to challenge the Left’s attempt to impose “critical race theory.”  Rufo states, “few Americans believe that all members of any group are inherently innocent while all those of another are inherently guilty. Adherents of critical race theory do believe this, though—and they’re aggressively teaching it. Our leaders must expose critical race theory as the destructive ideology that it is.” (City Journal)

A King County Superior Court judge ruled that the recall effort against Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant can move forward.  Judge Jim Rogers determined that four of the six charges against the controversial Socialist councilmember were specific and sufficient enough to allow the campaign to proceed to the signature-gathering phase.  Among the charges against Sawant is that she violated Governor Inslee’s orders forbidding large groups to gather by unlocking the doors at Seattle City Hall and allowing hundreds of protesters to assemble in the lobby. (We should note that while Governor Inslee and the Washington State Democrat Party continue to condemn gatherings of Loren Culp supporters for breaking health guidelines, neither has criticized the similar actions of Sawant and the protestors in taking over a closed government building.) It is expected that Sawant’s city-funded legal team will appeal the decision.  Once the appeals are exhausted, the Recall Sawant campaign will need to collect 10,000 signatures from Sawant’s Capitol Hill council district to place her recall on the ballot. (Seattle Times and RecallSawant2020)

Members of Seattle’s activist crowd admit they were behind a fake media release announcing that the Grand Hyatt hotel was opening its doors to people living on the streets. This resulted in many homeless individuals being turned away by the hotel and a subsequent protest which needed to be dispersed by the police.  This is the latest misguided publicity stunt by Seattle’s professional Left, which will do nothing to assist those who are homeless, but will further discourage employers from moving to or expanding operations in the city.  (Seattle Times)

Seattle small business owners have asked city councilmembers to come to their neighborhoods to see first-hand how criminal activities have grown during the pandemic and how it is impacting their businesses.  Over 500 small business owners have signed a petition asking councilmembers to take a “socially distanced model” tour to learn how crime is impacting employers, employees, and customers.  A spokesperson said, “We have seen a change in the city policies due to the pandemic that has created an environment where we’re not addressing these issues.” (MyNorthwest)

The CHAZ continues to be a site for murder and despair.  Despite multiple attempts by the Seattle Police to remove protestors and homeless individuals from a closed Cal Anderson Park (located in the heart of the former CHAZ), people keep illegally returning to the site.  On Wednesday evening, a homeless woman was found murdered (apparently due to domestic violence) and her boyfriend was found dead in a nearby locked utility shed.  Mayor Jenny Durkan’s “Summer of Love” never seems to end. (Seattle Times)

Hundreds of music acts have rescheduled 2020 tours and are planning to visit Western Washington in 2021 (assuming such things are allowed next year). From the Monkees to Ice Cube, musical performers are hoping to recoup financial loses that have occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. Click the link for partial list of scheduled appearances. (Everett Herald)

A Facebook post critical of Governor Inslee’s recent visit to fire-damaged Malden has been shared by thousands.  Spokane resident Donna Kresse was in Malden as Governor Inslee’s motorcade stopped briefly in the town, where 80% of the homes were damaged by wildfires.  The governor spoke to the crowd for a few minutes and then refused to answer questions from residents who were anxious to learn how the government might help.  The governor then gave the town a box of apples (which broke state laws) and left for his next photo op. (Donna Kresse Facebook post and KXLY) 

State Senator Judy Warnick (R – Moses Lake) stated she was disappointed in Governor Inslee for illegally transporting apples into Eastern Washington and for disobeying fruit quarantine laws.  The senator said, “Apple maggots is one of the biggest issues that we have had to face especially for our export markets.” But why would the governor know that, since apple maggots don’t cause mention climate change? (Pacific Northwest AG Network)

The reduction of smoke in the air is allowing the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reopen Eastern Washington recreational lands on Friday.  The department says weather conditions should improve the air quality which caused the DNR to shut down recreational activities last week. A burn ban and shooting ban will remain in place. (iFIBER One)

The Spokane Fairgrounds is being converted into a drive-in theater and concert stage.  Guest can be entertained while practicing social distance measures and staying in their vehicles.  The fairgrounds will set up portable handwashing and bathroom facilities and food trucks will sell snacks. (YakTriNews)

As is often the case, immediately after attacking the Trump Administration in court, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson blasts out a political fundraising email to financially benefit from his government-paid actions.  This time it is Ferguson’s taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the United States Postal Service, which aims to benefit the Biden presidential campaign.  The AG even admits the lawsuit is politically motivated when he writes that his lawsuit is aimed at election activities “in the hotly-contested battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Nevada” – states well-known as being targets of both the Trump and Biden campaigns. (Bob Ferguson Campaign fundraising email)

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