This week’s Newsmaker Interview is with Andrea Suarez, Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit volunteer organization We Heart Seattle. In a very short time the group has made a significant impact in cleaning up encampments and helping people get off the streets.  Created during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 when homeless encampments were filling Seattle’s parks, sidewalks, and other public places, We Heart Seattle challenged the status quo regarding how best to help those struggling with drugs and homelessness.  Along the way, they have encountered protest by a small group of extremists as volunteers have cleaned up encampments and attempted to help those who were suffering

In her interview, Suarez described the creation and mission of We Heart Seattle and explained why the group has ruffled the feathers of many in Seattle’s establishment. She stated her appreciation for some of Seattle’s public officials who are finally acknowledging the impact of the group’s efforts, and Suarez encouraged everyone to use their “superpower” of voting. She explained why the devotion to “housing first” philosophy and using the wrong data points are hampering the city’s ability to help those suffering on the streets. Finally, Suarez outlined how Shift readers can help We Heart Seattle in their efforts. Read more…

It seems that the Washington State Senate caucus has decided to move even further Left – if that’s possible. That’s the conclusion drawn from the news out of the Washington State Standard that “Sen. June Robinson, an Everett Democrat, was named Thursday as the new chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, the budget-writing panel responsible for developing tax policies and deciding how the state spends billions of dollars each year.”

Unfortunately, Sen. Robinson seems to like the Democrats’ carbon tax, saying “I think it’s too new” to make any changes.  Remember that Sen. Robinson was the co-sponsor of Washington state’s unconstitutional state income tax, among other far-Left positions, as you read on for more here… Washington State Standard.

Leave it to the local paper to put the finishing touches on the Democrat plan to let the courts do their re-districting dirty work.  That’s the take from the Yakima Herald editorial page, which writes that “(W)hatever happens with the District 15 boundaries from here, somebody won’t be happy, so more suits or appeals could be in the works soon. We wouldn’t be surprised if the courts were still haggling over this one when the next census comes around.”

However, the local paper takes a dim view of the Dems’ motivation for the lawsuit, pointing out that “some Democrats — particularly those who live west of the Cascade Range — seem confident that a clear Latino majority in the 15th would automatically add a nice hue of blue to Central Washington. But they’re living in a fantasy world if they take for granted that Latinos will lean left.” Read on for more of the local point of view here… Yakima Herald.

The team at Shift is not sure it likes the mental image of the bouncing metaphor, and unfortunately for some this story is behind a paywall, but the headline says it all: Washington apples bounce back this year with good weather, lifted tariffs.

If you have access, you can read more about it here… Wenatchee World.

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