The United Nations has never been confused for an efficient or effective institution, but rarely has it generated so much laughter as last week, when KUOW reported it invited Governor Jay Inslee “to speak there as a ‘first mover and doer’ in reducing fossil fuel use.” The joke was on the U.N. however, as that very week Gov. Inslee’s own administration continued the pattern of trying to bury bad news on a Friday, according to Center Square, by admitting that the “Washington transportation sector won’t meet 2030 emission goals.”

Yes, that Gov. Inslee is quite the “doer” alright. As KUOW also reported, “(A)ccording to the state’s latest inventory, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in Washington and were at their highest level in more than a decade in 2019.” And along with those higher emissions are higher gas prices, with Center Square quoting one observer saying that the “state’s badly flawed cap-and-trade program is now on track to be at least 4 times more expensive than predicted.” You can read more about how the UN must have been impressed by all this expensive failure here… KUOW, Center Square.

Another week of campaigning using public dollars in Spokane may kick off tonight with City Councilman Zack Zappone continuing his partisan attack on the mayor for praying in public with people he doesn’t like. That’s essentially the take from OnTheBall509, which points out that Councilman Zappone (and Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson) may “use of their positions on City Council to waste taxpayer time at a Council Meeting (though) we have so many real issues to discuss.”

Lisa Brown, the Democrat challenger for Mayor, may welcome the distraction her council allies are creating from her own record of appearing “at a public event hosted by a convicted domestic terrorist and attempted murderer earlier this year.”  You can read the whole tawdry story to decide if you agree with the conclusion that “it’s fine to join events with domestic terrorists – so long as they are your kind of terrorist” here… OnTheBall509.

The headline says it all in The Olympian, as it asks why a sheriff would be criticizing his fellow county (and elected) officials. And the answer is an easy one for Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, who told the community in a social media post (and letter) that “I adamantly oppose the pre-release without a requirement of monetary bail for violent felony incidents such as those described within this letter.”

We’ll see how much judges like being linked in the public arena with their actual low-bail decisions, though the sheriff admits that “judges have not been receptive to his comments, but he still feels the need to raise his concerns.” You can read about why he feels that “none of us are free from scrutiny” here… The Olympian.

Shift has been keeping readers updated on the story out of Burien, where a divided city council has been struggling with how to deal with illegal homeless camps on city property over a year. More fuel was added to the fiery debate last week when one councilmember threw down the race card, leading KOMO to report that the “Burien City Council is expected to discuss how to enforce a new anti-camping ordinance during a meeting Monday night …the City Council may also consider one council member’s push to censure another over comments made last week in regards to the camping ordinance.”

You can find why one council member may find the meeting “reeks of white supremacy” by reading on here… Shift, KOMO.

The folks at InvestigateWest have a disturbing story out of South King County “that uncovered the (Tahoma School) district’s dismissive response to a staff member’s ‘grooming-like behavior’ toward students, that seems to be getting worse with the news now being reported by Crosscut that “two Tahoma School District board members stepped down and the superintendent announced he is leaving the district.”

The superintendent’s departure may not come on his own terms, however, as for “many parents, the resignations underscore a common criticism among the Tahoma community that the district maintains a ‘good old boys’ club’ culture in which personal connections are valued over workplace competence.” You can read more how that has been “enabling administrators to sweep problems under the rug without holding one another accountable” here… Crosscut.

To cap off Governor Jay Inslee’s spin on the United Nations stage, the Spokane Spokesman-Review decided to feature an op-ed that was certainly off message for his prized new carbon tax program. That point came from the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers, who highlighted the inconvenient truth that “from denying it (cap and trade) would impact prices, to claiming it doesn’t impose a tax, the governor, agency staff, and other elected officials are bold on climate change only when it is politically convenient.”

Maybe the governor and his fellow Democrats should just come clean with the people of the state, and quit embarrassing their aides by making them write that “the cap and invest program is not a ‘carbon tax’, but requires emitters to purchase … permits for their emissions.” You can see how that’s like, you know, a tax, here… Spokesman-Review.

Last week’s Newsmaker Interview was 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…

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