Despite Democrats’ willingness to handout huge sums of money to their political allies, one group that Democrats didn’t have time for was students with disabilities. A bill that focused on funding and policy changes was never brought up for a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee because, according to Democratic House Leader Pat Sullivan (D-Covington), they just didn’t have enough time. For state Superintendent Chris Reykdal to say the Legislature made “really powerful progress on special education,” is either a misunderstanding of the word progress or a blatant lie. (The News Tribune)

The Seattle City Council is set to hear a proposal by the Mayor’s office to increase patrols in seven neighborhoods during the month of May. “I appreciate the executive and the Police Department taking seriously some of the livability and public-safety concerns that I also hear,” said Councilmember M. Lorena González. “But I have a lot of questions about how this program was developed.” The selected neighborhoods have been home to a large number of unauthorized homeless camps. (Seattle Times)

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn is asking the FBI to launch a public corruption investigation into a South King County government agency. Dunn is asking investigators to look into allegations that a commissioner of King County Drainage District 5 in Enumclaw siphoned taxpayer money into his own bank account. “As a former federal prosecutor and lawyer at the Justice Department, I can tell you that public corruption, if applicable here, is a very serious crime that should be considered from federal investigation,” Dunn said. (KING 5)

The City of Kent’s ShoWare Center lost a staggering $155,390 in the first three months of operation this year. “Two weeks of snow in the month of February had a significant impact on attendance for three hockey games, a soccer game and our ice rental,” said Tim Higgins, ShoWare general manager. Taxpayers cover operating losses at the ShoWare with money from the city’s general fund. (Kent Reporter)

Astria Health announced yesterday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Sunnyside Community Hospital and its parent company purchased Astria Regional Medical Center and Astria Toppenish Hospital in September 2017. “Although hospital leadership has actively managed the supply chain to ensure necessary supplies for patient care, this delay in cash collections has now become severe enough to potentially disrupt the organization’s ability to pay for crucial items in a timely matter,” said Dawn O’Polka, Astria’s spokeswoman. (Yakima Herald)

Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at morningbriefing@shiftwa.org.

If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.