‘Not enough beds’: A look at the farmworker housing crisis in eastern Washington
Washington’s robust agriculture industry is centered in and around Yakima and the Tri-Cities. That industry depends on H-2A guest workers and domestic workers to tend to orchards and fields, and harvest the fresh fruit and vegetables that fill American grocery stores and local markets. For those farmworkers, it can be a challenge to find quality, affordable housing in the Tri-Cities area. The gap in farmworker housing has serious implications for the future of Washington’s farming industry and its workers. Continue reading at The Columbian. (John Froschauer)
A law to protect WA health care workers keeps patients in crisis
Under Washington state law, any assault on a health care worker can be a felony — including spitting, slapping or other actions that might otherwise be treated as minor offenses with fewer consequences for the accused. The decades-old statute was meant to protect providers, who are increasingly harmed in violent attacks. But increased penalties for people in crisis do little to deter violence, experts say. And reporters’ findings reveal an unintended consequence: More people with serious mental illness are funneled into the legal system, even as cities across the country search for ways to keep them out. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Vartika Sharma)
‘It’s not just a Garfield problem.’ Students, families push for community safety measures following school shooting
A growing vigil of flowers and candles lined the front steps at Seattle’s Garfield High school this weekend, in tribute to a 17-year-old student who was fatally shot on campus Thursday. He has been identified by family and his football team as Amarr Murphy. The morning after the shooting, with Garfield closed for the day, a crowd of students, parents, and community members gathered outside to grieve and call for increased safety measures in the school and surrounding community. Several parents and students said they want to see more police presence outside the school and stronger measures to keep guns out of kid’s hands. Continue reading at KUOW. (Liz Jones)
Axios
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Central Washington irrigators placed on half rations
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Columbian
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‘Not enough beds’: A look at the farmworker housing crisis in eastern Washington
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Broadcast
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‘It’s not just a Garfield problem.’ Students, families push for community safety measures following school shooting
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