WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Friday, May 27

Four officers stand in front of Robb Elementary School

Police slow to engage with gunman because ‘they could’ve been shot,’ official says
Police were reluctant to immediately engage with the gunman who spent an hour inside the elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., where he killed 19 children and two adults because “they could’ve been shot,” a lieutenant with the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a CNN interview. Law enforcement officers have faced mounting criticism from some parents who say police could have intervened sooner against 18-year-old Salvador Ramos in an effort from officers that was initially deemed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as a “quick response.” Police who arrived at the school retreated as shots rang out, state authorities said Thursday, and it took an hour before a tactical unit led by federal Border Patrol agents went into a classroom and killed the gunman. Continue reading at Washington Post. (Chandan Khanna/Getty Images)


Students outside Foss High School protesting gun violence, one with a sign that reads ‘Am I Next?’

‘We are scared.’ Tacoma high school students hold walkout and protest over gun violence
Foss High School students wanted their voices heard Thursday after a Texas school shooting Tuesday left 21 people dead. Over 100 students staged a walkout and anti-gun violence rally on Tacoma’s South 19th Street. Students crowded sidewalks on both sides of the street near South Stevens/Tyler streets. Passing cars honked in support and a few passersby joined them. Continue reading at Tacoma News Tribune. (Cheyenne Boone/Tacoma News Tribune)


students protest against gun violence outside Lewis and Clark High School

‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough’: 21 minutes of silence as LC students hold walkout to protest gun violence in wake of Texas massacre
The sun was shining and the air was warm as more than a hundred students walked out of class Thursday morning at Lewis and Clark High School. But this was much more than a chance to skip a lecture, and the students made that clear. “End gun violence,” the students chanted as they stood outside the LC commons. “Thoughts and prayers are not enough.” They also stood in silence for 21 minutes – one minute each for the 19 children and two teachers massacred by a gunman Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review. (Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review)


Print

Bellingham Herald
WA scientists seek volunteers for Adopt a Wasp program to monitor ‘murder hornet’ activity

Capital Press
Entomologists mull official name for ‘murder hornets’
Valley Wide Cooperative boosts payout to members

The Daily News
NWI: Purchase protects Discovery Creek headwaters
Public health officers honored for COVID-19 work

Everett Herald
This is a drill: Officials rehearse for a dam bursting near Sultan
Editorial: A Terrace creek puts infrastructure plan to work

News Tribune
‘We are scared.’ Tacoma high school students hold walkout and protest over gun violence
CBP agents seize 52,800 fake COVID-19 test kits hidden in a large WA e-commerce shipment
A bipartisan compromise on a homeless issue in Pierce County? Maybe there’s hope yet
Dialing 911 in Pierce County? Callers might be directed to report some crimes online
CEO pay rose 17% in 2021 as profits soared; workers trailed

Olympian
Unionized Starbucks stores face hard work of bargaining
US wage increases show signs of peaking in welcome sign for Fed
Husband of one of the teachers fatally shot at Uvalde school dies from heart attack

Peninsula Daily News
Church hosts candlelight service for Texas school shooting victims
NWI: Purchase protects Discovery Creek headwaters

Puget Sound Business Journal
Amazon alters complaint against former employees, likely prolonging legal battle
Alaska Airlines pilots vote to allow strike as contract talks go ‘way too long’
With SBA’s EIDL funding exhausted, what’s the outlook for Covid-19 relief?

Seattle Times
Tourism is coming back, whether Seattle likes it or not
Pierce County candidate running on law-and-order platform has criminal record
Get ready for possible once-in-a-lifetime meteor storm Monday
Cost of mortgage payments climbing; WA among the worst in the nation
CHOP planted the seeds. 2 years later, the food equity movement in Seattle is reaping the benefits
‘Everything has gone up’: In Rainier Beach and across Seattle, food banks respond to inflation woes
WA parents struggling with baby-formula shortage as Murray, Schrier promise follow-up action
Sound Transit extends fare ambassador program, lowers price of reduced fares

Spokesman Review
Four wolves found dead in northeast Washington, environmental groups allege poisoning
Shawn Vestal: The good ideas are out there, but it will take true zeal to make progress on gun safety
‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough’: 21 minutes of silence as LC students hold walkout to protest gun violence in wake of Texas massacre
More Washington renters are being overcharged for damages, advocates say, and there’s little tenants can do about it

Washington Post
As timeline emerges, police criticized for response to school massacre
What we know about the victims of the school shooting in Texas
Latest White House plan would forgive $10,000 in student debt per borrower
Bipartisan Senate group starts talking about gun proposals
Police slow to engage with gunman because ‘they could’ve been shot,’ official says

Yakima Herald-Republic
Student-led walk at Yakama Nation Tribal School raises awareness about boarding schools
Black Rock Solar facility approved in eastern Yakima County

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Active shooter drills prepare schools for the worst, but take a toll on students
Seattle blood banks step in to help after Texas school shooting
Here are the Washington state laws intended to prevent gun violence
Gunman’s final 90 minutes fuel questions about police delays
Traumatic brain injury sends mother and son slipping through the cracks of Washington’s mental health system

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Tacoma, Seattle students walk out of class protesting for gun law reform
Federal lawmakers from Washington state hear concerns about formula shortage

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
For second day in a row, Blaine School District cancels classes Friday after threat
Seattle Mayor Harrell to release long-awaited plan to address homelessness in the city
King County Regional Homeless Authority board set to vote on 2023 spending plan
Folklife festival kicks off with masks, proof of vaccination required for some venues

KNKX Public Radio
Black-owned hospice provider makes its case to state regulators
What to say to kids about school shootings to ease their stress
Unionized Starbucks stores face hard work of bargaining

KUOW Public Radio
In wake of ‘Blake,’ Washington courts clear drug convictions and refund fines
Gun sales went up around Seattle, and haven’t come down: Today So Far
Students and staff protest Seattle Pacific University’s ban on LGBTQ employees
A KUOW investigation shows area charter schools broke their promises to parents and students
How a Seattle kindergarten teacher broached the Texas shooting with his students

NW Public Radio
See Ya! Washington Police Say Drivers Aren’t Stopping For Them; Cite Pursuit Restrictions
While Spring Rains Help Most Of Washington, Parts Still Under Emergency Drought

Q13 TV (FOX)
Olympia the first to permit free RV encampment parking on public street
Edmonds bans camping on public property; violators face up to $1,000 fine or jail time

Web

The Stranger
I Want to Live in a Society That Doesn’t Need Community Court
Councilmember Andrew Lewis Guts His Own Policy, Excluding Thousands of App-Based Workers from a Minimum Wage