In the WA v. Idaho abortion wars, data shows Idaho is losing
Now that a year has passed since women lost the right to abortion, we can assess how our neighbor Idaho’s near-total ban on it is faring. In short: It has accomplished next to nothing. You can’t say categorically that the Idaho ban hasn’t stopped a single abortion. But the data suggests that is essentially the case – that the whole thing is a burden, cost and danger to Idaho’s own women, but hasn’t met the anti-abortion goals that supposedly informed it. We know this now because clinics in the Pacific Northwest have started releasing data on where women come from to use their services, both back when abortion was legal nationwide, and now that it’s not. Idaho women are simply fleeing. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Angie Smith)

Editorial: LGBTQ+ community still has to fight for Pride
If you’re wondering why Pride Month — a recognition and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and its members — is so named, it’s a matter of necessity to stress that message of pride in the face of pockets of resistance to that acceptance that remain present in Snohomish County and throughout the state and nation. The continued opposition to Pride — whether it’s reluctance to express simple support for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community or blatantly hostile intimidation and threats — is ample proof of why Pride events are necessary in our communities. The message of such events is a declaration that members of the LGBTQ+ community have legal and recognized rights to live their lives openly and without fear of retribution or attack. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Ryan Berry)

Saving lives from extreme heat: Lessons from the deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave
The heat dome that descended upon the Pacific Northwest in late June 2021 met a population radically unprepared for it. Almost two-thirds of households earning $50,000 or less and 70% of rented houses in Washington’s King, Pierce and Snohomish counties had no air conditioning. In Spokane, nearly one-quarter of survey respondents didn’t have in-home air conditioning, and among those who did, 1 in 5 faced significant, often financial, barriers to using it. Extreme heat disasters like this are becoming increasingly common in regions where high heat used to be rare. Blackouts during severe heat waves can also leave residents who believe they are protected because they have in home air conditioners at unexpected risk. To prepare, cities, neighborhoods, companies and individuals can take steps now that can reduce the harm. In a new report, written with colleagues at universities and the Washington State Department of Health and released ahead of the two-year anniversary of the heat wave, we show how municipal planning agencies, parks departments, local health agencies, community-based organizations like churches and nonprofits, multiple state agencies, hospitals, public health professionals and emergency response personnel, as well as individuals and families, can play a vital role in reducing risk. Continue reading at The Daily News.