TVW Coverage - September 6, 2024

8:30am WA State Public Works Board: Discussions/updates on public works projects, exec director update, more.

9am WA State Supreme Court/WA State Bar Assn Meeting: WSBA priorities -- improving the experience of belonging, tech-related threats and opportunities, member wellness, rural practice; WSBA space and financial update; pathways to licensure update; questions from the court.

9am Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board: Chair report, exec director’s report including proposed operating budget, capital budget report, truck parking implementation, six-year investment program, county freight study, overburdened communities report, WA Public Ports Assn update, more.

3:30pm Commission on Judicial Conduct: Commission decisions or stipulations, chair report, exec director’s report, Rules Committee report, public comment.

Two WA Courts of Appeals hear cases today…

9:30am Division 1/Seattle: Trimm v Starbucks Corp.

10:30am Division 2/Tacoma:

Estate of William D. Selander and P.R. v Pierce County et al.

Love Overwhelming v City of Longview, et al. Does a nonprofit organization have standing under the Public Records Act to enjoin the release of records relating to unhoused individuals when the nonprofit’s name and logo were as included on the records and the nonprofit was involved in their completion?

More from TVW...

The Impact : Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Washington Conservation Corps

“If you commit a crime in the city of Olympia as an example, then the city of Olympia has jurisdiction. If a crime is committed on a reservation, it’s not as clear cut.” That’s Brian George, who was been hired by the WA Attorney General as the head of a new cold case unit focused on cases involving missing and murdered indigenous people. “This work is personal.” Host Mike McClanahan sits down for an interview with George, who comes to the job with 27 years of law enforcement experience, and as an enrolled member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.

A study of 71 cities by the Urban Indian Health Institute identified more than 500 such cases, and found, among other things, that Seattle had the highest number of cases among cities and that Washington had the second highest number of cases among the states. In recent years state lawmakers have taken steps to enhance law enforcement coordination between state, local and tribal police. One recommendation of a legislatively created task force was to establish the cold case unit.

Plus, a look at a state program focused on giving young adults and veterans the chance to earn money while building a career in the environmental fields. We talk with the Washington Conservation Corps’ new Director, Rebecca Benjamin. “Our corps members plant over 400,000 trees a year. And work on hundreds of miles of trails. So those are two kinds of work. They also may be involved with monitoring, environmental monitoring work. Could be counting fish, could be doing beach seining. They might have the opportunity to do marine debris removal.”

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Inside Olympia: 2024 Teacher of the Year Blaire Penry

Blaire Penry makes it clear: Online learning isn’t for everyone. Yet, some students absolutely thrive and excel in the online environment. That’s a lesson that came out of the COVID pandemic for Washington’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, who works for the Auburn School District. The pandemic challenged students, and it challenged her. “It forced me to be creative, it forced me to do things differently,” step back and re-evaluate her curriculum, everything she’d done in the classroom. Those changes led to students flourishing online, some of whom hadn’t done well in a building. And, some unexpected benefits emerged: “…there’s also this added element where I am in their home. These families can hear what we’re teaching. And so when I go and I’m connecting with families, they know what’s going on in the classroom then a different way than they have before…”

Is the proliferation of social media affecting the social emotional health of kids, especially young girls? “It’s very clear to me that they are struggling in a way that past generations have not … Yes, I do believe that this generation is in crisis.” She thinks schools must teach media literary, tech literacy. “If we’re not teaching, if we aren’t leading them through that journey, how are they supposed to know? That has to be a part of our curriculum.”

Other topics: cell phone use in schools; diversifying the teaching profession; the lasting impacts of COVID on kids; chronic absenteeism; K-12 funding, both broadly and the problems caused by funding volatility; her advice to state policymakers, and her fellow teachers; and more. ?

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Video Voters’ Guide: Ballot Initiatives

In August, TVW invited supporters and opponents of four statewide ballot initiatives into the TVW studio to record 3-minute unedited statements, their messages to voters on…

…Initiative 2066, which would repeal laws against using natural gas and prohibit such policies in the future.

…Initiative 2109, which would repeal the state’s capital gains tax.

…Initiative 2117, which would repeal the Climate Commitment Act and provide carbon tax credit trading programs.

…Initiative 2124, which would let Washington workers opt out of the state’s long-term care insurance program.

Voters will decide all four measures on the November 5th general election. You can watch, link, share all the statements at this link: https://tvw.org/video-voters-guide/