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There was a time many years ago when our state was generally safe and did not have a serious crime problem. Unfortunately, that was then… and this is now. Washington is now among the nation’s leaders in several crimes, including auto and retail theft. While the nation’s violent crime rate dropped slightly from 2021 to 2022, our state saw an increase, according to the FBI. According to a report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, there were 394 murders in Washington in 2022, an increase of 16.6% over 2...
Nursing is one of the most noble and trusted professions in our society. Just ask any patient who has made a trip to a hospital or had a doctor’s appointment. Nurses perform many tasks – from menial to absolutely crucial – and all are key to a patient’s well-being. Unfortunately, as is the case in many other states, there is a serious nursing shortage in Washington. A report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing warns the U.S. will need 200,000 more registered nurses in 10 years and saw an unprecedented net los...
Long before I became a state legislator for the 6th District, I served 22 years as an officer with the Spokane Police Department. During my time with the SPD, my top priority always was to protect and serve the public. It has been 15 years since I stepped down from the department. Though I no longer wear the uniform and badge, I still care very much about the men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to protect the public. That’s why I’m so concerned about the future of law enforcement here in Was...
The 2021 legislative session, which is scheduled to end April 25, will be remembered for several things — some good, some bad. The candidates for the “bad” column may include a variety of new or increased taxes and fees that will hit your pocketbook in different ways. For instance, a higher state gas tax and a new “cap and trade” tax that would hit motorists hard, and a higher cellphone tax. Also, before the Legislature wraps up its 105-day session, it’s likely to pass Senate Bill 5096, which would impose a state income tax...
Ever since COVID-19 reached America a year ago, we’ve seen heroic acts performed by many, especially health-care workers helping those afflicted with this contagious and life-threatening virus. As the pandemic has spread to the point of claiming half a million lives in the U.S. so far, doctors, nurses and other health-care workers in hospitals and medical clinics have put their own lives at risk to care for COVID-19 patients. When the pandemic was raging in New York City last spring, nurses from Washington and other states t...
In the early 1960s, I attended grade school at St. Anthony in Renton. Catholic schools attracted students from quite a large area, so a number of kids in my class were from the Kent valley. I well remember a classmate whose family owned a dairy in the Kent area telling me that his family had just sold their dairy for over a million dollars. The amount made quite an impression on me and even then, the idea of a local farm being worth so much money was confusing. I was too young to understand that correctly zoned land that was...
