Rep. Dunshee hosting two town halls this Saturday

Residents of the 44th legislative district are invited to meet with State Rep. Hans Dunshee this Saturday.

Lake Stevens Town Hall -- 10 a.m. to noon at the Lake Stevens School District Admin Building, Room A, 12309 22nd Street NE

Everett Town Hall -- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Southeast Family YMCA, 13723 Puget Park Drive

Bicyclists, birders and biodiesel supporters especially welcome (or so we're guessing by this delightful YouTube video).

Rep. White wants to expand hate-crime legislation to protect the homeless

State Rep. Scott White never forgot David Ballenger, a homeless man who was brutally murdered by three teenagers under an I-5 overpass in the Ravenna neighborhood 10 years ago this month.

When the National Coalition for the Homeless released an Aug. 7 report on the growing number of violent hate crimes against the homeless — Hate, Violence, And Death on Main Street USA — White was struck by how closely the murder of Ballenger fit the typical profile of today's growing violence against homeless individuals: the report showed that most (58 percent) of the violent attacks on the homeless are committed by teenagers, and bias is often the only motivation for the attacks.

The new national report also showed that the number of fatal attacks on homeless individuals over the past decade was more than twice the total number of hate-motivated homicides that targeted victims because of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

The ten-year pattern of hate crimes against America's homeless, which has claimed 242 lives, convinced White that homeless people in Washington need the protection of the state's malicious harassment laws.

Seattle added homeless people to the city's malicious harassment statute in December, 2007. White said he is proud that Seattle is a leader in fighting hate crimes against the homeless, but that "now it is time to make our state a national leader."

We have a moral duty to do everything in our power to make sure that what happened to David Ballenger never happens again anywhere in Washington.

It's curtains down on the WASL. Kind of.

In just a short while, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, will release results from the WASL taken this past spring.

As pointed out by Linda Shaw in the Seattle Times today, this was the last time students had to take the WASL as we know it.

Moving forward, SPI plans to implement a more streamlined test.

Tune in to TVW at 10 to hear what Dorn has to say about the latest WASL scores. We'll post a summary following his press conference.

UPDATE:
Dorn's office just posted the WASL results online. During the press conference he made it pretty clear that he's frustrated with some of the AYP (adequate yearly progress) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Law and its punitive approach towards schools.

Dorn's press release states:

As expected, results were mixed from the spring 2009 administration of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Scores in grades 3-8 and 10 mirrored 2008 results, increasing in seven subject areas, decreasing in seven and remaining unchanged in six.

Yet, preliminary results from AYP, the accountability arm of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, show that 1,073 schools moved into improvement status, up from 618 last year.

“Our state testing scores are flat, yet the federal system shows an additional 500 schools are failing,” Dorn said. “What is failing is No Child Left Behind. The law is completely unfair. While we know there is certainly room for improvement in our schools, it’s a statistical guarantee in this law that all of our schools will soon be in federal improvement status. That’s unrealistic.”

Upthegrove, Orwall to host community meeting on airport noise

Residents of the Highline area are invited to a community meeting regarding airport noise hosted by local legislators, Senator Karen Keiser, and State Representatives Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall, along with Des Moines City Councilwoman Susan White.

Although the state Legislature does not oversee and has no jurisdiction over Sea-Tac Airport flight operations, the district’s elected officials are hosting this discussion to help inform residents of the decision-making process and provide an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns on issues from flight times to eligibility for noise mitigation projects.

Joining the legislators will be the Noise Programs Manager at Sea-Tac Airport on hand to present information and answer questions. The Noise Programs Office works closely with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airlines, and local communities to monitor existing noise programs and develop new ways of reducing airport and aircraft noise.

“As someone born and raised in the Highline area, I’ve experienced airplane noise first-hand,” said State Representative Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines), the meeting’s organizer. “Since operations have begun on the third runway, I have heard from many neighbors and Highline residents with questions and concerns about noise. This meeting will not only be an opportunity to learn more about flight operations and noise mitigation programs, but also get questions answered and share concerns.”

Join Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Dave Upthegrove and Rep. Tina Orwall
Wednesday Evening
August 19, 2009
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Des Moines City Hall Council Chambers
21630 11th Avenue South, Suite B

New legislative office in Queen Anne opens to warm welcome from community

Last Thursday, Rep. Reuven Carlyle and Sen. Jeanne-Kohl Welles hosted an open-house celebration of their new district office at the base of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.

Dozens of constituents, friends and local officials stopped by to check out the new digs, say hello and ask questions. Take a look at some photos from the fun event on the slideshow below.

The district office is located at 3131 Western Avenue, Suite 421, and is open each weekday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

A Welcome Home Message for the 81st

As the 3,200 guard members, including 2,400 from Washington, serving in the 81st Brigade make their way home after finishing a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq, the friends, families, and communities they left behind enthusiastically embrace their veterans and applaud their service to our country.

150 soldiers arrived last week at McChord Air Force Base. The rest of the brigade is expected to return over the next two weeks. They had been in Iraq since last October. Their missions focused on convoy security, force protection, provincial reconstruction and base operations. They logged more than 3 million miles of travel in Iraq, according to the Army.

State Representative Larry Seaquist, a former US Navy warship captain and Pentagon strategist who completed a 32-year Navy career in 1994, took the time to personally welcome home Washington’s guard members of the 81st, issuing the following statement:

“It is my great honor to welcome home the 3,200 soldiers of Washington National Guard’s 81st Brigade.

You are our brothers, our sisters, our mothers and fathers, our husbands and wives who have served our country overseas with courage and grace.

Before you left for Iraq last October, I had the privilege of visiting some of you at the Yakima training facility as you were preparing to deploy. You were leaving jobs as teachers, fire fighters, and sales managers. Some were preparing to leave behind a pregnant wife or newly born child, others an aging parent. Some of you were young men just starting out in life, some had the grey hairs of men and women who have been through the ropes a time or two already.

One moment that stands out vividly for me was when we spoke of what we could do for you back home while you were deployed. The one thing the few troops I spoke with asked for was a flag that had flown over the state capitol. It made me reflect on how much we ask of our country’s finest, and how little they ask of us in return.

It is my hope that over the days, months, and years to come, we can offer up whatever assistance is needed to help in the transition from active duty to normal life back here at home.

We missed you all and welcome you back with pride and gratitude. To each and every one of you, thank you for your sacrifice and your service.

And we will not forget the ultimate sacrifice of Specialist Samuel Stone who gave his life while serving our nation.

Our National Guard and their families can be very proud of their expert contributions to the security of our nation, as well as the citizens of countries all across the globe.”

Rep. Reuven Carlyle is the man about town - especially this upcoming Thursday

Rep. Reuven Carlyle loves talking to people in his district. While residents of the 36th district can frequently find him out and about the area's neighborhoods, Thursday there are two special opportunities to casually meet and chat with the district's newest state rep.

For residents of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Carlyle is hosting the second meeting of his “Coffee with Carlyle” series from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Caffe Fiore (5405 Leary Ave NW).

During the small, informal meeting, constituents can share their thoughts, questions, criticisms and ideas about state and local issues with Carlyle and each other over coffee. The Ballard event is the second coffee chat this summer, following a kickoff in June in Phinney Ridge.

Later that day, constituents are invited to stop by Carlyle's new district office at the base of Queen Anne (3131 Western Ave, Suite 421 in the Northwest Work Lofts). Rep. Reuven Carlyle and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles recently opened the office and are hosting an open house from 5-7 p.m. Whether you have a particular question or concern, or simply want to check out the new digs, all constituents are welcome to stop by.

Can’t make it to the open house? Carlyle and Kohl-Welles encourage constituents to swing by anytime to ask questions or set up an appointment. The office is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Carlyle’s new office can also be reached at (206) 216-3184.