WA officials vow vigilance in a new Trump Administration
Washington officials are assuring residents that the state Attorney General’s office is ready to take whatever actions are necessary to protect their rights under the incoming Trump Administration.
In a press conference Thursday, Governor-Elect and outgoing AG Bob Ferguson said unlike the start of Trump’s first term, the A-G’s office now already has the infrastructure and personnel in place to fight back against potential infringements on Washingtonians’ rights.
"Nothing that Donald Trump does or his administration does takes away our ability to enforce our rights here in Washington State, to protect our environment, to defend civil rights of all Washingtonians," Ferguson said. "And we are far, far better resourced to do that work than we were in January 2017 — and that’s putting it mildly.”
Attorney General-Elect Nick Brown agreed and touted the Washington AG's office's track record under the previous Trump Administration, saying, "We are an extraordinarily well-prepared and well-suited office for these challenges, and that is something that I think Washingtonians should take some pride on — is that this office is seen as a leader nationally with other states for taking on this work."
Both officials emphasized that any litigation would be motivated by the legality of Trump’s actions, not whether they personally agreed with the Administration’s policies.
"If this team never has to file a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, no one will be more happy than me," Ferguson said.
Ferguson also said the AG’s office is well equipped to handle any additional work needed under the incoming administration without sacrificing any of their day-to-day operations.
Cheney school bond results a nail-biter
Cheney school officials are riding an emotional roller coaster as they await the fate of the district’s $72 million facilities bond issue.
On Election Night, the measure was just short of the 60 percent it needed to pass. An update late Wednesday showed the bond is now passing by a few votes, with potentially hundreds of ballots yet to be counted.
In February, Cheney voters said yes to two property tax levies. But a similar bond fell short, with 54 percent approval.
Superintendent Ben Ferney told SPR News the district went back to the community for feedback, and learned patrons wanted more details about where their tax money would go.
“So we tweaked a lot of our messaging around. It was all on our website. We have just under a five-minute video that explains everything and then we have several 25-second videos that explain those little things, like a big piece for us is our HVAC units that are end of life and what that looks like,” Ferney said.
Ferney is hoping that work will pay off and that the bond will be certified in about two weeks.
Whooping cough cases soar in Washington
Whooping cough cases in the state continue to rise, according to the Washington Department of Health. As of November 2, nearly 1,200 cases had been reported in the state. At the same time last year, the case count was 51.
Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized, nearly half of which were infants. Three-quarters of reported infections this year have been in people age 18 or younger.
The Department of Health says vaccination is the most effective way to prevent serious illness from whooping cough, known medically as pertussis. Those vaccinations are especially important for pregnant women and young children.
“To protect babies from whooping cough, people of all ages should get up to date on pertussis vaccination, and anyone with symptoms should see a health care provider to see if testing and antibiotic treatment are needed," Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, the health department’s chief science officer, said in a news release.
Cases have been reported in 31 of Washington’s 39 counties. Spokane County has tallied 114 infections, the third-highest number in the state.
The Department of Health will release updated pertussis statistics later today.
Citizen committee recommends Idaho legislative pay raises
Lawmakers in Boise would earn $25,000 a year under the plan proposed by former Micron executive Joanne Stringfield.
“Our state employees and our legislators have similar benefits and it makes sense to me to tie legislators’ salaries to 40% of what the median state employee salary is,” Stringfield told Boise State Public Radio.
Idaho legislators who don’t live near the capital would still receive per diem benefits for meals – something that was on the chopping block in a proposal from top Republican leaders.
The House Speaker and Senate Pro Tem’s measure would’ve nearly doubled salaries, as well as tie pay to a percentage of Idahoans’ average household income.
Conservative lobbying groups blasted the plan, including the American Action Fund represented by Sulamita Rotante.
“A 43% pay increase for legislators during a time of historic inflation is out of touch with what Idaho people want and the conservative values we hold true,” Rotante said.
Lawmakers must still sign off on the raises before they become effective.
Lone Supreme Court race flips with continued ballot counting
Results have shifted in one of the closest statewide races in Washington.
The only contested Supreme Court race is now led by Sal Mungia by less than 15,000 votes — out of 2.7 million votes cast. The race currently sits at 50.02% for Mungia and 49.48% for Larson.
Mungia is a trial lawyer who says he’d lobby Olympia and Congress for legal aid for low-income people. He’s endorsed by the governor and eight of the nine sitting justices.
His Republican-endorsed opponent, Dave Larson, is a municipal court judge in Federal Way who opposes vaccine mandates. Larson led by just a narrow margin in the initial releases of election results.
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Reporting was contributed by Owen Henderson, Doug Nadvornick, Brandon Hollingsworth and James Dawson.