DHS pulls list of 'noncompliant jurisdictions,' continuing confusion
A list of so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions around the country has been pulled from the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
When published late last week, it had prompted confusion and outcry from many of those localities and the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Cities like Yakima say they’re not sure how they ended up on the list of local governments DHS claims are defying federal immigration enforcement.
"We're going to work to find out," Yakima spokesperson Randy Beehler said. "We're going to contact homeland security and try and determine what occurred that resulted in Yakima being placed on that list."
The Homeland Security Department had said it would send each jurisdiction formal notification of its non-compliance.
The list includes the state of Washington and almost every one of its counties including Spokane, Ferry, Lincoln, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties.
The cities of Everett, Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle also appeared on the list, but not the city of Spokane — even though the city passed a resolution affirming its commitment to the state’s law against cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The Homeland Security Department claimed these governments are endangering citizens by protecting immigrants who are in the country illegally.
In a statement, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson says he’s confident the state’s signature law meant to protect immigrant workers can withstand a legal challenge.
The 2019 Keep Washington Working Act prohibits local police from coordinating with federal immigration officials or questioning people about their citizenship status.
As overdose deaths fall, worries that treatment programs will lose funding under new budget rise
Overdose deaths are estimated to have dropped across the United States by approximately 27% in the last year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That comes out to around 30,000 fewer deaths in 2024 than the year before.
Caleb Banta-Green, who researches addiction at the University of Washington, worries that proposed cuts to Medicaid currently being considered by Congress could make it harder for people to access effective drug treatments like methadone.
"We are really building up these really wonderful models of care that we are proving work just as the need is high, but now we're looking at massive cuts in healthcare access that will lead to things getting worse,” Banta-Green said.
According to the CDC the state of Washington has seen about a 12% drop in overdose deaths in 2024.
The federal agency says even with the national decline, overdoses continue to be the leading cause of death in the U.S. for people between the ages of 18-44.
Even though fewer people are dying, Banta-Green said this data may have tragic implications. He told KNKX public radio that since so many people have died from opioid overdoses in recent years, these numbers were bound to go down.
“At some point you have to peak and start coming back down. And you’re coming back down because so many people have already died," he said. "So we're still at an astronomical high level of overdose deaths.”
Banta-Green said treatments for opioid use disorder are improving and access to medicines like naloxone and methadone are helping to prevent overdoses.
Drop in motorcycle deaths contributed to overall lower traffic fatalities in WA
Last week, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission reported fewer people died in traffic accidents in 2024 than the year before.
The number fell from more than 800 to about 730. Commission spokesperson Mark McKechnie credits part of that to a decrease in the number of people killed in motorcycle crashes.
"There’s definitely been a lot of efforts to educate people who ride motorcycles, to slow down and ride sober," McKechnie told SPR News. "There have also been changes on the licensing side, more education and more challenging exams for people to get their motorcycle endorsement."
Riders are required to show more safety-related skills than in the past, he said.
When it comes to four-wheeled vehicles, McKechnie said fewer people are dying in accidents in which they’re not wearing seat belts.
But he said speed and driver impairment continue to be problems. Deaths in both of those categories increased in 2024.
More accreditations come as Spokane schools aim to expand health science training
The health sciences departments at Spokane universities have gained two more accredited programs.
This addition adds to the increase of degrees and programs at Spokane area schools to meet the demand for more health care workers.
Two of the most recent additions are Whitworth University’s doctoral programs in occupational and physical therapy.
The university announced both have become accredited, which means their graduates may now apply for licensure in their chosen fields.
The occupational therapy program earned its accreditation in early May.
Last week, the physical therapy program, led by Carrie Clark Hawkins, got its endorsement.
"I think this was an opportunity for a mission fit for Whitworth to look at the demand for physical therapists but also to think about how physical therapists fit into the overall structure of the university and the university’s mission," Clark Hawkins said.
Whitworth announced in March that 10% of the seats in those programs would be held for Washington State University students.
In exchange, Whitworth said its students will be able to enroll in three WSU programs: pharmacy, nutrition and exercise physiology, and dietetics.
Both of those arrangements will begin in the fall.
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Reporting by Freddy Monares, Owen Henderson, Mitch Borden and Doug Nadvornick.