PDC fines Washington state Republican Party $5,000 for four violations

Excerpt from The Chronicle (Centralia):

The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) has fined the Washington state Republican Party $5,000 for committing four campaign finance and political advertising violations.

According to the PDC, the commission determined that the state Republican Party made an illegal contribution to a political committee, accepted anonymous contributions that exceed state limits, delayed reporting expenditures until after the 2023 election, and failed to include sponsor identification on a text message advocating against a candidate for the Northshore School Board before the 2023 election.

In an announcement Wednesday, the PDC said that its staff filed administrative charges against the state Republican Party this month.

According to the PDC, its staff found the party transferred $100,000 from the party’s exempt fund to the Let’s Go Washington ballot measure committee for “unallowed  activities.”

The PDC also found that the state Republican Party failed to disclose contributions in the 2024 election cycle and deposited over-limit anonymous contributions. According to the PDC, the party deposited $106,500 in “anonymous” contributions on Sept. 17, which exceeded a cap of $500 or 1% of their total contributions that can be attributed to anonymous sources.

“The party amended its report to disclose the contributors a couple of days before the hearing,” the PDC stated. “If a political committee knows the source of a contribution, it cannot be hidden from the public as ‘anonymous,’ even if the amount falls within the $500 or 1 percent limitation.”

SEA Airport Secures $45.5M Grant

Excerpt from South Sound Business:

The United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Seattle-Tacoma International Airport a $45.4 million grant to further modernize the facility.

The grant comes from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize airports. So far, $566.4 million has been awarded via 296 grants to 47 states.

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Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, close to half of the nation’s 3,000 airports have received grants. 

The funding is expected to be used for airport planning, development, sustainability, terminal expansions, baggage-system upgrades, runway-safety enhancements, and noise-compatibility projects at relevant airports.

“We’re helping ensure traveler safety by upgrading every part of airfield operations, from better runway and taxiway configuration to vivid signage, better lighting, and improved pavement markings,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E., in the release. 

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the funds will be specifically used to fund structural, seismic, and building system upgrades to the Concourse S building to meet design standards.

Thurston County proactive in ensuring Ballot Drop Box security

+ KING-5 TV News, NBC Seattle: New security measures in place after ballot box fires in Vancouver, Portland

Statement from the Thurston County Auditor Regarding Ballot Drop Box Security

OLYMPIA – Considering recent arson at ballot drop boxes, we want to assure Thurston County voters that drop boxes remain the safest and most secure way to return your ballot.

Our ballot drop boxes are built with thick, quarter-inch steel and are anchored to the ground, making them incredibly durable and resistant to tampering. These boxes weigh hundreds of pounds, and their design has proven resilient even under extreme conditions.

Thurston County has been proactive in ensuring the safety of our ballots. We’ve equipped our ballot drop boxes with fire suppression devices. These are the same devices used in the ballot drop boxes in Multnomah County, which were instrumental in minimizing the impact of the recent fire.

In response to these incidents, we are taking additional precautions. This weekend, we are adding extra ballot pickup routes to ensure your ballots are collected safely and promptly. Furthermore, on election night, our ballot drop box collection teams will be followed by Thurston County Sheriff Deputies to provide added security.

We offer a secure, indoor ballot drop box at our Voting Centers, located at 2915 29th Ave SE, Tumwater, WA, in the Mottman neighborhood and at the Lacey Timberland Regional Library. Voting Center hours are available here: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/auditor/elections/november-5-2024-general-election

We urge all voters to use VoteWA.gov to check the status of their ballots. Transparency and trust are the cornerstones of our election process, and we are committed to protecting the integrity of your vote.

Yelm district votes to place levy measure on February ballot

Excerpt from the NVN:

Yelm Community Schools (YCS) will ask the community once again to pass its educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy as the Board of Directors approved a resolution to place the levy measure on the election ballot in February.

The board unanimously voted to set the collection rate at $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is the same rate the district attempted to pass last February before lowering it to $2.25 unsuccessfully in April. YCS will also collect the maximum of 3% assessed property value growth rate each year.

If the measure passes in the winter, the four-year levy would not start until January of 2026, and the district would collect the following amounts over the life of the levy:

2026: $16,600,000

2027: $17,100,000

2028: $17,600,000

2029: $18,125,000

YCS Superintendent Chris Woods said that the levy measure at the approved rates should bring the district out of binding conditions with the state and prevent the state from making authoritative decisions on cuts and staffing decisions.

The school district is currently working alongside the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to help the district balance its budget as its projected ending fund balance was approximately a negative $1.2 million as of August. Woods said OSPI is typically in a supportive role for a couple years, but if the district were to enter a third year in binding conditions, the state would take control.

Read more of the full story in the NVN.

Turn your clocks back one hour before retiring Saturday night

+ KING-5 TV: Daylight saving time comes to an end soon. Here’s when clocks ‘fall back’ in 2024 – Clocks will “fall back” one hour at 2 a.m. on Nov. 3, granting most people an extra hour of sleep.

+ The Bellingham Herald via MSN: Daylight saving will end this weekend. When will it get dark in WA after clocks fall back?

+ VIDEO: Yelm family has Halloween decorations stolen

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Halloween Heist: Yelm family has decorations stolen

Excerpt from KIRO-TV 7 News, CBS Seattle:

A family in Yelm is up in arms after someone stole a key part of their Halloween display.

The Turner family spoke to KIRO 7′s Ranji Sinha, wondering if the key part of their display would be back in time for the holiday.

The Halloween display at the Turner’s home is elaborate and mostly home-made. There’s a witch, some ghosts, and a giant skeleton with lights – but the key missing piece is “Mr. Halloween” himself, the fictional horror character Michael Myers from the Halloween film series.

Instead, the Turners have a sign saying ‘bring him back.’ They admit that without menacing ‘Mike,’ the display doesn’t feel quite right.

Mary Turner insists the Michael Myers statue was something she labored to make happen, “We’re really sad, I put a lot of work into it. We spent over a week, we put PVC framing, and then it took days for me to get the padding and stuff right.”

Turner would love to turn up the frightening Halloween song from the films on Thursday, but a different Halloween horror hit them; with only days to go, she realized their display was missing Michael Myers, saying, “It’s been out there for weeks, until Sunday night at some point.”

Someone making off with the mockup of Myers just days before Halloween was no treat for the family. Mary Turner said her son was the first to alert her and the family, “He walked out and was like ‘Momma, Michael’s gone,” then we looked over and sure enough someone had pulled it up. It looked like they chucked into the back of a pickup truck and took off.”

The Turners say it’s been a rough year, so they went all out for Halloween to cheer everyone up – never thinking someone would just take their decorations. Mary Turner knows she didn’t misplace Mr. Myers, “Either somebody wanted to mess with us or they really liked the Michael Myers.”

The Turners are not alone, a Lynnwood family had their decorations torn down and stolen too. In a matter of seconds, their doorbell camera caught people running away with the spooky décor and ripping the head off their life-sized Jack Skellington.

Mary Turner couldn’t help but see the irony and humor of someone taking Michael Myers, a character that people purposely try to avoid at all costs in the film, “We love Michael Myers.”

The Turners have posted on social media, and have threatened to call the police, but with only days to go – Mary Turner just hopes Michael Myers is back in time for *his* holiday, “I would just like my Michael Myers back, just bring Michael home!”

Can a county commissioner date an employee? Here’s what the law, internal policies say

Excerpt from The Olympian via MSN:

Over two months after Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse was suspended from some of her duties by her seatmates, questions remain about her alleged conduct and the legal trouble the county may be facing.

The commission voted to suspend Clouse from her appointed boards and commissions on Aug. 13 and promised in a Sept. 6 letter to release a final report on the investigation. The investigation reportedly concerns a workplace-dating relationship between Clouse and a county employee.

So far, the county has declined to say when the final report may be released, leaving the public to piece together details from statements by commissioners and Clouse’s attorney as well as reported information leaks.

In the meantime, The Olympian has reviewed the county’s personnel rules and spoken with two area attorneys to get an idea of how a workplace-dating relationship may lead to legal liability for employers.

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The Thurston County Commission heard a preliminary verbal report of a third-party investigation into Clouse in a closed-door Aug. 29 meeting, The Olympian previously reported.

On Sept. 3, Commissioner Tye Menser made a failed motion to reinstate Clouse and said the “inflammatory allegations” that justified her suspension were found to be unsubstantiated by the investigator.

Read more from this extensive story.

+ Truthout: Biden’s Apology Energizes Push for Truth Commission on Indian Boarding Schools – A survivor of the boarding schools says the apology mattered, but it’s what happens next that truly “tells the tale.”

+ Truthout: Biden’s Apology Energizes Push for Truth Commission on Indian Boarding Schools – A survivor of the boarding schools says the apology mattered, but it’s what happens next that truly “tells the tale.”

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From the Office of Gov. Jay Inslee:

President Biden issued a formal apology [Oct. 25] for the United States’ boarding school system that separated Native American children from their families and placed them in schools where they were forced to assimilate. Recent reports from the U.S. Department of Interior indicate thousands of children were killed or abused at these schools. An earlier report in 2022 identified 15 such schools in Washington state.

“Among our nation’s darkest stains is the boarding school system that the U.S. government used to erase Tribal language and culture under the harmful pretext of assimilation,” Inslee said. “I applaud President Biden for taking this important step towards healing. We can’t change our past, but we can take accountability for the generational trauma and loss this system wrought. Much work remains and Washington state will do its part to uplift the efforts of those who are carrying forward Tribal languages, cultures and knowledge to current and future generations.”

The most recent operating budget signed by Inslee includes a legislative directive to the Office of the Attorney General to study the impacts of boarding schools in Washington state through a truth and reconciliation model. This includes creation of an advisory committee that will prepare a report with recommendations due in 2025. 

Similar to launching the nation’s first alert system and cold case unit for missing and murdered Indigenous people, Washington is one the first states to address and study the impacts of the federal Indian boarding schools. 

+ Thurston deserves a leader with fresh ideas: Vote Rachel Dreon for Commissioner! Enough of another old man coming from retirement, JW Foster!

+ JW Foster let citizens down as an elected official! Time for a new generation – Vote Rachel Dreon!

+ No woman would vote for J.W. Foster if they knew – A reminder why he should not be elected to the County Commission!

+ J. W. Foster should not be County Commissioner! Poor record as Yelm mayor speaks volumes! We need a new generation instead of another 4 years from a retiree!

+ If voters knew J.W. Foster violated Yelm’s Municipal Code, they would not vote for him as County Commissioner!

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From Thurston County Commission candidate Rachel Dreon:

+ CBS News: FBI warns voters about election-related crimes

+ NBC News: Extremists inspired by conspiracy theories pose major threat to 2024 elections, U.S. intelligence warns

+ Office of Gov. Jay Inslee: Inslee statement on ballot dropbox attack in Clark County

+ KOMO-4 TV, ABC Seattle, Video: FBI investigating after arsonist targets ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon

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Gluesenkamp Perez Statement on Fire Set to Vancouver Ballot Drop Box

VANCOUVER, WA – Today,Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) released the following statement regarding a ballot drop box being set on fire at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center this morning:

“Early this morning, a ballot drop box was set on fire at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of ballots. I am incredibly thankful to the local first responders who quickly arrived on scene, put out the fire, and salvaged the ballots they could.

There is absolutely zero place in our democracy for political violence or interference against our fellow citizens, election workers, or voting infrastructure. I hope the perpetrator of this reprehensible act is quickly apprehended – and local and federal law enforcement have my full support in working to keep our democratic process safe and secure.

Our right to vote needs to be protected under all circumstances. We can’t yield to intimidation, and we must continue to stand up against unpatriotic acts such as this one. Your vote matters, so I encourage everyone who dropped off a ballot this weekend at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center to get in touch with the Clark County Elections Office and request a replacement.

I am requesting an overnight law enforcement presence be posted at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County through Election Day. Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence. I’ll continue to closely monitor this situation and share resources and updates with constituents who may have been affected.”

According to the Clark County Auditor, the drop box, located at 3510 SE 164th Ave., was last emptied Saturday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m.

You can check the status of your ballot here and request a replacement ballot at clark.wa.gov/elections/need-replacement-ballot. The Clark County Elections Office can also be reached at (564) 397-2345 or elections@clark.wa.gov.

Today’s incident comes after a suspicious device was found at a ballot drop box in downtown Vancouver earlier this month.