Washington Archives - The Pennsylvania Daily Star

Feds Have Showered Washington State with Tax Dollars to Fix Homelessness, but It Keeps Getting Worse

March 23, 2024 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

A plethora of federal agencies have spent well over $200 million attempting to alleviate homelessness in Washington state over the past 17 years, only for the number of people living on the streets to keep rising.

Federal agencies like the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), among others, have spent hundreds of millions of dollars since 2007 on grants to third parties intended to mitigate homelessness in Washington, federal spending data shows. Despite the nine-figure sum of taxpayer dollars spent, the number of homeless people in Washington grew by about 20% between 2007 and 2023, according to a report produced by HUD.

‘All Unite for Pre-Born Rights!’: Thousands Gather to Attend March for Life amid Massive Snowstorm

January 19, 2024 Admin

Thousands of people attended the annual March for Life, joined by high-profile advocates and speakers, in Washington, D.C., on Friday to oppose abortion amid a massive snowstorm that blanketed the city.

Federal Figures Show Surge in Homelessness

December 19, 2023 The Center Square

The number of homeless people in the U.S. jumped 12 percent to more than 653,000 people as pandemic spending expired, the highest level on record since the counts started in 2007.

Figures released Friday provide a snapshot of the number of people in shelters, temporary housing and in unsheltered settings. The report found 653,100 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023, a 12 percent increase from 2022. That figure of 653,100 people is equivalent to about 20 of every 10,000 people in the U.S.

Crime Rate in Nation’s Capital Continues to Climb

October 16, 2023October 15, 2023 The Center Square

Crime rates per capita in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, including Northern Virginia and Maryland, have increased 9% in 2022 to a rate of 18.3 crimes per 1,000 residents, according to an annual crime report released Wednesday, with 83,000 more calls for service to primary agency participants in the study.

Russell Hamill, police chiefs committee chair for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, shared the findings of the council’s annual Report on Crime and Crime Control at a meeting with the board. The report reflects data from 17 cities, counties, or entities in Maryland and 18 in Virginia, as well as from law enforcement in the district.

States with Weaker Marijuana Laws See More Impaired Driving, Report Finds

September 4, 2023September 3, 2023 The Center Square

A new report found that states with less restrictive marijuana policies have higher incidents of residents driving while high.

The Drug Free America Foundation released a new report showing that states that have legalized or weakened restrictions around high-THC marijuana, either for medical or recreational use, saw 32% more marijuana-impaired driving than states that have not adopted the same policies.

Governments Across America Spend Millions to Put Homeless in Hotels

September 1, 2023August 31, 2023 The Center Square

In states like California, Colorado, Washington and Arizona, cities this summer are spending millions buying hotels and converting them to shelters for the homeless.

In Los Angeles, there is a ballot initiative in 2024 to require hotels to use vacant rooms to house homeless people besides paying customers. The American Hotel & Lodging Association has objected to the proposal.

10 States to Sue EPA for Not Updating Wood Stove Emission Standards

July 5, 2023 Just the News

Ten states and a regional government clean air agency plan on suing the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly failing to update emission standards for wood-burning stoves, allowing high-emission stoves to still be sold.

The mostly Democratic state attorneys general filed a notice of intent to sue the EPA last week.

State Medical Authorities Are Cracking Down on Therapists Who Don’t ‘Affirm’ Kids’ Trans Identities

June 6, 2023 Admin

by Laurel Duggan State laws have made it effectively illegal for therapists to help children with gender identity issues come to terms with their natural bodies and biological sex in much of the country by labeling the practice an illegal form of “conversion therapy.” While conversion therapy is broadly…

School Districts Celebrate Pride Month with Drag Shows, LGBTQ Assemblies

June 6, 2023 Admin

School districts across the country are using drag shows, parades, assemblies and proclamations to celebrate LGBTQ Pride month.

Some school districts that are promoting the events throughout the month of June are located in Washington, Oregon, California and New Hampshire. The Pride celebrations are a part of the growing push to expand lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation into the classroom, education advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Advocates Warn of ‘Desperate’ Movement to Undermine the Electoral College

April 25, 2023 Admin

An organization’s efforts to circumvent states’ rights are “getting desperate” as they try new ways to push their interstate compact through state legislatures, two pro-Electoral College advocacy groups told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The National Popular Vote (NPV) is a group initiative to reform the U.S.’ two-step, Electoral College system by ensuring that the candidate with the most popular votes nationwide becomes the president. Now that NPV has enacted its interstate compact in all of the “easy,” bluer states as a standalone bill, it is getting creative to force the law through in swing states like Minnesota, Nevada, Michigan and Maine, Trent England of Save Our States and Jasper Hendricks of Democrats for the Electoral College told the DCNF.

Catholic Civil Rights Group Condemns State Legislation to Force Priests to Break Seal of Confession

March 13, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Bills in the states of Vermont, Delaware, and Washington would include in mandatory reporting laws information about child sexual abuse a priest learns during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a move the Catholic League states lacks sound reasoning.

Last week Catholic League President Bill Donohue warned the “seal of confession” is “under fire” in Vermont, noting the Catholic civil rights organization is once again “doing battle with lawmakers who want to violate” the priest-penitent privilege, mostly in legislation concerning the sexual abuse of minors.

Seattle Public Schools Consider Closures as Student Enrollment Plunges Post-Pandemic

February 14, 2023 Just the News

Seattle Public Schools may have to close some of its schools over the next few years as the district battles budget shortages and plummeting enrollment after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soft-on-Crime Progressives Push for Laws to Prevent Traffic Stops for ‘Less Severe’ Violations

February 13, 2023February 14, 2023 Admin

Leaders in multiple states and cities are embracing efforts to bar police from pulling drivers over for certain less-severe traffic violations, a move that some experts believe endangers public safety.

Eighteen State AGs Voicing Support for New York Gun-Industry Liability Law

January 23, 2023 The Center Square

A coalition of 18 state attorneys general, all Democrats, on Wednesday submitted an amicus brief in support of New York’s firearms industry accountability law.

Why We March: Historic 50th March for Life, First in Post-Roe Era

January 19, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Thousands of pro-life Americans and advocates from other nations will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Friday to celebrate the 50th March for Life, the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

North Carolina, North Dakota, Among States Phasing Out Income Tax

January 17, 2023January 16, 2023 Just the News

Americans in search of economic freedom and opportunity are flocking to Florida, Tennessee and Texas, and at least part of the attraction is that these three states, along with six others (Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming and New Hampshire), don’t levy an income tax.

Other states may soon follow.

“There are 10 states that are in the process of moving their personal income tax to zero,” President of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

Washington Lawmaker Introduces Proposal to Pay Prisoners Minimum Wage

January 8, 2023January 7, 2023 The Center Square

A Washington legislator who served time behind bars contends it is time for the state to stop saving millions on the backs of inmates who are paid pennies for work in prison jobs.

“This is an evolution of slavery,” Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, told reporters. She is proposing that inmates be paid minimum wage when they work in the kitchen or produce furniture or other goods.

Local Government’s Christmas Policy Parallels Woke Rules Found on College Campuses

December 26, 2022December 25, 2022 Admin

A memo shared by the free speech watchdog, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), reveals that employees of King County, Washington, are advised not to include “religious symbols” in their workspaces.

“Before adding any decorations to your workspace (including your virtual workspace), consider the likely effect of such decorations on all of the employees in and outside of your workgroup,” writes Workforce Equity Manager Gloria Ngezaho in the “Guidelines for Holiday Decorations for King County Employees.”

Washington State’s Dem Gov, Attorney General Propose Major Gun Control Measures

December 25, 2022December 24, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson held a press conference Monday to announce three new measures for the upcoming 2023 legislative session that aims to curb gun violence in the state.

The measures would ban assault style weapons, hold manufacturers and retailers accountable for gun sales and implement a permit-to-purchase requirement for all gun buyers, according to a press conference. Inslee cited an increase in gun violence as the reason for the new legislation, and believes the laws, along with mental health assistance, will curb gun violence in Washington.

Gen-Z’s First Congressman-Elect Says He Was Denied a Lease in D.C. Due to ‘Really Bad’ Credit

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 Just the News

Florida Democratic Rep.-elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost says he was denied a lease on a Washington, D.C., apartment after the landlord initially told him that his bad credit wouldn’t matter.

Frost is slated to become the first Gen-Z lawmaker in Washington when the next Congress is sworn in in January. He was previously a community organizer and will take over the seat of Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who unsuccessfully challenged Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio for his seat in the upper chamber in November.

GOP Senate Challenger Tiffany Smiley Now Tied with Dem Incumbent Sen. Patty Murray in Washington State

November 1, 2022October 31, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Democratic Sen. Patti Murray is now tied with her Republican challenger and nurse Tiffany Smiley in the Washington Senate race, according to the results of a new survey published on Sunday.

The survey showed that Murray and Smiley each had the support of 46% of respondents, a two percentage point shift in favor of Smiley from the same poll conducted in September, according to pollster Moore Information Group. It also showed a three percentage point decrease in Murray’s net favorability ratings, while Smiley’s net favorability increased by the same amount.

Democratic Secretaries of State Warn ‘Independent State Legislature Theory’ Would Upend Elections

October 29, 2022October 28, 2022 The Center Square

Thirteen Secretaries of State led by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper, a case that will have the court considering the “independent state legislature” theory.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Moore v. Harper in December, a case brought forth after the Republican-controlled North Carolina Legislature adopted a new congressional voting map based on 2020 Census results. A group of Democratic voters and nonprofit organizations alleged the map was a partisan gerrymander that violated the state constitution and challenged it in court, according to Ballotpedia.

Vaxxed Army Pilot Reprimanded, Denied Promotion for Questioning Vax, Investigation Bias

October 11, 2022October 10, 2022 Just the News

A U.S. Army pilot who reluctantly received a COVID-19 vaccination has been reprimanded and denied promotion — and could still face discharge and the loss of his wings — after questioning the vaccine and filing complaints about allegedly biased investigations of him, according to his wife and her attorney.

Jessica Hill-Budge, the wife of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge in the 7th Infantry Division’s 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, told Just the News that her husband is likely to lose his nearly 20-year military career due to improperly conducted official investigations of his case.

Washington’s Largest County Fails to Meet Goals After Spending over $230 Million in Taxpayer Dollars on Homeless Housing

October 4, 2022October 3, 2022 Admin

King County, Seattle, has poured $230 million into homeless housing projects in the area since 2020, but half of those properties are vacant and they have yet to meet even half their goal of housing 1,600 homeless people, according to The Seattle Times.

Eastern Washington Legislators Urge Biden to Lift Vaccine Mandate for Border Travel

October 4, 2022October 3, 2022 The Center Square

Two U.S. Representatives from Eastern Washington have signed onto a letter that urges the Biden Administration to drop all vaccine requirements for people entering the United States from Canada.

Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, say the decision to send the letter follows Canada lifting vaccine mandates for international travelers entering the country despite Biden’s refusal to follow suit.

Washington’s Largest School District Goes on Strike, Delaying Start of School for Thousands

September 8, 2022September 7, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Teachers of the largest school district in Washington are on strike on what should have been the first day of classes after rejecting a deal that would have kept them working in classrooms.

The Seattle Education Association (SEA) could not come to an agreement with Seattle Public Schools (SPS), which has roughly 50,000 students, in Seattle, Washington, causing its members to strike Wednesday morning, SPS announced on its website. The SEA rejected the school district’s memorandum of understanding which would have kept teachers working under their current agreement and allowed students to return to school on time as contract negotiations continued.

Washington Will Ban Gas Cars, Copying California

August 30, 2022August 29, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington announced Wednesday that his state would be following California’s lead in banning the purchase of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

Inslee touted California’s new rule, which was approved on Thursday, and stated that Washington was ready to adopt the rule to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 at the end of 2022, according to a tweet he posted. The governor also said that his state already set an unenforced goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions vehicles by 2030, a move that would attempt to phase out cars powered by an internal combustion engine.

30 Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic, at Least a Dozen States Are Under ‘Emergency’ Orders

August 23, 2022August 22, 2022 Admin

In October 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court stripped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of the unilateral powers she was using when she declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whitmer had been using a 1945 law – which was prompted by a three-day race riot in Detroit three years earlier – that had no sunset provision in it and didn’t require approval by the state legislature.

In May 2021, Whitmer told a news agency that if she still had that 1945 state-of-emergency law, she would use those powers, but not for anything related to a pandemic.

Illegal Migrants Deny Being ‘Tricked’ into Getting on Buses to D.C., NYC

August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Illegal migrants bused from the southern border to Washington, D.C, denied that they’re being “tricked” into boarding the buses, several of them told the Daily Caller News Foundation, contradicting claims made by the mayors of D.C. and New York City.

Commentary: Washington’s Incurable Case of Trump Derangement Syndrome

August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Like Shakespeare’s King Lear, Donald Trump is a “man more sinned against than sinning.” Trump’s enemies invariably exceed him in excesses. They accuse him of dictatorial behavior even as they seek to turn America into a left-wing authoritarian regime. The wags who dubbed their feverish hatred of him “Trump Derangement Syndrome” were right. The condition is altogether real, spurring everything from the bogus Russia investigation to the equally outlandish FBI raid on his home.

Pennsylvania AG Shapiro Among 20 State Attorneys General Supporting National Gun Control Rule

July 12, 2022July 12, 2022 The Center Square

A coalition of 20 state attorneys general, all Democrats, are backing a federal gun rule in court.

The Final Rule, as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives named it, would enable law enforcement officials to trace any homemade guns used in crimes. In addition, the rule limits trafficking the weaponry.

‘If Abortion Isn’t Safe, You Aren’t Either’: Vandal Attacks Pregnancy Center

May 30, 2022May 29, 2022 Admin

A suspect vandalized a Washington state crisis pregnancy center by breaking the building’s windows and spray-painting the property early Wednesday morning.

The suspect targeted the Next Step Pregnancy Center in Lynwood, Washington, Next Step Pregnancy Center Director Heather Vasquez told KTTH talk radio host Jason Rantz. The center stayed open despite the vandalism and police have opened an investigation into the matter.

Justices Signal They’ll Rule in Favor of Football Coach Fired for Praying

April 26, 2022 Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, covered the oral arguments heard on April 25, 2022, by Supreme Court justices in the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case.

Carjackings Soar in Blue State After Democrats Tie Police Officers’ Hands

April 17, 2022April 16, 2022 Admin

Carjackings in Washington have soared after Democrats endorsed a rule that limited police pursuits, according to a major police association, King 5 News reported.

Washington recorded an 88% increase in car thefts since 2021, according data compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, King 5 reported. The state experienced 12,569 stolen vehicles between January and March 2022, compared to 6,692 thefts during the same time period in 2021.

Catholic Charities Met Abbott’s Bused Migrants with Tickets to Ride Elsewhere

April 14, 2022 Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, reports from Washington’s Union Station, where Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott sent migrants who crossed the border into his state.

Pro-Life Leaders Demand Investigation Into Whether Late-Term Infant Bodies Discovered May Have Survived Botched Abortions: ‘Beyond Horrific and Devastating’

April 5, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Leaders of a national pro-life organization are demanding an investigation into the deaths of five late-term infants whose bodies were discovered last week at a Capitol Hill region home in Washington, DC.

D.C. police discovered the bodies of the babies last Wednesday at a home occupied by pro-life activist Lauren Handy, WUSA9 reported.

Commentary: Washington Doesn’t Want Peace in Ukraine

March 26, 2022March 25, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

The United States is now overwhelmed with propaganda pushing for Americans to “stand with Ukraine” in its war with Russia. It is not enough to wish the people of Ukraine well. The media, Big Tech, and both political parties have made being a partisan of Ukraine some kind of moral duty. Those refusing to get swept up in anti-Russian hysteria can expect to be condemned as traitors and agents of Vladimir Putin.

Deep-Blue Washington State Contains Possible GOP U.S. House Seat Pickup

March 22, 2022March 22, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Deep blue Washington State contains a U.S. House district that is being targeted for Republican pickup.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has announced that it is targeting Washington’s 8th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Democrat incumbent U.S. Representative Kim Schrier.

School District in Washington State Holding Racially Segregated Superintendent Search Meetings for Parents

February 11, 2022February 10, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

A Washington school district plans to hold racially segregated meetings for parents and guardians who wish to participate in the search for a new superintendent.

As afternoon radio host Jason Rantz reported at MYNorthwest Wednesday, the Issaquah School District’s (ISD) weekly bulletin for February 7 listed its “upcoming events,” including separate meetings for “Parents/Guardians of Color.”

Supreme Court to Hear Case of Washington High School Football Coach Fired for Praying

January 25, 2022January 24, 2022 The Center Square

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will hear oral arguments later this year in the case of a high school football coach in Washington state who was fired for praying after games.

The case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School Board, involves Joe Kennedy who coached the football team at Bremerton High School from 2008 to 2015.

The issue began after Kennedy was hired when he would take a knee on the field after games to engage in personal prayer.