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OLYMPIA — States such as Washington that have expanded their Medicaid programs with federal funding are making far more progress in covering lower-income parents than are states that have rejected Medicaid expansion, according to a new Urban Institute study. In some areas, said Genevieve Kenney, co-director of the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, the politics surrounding Medicaid expansion may have overshadowed the program’s importance to families. She said the contrast between the two groups of states is stark. “Pare...
SEATTLE - One aspect of President Barack Obama's new budget proposal that hasn't gotten much attention is his recommendation to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress routinely raids the LWCF for purposes other than those for which it was intended. The money is mostly collected from offshore oil and gas fees and is supposed to be used to improve outdoor recreation and preserve public land and water resources. Hannah Clark, LWCF campaign director for...
SEATTLE - Waking up to find a puppy or a kitten under the tree on Christmas morning might be a child's dream, but experts caution parents to think far beyond the holidays when considering a new pet. K.C. Theisen, director of pet-care issues, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), said bringing an animal into the family requires the same level of planning as any other addition, because this will likely be a 10- to 20-year commitment. "It's just a fact that small children...
BSEATTLE - Blood donations tend to drop this time of year, so Washingtonians are being encouraged to stop by a blood center or blood drive over the holidays, to ensure that blood centers can continue to supply clinics and hospitals. According to David Leitch, director of donor and volunteer resources, Puget Sound Blood Center, it takes 900 people a day giving blood just to meet the Seattle area needs. Typically there are 15 or 20 blood drives a day at schools and businesses,...
TOPPENISH – It’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Awareness Month, and afterschool programs in some Washington communities have made it an all-year priority. In the Yakima Valley, with the help of local chefs they have organized "Top Chef"-style competitions for middle-school students and restaurant visits and cooking classes for younger kids. Melanie Willis, 21st Century Afterschool Program coordinator at the Northwest Community Action Center, says it's a fun way to get them interested in better nutrition. "We have lots of diffe...
SEATTLE - It might save the government some money, but it won’t do anything to quell the controversy over logging in the national forests. That’s what the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says in its new report about Congressman Doc Hastings’ plan to more than double timber harvest on public lands. Hastings has said his bill, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (HR 1526), is a way to get badly needed income to the rural timber counties. However, the CBO report says the counties would actually receive le...
SPOKANE - One in 12 Washington drivers was spotted either texting or talking on the phone, in a study of motorists’ behavior released Monday. Researchers sat at busy intersections in six counties over the summer to track what they saw, observing some 7,800 motorists. And their findings - that just over 8 percent of drivers are distracted by electronics - don’t surprise personal injury attorneys who deal with the consequences of devastating accidents that can be caused by car...
BELLINGHAM – A little farther down the tracks – that’s where the agencies reviewing plans for coal export terminals in Washington say they will look to determine their environmental impact. They will study how increased coal train traffic would affect people living along the rail line from Montana through Washington, and on to the proposed Gateway Pacific terminal site near Bellingham. Jeannie Brown is a member of the Northern Plains Resource Council. She owns a home in Belgrade, Mont., about 300 feet from the tracks, where...
SPOKANE – Fourth of July picnics are traditions for many Washington families, and picnic baskets are being delivered this week to members of Congress who have not yet committed to supporting immigration reform. Home-care workers who made the baskets said their union, SEIU Healthcare 775, represents people of many nationalities. Janie Hauff, Spokane, collected personal stories of home-care workers to include in the international-themed picnic basket she made for her Representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers. ”I’m giving her all t...
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The move has gotten national publicity: The state of Washington could skirt the intent of the Affordable Care Act, in order to save money. Some state senators are advocating dropping part-time state workers from the health insurance rolls and making them buy their coverage instead from the new Washington Health Benefits Exchange, an insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses. Ann Joiner, an adjunct professor who teaches writing at Central Washington University and South Seattle Community...
BELLINGHAM – On Memorial Day weekend, about 2 million people in more than 50 countries protested crops from genetically modified (GMO) seeds overtaking the food supply for humans and animals. The “March Against Monsanto” took place in 11 Washington cities, including Bellingham. An organic grocery there, Terra Organica, recently became the first in the nation to label GMO products on its shelves. Owner Stephen Trinkaus agreed with customers who said they have the right to know what’s in their food – and whether it is create...
OLYMPIA – There’s a move in Olympia to end the state’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance program before it even gets going. It was created in 2007, but got no start-up funding in the recession and now, a group of legislators wants to strike it altogether. It’s a type of insurance that allows new parents or people with family emergencies to take a few weeks off work with partial pay of up to $250 a week. Marilyn Watkins, policy director for the Economic Opportunity Institute, says it offers a little bit of financial securit...
SEATTLE - Homework does not have to be a battle between kids and parents. At a workshop in Seattle today, after-school care providers are learning strategies to help kids of all ages with their homework assignments. The trainer, Karen Summers with School’s Out Washington, says parents can use the same tips. Adults can and should be involved in their kids’ homework, as long as they do not do it for them, she says. Summers explained that part of the adult’s role is to encourage a routine and good work habits that help the c...
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington lawmakers are being asked to take a stand on campaign finance reform. On Jan. 17, a coalition called WAMEND presented the Legislature with 10,000 signatures, asking lawmakers to go on record advocating an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reverse the Citizens United decision. That’s the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended campaign-spending limits for corporations and special interest groups. A new report from the watchdog group Demos says b...
SEATTLE – On a single day on the Internet, more than 700,000 dogs are for sale. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says that’s what its researchers found in a one-day investigative blitz. The group is calling for new regulations on pet sales, and says an outdated Animal Welfare Act that doesn’t address online sales has become a loophole for unscrupulous breeders to sell directly to consumers. Tracy Coppola, campaigns officer with IFAW, says they found hundr...
SEATTLE – Imagine going to college without paying tuition up front - and committing instead to paying a small percentage of your future income so that others can do the same. This new idea has been proposed for funding a student’s portion of higher education at Washington’s public colleges. Payments would be made for a long enough time period to make them affordable, and the money would go into a trust fund for other students’ education. At the Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI), they call it the “Pay it Forward...
