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Then this happened…

…workers who struck for better protection in the Yakima apple sheds have died from COVID 19. The deaths came after a historic strike where the workers gained an agreement from management to improve conditions and wages…
but too late for some.

…ouch! It turns out that the poorest 20% of Washingtonians pay 17.8% of their income while the richest 1% pay 3% of theirs. Since half of our state budget comes from sales tax, the shut down looks to drop revenue by $4.5 billion this year. Maybe we should bump up the tax contribution of the 13 Washingtonians whose combined wealth is $441 billion? A 1% tax on their stocks & bonds over $1 billion would bring in $4.4 billion – just about enough to wipe out the deficit.

…WIPs story about rent reform was confirmed when the Fed painted a grim view for the economy: unemployment will remain elevated for years, undermining the health of cities and towns as people are unable to pay rent and other basic expenses.

…Thurston, we have a problem. Recent data from the WA Assn. of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs shows that our public safety officers jailed blacks at 5.9 times the rate of the white population in 2019. 13.3% of the average daily jail population consisted of black people, even though they represent only 2.7% of the population in Thurston County.

…oops—Transmountain pipeline spilled 50 gallons of oil just across the Canadian border. It’s the 80th spill since the pipeline began operating in defiance of opposition by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

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Police department budgets in Thurston County’s main cities have been…