In the News

Editorial: Preserve the historic Green Mountain fire lookout

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THE historic Green Mountain fire lookout should remain exactly where it was built 81 years ago — atop 6,500-foot Green Mountain, in the Glacier Peak Wilderness east of Darrington, Snohomish County. The big-view lookout, on the National Register of Historic Places, has been a destination for thousands of hikers for decades. It slowly crumbled under the weight of many winters, so the…

Immigration reform as a womens issue

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While House Republicans have been adamant that immigration reform is all but dead this year, a coalition of women’s groups is hoping to revive the issue, wrapping it into the “war on women” offensive. Arguing that women and children bear the brunt of the burden from a broken system, and that women will be decisive in the 2014 and 2016 elections, organizers said that…

Murray, DelBene bring $10.10 wage fight to Seattle

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SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Suzan DelBene on Tuesday brought their fight to raise the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour to Seattle, where advocates want to raise it $5 higher. The small-business owner who hosted their news conference thinks the national proposal would be easier to swallow. Molly Neitzel, owner of Molly Moon's Ice Cream, said she…

Minimum wage: A just cause that Democrats are running with

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President Obama is doubling down on a $10.10-an-hour federal minimum wage as a cause that will lift thousands out of poverty, assist millions in reaching the middle class and help Democrats in the 2014 midterm election. He’s getting support back home during the President’s Day recess. “Raising the minimum wage is about bringing back the middle class,” Sen. Patty…

500 families won't lose rent subsidies after all

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EVERETT — The 500 low-income Snohomish County families who received notices last month about federal rent subsidies running out are off the hook — for 2014, at least. The Housing Authority of Snohomish County on Monday mailed a second letter informing those households that their Section 8 vouchers will last through year’s end. That came as a relief for Destinaey…

Op-Ed: Paycheck Fairness Act would lessen gender wages gap, aid families

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In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act at a time when women were paid 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. Since then, we have made great progress, and our economy has been transformed by women in the workforce. Yet, even as we see women appointed to the Supreme Court and to executive leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies, the typical woman in Washington state today…

Immigration reform: STEM visa program a 'broken system'

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SEATTLE - Immigration reform is an issue that often includes the emotional debate about undocumented workers, but there's another piece of the puzzle that's creating headaches and heartaches for some of the region's most promising young minds. "I come from Mumbai, India," Maithili Gupte says. Gupte has a master's degree in biology, and works as a cancer researcher in Seattle. She…

Farm bill raises funds for Skagit specialty crops

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MOUNT VERNON — A significant piece of the federal farm bill for Skagit County agriculture is the increased and permanent funding for specialty crop research and grant programs. The bill is the first to provide long-term investments for the programs and raises funding 50 percent over levels offered in the last farm legislation, providing $80 million per year to the Specialty Crop…

EDITORIAL: The politics of the farm bill

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The mosaic of interests, the political horse-trading, the willingness to hold hostage the food stamp program: The farm bill defines lawmaking down. In the age of gridlock, incremental changes are cast as victories. The deficit will be reduced by more than $16 billion, largely by rejiggering agriculture subsidies, including elimination of direct payments to farmers for not growing crops.…