NEWS ROUNDUP
Seeking scabs, Hanford layoffs, Shea skates, poultry and piss…
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
LOCAL
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Triumph Composite workers strike; company seeks replacements — On Wednesday, most of the 402 members of the Machinists’ union at the Triumph plant in Spokane are on strike. Weeks of contract negotiations failed to resolve disagreements regarding money, retirement plans, health care and job security. “This is about the future, about our community and its ability to have our kids make a decent living,” said 9-year Triumph employee Susie Bellino.
UPDATED at The Stand — Machinists on strike at Triumph in Spokane
► In today’s Seattle Times — At Boeing supplier Triumph, management vows Machinists strike won’t halt work — Triumph spokeswoman Lynne Warne said Tuesday that management plans to maintain operations “for the duration of any work stoppage without any expected disruption.”
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — A victory for coal train opponents, but not the end of the line — The immediate victory for terminal opponents is just one event in a much longer time frame. Other projects might still come back. SSA Marine might alter its project proposal to avoid conflicts with tribal rights. Or the company might sue the federal government over the decision. Or another company could come along with a different proposal, starting the whole process over again.
► In today’s Columbian — Letter carriers hope to be loaded down for food drive — The National Association of Letter Carriers’ food drive is this Saturday. People should be getting their bags in the mail.
► In today’s Bellingham Herald — Leave food by mailbox Saturday, May 14, for annual drive
ALSO sat The Stand — Letter Carriers Food Drive this Saturday, May 14
HANFORD
► In today’s Tri-City Herald — Possible tank vapors reported in different Hanford area — Another potential chemical vapor incident was reported at Hanford Tuesday, but this one was about seven miles away from where suspicious odors were previously reported.
STATE GOVERNMENT
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Ethics Board decided that since Rep. Shea went there on his own time and at his own expense, it’s not an ethics violation. Never mind that he ignored law enforcement officials’ requests not to visit with and “embolden” these armed anti-government extremists actively engaged in criminal activity. Never mind that Shea actually assisted these criminals by sharing tactical information with the occupiers. Our point remains, it’s up to Washington’s Republican Party to hold this embarrassment to our state accountable for his actions.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Inmate assaults two officers at Monroe prison; authorities investigating — The 32-year-old inmate reportedly punched one of the officers in the head, and then struck the second officer when he tried to intervene.
► In today’s Seattle Times — A tour of ferries under construction (photos)
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
ALSO TODAY at The Stand — Constituents to Rep. Derek Kilmer: ‘TPP doesn’t make ¢ents for America’
SUPREME COURT
CAMPAIGN 2016
► In today’s Seattle Times — He stood up to Trump. So why is everyone hating on Chris Vance? (by Danny Westneat) — Since announcing he can’t vote for Trump, Vance has been called a traitor, a defector, a quisling by scores of folks in his own party. Some Republican donors to his campaign, such as Electroimpact CEO Peter Zieve of Mukilteo, have demanded their money back.
► From Huffington Post — World labor leaders call for ‘Global New Deal’ to combat demagogues like Trump — Dozens of senior European labor union officials gathered this week at the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, to trade ideas for fighting a xenophobic far right ascendant on both sides of the Atlantic.
► In today’s Washington Post — Sanders wins in West Virginia, extending race against Clinton — The senator’s victory was the first of a string of potentially strong showings this month that may drag out, but not block, Hillary Clinton’s march toward the Democratic nomination.
► From The Hill — Clinton wins Nebraska primary but gets no delegates — In a symbolic victory, Clinton took 59 percent of the Nebraska vote Tuesday.
► In today’s NY Times — Donald Trump, bucking calls to unite, claims ‘mandate’ to be provocative — Donald Trump’s behavior in recent days — the political threats to House Speaker Paul Ryan; the name-calling on Twitter; the attacks on Hillary Clinton’s marriage — has deeply puzzled Republicans who expected him to move to unite the party, start acting presidential and begin courting the female voters he will need in the general election.
► From The Hill — Trump won’t release tax returns before election — “There’s nothing to learn from them,” Trump said.
► In today’s NY Times — After conventions, a debt to donors (editorial) — In a first since the Watergate era, the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions will be bankrolled solely by corporations and wealthy individuals.
NATIONAL
► From think Progress — Poor people don’t stand a chance in court — There is less than one civil legal attorney — 0.64, to be exact — for every 10,000 people living in poverty, according to a new report. Even though nearly 110 million people are poor enough to qualify for free legal assistance because they can’t afford a private attorney, there are less than 7,000 legal aid attorneys throughout the country to help them.
► From Bloomberg — Staples-Office Depot merger blocked — A federal judge halted Staples Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Office Depot Inc., effectively ending a bid to unite the two biggest U.S. office suppliers into what the government argued would be an unchallenged giant.
► In today’s NY Times — Pressure to close the pay gap — Issues of fairness aside, large pay gaps tend to go hand in hand with lower profits, new research finds.
► From KUOW — NASA spots 1,284 new planets, including 9 that are ‘potentially habitable’
► From The Onion’s archives — Distant planet terrified it might be able to someday support human life
TODAY’S MUST-READ
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.