October 1, 2021

Bonner County to conduct 2020 election audit as part of Idaho's effort to rebut 'freight train' of

Bonner County to conduct 2020 election audit as part of Idaho’s effort to rebut ‘freight train’ of Mike Lindell fraud claims


Local election officials in Bonner County will conduct a livestreamed hand recount of 2020 ballots on Saturday as part of an effort by the state to combat dubious allegations of election fraud.

Bonner, where Donald Trump bested President Joe Biden by more than 10,000 votes in November on his way to carrying Idaho’s four Electoral College votes, is the third Gem State county to set a hand recount. The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office already double-checked ballots in Butte and Camas counties last week, testing a theory posited by Trump ally and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell that has been widely discredited.

Mike Rosedale, the elected Republican clerk of Bonner County, said his office had received multiple complaints in recent weeks based on a spreadsheet circulated by Lindell. Rosedale compared the recent criticism to “a freight train coming at me.”

“It takes so long to build a level of confidence in our system,” Rosedale said. “It can be destroyed so incredibly and quickly.”

Rosedale was already in contact with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, which had conducted audits in the two smaller counties. Those were selected because Lindell’s allegation was that voting machine systems had been hacked, registering Trump votes as Biden votes, said Chad Houck, Idaho’s chief deputy secretary of state. But Butte and Camas, along with five other smaller Idaho counties, conduct their ballot tabulation entirely by hand.

Read more: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/01/bonner-county-to-conduct-2020-election-audit-satur/
(Spokane Spokesman-Review)

October 1, 2021

Workers at Bezos' rocket company allege sexism, safety risks

A group of more than 20 current and former employees are accusing Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket ship company of being a toxic work environment and not adhering to proper safety protocols.

The workers claim in an essay that there's sexism at the Kent, Washington, company. The employees, led by former head of Blue Origin employee communications Alexandra Abrams, state that “numerous senior leaders have been known to be consistently inappropriate with women." They also claim that many company leaders were “unapproachable" and showed clear bias against women.

There were also safety concerns, with the group stating that Blue Origin seemed more focused on beating billionaires Richard Branson and Elon Musk to space rather than tackling safety issues that would have slowed down the schedule.

Bezos blasted into space on July 21 on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a date he selected for its historical significance. Bezos held fast to it, even as Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson pushed up his own flight from New Mexico and beat him to space by nine days.

Read more: https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Workers-claim-Blue-Origin-is-toxic-raise-safety-16501573.php

October 1, 2021

Marysville teacher told to take Thin Blue Line flag off wall

Is it comparable in educational value to a Black Lives Matter or Pride flag? The school district says no.


MARYSVILLE — School administrators urged a Marysville teacher to take a Thin Blue Line flag off her classroom wall earlier this month.

Supporters of police, including the teacher’s brother, who served on the Marysville force, say they disagree with the directive.

School district policy says district employees can’t use district time, property or other resources for political purposes.

Interim Superintendent Chris Pearson said that when concerns are raised about a political symbol, administrators first meet with the faculty member to assess whether there’s any educational value.

Read more: https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-marysville-teacher-is-told-to-remove-a-thin-blue-line-flag/
(Everett Herald)

October 1, 2021

Shipyard commander: Workers must be vaccinated or exempted -- or face removal

BREMERTON — Workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Kitsap County's largest employer, must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22 or will face the prospect of termination unless they can prove a medical or religious exemption.

Capt. Jip Mosman, shipyard commander, announced to employees this week that there are still uncertainties surrounding exemptions but that the executive order signed by President Biden and interpreted by Navy leaders is clear.

"The only way someone can stay employed at PSNS & IMF is to be vaccinated or be exempt on a legitimate medical or religious basis," Mosman wrote in a message to all employees. "... If an employee does not qualify for one of these two exemptions and remains unvaccinated, a discipline process will begin."

The latest data available show approximately half of the shipyard workforce — which numbers about 15,000 people — is vaccinated. Biden's order not only included federal workers, but contractors and workers in companies larger than 100 employees.

Read more: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2021/09/30/commander-workers-must-vaccinated-exempted-face-removal/5904833001/

October 1, 2021

Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then.

The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said.

Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.”

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article254656742.html

October 1, 2021

Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then.

The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said.

Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.”

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article254656742.html

October 1, 2021

Auditor Galloway sues over Hawley's reaction to audit

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI -- Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway is suing a state board that she said is threatening to discipline her and her office after she issued audits critical of Sen. Josh Hawley for his use of public money while he was Missouri Attorney General.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Galloway asked a Cole County judge to find the State Board of Accountancy’s powers and client confidentiality laws do not apply to government agencies reviewed by the state auditor, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Galloway, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election next year, issued audits in 2018 that found that Hawley, a Republican, might have misused state resources during his successful run for the U.S. Senate.

In response, Hawley asked the accountancy board to investigate Galloway and her office for any violations of their accountant's certifications.

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article254645172.html
(Olympia Olympian)

October 1, 2021

Idaho's partial vote recount validates 2020 election tallies

BOISE, IDAHO -- A partial recount of ballots cast during the last presidential election has validated the accuracy of the results, Idaho officials say, despite manipulation claims by Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The Idaho secretary of state’s office said Wednesday that a hand inspection of ballots in Camas and Butte counties found margins of error of less than 1%. That’s far below what Lindell had claimed in saying votes for former President Donald Trump went to President Joe Biden.

Lindell has made unsubstantiated claims and floated conspiracy theories about last year’s election in multiple states in an attempt to undermine voter confidence in the outcome. That has extended even to Idaho, where Trump easily won the deep-red state with nearly 64% of the vote.

“The office of the Idaho Secretary of State takes free, fair, and accurate elections seriously,” said Republican Secretary of State Lawerence Denney in a statement. “So when we are presented with allegations that come with specific details which we can examine, we want to do so.”

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article254656617.html
(Olympia Olympian)

October 1, 2021

Thurston County warns of toxic algae bloom at state park lake

Residents should avoid Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park due to a toxic algae bloom, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.

PHSS staff tested the lake on Sept. 23 at the boat launch and issued an advisory on Tuesday. The lab results indicate toxin levels of Anatoxin at 1.4 micrograms per liter, per the advisory. That’s higher than the state advisory level of 1 ug/L.

Anatoxin is poisonous to humans and can affect the nervous system. Pets and livestock also can become ill if they drink affected water, according to a county news release.

Staff also tested for microcystin, a liver toxin that may cause cancer, but levels for this toxin were below the advisory level of 8 ug/L, per the advisory.

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/article254615792.html

October 1, 2021

Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper dies of COVID-19

Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper has died after a five-week battle against COVID-19, Lewis County announced in a news release Thursday.

Stamper represented District 3 on the east end of the county. He died Sept. 29 at PeaceHealth Medical Group in Vancouver, Wash. He was 67.

The Chronicle in Centralia reported that he had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

A former principal, teacher and coach, Stamper served on the BOCC since Jan. 1, 2015. He prided himself on “standing up for the little guy,” protecting the area’s timber interests and promoting economic growth while maintaining the area’s rural feel, according to the county news release.

Read more: https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article254654457.html#storylink=mainstage_lead