TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalShe hung a Nazi flag in her antique shop. Now she's getting death threats.
Shelton shopkeeper Janice Danker said she’s receiving death threats.
The reason?
She accepted an antique German Nazi flag on consignment and hung it near a collection of World War II items in her store.
A few days ago, someone took a photo of the flag at her shop, Games and Needful Things, and posted it on Facebook. Danker said the phone at her antique and secondhand store has been ringing nonstop ever since, and she’s received hundreds of phone calls, emails and social media messages.
Many of the people are angry that a Nazi flag was displayed in and being sold by her shop, saying it’s a symbol of hate.
“They called me a Nazi, racist bigot,” Danker said. “One guy … said he was going to burn my shop down. Another said he was going to come down and put a bullet through my head.”
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jan/04/she-hung-a-nazi-flag-in-her-antique-shop-now-shes-/
Inslee, others support package of voter access bills
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee says he wants to improve people’s access to voting and announced his support of bills that seek to increase voter registration.
He joined several lawmakers Friday in announcing a package of bills ranging from allowing residents with enhanced drivers licenses and IDs to automatically be registered to vote to allowing 16 and 17 year olds to preregister to vote ahead of their 18th birthdays.
Inslee noted that there are 1 million eligible unregistered voters in the state, and that 63 percent of the more than 4.2 million who are registered didn’t vote in the November election.
Another measure seeks to reform representation of minorities in local elections. That measure, which has failed in previous years, has better odds this year since Democrats have regained control of the Senate.
The 60-day legislative session begins Monday.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jan/05/inslee-others-support-package-of-voter-access-bill/
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State's construction budget still tied up over water dispute
SEATTLE – About $4 billion in new school construction and other projects throughout the state remain on hold six months after a water-related dispute stalled passage of the state’s two-year construction budget.
Lawmakers have been working on a compromise. But top Republican and Democratic leaders still appeared to be divided on the issue this week.
Republicans have insisted on getting legislation to fix the so-called Hirst court decision before passing the capital budget. That 2016 state Supreme Court ruling effectively restricted new household wells in rural areas if they affect water kept in streams for fish or other senior water rights.
Top Democratic leaders said Thursday that the capital budget is a priority and shouldn’t be linked to complex water issues.
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jan/05/states-construction-budget-still-tied-up-over-wate/
Spokane County drops rape charges against all members of Polish death metal band Decapitated
Prosecutors have elected to drop rape and kidnapping charges against all four members of the Polish death metal band Decapitated, ensuring their eventual return to their home country of Poland after months of detainment in the United States.
Waclaw Kieltyka, 35, Michal Lysejko, 27, Rafal Piotrowski, 31, and Hubert Wiecek, 30, were scheduled to begin trial later this month in Spokane County Superior Court for the alleged gang rape of a local woman after their show in downtown Spokane on Aug. 31.
But on Friday – 11 days before the Jan. 16 trial date – Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Kelly Fitzgerald filed a motion dropping all rape and kidnapping charges without prejudice, meaning the four men could be prosecuted in the future. The motion cites “the well being of the victim” and “in the interest of justice” as a reason for dismissal.
“This has been traumatizing to her,” Fitzgerald said of the accuser. “It’s obviously something that is a multiple defender case, and it would be a lengthy trial.”
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jan/04/spokane-county-drops-rape-charges-against-all-memb/#/0
What's Ahead for Washington's New-Look Legislature
When the legislature convenes on January 8 for its 60-day session, it will have a slightly different composition than last year and a dramatically different posture. With Manka Dhingra winning the contested senate seat in this state’s 46th district this past November, Democrats now have full control of state government for the first time since 2013.
What the legislature and the state’s Democratic governor will do with that power may well be shaped by what they have not been able to do for the past five years. In particular, passing a tax on carbon emissions.
As if in preview of the session, Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled a proposal late last year to create just such a tax to generate the $1 billion needed to fund the hiring of more teachers in grades K-3, as well as more competitive salaries for current teachers—two issues that were not completely dealt with in the deal that emerged from the the summer’s double-overtime session. The state had planned to spend reserve funds to pay for that one-time need in 2018—as dictated by the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary decision. The proposed carbon tax would keep the reserves in reserve.
“It’s the final step to take care of this constitutional obligation,” Inslee said.
Read more: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/whats-ahead-for-washingtons-new-look-legislature/
City Agrees to Pay $85,000 to Settle Civil Rights Suit Over Black Lives Matter Activist's Arrest
More than two years after a Seattle police officer was accused of using a racial slur during the arrest of Black Lives Matter activist Jorge Torres, the city has agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by the activist for a sum of $85,000.
As former Stranger writer Ansel Herz reported here, Torres led a series of Black Lives Matter protests in 2014. During a protest at the end of the year, police arrested Torres on charges of "reckless endangerment" and "pedestrian interference." Prosecutors later dropped the charges in the "interests of justice."
Torres' arrest occurred just two years after the police department entered into a consent decree with the US Department of Justice over findings of unconstitutional and biased policing. In October of last year, the Department of Justice told a federal judge that Seattle police had fulfilled their court-ordered reforms as part of the consent decree agreement.
But Torres' case didn't end after prosecutors dropped charges. Shortly before Torres' arrest, dash cam video recorded a Seattle police officer commanding others to go "just get that fucking wet-ahh" in the pursuit of Torres. Torres, his lawyer, and the Community Policing Commission alleged that the video showed that the officer had just stopped short of calling Torres a "wetback." Another dash cam recording captured an officer saying, "If we can get him for pedestrian interference or something along those lines, we'll deny them their leader... A small Hispanic male—he's got a megaphone who appears to be the leader of the group at this time."
Read more: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/01/03/25672715/city-will-pay-85000-to-settle-civil-rights-suit-with-black-lives-matter-activist-arrested-by-police
Spokane County saved some residents from controversial law with new water bank
Eight years ago, near the start of the recession, Judy and Bill Moxley bought five acres of land north of the city for $69,000. There, in the quiet, serene country with a couple of friendly neighbors, they would build a single story home. There, they thought, they would grow old together.
A few years passed with no construction, as they weren't immediately ready to build. But then, last year, the Washington State Supreme Court delivered what the Moxleys thought would be a death blow to their dream. Known as the Hirst decision, the court ruling blocked the retired couple from getting a building permit, because Spokane County couldn't say water from a domestic well would be legally available for the home.
"We thought we didn't have any hope," Judy Moxley tells the Inlander. "We thought we had all this money invested in five acres, and it had become worthless."
The court decision was supported by environmental groups like Seattle-based Futurewise, which brought the original litigation. In areas of the state like the Little Spokane River Watershed, an area north of Spokane that has low groundwater levels and strict regulations for obtaining water rights, the decision effectively halted any new development.
Read more: https://www.inlander.com/spokane/with-a-new-water-bank-spokane-county-has-saved-some-residents-from-the-effects-of-a-controversial-water-rights-law/Content?oid=7499833
After the 2018 Spokane Women's March was suddenly canceled, activists scrambled to resurrect it
Twice, it appeared the 2018 Women's March in Spokane was canceled. The first time was a Facebook glitch. The second time it had really been canceled — because of internal division among the group organizing it.
Despite continued anger about the Trump presidency, it looked like Washington state's second largest city wouldn't have an official organized protest on the second anniversary of Trump's inauguration.
The Spokane Women's March was off.
But quickly, Democratic precinct committee officer Cynthia Hamilton and other activists started working furiously behind the scenes to guarantee it would happen.
"The community was out there hollering, 'What do you mean we might not have the Women's March'?" Hamilton says. "I don't know why it fell apart. But I didn't want it to fall apart."
Read more: https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2018/01/05/after-the-2018-spokane-womens-march-was-suddenly-canceled-activists-scrambled-to-resurrect-it
Clash between Idaho prison gangs injures 5 inmates
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — State officials have asked the Ada County Sheriff's Office to investigate a disturbance at a southwest Idaho men's prison involving two gangs that resulted in five inmates being sent to a local hospital for treatment.
The Idaho Department of Correction on Friday says 17 inmates at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution took part in the disturbance that began at about 4 p.m. Thursday.
The agency says none of the injuries to the inmates are life-threatening, and that no prison staff members were injured.
The agency declined to release the names of the gangs involved, citing the ongoing investigation.
Read more: https://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/clash-between-idaho-prison-gangs-injures-inmates/article_6d5e6021-6e15-5ed9-826e-b851b3492953.html
Man arrested for allegedly desecrating over 200 graves in South Idaho cemeteries
The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-year-old Aspen S. Curtis in connection with reported thefts from headstones across the Treasure Valley, according to the Boise Police Department.
Curtis is suspected of stealing over 200 vases from headstones in three cemeteries in Caldwell, Boise and Meridian. Curtis has been charged with burglary, grand theft, and desecrating a grave. He is currently being held in the Canyon County jail while the charges pend.
The vases were stolen from the Terrace Lawn Memorial Gardens, Cloverdale Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens and Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. The thefts will cost all three — which are under the umbrella of Carriage Cemetery Services of Idaho Inc. — about $100,000 to replace.
https://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/man-arrested-for-allegedly-desecrating-over-graves-in-south-idaho/article_a66738bb-1a2c-5498-99cb-c45d40a63a37.html
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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