April 14, 2018

Renowned glassblowing artists will try to make 24-foot-high bong in Seattle

Dude, check it out.

Jason Harris and a group of other renowned glassblowing artists will be meeting in Seattle over the “4/20” weekend to create the world’s largest bong.

The final piece, which will be created in parts and then assembled at the Cannabition museum in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District, will tower 24-feet high and weigh 800 pounds when completed.

The bong will feature hookah-like attachments and actually be smoke-able, according to Chris Davison, co-owner of Jerome Baker Designs. “I think everybody on the top floor (of the cannabis museum) could end up high,” Davis said, jokingly.

“It’s going to be so much fun doing this in Seattle where (marijuana) is legal and everybody has a smile on their face about it,” said Harris, of Jerome Baker Designs.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/renowned-glassblowing-artists-team-up-to-make-24-foot-high-bong-in-seattle/

April 14, 2018

Washington state lawmakers, staffers consider independent office to take harassment complaints

OLYMPIA — New and additional harassment training. Frank conversations about power dynamics. Legislation to curtail inappropriate behavior in the private workforce.

This year’s state legislative session brought a flurry of efforts to address the culture of harassment in Olympia and elsewhere.

But when the session wrapped up last month, lawmakers and officials left some big questions about what the Legislature should do with its own outdated and politically tinged processes for handling workplace complaints.

Chief among them: Can the Legislature create a neutral place to take reports so people feel safe speaking up?

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/state-lawmakers-staffers-consider-independent-office-to-take-harassment-complaints/

April 14, 2018

Layoffs at debt-ridden dental school raise anger at University of Washington

More than 20 years ago, radiation and chemotherapy cured Steve Barclay of throat cancer, likely saving his life. But since then, damage to his throat from the radiation made it harder and harder for him to speak and be understood.

So he turned to Jeffrey Rubenstein, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry and one of the few specialists in this region who could create a prosthesis to fill a gap in Barclay’s throat and make his speech more clear.

But this month, the UW’s dentistry school — which is running a $6 million deficit this year, adding to its debt of $36 million — laid off 22 people. Included in the layoff: a laboratory technologist and two patient coordinators who made up all of Rubenstein’s staff.

“Without my staff, effectively, they’ve terminated me,” said Rubenstein, who estimates he has several hundred patients across a five-state region, many of whom need ongoing care. He called his staff critical to his job.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/layoffs-at-debt-ridden-dental-school-raise-anger-at-university-of-washington/

April 14, 2018

Critics Say Draft Plan From Homelessness Task Force Underwhelms

When created last December, King County’s “One Table” task force had a clear goal: to address homelessness on a regional level. But after releasing a first-draft set of recommendations last week, some members of the task force say they feel the proposals are coming up short.

The draft recommendations—as first reported by The C Is For Crank’s Erica C. Barnett—were based on input from a group of 75 individuals, including state-level elected officials, business owners, and those from the nonprofit sector, all brought to the proverbial table by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus. They name six “priority actions”: building 5,000 affordable homes over the next three years; creating a housing stabilization fund to prevent people from becoming homeless; providing on-demand behavioral health treatment; training and hiring 1,300 people at-risk of homelessness over two years by the county; reducing jail bookings and charges against individuals facing housing instability; and expanding foster-care services.

Notably, the draft doesn’t include new revenue sources to pay for any of these priority actions, nor do they list cost estimates for the new investments. According to the draft, the task force believes that these actions “can put a stop to the flow of our friends and neighbors into homelessness.” Yet, some members of the task force say the working recommendations fall short.

One Table member and executive director of the Seattle/King Coalition on Homelessness Alison Eisinger said that the draft “does not reflect an accurate response to the scale of the crisis.”

Read more: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/critics-say-draft-plan-from-homelessness-task-force-underwhelms/

April 14, 2018

Young Democrats want Joey Gibson events charged for extra security but that's probably unconstitut

Young Democrats want Joey Gibson events charged for extra security — but that's probably unconstitutional


Last time, nobody got hurt.

Though there was a lot of concern about the presence of Washington Senate candidate Joey Gibson, whose rallies have exploded in fights between right and left-wing groups in the past, his appearance at a Spokane Valley rally last month was uneventful.

But now, according to his Facebook page, he's planning an event at Riverfront Park on Sunday.

"[Spokane police officers are] aware and are prepared to respond if needed," says police spokeswoman Michele Anderson. "We would respond as appropriate."

According to City of Spokane Special Event Coordinator Carly Cortright, Gibson won't be required to have a permit unless his event features vendors, amplified speakers or is large enough to block public traffic.

Read more: https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2018/04/12/the-young-democrats-want-joey-gibson-events-charged-more-for-extra-security-but-thats-almost-certainly-unconstitutional

April 14, 2018

University of Dallas board fires president but won't say why

IRVING -- The University of Dallas announced Friday afternoon that the board would be removing longtime President Thomas Keefe at the end of the semester.

A statement issued by the board chairman, Dr. Thomas Zellers, did not give a reason, saying only, "After careful consideration and prayer, the University of Dallas Board of Trustees has determined that the university would benefit from a change in leadership in order to continue to grow and maintain its position as one of the nation's leading Catholic universities."

Keefe, who has been at the Irving university for eight years, could not be reached for comment. It was unknown how many years were left on his contract. But a clause in the agreement allowed the board to dismiss him as members saw fit, university spokesman Cliff Smith said.

Keefe came to the university in 2010. He previously had been a vice president at St. Louis University and president of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2018/04/13/university-dallas-board-fires-president-wont-say

April 14, 2018

Ted Cruz to report raising less than half what Beto O'Rourke raised this year

by Abby Livingston and Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune

When U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke announced his latest fundraising haul earlier this month – a stunning $6.7 million – it was widely expected to surpass what his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, brought in over the same period. Now it's clear by how much: roughly $3.5 million.

Cruz raised $3.2 million in the first three months of this year, according to his campaign.

O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, did not outpace just Cruz – he posted one of the top quarterly federal fundraising hauls ever, outside of presidential campaigns. If not for O’Rourke’s large sum, Cruz’s fundraising would be considered robust for any incumbent seeking re-election.

In tallying Cruz's numbers, his team takes into account three groups: Ted Cruz for Senate, a re-election campaign committee; the Jobs, Freedom, and Security PAC, a leadership PAC; and Ted Cruz Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee that sends contributions to the re-election campaign and his leadership PAC. O'Rourke, who only has a single campaign account, has sworn off PAC money.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/04/13/ted-cruz-report-raising-less-half-what-beto-orourke-has-year/

April 13, 2018

Full steam ahead for high-speed rail to Arlington, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Laredo

ARLINGTON -- The effort to build high-speed trains connecting Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth — and eventually Waco, Austin, Laredo and possibly Monterrey, Mexico — took a step forward Thursday.

The Regional Transportation Council, the official planning body for 16 North Texas counties, on Thursday approved $500,000 to continue studying the proposal, which has been in the works for several years.

"We are making steady progress," said Bill Meadows of Fort Worth, who chairs the commission overseeing the proposal.

The money includes a $300,000 federal grant plus $200,000 from metropolitan transportation agencies along the Interstate 35 corridor.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/growth/article208728829.html

April 13, 2018

Greyhound bus crash in Fort Worth sends 8 to hospital

Eight people were taken to hospitals after a Greyhound bus crashed Friday morning in Fort Worth -- the second major accident in the past two days in that city.

All of the injuries were minor, police said, and 34 others were treated at the scene and didn't require a trip to the hospital. The bus was traveling from Abilene to Dallas.

Six of the injured were bus passengers.

The crash occurred around 4 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 30 near Beach Street. Details about the circumstances of the wreck were not available.

On Thursday, a crash involving an 18-wheeler lying on top of several cars left one person dead and six others injured on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth. Parts of the accident scene were closed all day while the wreck was investigated.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/fort-worth/2018/04/13/greyhound-bus-crash-fort-worth-sends-eight-hospital

April 13, 2018

Texas GOP ignores young voters with LGBT snub

by Ross Ramsey, Texas Tribune


Texas Republican leaders have decided once again not to allow the party’s biggest LGBT group — the Log Cabin Republicans — to operate a booth at the state convention.

It’s not the first time that’s happened, and it’s in line with the party platform on LGBT issues. But it also pits the party’s social conservatives against its live-and-let-live conservatives and its older voters against its younger ones.

The reality is, Republicans are old.

Some Democrats are old, too. But on average, the older the Texan, the more likely they’re conservative. Also, male. And white.

That’s a fact, not a judgment. Not every Republican fits that description — not by a long shot.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/04/11/analysis-texas-gop-ignores-young-voters-lgbt-snub/