Rescue bus for pets; fish evacuated; a win for bikini baristas
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Odd and interesting news from around the West.
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SEATTLE (AP) — The city of Everett, Washington, has agreed not to enforce its ban on bikini baristas while it's challenged in court.
Seven bikini baristas and the owner of a chain of the coffee stands called "Hillbilly Hotties" sued the city this week, saying two recently passed ordinances banning bare skin violate their right to free expression.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, says the ordinances passed by the Everett City Council deny bikini-stand employees the ability to communicate through their attire, are vague and confusing, and unlawfully target women.
The city cited "a proliferation of crimes of a sexual nature occurring at bikini barista stands throughout the city" in adopting the measures.
In a stipulation entered in court Friday, the city said it would not enforce the ban while a judge considers whether to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the law. Briefing on the issue is due to be completed in November, with a ruling sometime thereafter.
"The City has agreed to suspend enforcement of the new ordinances for several weeks, at which time the challenge will be decided on the merits without the unnecessary intermediary step of litigating a temporary restraining order," Everett spokeswoman Meghan Pembroke said in an email. "We are confident that the City will prevail and the ordinances will be upheld."
One of Everett's new laws requires the workers to wear a minimum of tank tops and shorts. It specifically applies to employees at "quick service" restaurants, which also include fast food and food trucks.
The other redefined the city's lewd conduct ordinance and created a new crime of facilitating lewd conduct. Both ordinances took effect early this month.
Everett and Snohomish County, where it's located north of Seattle, have had a troubled history with the shops, which in some cases have operated as drive-thru strip clubs or even brothels. A former Snohomish County sheriff's sergeant pleaded guilty to helping launder money from a prostitution operation run out of some of roadside stands and was sentenced to one year in jail.
Jovanna Edge, the proprietor of the "Hillbilly Hotties" stands, called the new laws unnecessary. She said she allows the police department to log into her surveillance camera system so officers can watch what's happening at her stands in real time to ensure there is no impropriety.
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RENO, Nev. (AP) — Reno's city attorney hired a private investigator to go undercover to strip clubs to look for illicit behavior, and now officials are wondering what the investigator found and what they should do about it.
Other city officials were surprised when a City Council member disclosed an investigation report's existence during a meeting Wednesday night, the Reno Gazette-Journal (https://goo.gl/tvQvz6 ) reported Saturday.
Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus said she learned of the report during a staff briefing on proposed ordinance changes to crack down on downtown strip clubs. The proposed changes would require clubs to remove digital signs, stop serving alcohol and eventually relocate to industrial areas.
Brekhus said a representative of the investigator's firm described victimizations of patrons and dancers and behavior that would rise to a criminal level. She said city staffers weren't certain what they were going to do with the report.
"I was just kind of dumbfounded," Brekhus said.
Brekhus says the report could bolster the city's position in expected lawsuits challenging the ordinance if there's evidence of negative consequences from strip clubs.
Deputy City Attorney Chandeni Sendall declined to describe the investigator's findings, telling Brekhus that it was "commissioned under an attorney-client privilege basis" based on anticipated litigation.
Mayor Hillary Schieve told the Review-Journal she questioned whether it was appropriate to send investigators into private businesses. She also questioned the reliability of the report.
"Do you have video? Do you have proof? Is that hearsay? I don't know," Schieve said.
Schieve wants the report made public and said Brekhus did the right thing in bringing it up during the meeting.
City Attorney Karl Hall told the Review-Journal the investigation was part of the city's efforts to defend itself against litigation.
"We obviously everything we did was to defend the city from any potential litigation," he said.
Several council members told the newspaper they believed the report was part of a legal briefing on potential lawsuits, and not meant as information upon which to base a decision on the proposed ordinances.
"They told me this was privileged information, so I'm really not at liberty to get into what they found," Councilwoman Naomi Duerr said. "It was a legal briefing, like any legal briefing."
Duerr described the investigation as part of Hall's legal research into creating the ordinance, as well as preparation for potential litigation.
A lawyer for a club suing the city over a possible business license revocation following six shooting incidents said sending a private investigator into clubs is un-American.
"The public has a right to know, especially when council says they are making up their minds based on this secret report," attorney Mark Thierman said."
Assistant Police Chief Jason Soto said he first learned of the private investigation when Brekhus disclosed it during the council meeting.
Soto said he would contact Hall to learn whether there is anything that police need to investigate.
"The whole thing was bizarre," Soto said.
The Review-Journal reported it has submitted a public records request for the report and for invoices for payments to the investigator.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A lawsuit alleges that Dona Ana County's top prosecutor offered to dismiss criminal charges against a defendant in exchange for money.
The complaint filed by former office manager Marylou Bonacci also alleges that District Attorney Mark D'Antonio retained incompetent employees as political favors, improperly used funds and discriminated against women in his office.
The complaint was filed this week in district court, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported (http://bit.ly/2fhOm1U).
D'Antonio said in a statement to The Associated Press that the claims were absurd. He described them as a "poorly-veiled political attack."
"As a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor with an unblemished record, I am offended by these vague accusations of corruption — coming years after they are alleged to have occurred," he said. "This is not only a calculated attack on me and my family, but it undermines the exceptional work my office does every single day. "
The lawsuit accuses D'Antonio, the district attorney's office and the state of New Mexico of retaliating against Bonacci after she claimed to have raised concerns about alleged improper acts within the office. Bonacci worked at the district attorney's office from January 2013 to September 2015.
The allegations date back to 2013, D'Antonio's first year in office. He was re-elected in November.
Bonacci's lawsuit claims the district attorney would meet with defendants in his office without attorneys present. In one case, Bonacci claims D'Antonio asked her to "secure a loan" from a defendant's family in exchange for charges being dropped.
The complaint also alleges that the FBI began to investigate after Bonacci told a third party about D'Antonio's request. FBI spokesman Frank Fisher cited agency policy, saying he would never confirm nor deny a report of an investigation.
According to the complaint, D'Antonio learned about the alleged FBI investigation in August 2015, about a month before Bonacci was fired for being late to work by about nine minutes.
By April 2015, the complaint states Bonacci had been demoted on pretext that her job performance was unsatisfactory. She claims she was not given further explanation. She also alleges she was subjected to a hostile work environment following her demotion.
About a month before her termination, Bonacci accused the defendants of mishandling a child sex case, including "refusal to produce evidence material to the defendant," according to the complaint.
D'Antonio urged the public to withhold judgment until the facts of the case are brought to light.
Bonacci and her attorneys are seeking a jury trial as well as damages that include lost wages and compensation for emotional pain and suffering.
No trial date has been scheduled.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
- The Associated Press
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PHOENIX — A 48-year-old Arizona man hospitalized for a week after being bitten twice by a rattlesnake he was holding says he "ain't gonna play with snakes no more."
Victor Pratt of Coolidge told the Arizona Republic that the rattler slipped out of his grasp as he showed it off to friends and family after finding the snake on his property.
Pratt says he was bitten once when he was 19 so he knew he needed to go to a hospital immediately.
He's been undergoing treatment with antivenin, first being treated at a local hospital and then transferred to Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix.
Banner's toxicology director, Dr. Steven Curry, says prompt medical attention is vital because rattlesnake venom is toxic and can cause swelling that can block air passages.
- By Sally Ho The Associated Press
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Heather Peele is just like any other mom rushing to pick up her child at day care after work. Except, it's 2:30 a.m., and her 6-year-old daughter has been sleeping for hours at a 24-hour child care center near the Las Vegas airport.
Parents like Peele, a casino cocktail waitress, who work outside traditional business hours often are lost in the national conversation about access to child care and early education.
"I'm just in survival mode right now," said Peele, who is thankful she found a safe, clean and affordable facility for her daughter while she works, sometimes until 4 a.m. She pays about $40 a day for 10 hours of care.
In many cases, the children of shift workers are cared for by relatives or friends in unofficial capacities. Those without such a support network have few, if any, options.
The National Survey of Early Care and Education said in a 2015 report that just 2 percent of the child care centers it surveyed offer child care in the evening. Six percent provide overnight care and 3 percent have weekend hours.
"It's a huge issue. We have an increasingly service-based economy with non-standard hours, that's more heavily concentrated in lower income groups," said Taryn Morrissey, a child development expert and professor at American University. "The child care sector hasn't really caught up with the realities of hours parents are working."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., proposed legislation Thursday designed to increase access to affordable child care, including for families that work non-traditional hours. Murray called the bill "a smart investment in our children, our future and our economy," but its future is far from certain in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Child Care Aware of America said that last year at least 65,000 families in 28 states sought child care outside the usual workday. The other states don't keep track, according to Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, deputy chief of public policy and research at the non-profit, which works with state child care referral agencies.
"The systems that we have — day care, Head Start, Pre-K — a lot of that began years and years ago, when we had different needs," Sanchez Fuentes said. "Families are changing and communities are changing."
Even in Las Vegas, an entertainment and gambling destination long notorious for blurring the hours of a day, the availability of 24-hour child care is limited.
Peele, a 42-year-old single mother, was sent scrambling when the child care center at the MGM Grand casino-hotel property stopped offering 24-hour service. Day care centers at casinos off the Las Vegas Strip also have closed or cut back hours in recent years. In Nevada, about two dozen out of 450 licensed child care centers are open around the clock.
"I was shocked," Peele said of her few options. "I know I'm not the only one."
She enrolled her daughter at the McCarran International Child Development Center, adjacent to but unaffiliated with the airport and just minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip.
The for-profit center opened last year, offering care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for up to 12 hours a day per child. It requires just a day's notice for babies, and two-hour notice for kids up to 12 years old. About half of the caregivers have some sort of college education, primarily two-year associates degrees.
Peele's daughter is one of 141 children enrolled.
On a recent weekday evening, five caregivers cared for about two dozen children, ranging in age from infants to school-aged. The kids' art adorned the walls, music played in the background and children ran around playing.
The children were served a dinner of breaded chicken with potatoes. By about 9 p.m., they had brushed their teeth and changed into pajamas for bedtime.
Owner Nicolas Del Balso, 64, who retired to Las Vegas after running day care centers in Canada, said staffing the facility is challenging. Many applicants say they're willing to work odd hours only to insist on a daytime schedule after they're hired.
"The labor market is transient and that affects everything," he said. "Your day care is a reflection of your society."
Del Balso said flexibility is critical for the center and its customers. Most day cares that close at a determined time demand promptness, charging by the minute for parents running late.
Precyla Escobar, 24, who works at a hospital lab, said she's dropped off her 2-year-old son, Zeke, at the McCarran center as early as 4 a.m., and picked him up past 7 p.m.
"I feel like they're my family," Escobar said. "It's really hard to find a place that will take care of your kid."
Peele's daughter, Kiina Amado, said she doesn't mind sleeping on a cot alongside a dozen other kids at night. The first-grader and aspiring dentist-dancer said it's hard sometimes to be woken up in the middle of the night to go home. And then there's that other, occasional, problem:
"I forget my pajamas," Kiina said.
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Follow Sally Ho at https://twitter.com/_sallyho
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STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Officials in a Colorado city say they're donating six vehicles to a Texas city affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Steamboat Today reports that the city of Steamboat Springs recently retired the vehicles once used by its public works department.
Steamboat City Manager Gary Suiter contacted the Texas Municipal League after Hurricane Harvey, asking how the city could help a community affected by the hurricane.
The organization learned that Port Aransas, a shoreline community near Corpus Christi, needed vehicles to replace the city-owned fleet ruined by the storm.
Steamboat officials say the three Dodge Durango SUVs, two pickups and a Jeep Cherokee were retired according to the city's regular schedule and have been in storage.
Steamboat Public Works Director Jon Snyder says the vehicles will be shipped to Texas next week.
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ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado police officer started a recent shift with a routine call: Checking on reports of smoke in a wooded area.
But when Aspen Police Sgt. Rob Fabrocini arrived at the spot that's a popular campsite for homeless people, he found two men with lobster tails, rack of lamb and salmon steaks loaded onto a small grill.
Fabrocini told The Aspen Times that the men also had a 12-pack of Stella Artois beer to accompany their meal.
Fabrocini, who joked that he dined on cold pizza that Tuesday, said the men told him they just received a paycheck and were celebrating.
The men weren't cited. Fabrocini suggested another spot they could finish cooking without risk of fire catching in dry woods.
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HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A police officer used pepper spray to break up a brawl between players immediately after a high school football game.
Capt. Ken Young of the Clark County School District Police Department says the officer went onto the field at Basic High School to end the fight Friday night between players for Basic and Canyon Springs.
Canyon Springs won the game 20-15.
Referees assessed at last 35 penalties. Many were for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, and four Canyon Springs players were ejected.
Young says the incident is under investigation.
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LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — Officials say a woman has been impersonating a candidate for mayor in a Colorado city but there's little they can do about the situation.
City of Loveland Spokesman Tom Hacker tells The Loveland Reporter-Herald that the city received a report of a woman claiming to be mayoral candidate Jacki Marsh this week.
Marsh, Ward III councilor John Fogle and former council member Larry Heckel are bidding to replace the sitting mayor.
Marsh says the woman seems to be a supporter but she's concerned voters may not know when they're speaking to an impersonator. Marsh said the impersonator has come into her jewelry store before, claiming various identities and confronting customers.
Local officials say there's nothing they can do aside from encouraging voters to get to know the real candidates.
- By BRIELLE SCHAEFFER Daily Sitka Sentinel
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SITKA, Alaska (AP) — Hand in hand, Fred and Kathleen Everest strolled Sitka's Seawalk on a recent Tuesday, greeting tourists passing by.
"Welcome to Sitka," Kathleen said to them.
"Can we help you folks find something?" Fred asked them.
These visitors, Terri and Greg Maher of Santa Barbara, California, stopped to chat on the uncharacteristically warm and sunny morning.
"You've got some of our nicest weather," Fred told them.
"I'd say to you, 'you won the lottery today and we're glad,'" added Kathleen.
But Terri Maher said they were hoping for something different than they get in their home state.
"We were expecting colder weather," she said. "Rain would be wonderful."
After a brief exchange, the California couple asked to get a photo taken with the Everests.
"I'll keep it forever," Terri said.
These sorts of conversations are not uncommon for Kathleen and Fred, who have become unofficial hosts for visitors exploring downtown.
For the past two years, Fred and Kathleen Everest have walked by the harbor on nearly every day when there's a cruise ship in port.
"It's my passion that our visitors go home with a happy memory of Sitka in their minds," Kathleen said.
When they began their greeting, the visitors' responses were so overwhelmingly happy she and Fred decided to make a habit of it, she said.
The two septuagenarians were recently the subject of a fan letter printed in the Sentinel a couple of weeks ago from a visitor in Pasadena, California. The man, Richard Barron, called Kathleen "the Queen of Sitka's welcoming committee."
"She and her husband were so pleasant to talk to and they were always smiling, welcoming us at the same time," he said. "It's because of your friendly townspeople that we look forward to visiting again next year and the years to follow."
The Everests have lived in Sitka for the past 19 years. Fred, who spent his career with the U.S. Forest Service, had been working in Juneau. After they visited Sitka they loved it so much they decided to move here to retire, Kathleen said.
"As my husband says, this is paradise," she said. "We also love the people here in Sitka."
Over the many walks the two have taken, Kathleen estimates they have visited with hundreds of tourists from all over the world.
"These people love to talk to locals," she said. "They just start asking questions about Sitka. They ask about how it is living here. Why do we live here? Don't you have awful winters? They love to get more information."
And the Everests tell them.
"The weather really is temperate," she said, adding that the scenery and happenings in Sitka are just "wonderful."
"There are so many of them that say, 'I'll be back,'" she said.
"Or, 'I'd like to live here,'" Fred said.
Fred is also well-versed in the weather report, telling people what to expect from the high and low temperatures. He also carries a baggie of dog treats in his pocket to make friends with pups on the walk.
"I love getting out," he said. "I love the Seawalk — it's a very special place."
Kathleen said their regular walks are good for them and for the visitors.
"We try every day to go out," she said. "We need the exercise. It's a win-win."
Kathleen is originally from Spokane, Washington, and Fred from Redding, California. They lived in Corvallis, Oregon, for 20 years where Fred worked for the Forest Service before transferring to Juneau. Kathleen worked in office administration and was former Rep. Peggy Wilson's office manager.
Kathleen said when she saw the letter calling her the "Queen of Sitka," she cried.
"Someone really went home with a happy memory of Sitka," Kathleen said.
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Information from: Daily Sitka (Alaska) Sentinel, http://www.sitkasentinel.com/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — State officials say more than 1 million fish are being evacuated from the Cascade Hatchery because of the threat of debris from a wildfire burning in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/Y3y2r8 ) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said about 1.65 million coho salmon and 132,000 spring Chinook salmon would be evacuated Friday and Saturday.
Officials say rain in the Columbia River Gorge over the coming days could cause mudslides and increased debris in the water that could clog screens on the hatchery's water intake and cut off water to the fish.
About a million coho salmon will be moved to the Leaburg Hatchery where they will remain until they are released into rivers next spring. The remaining fish will be sent to the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Willard National Fish Hatchery and Sandy Fish Hatchery.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
- By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats approved a "sanctuary state" bill Saturday that would limit how local and state police can interact with federal immigration agents.
The bill is intended to bolster immigrant protections in the state that are already among the toughest in the nation.
It will now be considered by Gov. Jerry Brown, who announced his support after the top state Senate leader agreed to water down the bill and preserve authority for jail and prison officials to cooperate with immigration officers in many cases.
The legislation is the latest effort by Democratic lawmakers in California, home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization, to create barriers to President Donald Trump's campaign pledge to step up deportation efforts. They've also approved money for legal assistance and college scholarships for people living illegally in the U.S., and made it harder for businesses and government agencies to disclose people's immigration status.
California lawmakers are debating the measure as the U.S. Congress considers offering legal status to young immigrants whose parents brought them into the country illegally or overstayed their visas.
"This comes as a relief that there are some legislators that are really listening," said Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
The measure cleared the Legislature with support only from Democrats over the objection of Republicans who it will protect criminals and make it harder for law-enforcement to keep people safe.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, introduced SB54 shortly after Trump's election to cut off most interactions between federal immigration agents and local police and sheriff's officers. Following sharp dissent from law enforcement officials and Brown's intervention, it was scaled back significantly.
The final version prohibits law enforcement officials from asking about a person's immigration status or participating in immigration enforcement efforts. It also prohibits law enforcement officials from being deputized as immigration agents or arresting people on civil immigration warrants.
Police and sheriff's officials, including jail officers, will still be able to work with federal immigration authorities if a person has been convicted of one of some 800 crimes, mostly felonies and misdemeanors that can be charged as felonies. But they'll be barred from transferring immigrants to federal authorities if their rap sheet includes only minor offenses.
Immigration advocates generally applauded the latest version, even with de Leon's concessions. For them, the bill delivers a rare victory during Trump's presidency, preserving some protections for people in the country illegally and adding others.
The bill will prevent local police from becoming "cogs in the Trump deportation machine," de Leon said.
California police chiefs dropped their opposition but sheriffs, who run jails where the biggest impacts will be felt, remain opposed.
"In my view this bill's going to make us less safe," said Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, R-Templeton. "It's going to protect the criminal at the expense of the law abiding citizen."
The changes did not mollify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan, who said the bill will deliberately destruct immigration laws and shelter criminals.
"If California politicians pass this bill, they will be prioritizing politics over the safety and security of their constituents," Homan said in a statement this week.
As lawmakers considered the bill Friday another high-profile killing in San Francisco spotlighted the sanctuary issue. Immigration and Customs Enforcement disclosed that two weeks ago, before 18-year-old Erick Garcia-Pineda was a murder suspect, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department denied a request to hold him until federal authorities could take him into custody for deportation proceedings.
California's Democratic political leaders have positioned the nation's largest state as a foil to Trump and his administration. They've passed legislation and filed lawsuits aimed at protecting immigrants, combating climate change and blocking any future attempt to build a registry of Muslims.
A federal judge in Chicago ruled Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions cannot follow through with his threat to withhold public safety grant money to so-called sanctuary cities for refusing his order to impose tough immigration policies.
- By CRAIG SAILOR The News Tribune
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TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Washington natives soon might be able to change the gender designation on their birth certificates to one that is neither male nor female.
Call it gender X or the more clinical term: non-binary.
Currently, people born in Washington can request a new birth certificate indicating a gender different than the one recorded at their birth on the original certificates.
They can switch genders on their licenses but only between male and female. If the state Department of Health's proposed rule changes go into effect, there will be another box to check beyond M or F.
The state is in the first stages of proposing a non-binary option for people who feel they are neither male nor female or both.
"What we are trying to do is just have birth certificates align with people's gender identity," said the department's Christie Spice.
On Aug. 22 the Health Department filed paperwork to begin the process. The rule changes would:
- Formalize the procedure for changing gender designation on birth certificates.
- Create a "Change of Gender Designation" request form similar to the one used by the state Department of Licensing.
- Establish a list of medical and mental health providers who can attest to the gender change.
- Add an option for a "non-binary" sex designation.
The Health Department periodically reviews rules, Spice said. Officials recently reviewed procedures surrounding changing gender designation on birth certificates. They thought they could improve the process.
"And at the same time we were getting growing requests and interest from the public about having options for sex designation," Spice said.
The changes would not affect birth certificates issued to newborns. It's only for individuals waiting to change their own certificates. and would apply only to people born in Washington.
Seth Kirby, director of Tacoma's Oasis Youth Center, said many of the transgender young people his center counsels deal with paperwork that has gender designations, from school records to medical forms.
Having those forms match their gender identity is important to them, he said.
"Often we're asked the question, 'How would I go about doing this?' And it really varies from state to state, country to country," Kirby said. "So having clarity about the process is always useful."
Adding a non-binary option would be useful as well, he said.
"That's a tool and a resource that people then can rely on as they think about the steps in their process," Kirby said.
The Family Policy Institute of Washington plans to oppose the proposed rule, said the group's policy director, Chris Plante.
"A person's gender, in nearly 100 percent of people, is binary, determined at conception by the individual's biology," Plante said. "To ensure integrity in our public records, official documents ought to reflect this biological reality."
Gender identity does not refer to sexual orientation or to people with indeterminate gender.
Some people are born as intersex, meaning they are neither female nor male or they have biological elements of both.
Sometimes genitals are ambiguous. In other cases, intersex individuals can have internal or chromosomal elements that make them different from males or females.
The state has a process to note intersex newborns on birth certificates, Spice said.
LIVING NON-BINARY
A recent poll for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group GLAAD found that 12 percent of millennials identified as something other than male or female.
Louie Borgen has a Washington birth certificate that lists the 19-year-old's gender as female.
"I'm uncomfortable with the fact that is says female," Borgen said. "I don't identify as female."
Borgen presents as what many people would describe as male in appearance.
"I feel like if I had to pick male or female, I would pick male but that feels just as scary and weird as picking female," Borgen said.
The Tacoma native and restaurant worker would welcome a non-binary option.
"I would be just as uncomfortable with having (a birth certificate) saying male as female," Borgen said. "A non-binary option would be awesome."
Timmie Flock, 23, is a graduate student at the University of Puget Sound.
During a recent interview at Oasis, Flock wore buttons on a black dress that read, "they, them, theirs." Like two others in this story, Flock uses they, them, their and similar pronouns rather than she, hers, his, her, him, etc.
The new rules would not apply to Flock, who was born in North Dakota and describes their gender as, "transgender, queer and non-binary."
Flock said they experience partial gender dysphoria, and doesn't feel like they should fully transition to female.
"That's where it points me towards: an androgynous body," Flock said.
Flock recently filled out forms at school that had an "other" option for gender designation.
"That meant a lot to me. It's uplifting because an educational institution within Washington recognizes this as a legitimate thing."
Theo Calhoun, 20, is a University of Washington Tacoma student. Born on a U.S. military base in Germany, Calhoun's birth certificate reads female.
Calhoun describes their gender as trans masculine. Though the new rule would not apply to them, Calhoun would choose the non-binary option.
"I think that would be awesome — very ideal," Calhoun said.
If the state adopts a non-binary option, it would be a stamp of approval, Calhoun said.
"It feels important to see non-binary reflected in a formal way," Calhoun said. And, "For other people to see that non-binary people exist in the world."
The Emerald Ridge High School graduate saw themself as non-binary even before they heard the term.
"I can remember being in high school and understanding that there were straight people and gay people and then feeling like no one like me really exists," Calhoun said. "I thought I was the only one who felt the way I felt."
Calhoun considered changing the gender designation on their driver license to male.
"I have all the paperwork to do it but I haven't sent it in yet," Calhoun said, "because it doesn't quite feel right."
Calhoun's other documents — school, insurance, medical — are a mix.
"Some say male, some say female," Calhoun said. "It's so not consistent. It just feels kind of silly that we're so strict about it anyway."
STREAMLINED PROCESS
Skylar Robinson, 16, was born female in Tacoma. He now identifies as male.
The proposed changes, if approved, would make it easier for Robinson to change his birth certificate from female to male, he said.
The Running Start student attends Lincoln High School and Tacoma Community College. He chose Skyler as a new name in kindergarten, but kept it to himself.
"I knew my body wasn't a boy but I knew that I also didn't feel like I was girl either," he said.
Most who meet Robinson would assume he's female at first.
"My gender identify doesn't really fit with my body itself," he said. "So, that's what's holding me back from identifying fully with male."
When he started attending Oasis, Robinson met people with different gender identities.
"I was amazed at how many people were so OK with being themselves," he said. "I was whoa, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
In March, Robinson switched from using female to male pronouns for a night.
"It was amazing," he recalled. "Then I did that for a week. And then I did that for a month. Then I came out at school. Then I came out to my dad. It just keeps building on top of itself. The more it builds the better I've been feeling."
Robinson's parents are involved in his decision-making. He knows it will be awhile before he can change the gender on his birth certificate to male. But, he feels he's on the right path.
"I'm at the point where I'm so comfortable I can even change my birth certificate," Robinson said. "It's like a relief. I'm finally there. It's this big goal I've been working towards my whole life and it's like the cherry on top."
NEXT STEPS
The Health Department has notified several groups and individuals that the changes are being reviewed, Spice said.
"We started with people we thought would be interested," she said.
Those include transgender and non-binary individuals.
"They've given us ideas about what they'd like to see," Spice said.
Individuals can give input and get updates through the Health Department.
State officials also are working with a range of organizations and state agencies, including the Department of Licensing and the Human Rights Commission.
"We're sharing it as broadly as we can," Spice said.
They are also keeping an eye on other states.
Legislation under consideration in California would give residents the option of a third gender on state identification, including birth certificates.
Earlier this year, Oregonians were given the option of gender X for their driver licenses.
"It's a conversation that is happening across state vital record offices," Spice said.
The next stage in Washington would be creating a draft rule. At that time additional public comment and public hearings would take place.
"We will move forward based on the public input that we've received," Spice said.
Finally, the secretary of Public Health will make a decision, she said.
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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com
- By AUGUST FRANK The Register-Guard
- Updated
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Jasper, a large snow-white American Husky, jumped into the arms of animal rescuer Shafali Grewal, who said she wished she could keep him. They stood beside the Rescue Express bus, which was parked outside Almost Home Pet Boarding in San Fernando, California. Grewal petted Jasper while trying to disentangle herself from the leashes that two other dogs had wrapped around her legs.
The dogs' lives were going to change.
Jasper, along with 24 other dogs at the San Fernando stop, were about to take a ride aboard the Rescue Express bus to the Pacific Northwest, where they would have better odds of adoption — and a longer life.
For almost three years, Rescue Express, a Eugene-based organization headquartered on a farm, has functioned as an escape vehicle for cats and dogs who had been living in overcrowded California shelters, where they were under threat of being euthanized for lack of space to keep them.
Rescue Express crews help get such animals adopted into what pet rescuers refer to as "forever homes."
Since its start in February 2015, Rescue Express has expanded from one to three buses, and it transports more than 125 animals each trip, every weekend, in partnership with more than 200 pet groups between California and Washington.
As of late July, Rescue Express had transported more than 10,600 animals.
It's not an easy trip. It's a crowded, sometimes noisy ride to safer locations and a better future.
After the Rescue Express crew loaded up 24 carriers, the bus headed north, toward its next stop in Bakersfield, California.
A single dog began barking from the back and, as the bus rattled down the freeway, the other dogs grew silent.
Why do unwanted pets in California stand a better chance at adoption simply by being transported to the Pacific Northwest?
Chrissy Mattucci, the executive director of Rescue Express, said there is a different culture between the two regions.
"There's definitely a different mindset in animal ownership," Mattucci said.
For example, there's more community support in the Pacific Northwest for animal shelters that provide education about the importance of spaying and neutering dogs and cats to prevent overpopulation, she said. As a result, shelters in the region more often have more space to accept homeless animals, she said.
According to Amber Minium, a volunteer at Lucky Paws in Eugene, the number of animals they took in tripled when Rescue Express began operation. The rescue now takes in between 10 and 20 animals a week.
The credit for Rescue Express goes to Mike McCarthy, a retired software engineer who founded Rescue Express when he was living in Eugene. He has since moved to California, but he remains active, coordinating Rescue Express efforts from that side of the rescue route.
After working in animal causes for many years, McCarthy said during a recent phone conversation that he noticed the pet overpopulation in California and comparative shortage of animals for adoption in the Pacific Northwest.
McCarthy also noted that sometimes pet transport volunteers lacked the proper equipment and resources to transport animals in safety and relative comfort.
His solution was to buy a former school bus, paint it bright red, and add photos of animals to its exterior. Inside, several air-conditioning units keep animals cool for the trip through the triple-digit summer heat in California's central valleys. The back of the bus is lined with 93 animal carriers.
The weekly crew of two employees — a driver and a transport supervisor — make the trip every weekend from Eugene to San Fernando, California, before heading back up to Burlington, Washington, which usually is the last stop before the return to their Eugene headquarters.
Their largest trip to date involved transporting 225 animals on a special charter.
Transport supervisor Heather Engstrom said the trip isn't entirely comfortable for the animals. The bus is bumpy; they are packed in close to other animals, and the carriers provide tight quarters.
In fact, while most of the dogs and cats on the bus settle in to take a nap, the voice of the single barking dog gradually became a strangled whine. But she points out that a few hours of discomfort is far preferable to the alternative of a lengthy shelter stay or possible death.
And the Rescue Express crew does everything possible to care for the animals.
They constantly keep an eye on the temperature in the bus to ensure that the dogs and cats don't become overheated. And they supply food, water and treats during the drive.
After the transport's first stop in San Fernando, the crew will drive approximately 18 hours to Burlington. Places they will stop to load or unload animals include a well-kept (if overcrowded) humane society in Bakersfield, a sidewalk covered by the shade of trees in Fresno, and a "dusty truck stop parking lot" in Tulare.
Each weekend's transport costs between $3,500 and $3,800. The average transport cost for each animal falls somewhere between $25 and $35.
The group's primary funding comes from grants and the Michael G. McCarthy — or MGM — foundation, which took in $98,609 in contributions and grants, according to the latest available tax records. This has enabled advocates to keep the service free of charge to their rescue partners. Other transports can charge anywhere from $50 to $150 per animal, according to Mattucci.
"We've built a network; we're sustainable; we've got the demand; we can keep going," Mattucci said. "But we definitely still have a lot of need for support from a donation standpoint."
The Rescue Express model hasn't gone unnoticed by other organizations. Recently one of its buses made a trip to Texas, where San Antonio Pets Alive is using the vehicle to save animals that have been left stranded due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Through Rescue Express' Facebook and website, organizers are currently running a fundraiser to help animals that have been affected by the flooding.
That bus will not be coming back; it has been donated, and San Antonio Pets Alive will be replicating the Rescue Express model.
Meanwhile, according to McCarthy, Rescue Express is in the midst of designing three more buses and creating a new route to transport animals from Southern California.
On this particular trek, several people are waiting as the bus pulls into Fresno. One of the rescue partners from 4 Dogs Rescue holds a large bag containing cookies, crackers, bottled water — a gift for the crew. As one of the dogs is set down in some nearby grass, it begins to jump up and down. Soon it's happily rolling, pausing on its back in a shameless bid for belly rubs.
"There's a lot of crappy stuff in the world nowadays," Engstrom said. "My heart is pulled toward stuff like this ... this is my way to help end some of the sadness."
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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
SEATTLE (AP) — The city of Everett, Washington, has agreed not to enforce its ban on bikini baristas while it's challenged in court.
Seven bikini baristas and the owner of a chain of the coffee stands called "Hillbilly Hotties" sued the city this week, saying two recently passed ordinances banning bare skin violate their right to free expression.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, says the ordinances passed by the Everett City Council deny bikini-stand employees the ability to communicate through their attire, are vague and confusing, and unlawfully target women.
The city cited "a proliferation of crimes of a sexual nature occurring at bikini barista stands throughout the city" in adopting the measures.
In a stipulation entered in court Friday, the city said it would not enforce the ban while a judge considers whether to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the law. Briefing on the issue is due to be completed in November, with a ruling sometime thereafter.
"The City has agreed to suspend enforcement of the new ordinances for several weeks, at which time the challenge will be decided on the merits without the unnecessary intermediary step of litigating a temporary restraining order," Everett spokeswoman Meghan Pembroke said in an email. "We are confident that the City will prevail and the ordinances will be upheld."
One of Everett's new laws requires the workers to wear a minimum of tank tops and shorts. It specifically applies to employees at "quick service" restaurants, which also include fast food and food trucks.
The other redefined the city's lewd conduct ordinance and created a new crime of facilitating lewd conduct. Both ordinances took effect early this month.
Everett and Snohomish County, where it's located north of Seattle, have had a troubled history with the shops, which in some cases have operated as drive-thru strip clubs or even brothels. A former Snohomish County sheriff's sergeant pleaded guilty to helping launder money from a prostitution operation run out of some of roadside stands and was sentenced to one year in jail.
Jovanna Edge, the proprietor of the "Hillbilly Hotties" stands, called the new laws unnecessary. She said she allows the police department to log into her surveillance camera system so officers can watch what's happening at her stands in real time to ensure there is no impropriety.
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Reno's city attorney hired a private investigator to go undercover to strip clubs to look for illicit behavior, and now officials are wondering what the investigator found and what they should do about it.
Other city officials were surprised when a City Council member disclosed an investigation report's existence during a meeting Wednesday night, the Reno Gazette-Journal (https://goo.gl/tvQvz6 ) reported Saturday.
Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus said she learned of the report during a staff briefing on proposed ordinance changes to crack down on downtown strip clubs. The proposed changes would require clubs to remove digital signs, stop serving alcohol and eventually relocate to industrial areas.
Brekhus said a representative of the investigator's firm described victimizations of patrons and dancers and behavior that would rise to a criminal level. She said city staffers weren't certain what they were going to do with the report.
"I was just kind of dumbfounded," Brekhus said.
Brekhus says the report could bolster the city's position in expected lawsuits challenging the ordinance if there's evidence of negative consequences from strip clubs.
Deputy City Attorney Chandeni Sendall declined to describe the investigator's findings, telling Brekhus that it was "commissioned under an attorney-client privilege basis" based on anticipated litigation.
Mayor Hillary Schieve told the Review-Journal she questioned whether it was appropriate to send investigators into private businesses. She also questioned the reliability of the report.
"Do you have video? Do you have proof? Is that hearsay? I don't know," Schieve said.
Schieve wants the report made public and said Brekhus did the right thing in bringing it up during the meeting.
City Attorney Karl Hall told the Review-Journal the investigation was part of the city's efforts to defend itself against litigation.
"We obviously everything we did was to defend the city from any potential litigation," he said.
Several council members told the newspaper they believed the report was part of a legal briefing on potential lawsuits, and not meant as information upon which to base a decision on the proposed ordinances.
"They told me this was privileged information, so I'm really not at liberty to get into what they found," Councilwoman Naomi Duerr said. "It was a legal briefing, like any legal briefing."
Duerr described the investigation as part of Hall's legal research into creating the ordinance, as well as preparation for potential litigation.
A lawyer for a club suing the city over a possible business license revocation following six shooting incidents said sending a private investigator into clubs is un-American.
"The public has a right to know, especially when council says they are making up their minds based on this secret report," attorney Mark Thierman said."
Assistant Police Chief Jason Soto said he first learned of the private investigation when Brekhus disclosed it during the council meeting.
Soto said he would contact Hall to learn whether there is anything that police need to investigate.
"The whole thing was bizarre," Soto said.
The Review-Journal reported it has submitted a public records request for the report and for invoices for payments to the investigator.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A lawsuit alleges that Dona Ana County's top prosecutor offered to dismiss criminal charges against a defendant in exchange for money.
The complaint filed by former office manager Marylou Bonacci also alleges that District Attorney Mark D'Antonio retained incompetent employees as political favors, improperly used funds and discriminated against women in his office.
The complaint was filed this week in district court, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported (http://bit.ly/2fhOm1U).
D'Antonio said in a statement to The Associated Press that the claims were absurd. He described them as a "poorly-veiled political attack."
"As a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor with an unblemished record, I am offended by these vague accusations of corruption — coming years after they are alleged to have occurred," he said. "This is not only a calculated attack on me and my family, but it undermines the exceptional work my office does every single day. "
The lawsuit accuses D'Antonio, the district attorney's office and the state of New Mexico of retaliating against Bonacci after she claimed to have raised concerns about alleged improper acts within the office. Bonacci worked at the district attorney's office from January 2013 to September 2015.
The allegations date back to 2013, D'Antonio's first year in office. He was re-elected in November.
Bonacci's lawsuit claims the district attorney would meet with defendants in his office without attorneys present. In one case, Bonacci claims D'Antonio asked her to "secure a loan" from a defendant's family in exchange for charges being dropped.
The complaint also alleges that the FBI began to investigate after Bonacci told a third party about D'Antonio's request. FBI spokesman Frank Fisher cited agency policy, saying he would never confirm nor deny a report of an investigation.
According to the complaint, D'Antonio learned about the alleged FBI investigation in August 2015, about a month before Bonacci was fired for being late to work by about nine minutes.
By April 2015, the complaint states Bonacci had been demoted on pretext that her job performance was unsatisfactory. She claims she was not given further explanation. She also alleges she was subjected to a hostile work environment following her demotion.
About a month before her termination, Bonacci accused the defendants of mishandling a child sex case, including "refusal to produce evidence material to the defendant," according to the complaint.
D'Antonio urged the public to withhold judgment until the facts of the case are brought to light.
Bonacci and her attorneys are seeking a jury trial as well as damages that include lost wages and compensation for emotional pain and suffering.
No trial date has been scheduled.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
- The Associated Press
PHOENIX — A 48-year-old Arizona man hospitalized for a week after being bitten twice by a rattlesnake he was holding says he "ain't gonna play with snakes no more."
Victor Pratt of Coolidge told the Arizona Republic that the rattler slipped out of his grasp as he showed it off to friends and family after finding the snake on his property.
Pratt says he was bitten once when he was 19 so he knew he needed to go to a hospital immediately.
He's been undergoing treatment with antivenin, first being treated at a local hospital and then transferred to Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix.
Banner's toxicology director, Dr. Steven Curry, says prompt medical attention is vital because rattlesnake venom is toxic and can cause swelling that can block air passages.
- By Sally Ho The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Heather Peele is just like any other mom rushing to pick up her child at day care after work. Except, it's 2:30 a.m., and her 6-year-old daughter has been sleeping for hours at a 24-hour child care center near the Las Vegas airport.
Parents like Peele, a casino cocktail waitress, who work outside traditional business hours often are lost in the national conversation about access to child care and early education.
"I'm just in survival mode right now," said Peele, who is thankful she found a safe, clean and affordable facility for her daughter while she works, sometimes until 4 a.m. She pays about $40 a day for 10 hours of care.
In many cases, the children of shift workers are cared for by relatives or friends in unofficial capacities. Those without such a support network have few, if any, options.
The National Survey of Early Care and Education said in a 2015 report that just 2 percent of the child care centers it surveyed offer child care in the evening. Six percent provide overnight care and 3 percent have weekend hours.
"It's a huge issue. We have an increasingly service-based economy with non-standard hours, that's more heavily concentrated in lower income groups," said Taryn Morrissey, a child development expert and professor at American University. "The child care sector hasn't really caught up with the realities of hours parents are working."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., proposed legislation Thursday designed to increase access to affordable child care, including for families that work non-traditional hours. Murray called the bill "a smart investment in our children, our future and our economy," but its future is far from certain in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Child Care Aware of America said that last year at least 65,000 families in 28 states sought child care outside the usual workday. The other states don't keep track, according to Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, deputy chief of public policy and research at the non-profit, which works with state child care referral agencies.
"The systems that we have — day care, Head Start, Pre-K — a lot of that began years and years ago, when we had different needs," Sanchez Fuentes said. "Families are changing and communities are changing."
Even in Las Vegas, an entertainment and gambling destination long notorious for blurring the hours of a day, the availability of 24-hour child care is limited.
Peele, a 42-year-old single mother, was sent scrambling when the child care center at the MGM Grand casino-hotel property stopped offering 24-hour service. Day care centers at casinos off the Las Vegas Strip also have closed or cut back hours in recent years. In Nevada, about two dozen out of 450 licensed child care centers are open around the clock.
"I was shocked," Peele said of her few options. "I know I'm not the only one."
She enrolled her daughter at the McCarran International Child Development Center, adjacent to but unaffiliated with the airport and just minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip.
The for-profit center opened last year, offering care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for up to 12 hours a day per child. It requires just a day's notice for babies, and two-hour notice for kids up to 12 years old. About half of the caregivers have some sort of college education, primarily two-year associates degrees.
Peele's daughter is one of 141 children enrolled.
On a recent weekday evening, five caregivers cared for about two dozen children, ranging in age from infants to school-aged. The kids' art adorned the walls, music played in the background and children ran around playing.
The children were served a dinner of breaded chicken with potatoes. By about 9 p.m., they had brushed their teeth and changed into pajamas for bedtime.
Owner Nicolas Del Balso, 64, who retired to Las Vegas after running day care centers in Canada, said staffing the facility is challenging. Many applicants say they're willing to work odd hours only to insist on a daytime schedule after they're hired.
"The labor market is transient and that affects everything," he said. "Your day care is a reflection of your society."
Del Balso said flexibility is critical for the center and its customers. Most day cares that close at a determined time demand promptness, charging by the minute for parents running late.
Precyla Escobar, 24, who works at a hospital lab, said she's dropped off her 2-year-old son, Zeke, at the McCarran center as early as 4 a.m., and picked him up past 7 p.m.
"I feel like they're my family," Escobar said. "It's really hard to find a place that will take care of your kid."
Peele's daughter, Kiina Amado, said she doesn't mind sleeping on a cot alongside a dozen other kids at night. The first-grader and aspiring dentist-dancer said it's hard sometimes to be woken up in the middle of the night to go home. And then there's that other, occasional, problem:
"I forget my pajamas," Kiina said.
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Follow Sally Ho at https://twitter.com/_sallyho
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Officials in a Colorado city say they're donating six vehicles to a Texas city affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Steamboat Today reports that the city of Steamboat Springs recently retired the vehicles once used by its public works department.
Steamboat City Manager Gary Suiter contacted the Texas Municipal League after Hurricane Harvey, asking how the city could help a community affected by the hurricane.
The organization learned that Port Aransas, a shoreline community near Corpus Christi, needed vehicles to replace the city-owned fleet ruined by the storm.
Steamboat officials say the three Dodge Durango SUVs, two pickups and a Jeep Cherokee were retired according to the city's regular schedule and have been in storage.
Steamboat Public Works Director Jon Snyder says the vehicles will be shipped to Texas next week.
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado police officer started a recent shift with a routine call: Checking on reports of smoke in a wooded area.
But when Aspen Police Sgt. Rob Fabrocini arrived at the spot that's a popular campsite for homeless people, he found two men with lobster tails, rack of lamb and salmon steaks loaded onto a small grill.
Fabrocini told The Aspen Times that the men also had a 12-pack of Stella Artois beer to accompany their meal.
Fabrocini, who joked that he dined on cold pizza that Tuesday, said the men told him they just received a paycheck and were celebrating.
The men weren't cited. Fabrocini suggested another spot they could finish cooking without risk of fire catching in dry woods.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A police officer used pepper spray to break up a brawl between players immediately after a high school football game.
Capt. Ken Young of the Clark County School District Police Department says the officer went onto the field at Basic High School to end the fight Friday night between players for Basic and Canyon Springs.
Canyon Springs won the game 20-15.
Referees assessed at last 35 penalties. Many were for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, and four Canyon Springs players were ejected.
Young says the incident is under investigation.
LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — Officials say a woman has been impersonating a candidate for mayor in a Colorado city but there's little they can do about the situation.
City of Loveland Spokesman Tom Hacker tells The Loveland Reporter-Herald that the city received a report of a woman claiming to be mayoral candidate Jacki Marsh this week.
Marsh, Ward III councilor John Fogle and former council member Larry Heckel are bidding to replace the sitting mayor.
Marsh says the woman seems to be a supporter but she's concerned voters may not know when they're speaking to an impersonator. Marsh said the impersonator has come into her jewelry store before, claiming various identities and confronting customers.
Local officials say there's nothing they can do aside from encouraging voters to get to know the real candidates.
- By BRIELLE SCHAEFFER Daily Sitka Sentinel
SITKA, Alaska (AP) — Hand in hand, Fred and Kathleen Everest strolled Sitka's Seawalk on a recent Tuesday, greeting tourists passing by.
"Welcome to Sitka," Kathleen said to them.
"Can we help you folks find something?" Fred asked them.
These visitors, Terri and Greg Maher of Santa Barbara, California, stopped to chat on the uncharacteristically warm and sunny morning.
"You've got some of our nicest weather," Fred told them.
"I'd say to you, 'you won the lottery today and we're glad,'" added Kathleen.
But Terri Maher said they were hoping for something different than they get in their home state.
"We were expecting colder weather," she said. "Rain would be wonderful."
After a brief exchange, the California couple asked to get a photo taken with the Everests.
"I'll keep it forever," Terri said.
These sorts of conversations are not uncommon for Kathleen and Fred, who have become unofficial hosts for visitors exploring downtown.
For the past two years, Fred and Kathleen Everest have walked by the harbor on nearly every day when there's a cruise ship in port.
"It's my passion that our visitors go home with a happy memory of Sitka in their minds," Kathleen said.
When they began their greeting, the visitors' responses were so overwhelmingly happy she and Fred decided to make a habit of it, she said.
The two septuagenarians were recently the subject of a fan letter printed in the Sentinel a couple of weeks ago from a visitor in Pasadena, California. The man, Richard Barron, called Kathleen "the Queen of Sitka's welcoming committee."
"She and her husband were so pleasant to talk to and they were always smiling, welcoming us at the same time," he said. "It's because of your friendly townspeople that we look forward to visiting again next year and the years to follow."
The Everests have lived in Sitka for the past 19 years. Fred, who spent his career with the U.S. Forest Service, had been working in Juneau. After they visited Sitka they loved it so much they decided to move here to retire, Kathleen said.
"As my husband says, this is paradise," she said. "We also love the people here in Sitka."
Over the many walks the two have taken, Kathleen estimates they have visited with hundreds of tourists from all over the world.
"These people love to talk to locals," she said. "They just start asking questions about Sitka. They ask about how it is living here. Why do we live here? Don't you have awful winters? They love to get more information."
And the Everests tell them.
"The weather really is temperate," she said, adding that the scenery and happenings in Sitka are just "wonderful."
"There are so many of them that say, 'I'll be back,'" she said.
"Or, 'I'd like to live here,'" Fred said.
Fred is also well-versed in the weather report, telling people what to expect from the high and low temperatures. He also carries a baggie of dog treats in his pocket to make friends with pups on the walk.
"I love getting out," he said. "I love the Seawalk — it's a very special place."
Kathleen said their regular walks are good for them and for the visitors.
"We try every day to go out," she said. "We need the exercise. It's a win-win."
Kathleen is originally from Spokane, Washington, and Fred from Redding, California. They lived in Corvallis, Oregon, for 20 years where Fred worked for the Forest Service before transferring to Juneau. Kathleen worked in office administration and was former Rep. Peggy Wilson's office manager.
Kathleen said when she saw the letter calling her the "Queen of Sitka," she cried.
"Someone really went home with a happy memory of Sitka," Kathleen said.
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Information from: Daily Sitka (Alaska) Sentinel, http://www.sitkasentinel.com/
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — State officials say more than 1 million fish are being evacuated from the Cascade Hatchery because of the threat of debris from a wildfire burning in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/Y3y2r8 ) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said about 1.65 million coho salmon and 132,000 spring Chinook salmon would be evacuated Friday and Saturday.
Officials say rain in the Columbia River Gorge over the coming days could cause mudslides and increased debris in the water that could clog screens on the hatchery's water intake and cut off water to the fish.
About a million coho salmon will be moved to the Leaburg Hatchery where they will remain until they are released into rivers next spring. The remaining fish will be sent to the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Willard National Fish Hatchery and Sandy Fish Hatchery.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
- By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats approved a "sanctuary state" bill Saturday that would limit how local and state police can interact with federal immigration agents.
The bill is intended to bolster immigrant protections in the state that are already among the toughest in the nation.
It will now be considered by Gov. Jerry Brown, who announced his support after the top state Senate leader agreed to water down the bill and preserve authority for jail and prison officials to cooperate with immigration officers in many cases.
The legislation is the latest effort by Democratic lawmakers in California, home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization, to create barriers to President Donald Trump's campaign pledge to step up deportation efforts. They've also approved money for legal assistance and college scholarships for people living illegally in the U.S., and made it harder for businesses and government agencies to disclose people's immigration status.
California lawmakers are debating the measure as the U.S. Congress considers offering legal status to young immigrants whose parents brought them into the country illegally or overstayed their visas.
"This comes as a relief that there are some legislators that are really listening," said Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
The measure cleared the Legislature with support only from Democrats over the objection of Republicans who it will protect criminals and make it harder for law-enforcement to keep people safe.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, introduced SB54 shortly after Trump's election to cut off most interactions between federal immigration agents and local police and sheriff's officers. Following sharp dissent from law enforcement officials and Brown's intervention, it was scaled back significantly.
The final version prohibits law enforcement officials from asking about a person's immigration status or participating in immigration enforcement efforts. It also prohibits law enforcement officials from being deputized as immigration agents or arresting people on civil immigration warrants.
Police and sheriff's officials, including jail officers, will still be able to work with federal immigration authorities if a person has been convicted of one of some 800 crimes, mostly felonies and misdemeanors that can be charged as felonies. But they'll be barred from transferring immigrants to federal authorities if their rap sheet includes only minor offenses.
Immigration advocates generally applauded the latest version, even with de Leon's concessions. For them, the bill delivers a rare victory during Trump's presidency, preserving some protections for people in the country illegally and adding others.
The bill will prevent local police from becoming "cogs in the Trump deportation machine," de Leon said.
California police chiefs dropped their opposition but sheriffs, who run jails where the biggest impacts will be felt, remain opposed.
"In my view this bill's going to make us less safe," said Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, R-Templeton. "It's going to protect the criminal at the expense of the law abiding citizen."
The changes did not mollify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan, who said the bill will deliberately destruct immigration laws and shelter criminals.
"If California politicians pass this bill, they will be prioritizing politics over the safety and security of their constituents," Homan said in a statement this week.
As lawmakers considered the bill Friday another high-profile killing in San Francisco spotlighted the sanctuary issue. Immigration and Customs Enforcement disclosed that two weeks ago, before 18-year-old Erick Garcia-Pineda was a murder suspect, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department denied a request to hold him until federal authorities could take him into custody for deportation proceedings.
California's Democratic political leaders have positioned the nation's largest state as a foil to Trump and his administration. They've passed legislation and filed lawsuits aimed at protecting immigrants, combating climate change and blocking any future attempt to build a registry of Muslims.
A federal judge in Chicago ruled Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions cannot follow through with his threat to withhold public safety grant money to so-called sanctuary cities for refusing his order to impose tough immigration policies.
- By CRAIG SAILOR The News Tribune
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Washington natives soon might be able to change the gender designation on their birth certificates to one that is neither male nor female.
Call it gender X or the more clinical term: non-binary.
Currently, people born in Washington can request a new birth certificate indicating a gender different than the one recorded at their birth on the original certificates.
They can switch genders on their licenses but only between male and female. If the state Department of Health's proposed rule changes go into effect, there will be another box to check beyond M or F.
The state is in the first stages of proposing a non-binary option for people who feel they are neither male nor female or both.
"What we are trying to do is just have birth certificates align with people's gender identity," said the department's Christie Spice.
On Aug. 22 the Health Department filed paperwork to begin the process. The rule changes would:
- Formalize the procedure for changing gender designation on birth certificates.
- Create a "Change of Gender Designation" request form similar to the one used by the state Department of Licensing.
- Establish a list of medical and mental health providers who can attest to the gender change.
- Add an option for a "non-binary" sex designation.
The Health Department periodically reviews rules, Spice said. Officials recently reviewed procedures surrounding changing gender designation on birth certificates. They thought they could improve the process.
"And at the same time we were getting growing requests and interest from the public about having options for sex designation," Spice said.
The changes would not affect birth certificates issued to newborns. It's only for individuals waiting to change their own certificates. and would apply only to people born in Washington.
Seth Kirby, director of Tacoma's Oasis Youth Center, said many of the transgender young people his center counsels deal with paperwork that has gender designations, from school records to medical forms.
Having those forms match their gender identity is important to them, he said.
"Often we're asked the question, 'How would I go about doing this?' And it really varies from state to state, country to country," Kirby said. "So having clarity about the process is always useful."
Adding a non-binary option would be useful as well, he said.
"That's a tool and a resource that people then can rely on as they think about the steps in their process," Kirby said.
The Family Policy Institute of Washington plans to oppose the proposed rule, said the group's policy director, Chris Plante.
"A person's gender, in nearly 100 percent of people, is binary, determined at conception by the individual's biology," Plante said. "To ensure integrity in our public records, official documents ought to reflect this biological reality."
Gender identity does not refer to sexual orientation or to people with indeterminate gender.
Some people are born as intersex, meaning they are neither female nor male or they have biological elements of both.
Sometimes genitals are ambiguous. In other cases, intersex individuals can have internal or chromosomal elements that make them different from males or females.
The state has a process to note intersex newborns on birth certificates, Spice said.
LIVING NON-BINARY
A recent poll for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group GLAAD found that 12 percent of millennials identified as something other than male or female.
Louie Borgen has a Washington birth certificate that lists the 19-year-old's gender as female.
"I'm uncomfortable with the fact that is says female," Borgen said. "I don't identify as female."
Borgen presents as what many people would describe as male in appearance.
"I feel like if I had to pick male or female, I would pick male but that feels just as scary and weird as picking female," Borgen said.
The Tacoma native and restaurant worker would welcome a non-binary option.
"I would be just as uncomfortable with having (a birth certificate) saying male as female," Borgen said. "A non-binary option would be awesome."
Timmie Flock, 23, is a graduate student at the University of Puget Sound.
During a recent interview at Oasis, Flock wore buttons on a black dress that read, "they, them, theirs." Like two others in this story, Flock uses they, them, their and similar pronouns rather than she, hers, his, her, him, etc.
The new rules would not apply to Flock, who was born in North Dakota and describes their gender as, "transgender, queer and non-binary."
Flock said they experience partial gender dysphoria, and doesn't feel like they should fully transition to female.
"That's where it points me towards: an androgynous body," Flock said.
Flock recently filled out forms at school that had an "other" option for gender designation.
"That meant a lot to me. It's uplifting because an educational institution within Washington recognizes this as a legitimate thing."
Theo Calhoun, 20, is a University of Washington Tacoma student. Born on a U.S. military base in Germany, Calhoun's birth certificate reads female.
Calhoun describes their gender as trans masculine. Though the new rule would not apply to them, Calhoun would choose the non-binary option.
"I think that would be awesome — very ideal," Calhoun said.
If the state adopts a non-binary option, it would be a stamp of approval, Calhoun said.
"It feels important to see non-binary reflected in a formal way," Calhoun said. And, "For other people to see that non-binary people exist in the world."
The Emerald Ridge High School graduate saw themself as non-binary even before they heard the term.
"I can remember being in high school and understanding that there were straight people and gay people and then feeling like no one like me really exists," Calhoun said. "I thought I was the only one who felt the way I felt."
Calhoun considered changing the gender designation on their driver license to male.
"I have all the paperwork to do it but I haven't sent it in yet," Calhoun said, "because it doesn't quite feel right."
Calhoun's other documents — school, insurance, medical — are a mix.
"Some say male, some say female," Calhoun said. "It's so not consistent. It just feels kind of silly that we're so strict about it anyway."
STREAMLINED PROCESS
Skylar Robinson, 16, was born female in Tacoma. He now identifies as male.
The proposed changes, if approved, would make it easier for Robinson to change his birth certificate from female to male, he said.
The Running Start student attends Lincoln High School and Tacoma Community College. He chose Skyler as a new name in kindergarten, but kept it to himself.
"I knew my body wasn't a boy but I knew that I also didn't feel like I was girl either," he said.
Most who meet Robinson would assume he's female at first.
"My gender identify doesn't really fit with my body itself," he said. "So, that's what's holding me back from identifying fully with male."
When he started attending Oasis, Robinson met people with different gender identities.
"I was amazed at how many people were so OK with being themselves," he said. "I was whoa, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
In March, Robinson switched from using female to male pronouns for a night.
"It was amazing," he recalled. "Then I did that for a week. And then I did that for a month. Then I came out at school. Then I came out to my dad. It just keeps building on top of itself. The more it builds the better I've been feeling."
Robinson's parents are involved in his decision-making. He knows it will be awhile before he can change the gender on his birth certificate to male. But, he feels he's on the right path.
"I'm at the point where I'm so comfortable I can even change my birth certificate," Robinson said. "It's like a relief. I'm finally there. It's this big goal I've been working towards my whole life and it's like the cherry on top."
NEXT STEPS
The Health Department has notified several groups and individuals that the changes are being reviewed, Spice said.
"We started with people we thought would be interested," she said.
Those include transgender and non-binary individuals.
"They've given us ideas about what they'd like to see," Spice said.
Individuals can give input and get updates through the Health Department.
State officials also are working with a range of organizations and state agencies, including the Department of Licensing and the Human Rights Commission.
"We're sharing it as broadly as we can," Spice said.
They are also keeping an eye on other states.
Legislation under consideration in California would give residents the option of a third gender on state identification, including birth certificates.
Earlier this year, Oregonians were given the option of gender X for their driver licenses.
"It's a conversation that is happening across state vital record offices," Spice said.
The next stage in Washington would be creating a draft rule. At that time additional public comment and public hearings would take place.
"We will move forward based on the public input that we've received," Spice said.
Finally, the secretary of Public Health will make a decision, she said.
___
Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com
- By AUGUST FRANK The Register-Guard
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Jasper, a large snow-white American Husky, jumped into the arms of animal rescuer Shafali Grewal, who said she wished she could keep him. They stood beside the Rescue Express bus, which was parked outside Almost Home Pet Boarding in San Fernando, California. Grewal petted Jasper while trying to disentangle herself from the leashes that two other dogs had wrapped around her legs.
The dogs' lives were going to change.
Jasper, along with 24 other dogs at the San Fernando stop, were about to take a ride aboard the Rescue Express bus to the Pacific Northwest, where they would have better odds of adoption — and a longer life.
For almost three years, Rescue Express, a Eugene-based organization headquartered on a farm, has functioned as an escape vehicle for cats and dogs who had been living in overcrowded California shelters, where they were under threat of being euthanized for lack of space to keep them.
Rescue Express crews help get such animals adopted into what pet rescuers refer to as "forever homes."
Since its start in February 2015, Rescue Express has expanded from one to three buses, and it transports more than 125 animals each trip, every weekend, in partnership with more than 200 pet groups between California and Washington.
As of late July, Rescue Express had transported more than 10,600 animals.
It's not an easy trip. It's a crowded, sometimes noisy ride to safer locations and a better future.
After the Rescue Express crew loaded up 24 carriers, the bus headed north, toward its next stop in Bakersfield, California.
A single dog began barking from the back and, as the bus rattled down the freeway, the other dogs grew silent.
Why do unwanted pets in California stand a better chance at adoption simply by being transported to the Pacific Northwest?
Chrissy Mattucci, the executive director of Rescue Express, said there is a different culture between the two regions.
"There's definitely a different mindset in animal ownership," Mattucci said.
For example, there's more community support in the Pacific Northwest for animal shelters that provide education about the importance of spaying and neutering dogs and cats to prevent overpopulation, she said. As a result, shelters in the region more often have more space to accept homeless animals, she said.
According to Amber Minium, a volunteer at Lucky Paws in Eugene, the number of animals they took in tripled when Rescue Express began operation. The rescue now takes in between 10 and 20 animals a week.
The credit for Rescue Express goes to Mike McCarthy, a retired software engineer who founded Rescue Express when he was living in Eugene. He has since moved to California, but he remains active, coordinating Rescue Express efforts from that side of the rescue route.
After working in animal causes for many years, McCarthy said during a recent phone conversation that he noticed the pet overpopulation in California and comparative shortage of animals for adoption in the Pacific Northwest.
McCarthy also noted that sometimes pet transport volunteers lacked the proper equipment and resources to transport animals in safety and relative comfort.
His solution was to buy a former school bus, paint it bright red, and add photos of animals to its exterior. Inside, several air-conditioning units keep animals cool for the trip through the triple-digit summer heat in California's central valleys. The back of the bus is lined with 93 animal carriers.
The weekly crew of two employees — a driver and a transport supervisor — make the trip every weekend from Eugene to San Fernando, California, before heading back up to Burlington, Washington, which usually is the last stop before the return to their Eugene headquarters.
Their largest trip to date involved transporting 225 animals on a special charter.
Transport supervisor Heather Engstrom said the trip isn't entirely comfortable for the animals. The bus is bumpy; they are packed in close to other animals, and the carriers provide tight quarters.
In fact, while most of the dogs and cats on the bus settle in to take a nap, the voice of the single barking dog gradually became a strangled whine. But she points out that a few hours of discomfort is far preferable to the alternative of a lengthy shelter stay or possible death.
And the Rescue Express crew does everything possible to care for the animals.
They constantly keep an eye on the temperature in the bus to ensure that the dogs and cats don't become overheated. And they supply food, water and treats during the drive.
After the transport's first stop in San Fernando, the crew will drive approximately 18 hours to Burlington. Places they will stop to load or unload animals include a well-kept (if overcrowded) humane society in Bakersfield, a sidewalk covered by the shade of trees in Fresno, and a "dusty truck stop parking lot" in Tulare.
Each weekend's transport costs between $3,500 and $3,800. The average transport cost for each animal falls somewhere between $25 and $35.
The group's primary funding comes from grants and the Michael G. McCarthy — or MGM — foundation, which took in $98,609 in contributions and grants, according to the latest available tax records. This has enabled advocates to keep the service free of charge to their rescue partners. Other transports can charge anywhere from $50 to $150 per animal, according to Mattucci.
"We've built a network; we're sustainable; we've got the demand; we can keep going," Mattucci said. "But we definitely still have a lot of need for support from a donation standpoint."
The Rescue Express model hasn't gone unnoticed by other organizations. Recently one of its buses made a trip to Texas, where San Antonio Pets Alive is using the vehicle to save animals that have been left stranded due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Through Rescue Express' Facebook and website, organizers are currently running a fundraiser to help animals that have been affected by the flooding.
That bus will not be coming back; it has been donated, and San Antonio Pets Alive will be replicating the Rescue Express model.
Meanwhile, according to McCarthy, Rescue Express is in the midst of designing three more buses and creating a new route to transport animals from Southern California.
On this particular trek, several people are waiting as the bus pulls into Fresno. One of the rescue partners from 4 Dogs Rescue holds a large bag containing cookies, crackers, bottled water — a gift for the crew. As one of the dogs is set down in some nearby grass, it begins to jump up and down. Soon it's happily rolling, pausing on its back in a shameless bid for belly rubs.
"There's a lot of crappy stuff in the world nowadays," Engstrom said. "My heart is pulled toward stuff like this ... this is my way to help end some of the sadness."
___
Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
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