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Columbian Newspaper

Clark County Council looks at levy lid lift to fund 30 new sheriff’s deputies
Author: Becca Robbins

The Clark County Council is considering asking voters to approve a levy lid lift to fund 30 new sheriff’s deputies, on the heels of Vancouver voters rejecting a similar city levy this month.

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Same-day voter registrations hit new high mark in Washington
Author: Laurel Demkovich , Washington State Standard

Long lines on Election Day aren’t common in Washington with the state’s vote-by-mail system.

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Vancouver council OKs tax increases and new taxes to close $43M deficit and pay for homeless ‘bridge shelter’
Author: Alexis Weisend

People parking, buying movie tickets and shopping in Vancouver can expect to pay more starting next year.

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What is a ‘bomb cyclone’?
Author: PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press

A powerful storm is bearing down on the West Coast and bringing with it a scary-sounding weather term – bomb cyclone.

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Biden appeals to world leaders to stay in the climate fight as Trump casts shadow
Author: AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — President Joe Biden made an urgent appeal to fellow world leaders Tuesday to surge money to developing nations to curb climate change as he wrapped up his final appearance at a major international summit.

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NYT Politics

House Republicans Target McBride With Capitol Bathroom Bill
Author: Annie Karni
G.O.P. lawmakers whose leaders have pressed to roll back transgender rights around the country moved to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from women’s rooms on Capitol Hill.

The Chronicle - Centralia

Seattle Mariners legends Ichiro, Felix Hernandez added to Hall of Fame ballot

SEATTLE — The Mariners will add another player to the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.

Could there be more in the future?

On Monday morning, the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Baseball Writers Association of American (BBWAA), released the official voting ballot for induction in 2025.

Ichiro headlines a group of 14 players added to this year’s ballot, along with 14 holdovers from last year’s ballot.

The longtime Mariners outfielder and current special assistant to the team’s front office is a lock to be on the 75% of votes needed for induction.

Between his nine years spent in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and his 19 seasons following his major league debut in 2001, Ichiro amassed 4,367 hits, including 3,089 hits in MLB.

In that magical first season when he helped lead the Mariners to a MLB-record 116 wins, Ichiro was named the American League Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player, becoming the second player in MLB history to win both awards in the same season. The other was Fred Lynn with the Red Sox in 1975.

Ichiro was named to 10 consecutive All-Star Games from 2001-2010, starting in nine of them. He also won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards over that span and tallied more than 200 hits in each of those seasons. He led MLB in total hits in seven seasons (2001, 2004, 2006-2010) and set the record for most hits in one season with 262 in 2004.

Perhaps the only drama surrounding Ichiro’s induction is whether he will be the first position player chosen as a unanimous selection. It’s something his good friend and former teammate, Ken Griffey Jr., didn’t achieve. Only Mariano Rivera has been a unanimous selection in the history of Hall of Fame voting.

Joining Ichiro in the class of newcomers is Mariners’ stalwart starting pitcher Felix Hernandez.

While he was inducted into the Mariners’ Hall of Fame last summer, King Felix likely won’t garner induction this summer or perhaps at all in his 10 years of eligibility.

Hernandez made his MLB debut on Aug. 4, 2005. At 19 years and 118 days, he was the seventh youngest pitcher to start a game in his MLB debut since 1969.

Over 15 seasons with the Mariners, he made 418 starts and one relief appearance, posting a 169-136 record with 25 complete games, 11 shutouts, a perfect game and a career 3.42 ERA. In 2,729 2/3 innings pitched, he struck out 2,525 batters. He won the 2010 AL Cy Young and finished runner up in 2009 and 2014 while being named to six All-Star teams.

For Hernandez to remain on the ballot of next year, he must be on 5% of the submitted ballots.

The 2025 induction class will be revealed on Jan. 21 on a special telecast on MLB Network.

Hall of Fame induction weekend is July 25-28, 2025 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

 

New players added to the ballot

— Carlos Gonzalez, OF

— Curtis Granderson, OF

— Felix Hernandez, RHP

— Adam Jones, OF

— Ian Kinsler, 2B/SS

— Russell Martin, C

— Brian McCann, C

— Dustin Pedroia, 2B

— Hanley Ramirez, SS/3B

— Fernando Rodney, RHP

— CC Sabathia, LHP

— Ichiro, OF

— Troy Tulowitzki, SS

— Ben Zobrist, IF/OF

 

Returning players to the ballot (% of vote received last year)

— Billy Wagner | 73.8% | 10th-and-final year on ballot

— Andruw Jones | 61.6% | 8th year

— Carlos Beltrán | 57.1% | 3rd year

— Álex Rodríguez | 34.8% | 4th year

— Manny Ramírez | 32.5% | 9th year

— Chase Utley | 28.8% | 2nd year

— Omar Vizquel | 17.7% | 8th year

— Bobby Abreu | 14.8% | 6th year

— Jimmy Rollins | 14.8% | 4th year

— Andy Pettitte | 13.5% | 7th year

— Mark Buehrle | 8.3% | 5th year

— Francisco Rodríguez | 7.8% | 3rd year

— Torii Hunter | 7.3% | 5th year

— David Wright | 6.2% | 2nd year

©2024 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Boeing lays off more than 2,000 Washington state workers

Boeing has laid off 2,199 workers in Washington, according to a notice filed Monday with the state’s Employment Security Department.

The cuts are part of a companywide effort to reduce Boeing’s workforce by 10%, or 17,000 workers. Managers began scheduling meetings and delivering pink slips over three days last week, starting on Wednesday.

The cuts were far-reaching, hitting workers at Boeing facilities across the country, from Washington to Missouri to Arizona to South Carolina. They also appeared to impact workers in all three of Boeing’s divisions: commercial airplanes, defense and global services.

Before the layoff notices delivered last week, Boeing had 66,000 workers in Washington.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg announced the job cuts in October, part of a sweeping announcement that included changes to the company’s production plans and a sobering directive that the company must “reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality.”

Ortberg’s announcement came as Boeing’s Puget Sound factories sat idle amid a strike by the company’s unionized Machinists workforce. But the job cuts were not a result of the eight-week strike, which ended earlier this month, Ortberg said on an October analysts call.

The layoffs were a result of overstaffing and targeted at reducing inefficiencies in the company, he continued. The cuts were not expected to hit members of the local Machinists union.

But the layoffs did impact Boeing’s professional aerospace union, which includes technicians and engineers. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, said last week that 438 members had received layoff notices.

The union’s local chapter has 17,000 members who are largely based in Washington, with some in Oregon, California and Utah.

Most employees who were notified of the layoffs will remain on payroll through mid-January, Boeing said last week. The notice the company filed with Washington’s Employment Security Department listed Dec. 20 as the layoff start date.

Laid-off employees will receive career transition services and subsidized health care benefits for up to three months, Boeing said. Workers will also receive severance pay, which will typically be one week of pay for every year of service.

Echoing Ortberg’s sentiment last month, a Boeing spokesperson said Wednesday, on the first day layoff notices were delivered, “as previously announced, we are adjusting our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused set of priorities. We are committed to ensuring our employees have support during this challenging time.”

The company is considering a second round of job cuts “if needed,” according to an internal slide deck shared with The Seattle Times. Those workers will be notified in December and remain on payroll through mid-February.

©2024 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

White Pass Ski Area plans tentative Friday opening

The arrival of heavy mountain snowfall can make it rough for highway travelers, but it might be a boon for ski resorts.

White Pass Ski Area announced Monday that it has tentative plans to open on Friday, Nov. 22, for season pass holders, then offer lift tickets to the general public on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23 and 24.

This decision comes after the ski resort near the Lewis-Yakima county line received 13 inches of snow within the last 24 hours, the resort announced Monday on its Facebook page.

A blizzard warning in the Cascades is in effect from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday. Snow accumulations of 4 to 12 inches with wind gusts as high as 60 mph are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Alpine full and half day lift tickets will be available for Saturday and Sunday, and they will be available online later this week. Nordic and terrain parks aren't open yet.

The ski area would close Monday through Thursday of next week, then reopen for Friday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 1.

The rental shop, ski and snowboard sales/service, and private lessons will be available beginning Friday.

Last year, White Pass opened for the season on Dec. 9.

For weather updates and more information, visit the White Pass Facebook page or https://skiwhitepass.com/.  

 

     (c)2024 Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.)

     Visit Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) at www.yakima-herald.com

     Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Blizzard warning in effect starting Tuesday afternoon in the Cascades

The National Weather Service is advising that heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions are likely Tuesday and Wednesday in the Washington Cascades, including parts of Interstate 90, U.S. 12 and U.S. 20.

"We are expecting heavy amounts of snow," Brandon Lawhorn, NWS forecaster, said. The Cle Elum area could see up to seven inches of snow and up to a foot near White Pass, with gusts of wind up to 60 mph, he said.

A blizzard warning is in effect from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday. The warning covers Snoqualmie, White and Stevens passes.

Lawhorn said people should consider delaying their travel plans until there are better conditions.

The National Weather Service recommends having a winter storm kit in your vehicle that includes blankets, food, a flashlight, and a shovel in the event of becoming stranded.

     ___

     (c)2024 Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.)

     Visit Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) at www.yakima-herald.com

     Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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