Juneteenth, wildfire smoke, Nooksack flooding, Indian Child Welfare Act



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Washington honors Juneteenth

State employees gathered to raise a Juneteenth flag over the Washington State Capitol on Thursday.

State employees gathered to raise a Juneteenth flag over the Washington State Capitol on Thursday.

It took 900 days for Abraham Lincoln?s promise of freedom to be fulfilled for slaves in Galveston, Texas. Effective Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln?s Emancipation Proclamation decreed that ?all persons held as slaves within any State? shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.? On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger galloped into Galveston, General Order No. 3 [ [link removed] ] in hand, to deliver word of freedom to those still held in bondage.

?The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,? read the order. ?This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.?

Nearly 57,000 days later, Juneteenth was at last recognized as a federal holiday in remembrance of the violence and cruelty of slavery, and the joy and opportunity of freedom. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, just after Gov. Jay Inslee had signed a bill proclaiming Juneteenth as an official state holiday in Washington. June 19 is now an annual paid holiday for state employees, and a Juneteenth flag now flies over the Washington State Capitol to honor the holiday each year.

A second annual Juneteenth celebration was held by state employees on the capitol grounds on Thursday. The three-hour program featured musical and poetic performances, including a performance by the Tacoma Poet Laureate Christian Paige [ [link removed] ].

?It wasn?t until 1865 when the federal army arrived that the enslaved in the last of the Confederate states realized that they were free. Could you imagine? Your emancipation being written but not practiced. For both of your feet standing in the ?Land of the Free? knowing that those words mean something to someone, but nothing to me.?

Juneteenth celebrations will be held all [ [link removed] ] over [ [link removed] ] Washington state during the holiday weekend.

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Summer smoke expected

Crews battle a wildfire in Chelan County in 2015. Nearly 900 wildfires occur in a typical year in Washington state.

Crews battle a wildfire in Chelan County in 2015. Nearly 900 wildfires occur in a typical year in Washington state.

Summer temperatures are creeping up. Wildfires and wildfire smoke have already beset some parts of the United States and Canada. A warm and dry May [ [link removed] ] saw temperatures hover three degrees higher than average and only half of the usual rainfall. Conditions statewide are ripening for wildfire, and public health officials encourage Washingtonians to expect smoke this summer and prepare for it.

Next week is ?Smoke Ready Month,? and the state Department of Health has offered proactive guidance [ [link removed] ] on how to build a filtration system and how to stay current on air conditions.

Using a box fan and a common filter [ [link removed] ], Washingtonians can stay cool safely by circulating air while dramatically reducing fine smoke particles entering the home. By following the WA Smoke Blog [ [link removed] ], Washingtonians may anticipate major smoke events and plan accordingly to reduce exposure, especially for older adults and those with heart and lung disease.

Smoke has affected air quality in some parts of eastern Washington already this summer, and more smoke events are expected.

"We no longer have smoke-free summers in Washington," said DOH air quality policy specialist Kaitlyn Kelly, MPH. "It's important to know what is in wildfire smoke and why it can be bad for your health."

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International coalition convenes to address Nooksack River flooding

An international coalition has been formed to address Nooksack River flooding.

An international coalition has been formed to address Nooksack River flooding. The new Nooksack Transboundary Flood Initiative work group convened for the first time this week.

The Nooksack River?s path teases Washington state?s shared border with British Columbia, as do its floodwaters. In late 2021, ?all hell broke loose [ [link removed] ]? as water overcame the river?s banks and submerged Canadian and Washington towns alike. The next spring, former Premier John Horgan and Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bilateral agreement [ [link removed] ] to cooperate on flood prevention and response. The Nooksack Transboundary Flood Initiative's new leadership team met for the first time this week to launch the effort, gathering stakeholders from local communities, Washington state, British Columbia, and Tribes and First Nations.

?Mitigating the threat of Nooksack River flooding remains a top priority for leaders throughout the region. We?ll rely on the deep knowledge and experience of those who are most impacted by these floods to guide our work into the future,? tweeted Inslee [ [link removed] ]. ?Today?s convening is an important milestone for this initiative.?

Climate change has badly affected the Nooksack River. In recent years, both flooding and sizzling temperatures have had dramatic consequences. A 2021 heat wave [ [link removed] ] killed thousands of migrating salmon, and the river?s unusual concentration of loose sediment [ [link removed] ] factors in recent extreme flood events.

Solutions to mitigate the risk of flooding will be difficult and complex. But the launch of the new international work group is a promising sign that local, state, national, and Tribal governments share the perspective that this work is a critical priority.

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News you might have missed:

*Supreme Court upholds Indian Child Welfare Act*

The United States Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act [ [link removed] ] this week, a decision seen as a victory for Tribes and child welfare groups concerned that adoption of Native children outside of Tribes threatened Tribal sovereignty. The law was enacted in 1978 after decades of disproportionate removal of Native children from their homes and their Tribes. For Native children adopted or in foster care, the law prioritizes placement with extended family, then members of the child?s Tribe, and thirdly members of another Tribe. The Supreme Court upheld the law [ [link removed] ] by a vote of 7-2.

*Washington communities to collect $371.8 million from opioid settlement*

A settlement between the state of Washington and opioid producers and distributors will yield $371.8 million [ [link removed] ] to help the state and local governments combat addiction. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the finalized details of the settlement Monday, including resolutions with major pharmacies and drug makers that stipulate substantial payments and accountability to monitor prescriptions of potentially addictive opioid medications. All 125 eligible local governments within the state have signed the resolution, and the funds have already begun to reach those communities to support local addiction prevention programs.

WSP and partner agencies launch campaign to reduce traffic death

June, July, and August are the deadliest months of the year for highway fatalities [ [link removed] ], according to the Washington State Patrol. Nearly 1,000 lives have been lost over the last five summers due to highway accidents. Experts agree that many deadly accidents may have been prevented.

?We can all make choices that make our roads safer,? said Mark McKechnie from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. ?We buckle up and put the phones down. We drive sober and encourage others to do the same. We can also ease off the gas a little, and we?ll get to our destinations safely.?

*Free summer meals offered to communities in need*

Children 18 and under may enjoy free summer meals [ [link removed] ] thanks to the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program. More than 800 food sites across Washington serve nutritious meals under the program in areas where at least half of residents live below the federal poverty level. The program is underway and will run through August. For help in English, call 1-855-3-HUNGRY?(1?866?348?6479) and for help in Spanish, call 1?877?8-HAMBRE (1?877?842?6273).

*WSDOT updates ?Gray Notebook? to enhance accountability, transparency*

The state Department of Transportation issues a quarterly performance report called the Gray Notebook [ [link removed] ]. The department has just improved the system to better visualize key metrics tracking WSDOT?s performance. Notable positive trends include recovering Amtrak ridership and export activity since the pandemic, and an improved safety record for agency employees. Challenges include slightly reduced ferry service reliability due to staffing shortages and roadway safety ? highway death has increased at an alarming rate in recent years. Gray Notebook data may be downloaded, filtered, and explored in-depth.

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