Friends,

This weekend we honor the men and women who have served our nation by celebrating Veteran’s Day! While you reflect on the veterans who have impacted your life, as always, we hope to keep you up-to-date with an item or two of interest this week from your own backyard. Read on…

This week’s Newsmaker Interview…
The 2023 elections are (mostly) concluded, we here at Shift WA are initiating our 2024 election coverage by highlighting former Congressman Dave Reichert, a GOP candidate vying for the position of Governor in Washington State. Reichert previously served as King County Sheriff and secured seven terms as the 8th District Congressman, and now he aims to break the Republican Party's four-decade absence from the Governor's Mansion. In our Newsmaker Interview, he addresses key issues such as public safety, the state's drug overdose crisis, soaring fuel prices thanks to extreme Democratic policies, homelessness, and Governor Inslee's multi-year misuse of emergency powers, concluding with a mention of his favorite book, an award-winning biography of a Republican president. Read more.

This week’s top story…
Amid Governor Jay Inslee's various costly green energy initiatives, including his failed carbon tax, the Washington Electric Vehicle Council (WEVC) is finalizing a strategy to transition the transportation sector from fossil fuels to electricity, a move we have long criticized for its many likely pitfalls. As the WEVC works on regulations aligning with Inslee's extreme “green” goals, the state's trucking industry warns of "fatal flaws" in the plan, raising concerns beyond environmental objectives. Read this story and more.

In case you missed it…
Governor Jay Inslee faces scrutiny over a brewing scandal that came to light when one of his PR representatives attacked Republican Senate Leader John Braun, condescendingly suggesting that Sen. Braun needs to learn more about handling contraband at youth correction facilities after he requested an investigation into illegal activities in his district. Shift highlighted Senator Braun's concerns about the illegal drug storage at the Green Hill juvenile facility, revealing that local officials were previously ignored by the Inslee administration, prompting them to obtain a search warrant to address the issue. Despite the controversy, Governor Inslee remains silent, avoiding public comment on the scandal to avoid further misleading the public after his previous misleading statements. Read this story and more.

Your bit of inspiration for the week…
Take a moment to enjoy Multnomah Falls in autumn, captured by former U.S. Rep. Rod Chandler.