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Audit credits jail’s efforts A federal review found the facility more than compliant in its practices to prevent sexual assaults and harassment. By Rikki King Herald Writer
EVERETT — A recent federal audit of the Snohomish County Jail gave staff high marks for their efforts to prevent sexual assaults and sexual harassment behind bars.
It was the county’s first audit under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, said David Oster, the jail classification supervisor. He helps coordinate the team charged with making sure the county jail is compliant with the federal law, which governs how corrections officials should
prevent, detect and respond to sexual assaults. “Our staff got it right away,” Oster said. “We did a lot of training.” The law was passed in 2003, but national standards to measure compliance weren’t adopted until a few years ago, Oster said. The county’s jail, which averages more than 900 inmates daily, now is supposed to be audited every three years.
The auditor’s final report found no areas where jail operations failed to meet federal standards under the law, documents show. A memo regarding the findings was sent Tuesday to all Snohomish County sheriff ’s corrections staff. The auditor told jail staff, “We are by far the best he has seen,” See JAIL, back page, this section
Inslee shares plan for state Annual address includes those affected by mudslide, shootings
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday outlined his plan for the state this year, drawing inspiration from those affected by tragic events in the last one. He used his State of the State address to argue for new taxes on carbon emissions and capital gains to pay for fixing roads, funding schools, combating climate change and reducing economic inequality. No greater challenge faces the state than reducing carbon pollution, the governor said.
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He called his proposed capand-trade program, requiring the largest industrial polluters to pay for every ton of carbon they release, a proven means of reducing emissions. “We have a moral obligation to act,” Inslee told a joint gathering of the state Senate and House of Representatives. “I will not — and in the deepest part of my heart I hope you will not — allow this threat to stand.” In addition to fighting carbon pollution, the governor called for passage of a transportation package, more money for early learning programs, a freeze
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on college tuition increases, a higher minimum wage, paid sick leave for workers and tax rebates for the working poor. Republicans later dismissed the governor’s call for new taxes, which Inslee said would ensure that public schools are adequately funded, as required by a state Supreme Court decision. Republicans said the state will collect $3 billion in additional revenue from taxes and fees over the next two years, which should be enough to cover a boost for education. As for the carbon tax, Republicans think industries will pass
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By Kari Bray Herald Writer
the cost to customers in some form. “We are absolutely willing to consider pollution-reducing ideas that will work and that won’t place such a terrible burden on the hard-working people of Washington state, particularly those in the middle class,” said Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton. While Inslee’s speech focused on the future, he made sure Tuesday’s event didn’t ignore the Oso mudslide, in which 43 people died last March, and the See INSLEE, back page, this section
See BUSES, back page, this section
IAN TERRY / THE HERALD
Herald Writer
Arlington voters are being asked to approve a $3 million levy, spread over two years, to replace half of the district’s aging fleet.
ARLINGTON — The school district is asking voters to reconsider a levy they turned down two months ago that would replace half of the district’s school buses. The $3 million proposal would be spread over two years to replace 26 buses. The levy seeks 43 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, or about $108 per year on a $250,000 home, in 2016. That amount would drop to 41 cents — $103 on a $250,000 home — in 2017. When the levy initially ran in November, the district asked for 49 cents per $1,000 value, or $123 per year on a $250,000 home. The measure failed, falling about 200 votes short out of 9,858 total ballots. The new measure will be on the ballot Feb. 10. Much of the school district’s bus fleet is past its prime, officials say. One is 28 years old, and about half of the fleet is at least 13 years old, which means those buses have depreciated in value too much for the state to provide matching dollars to replace them. The levy is a one-time request, district spokeswoman Andrea Conley said. Moving forward, Arlington could qualify for those state dollars and save up to buy buses without future levies. About 2,400 of Arlington’s 5,400 students take the bus, Conley said. Newer buses are more reliable and have improved safety features, such as sturdier frames and better traction. The district estimates that its 53 buses rack up a total of 4,800 miles traveled each day. Occasionally, buses break down, meaning students have to wait for another ride. A second bus is sent on an impromptu detour to pick them up and the stalled bus gets towed to a repair shop. During September and October, the first two months of the current school year, buses broke down seven separate times. In the 2013-14 fiscal year, the district spent $90,400 on parts for
John Rants, choir director at Marysville Pilchuck High School, prepares the choir before entering the House Chamber at the state Capitol on Tuesday, where the group sang the national anthem before the second day of this year’s legislative session in Olympia.
By Jerry Cornfield
Second try for school buses
The Buzz A petition seeks to free Seahawk Marshawn Lynch from talking to reporters. Lynch had no comment. Page A2
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