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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WA: Rural/Farming

Laborers marked a decade of Farmworkers Tribunals in Olympia in 2023. (Community to Community Development)
Farmworkers Tribunal provides 'critical' platform in Olympia

Washington state farmworkers are converging on Olympia this week to call for better working conditions. The 11th annual Farmworkers Tribunal is …

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Farmworkers have organized in the Bellingham area every year since Honesto Silva Ibarra died in 2017. (Community to Community Development)
Walk Remembers Farmworker's Death, Hiroshima Bombing

An event is being held this weekend to honor a farmworker who died on the job in Bellingham. It also coincides with the anniversary of the dropping …

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Ilwaco, Wash., is a town in the state's southwest corner with a population of about 1,000. (Bob/Adobe Stock)
Congress Holds Hearing on Challenges for Rural Small Businesses

Rural small business owners are testifying before Congress on Wednesday about the unique challenges they face. Josh Phillips, owner of Spawn Fly …

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Controlled burns were part of the practices of the indigenous people to Washington state for maintaining the landscape. (heidi/Adobe Stock)
Prescribed Burns Bring Back Natural Way to Maintain WA Landscape

Wildfire season has arrived in Washington state, but prescribed burns during other parts of the year could help reduce the impact of the most …

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States across the country are working to bring broadband to rural areas. (Pink Badger/Adobe Stock)
State Grants Bring High Speed Internet to Rural Washingtonians

State grants could bring high-speed internet access to nearly 15,000 Washingtonians. The State Broadband Office is awarding $121 million to 19 …

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Washington state implemented rules to prevent farmworkers from the hot summer weather. (Armstrong Photo/Adobe Stock)
WA Workers March Ahead of May Day

Workers in Washington state are holding a march this weekend ahead of May Day, which commemorates the workers' rights movement around the world…

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Overtime pay for Washington state farmworkers began phasing in starting in 2022. (Oksana Perkins/Adobe Stock)
Overtime Gains for WA Farmworkers Threatened in Olympia

Legislation in Olympia would roll back recent gains farmworkers have made to receive overtime pay in Washington state. Senate Bill 5476 would allow …

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Sunburned apples hurt their quality and can lead to a 40% yield loss. (Guzel/Adobe Stock)
Extreme Heat Prompts NW Farmers to Consider Climate-Change Mitigation

By Michael Crowe for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washingon News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

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Washington and five other states accounted for half of the H-2A jobs certified in 2021. (F Armstrong Photo/Adobe Stock)
Farmworkers Tour WA to Demand Better Labor Conditions

Farmworkers are touring Washington state to call for better conditions in agriculture. The union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, based in northwest …

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Wildfires near farms in Whatcom and Skagit counties have made work in the fields hazardous for workers. (Alfredo Juarez)
Amid Wildfires, Heat, WA Farmworkers Call for Greater Protections

Washington state farmworkers are facing harsh conditions in the midst of wildfires and late-summer heat. They're calling for greater protections from …

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The timber industry has nearly disappeared in Washington state in the past three decades, creating challenges for communities. (Leslie C Saber/Adobe Stock)
$1 Billion Pilot Program from Congress Aims to Help Distressed Communities

A program approved by Congress aims to give rural Washington communities a boost when applying for federal dollars. The CHIPS Act, passed last …

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Residents of Bellingham, Wash., studied other cities' immigrant resource centers and have proposed one for Whatcom County. (CascadeCreatives/Adobe Stock)
Call for Immigrant Resource Center on Anniversary of WA Farmworker Death

People in northwest Washington are holding a vigil at Bellingham City Hall for an immigrant farmworker who died five years ago, and calling for a …

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