When I was a teenager, my 8-year-old brother Ryan disappeared from our backyard while he was playing. Two days after his disappearance, his body was discovered, and a man was arrested in connection with his murder.
When an older loved one is missing, minutes feel like hours. For seniors, especially those living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other cognitive impairments, being alone and disoriented can quickly turn dangerous. Many families know this fear all too well. When a senior goes missing or becomes the victim of a crime, the sense of urgency is overwhelming.
After the historic tax increase in 2025 – the largest in state history – Washington families are being told once again that Olympia needs more money. The latest push includes calls for a state income tax and other new taxes, framed as necessary to fund public services and protect our future. Before lawmakers give state government another multibillion-dollar budget bump, taxpayers should ask a basic question: Have the politicians who created this mess earned more of our money?
My brother, Arnie, died at the hands of an individual in crisis who shouldn’t have had access to a gun. He was a student who brought a firearm into Frontier Junior High School in Moses Lake and opened fire in a classroom. In minutes, Arnie was gone, along with teacher Leona Caires and student Manuel Vela Jr. Another student, Natalie Hintz, was also critically injured and more than a dozen students were held hostage. This shooting happened 30 years ago this week and the impact is still felt today.
Spokane is a community in crisis. Overdose deaths are declining across Washington state, but not in Spokane. According to County Health Insights, Spokane saw a 38% increase in opioid overdose deaths in 2024. Gaps in treatment for opioid use disorder have led to devastating impacts that trickle down to every member of the community, including families, first responders and local businesses.
This Sunday is the Super Bowl. With a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, I suspect that the pregame celebrations will start earlier in the afternoon transitioning to dinner, which probably means several stages of food preparations during the day.
Spokane has begun to make real progress in addressing the visible street-level impacts of addiction and homelessness. Conditions downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods are changing, and more people are being connected to services than before. That progress is strong but fragile. House Bill 2489 threatens to reverse it.
As the first in my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand how education opens doors to the American dream. That path led me from Kettle Falls, Washington, to Congress, where I became the first woman to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in its 230-year history.
Maternal mortality increased in Washington state in 2021–2022, the most recent data available. And the leading cause of maternal death might surprise you. It isn’t birthing complications or post-partum hemorrhage.
