Press release issued 12. 7. 20
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-statement-durkan-decision-not-run-re-election
Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today following the announcement that Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan will not run for re-election in 2021.
“I thank Mayor Durkan for all she has done for Seattle. Jenny has led through tumultuous times and had to make difficult decisions with grace and dignity. She has always worked to represent the needs of all Seattleites and helped to make the city a world-class place during a time of strong economic transition.
“The Durkan administration has led the way on investments in affordable housing, expanded high quality pre-school and pioneered the Seattle Promise program to provide free college to thousands of public high school students. She has been a great partner with the state through the COVID-19 pandemic through expanded testing and economic help for restaurants and small businesses.
“Mayor Durkan cares deeply for Seattle and her service and dedication will have a lasting legacy. I wish her the very best in whatever challenges she takes on next and l look forward to our continued partnership over the coming year."
Related news stories:
Jenny Durkan announces she won’t seek a second term as Seattle mayor---My North West.
Durkan decision is an opportunity for Seattle reset.
$6 million grant will expand rental housing for extremely low-income people with disabilities throughout Washington state.
State Housing Trust Fund estimates new HUD funding will approximately double existing capacity to serve vulnerable people statewide
OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce has been awarded one of only seven grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop new rental housing for extremely low-income people with disabilities. The $6 million grant recognizes the state’s leadership in creating permanent supportive housing models that promote long-term housing security and facilitate community integration of persons with disabilities.
“We have worked to tie together the state Housing Trust Fund, our partners at the Department of Social and Health Services, Health Care Authority and rental assistance in a meaningful, systemic way that should be a model for all of our efforts to serve people with disabling conditions,” said Diane Klontz, Commerce Assistant Director for Community Services and Housing.
Klontz estimates the funding will roughly double capacity, supporting approximately 260 rental units statewide for people in need ages 18-64.
While this is great news, it is a fraction of the housing inventory this population needs. A January 2019 study commissioned by the state Office of Financial Management estimated a deficit of 16,885 housing units for behavioral health clients alone. This additional federal funding, provided under the HUD Section 811 program, is open to people with a broader range of disabling conditions.
Commerce received its first Section 811 grant in 2014. Commerce works to set aside up to 25% of units within a participating housing complex for qualifying client referrals, entering into 30-year agreements to sustain the inventory of supportive housing units for this purpose. Eligible clients have access to services through DSHS and the Health Care Authority, and Commerce pays the property owners the monthly rent for each unit set aside in the program.
These new HUD grants were awarded to organizations that will create permanent supportive housing models that will be at the forefront of design, service delivery and efficient use of federal resources.
IN OTHER STATE NEWS HEADLINES
WA DFI Finalizes Investigation of Nationstar/Mr. Cooper's Misconduct and Operational Weaknesses.
WDFW to hold public meeting on conservation plan for coastal commercial Dungeness crab fishery.
Minimize the spread of COVID-19 this holiday season
_______________IN OTHER HEADLINES____________
WORLD NEWS:
New WHO campaign to help COVID-era quitters kick the habit.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, announced the start of a year-long global campaign to help people quit tobacco, with millions citing the threat of COVID-19 as a new incentive to give up the habit. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079502
Shutting school systems, wrong response to COVID-19, UNICEF says.
Countries fighting the coronavirus should not impose nationwide or large-scale school closures, which is the wrong response and compounds the societal cost of the disease, with 320 million children locked out of school at the start of December, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079462
‘Quickly restore the rule of law’ in Ethiopia’s Tigray, urges Guterres.
The UN Secretary-General said on Monday it was “essential to quickly restore the rule of law” in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, where Government forces and those loyal to the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have been engaged in fighting for more than a month.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079472
Prioritize health workers, at-risk groups, for COVID-19 vaccines: WHO chief.
As countries plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days, weeks and months, health workers and other at-risk populations should be prioritized for vaccination, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. ---UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079452
NATIONAL:
Executive Order on Governance and Integration of Federal Mission Resilience--WH
The United States Applauds the Interim Government’s “People’s Vote”--US STATE DEPT.
https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-applauds-the-interim-governments-peoples-vote/
Justice Department Sues Town of Wolcott, Connecticut, for Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities--DOJ
EPA Issues Draft Guidance Clarifying Wastewater Permit Requirements Under Maui Decision--EPA
THE CONTINUGING COVERAGE OF THE ELECTION FRUAD CASE:
Texas Files Election Lawsuit at Supreme Court Against Four Battleground States--TOWNHALL
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2020/12/08/texas-scotus-lawsuit-n2581205
Sidney Powell Plans Appeals of Dismissed Georgia Lawsuit.--NEWS MAX
https://www.newsmax.com/us/sidney-powell-kraken-lawsuit-appeal/2020/12/07/id/1000454/
Trump Lawsuit: Thousands Of Fraudulent Votes In Georgia Cast By Felons, Dead, Underage Voters---The Federalist
Sen. Cruz Says He Would 'be Happy' to Argue Pennsylvania Voting Case in Supreme Court: 'It's a Pure Issue of Law'---CNSNews.com
TODAY'S VIDEO
Radical picks dominate Biden's cabinet
Biden's words say 'uniter' but his actions say 'divider.'…---Laura Ingraham
https://www.facebook.com/IngrahamRadio/videos/769328340287769
Bible Verse
John 14:6 (New King James Version)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
