SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced his office is initiating legal action against the Seattle Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has refused to comply with Ferguson’s investigation into whether the three Washington dioceses of the Catholic Church used charitable funds to cover up allegations of child sex abuse by clergy.
The Attorney General’s Office sent subpoenas to the Seattle Archdiocese, the Diocese of Spokane and the Diocese of Yakima. The Seattle Archdiocese refused to cooperate. Consequently, Ferguson filed a petition to enforce the subpoena in King County Superior Court. The office is asking the court to hear the petition on May 22.
The Attorney General’s Office has a longstanding policy that it does not comment on investigations, including confirming whether they exist. Because the Seattle Archdiocese refused to comply with the office’s subpoena, the office now must seek a court order to move the investigation forward. This process made the investigation public.
“Washingtonians deserve a public accounting of how the Catholic Church handles allegations of child sex abuse, and whether charitable dollars were used to cover it up,” Ferguson said. “As a Catholic, I am disappointed the Church refuses to cooperate with our investigation. Our goal is to use every tool we have to reveal the truth, and give a voice to survivors. If you or a loved one have been impacted by clergy abuse, please contact my office.”
Survivor Esther Lucero-Miner issued a statement in support of the investigation: “Like too many other women (and men too), I experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a priest, my Catholic pastor. … For years, I believed that family and friends and the community, would believe and defend the priest. I was terrified of being labeled and becoming an outcast, so I kept quiet. For too long, I felt estranged from my community of faith. I was reticent to go to church because I did not trust that I would be safe in what should be a holy and sacred place, this abuse engulfed my life. For me, the struggle is not over. As with any significant injury, the pain of the incident never completely goes away. … I strongly support the investigation by the Attorney General into the Catholic dioceses of Washington state. It is long overdue in my opinion and will be an important step in the healing that our Church deserves.”
Advocacy organization Heal Our Church offered a statement: “For too long the faithful have been kept in the dark regarding the ‘how and why’ of this sordid chapter of Church history. We call on the Church, and its legal representatives, to cooperate fully with the investigation by granting full access to all relevant records, including internal chancery memos, attorney correspondence and financial information. Church members and survivors deserve no less.”
If the investigation reveals any violation of the law, the Attorney General’s Office will take all steps within its power to seek justice, and to put in place any appropriate oversight and monitoring to ensure that children are not exposed to abuse in the future.
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their loved ones can contact the Attorney General’s Office at 833-952-6277.
Legal approach
The Attorney General’s Office has authority under the Charitable Trusts Act to investigate organizations’ use of charitable funds.
The three Catholic dioceses in Washington are organized as a special type of corporation under Washington law — a “corporation sole” — that holds assets in trust for religious and charitable purposes. The Attorney General’s investigation is aimed at uncovering whether these charitable funds were used to conceal the sexual abuse of Washingtonians.
There is reason to believe that the Seattle Archdiocese knew about certain priests’ abusive behavior, but used its resources to protect and support the abusers instead of their victims. For example, publicly available information indicates that the Seattle Archdiocese knew for decades that Father Michael J. Cody repeatedly sexually abused children, but it allowed him to stay in positions of power and moved him to different parishes periodically to hide his predations, giving him access to new victims while continuing to support him financially.
Calls for transparency
When Ferguson opened his investigation, he and his team reached out to organizations supporting and advocating for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. At the center of these conversations has been the desire that people of faith have to bring daylight to allegations of sexual abuse and efforts to cover up that abuse.
The Catholic Church has in recent years made a number of reports about clergy sexual abuse, including publicizing the names of current and former priests that it determined to have been “credibly” accused of sexual abuse.
These claims are evaluated by the church itself. When state attorneys general have conducted their own investigations, some have found a dramatically greater number of credible allegations.
For example, when the Illinois Attorney General’s Office published its report in 2023, it listed four times as many substantiated child sex abusers than the dioceses of Illinois had previously disclosed – 451 compared to 103.
Investigation timeline
The Attorney General’s Office has primarily civil legal authority, a significant difference from other states that have announced similar investigations. Many states have used grand juries to conduct their investigations, an authority the attorney general does not have in Washington.
In 2021, Washington State Supreme Court issued a decision that said a statutory religious exemption from a state law did not cover a church’s secular activities, where exempting the church from the law would affect another person’s fundamental rights.
While Washington’s Charitable Trust Act contains an exemption for religious organizations, Ferguson argues that there is no reasonable ground for applying this immunity to an investigation focused on sexual abuse. Therefore, his office has the authority to investigate whether the church has misused charitable trust funds to cover up systemic sexual abuse and shield abusive priests.
Ferguson subsequently opened a formal investigation, and sent the first round of subpoenas to the Seattle, Spokane and Yakima dioceses in summer of 2023.
The dioceses only responded with information that was already public. They did not fully respond to the subpoena.
The office sent a second set of subpoenas this spring seeking additional information, including accounting and financial records.
The Seattle Archdiocese refused to respond. The office filed today’s petition to enforce its subpoenas as a result.
The office has not yet taken action against the Spokane and Yakima dioceses, but is prepared to do so if they refuse to comply.
Investigations by other attorneys general
Including Washington, 23 state attorneys general have announced investigations into the Catholic Church – 27 have not.
In the past five years, six states have produced reports detailing their findings. Many investigations are ongoing.
IN OTHER STATE NEWS HEADLINES:
SPONGY MOTH TREATMENTS BEGIN IN WESTERN WASHINGTON
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) plans to begin treatments to eradicate spongy moth caterpillars starting Friday, May 10, weather permitting. In total, WSDA will aerially treat about 1400 acres in Thurston County and 900 acres in Skagit County with a naturally occurring soil bacteria, Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki). Only the Thurston County site is anticipated to start on Friday. Because the Skagit County site is in a cooler climate, treatments are anticipated to start there mid- to late-May./WSDA
Public Works Board approves $21 million in broadband construction, pre-construction, and emergency grants and loans.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) recently approved $21 million in critical infrastructure projects in 10 communities for broadband construction, pre-construction, and emergency funding. Taking action at its May 3, 2024 business meeting, the PWB approved $20 million to expand broadband access in unserved communities, $550,000 for two pre-construction projects, and two emergency infrastructure projects for $514,500./ WA COMMERCE DEPT.
Is there a connection between old concrete and water quality? New study to identify possible pollution and guide the industry.
Concrete structures like buildings, foundations, and sidewalks, might seem like they will last forever, but modern-day concrete structures generally do not last longer than 50 to 100 years./DOE
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to decide on land transaction at May 17 virtual meeting.
OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide on a proposed land transaction in Douglas County at a virtual meeting May 17.
The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. with a report to the Commission from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind, including an update on petitions for which the Commission had previously delegated decision-making to the director. At 8:45 a.m., staff will brief the Commission and request a decision on the proposed acquisition of a 672-acre property in WDFW’s North Central Region. Public comment will also be accepted on the land transaction proposal./WDFW
Joint News Release: Washington joins Age and Dementia-friendly Networks.
OLYMPIA – This Older Americans Month, we are happy to announce that Washington is now a part of AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and USAging’s Dementia-Friendly America networks, collaborations that will help people in our state thrive in their communities. These designations are the result of ongoing collaboration between Washington State’s Department of Health, Department of Social and Health Services, and the Health Care Authority./DOH
2) NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION:
Cantwell FAA Bill Makes Flying Safer: Enhanced Oversight on Factory Floors, New Tech to Avoid Close Calls on Runways & Mandatory 25-Hour Cockpit Recordings
Bill includes top Cantwell priorities of more FAA oversight in aircraft manufacturing facilities & better tools for NTSB investigators/From a press release issued for 5/9/24
85 Yakima Residential Properties to Get Safer, More Reliable Drinking Water Thanks to $4.9M Federal Grant
Residents currently rely on deteriorating wells, some more than a century old, susceptible to contamination and drying out; Connecting homes to the city’s water supply will increase water conservation and improve public health/From a press release issued 5/8/24
Senator Murray Announces Nearly $129 Million to Expand Affordable Housing, Support People Experiencing Homelessness in WA State/ from a press release issued 5/9/24
Senator Murray Questions FDA Commissioner Califf on Avian Flu, Cosmetics Reform, Human Foods Reorganization; Rebukes Republicans and Anti-Choice Activists for Attacking FDA’s Authority in Mifepristone Case Before SCOTUS./ press release issued 5/9/24
WORLD< NATIONAL< BUSINESS
WORLD:
Speakers Focus on Potential of Artificial Intelligence to Address Climate Change, as Science, Technology and Innovation Multi-stakeholder Forum Opens/UN PRESS RELEASE.
Mission in Mali Must Have Necessary Resources to Finish Its Work, Country’s Speaker Says, as Fifth Committee Reviews 2024/25 Budget for Three Peacekeeping Operations
The representative of Mali called for the necessary resources to ensure the stabilization mission in his country can liquidate its operations on schedule by year’s end, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the proposed 2024/25 budgets for that mission as well as two other peacekeeping operations and their logistics and support entities./UN PRESS RELEASE
‘Outer Space Should Never Be an Arena for Militarization’, Delegate Tells General Assembly Debate on Moscow’s Veto of Resolution Aimed at Curbing Arms Race
With the sharp escalation of threats to security in and from outer space, a legally binding agreement to preserve its peaceful nature is pivotal, speakers told the General Assembly today, in a meeting sparked by a veto cast by the Russian Federation, blocking a draft resolution on 24 April that aimed to prevent an arms race in outer space in all its aspects, including through the obligation not to place in Earth’s orbit any objects carrying weapons of mass destruction./UN PRESS RELEASE
Statement on the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Palestinian UN Membership Resolution./USUN
Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at the Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Foreign State Information Manipulation/ US STATE DEPT
NATIONAL:
Brown, Top Special Warfare Official Underscore Power of Partnerships, Collaboration.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the principal civilian advisor to the secretary of defense for all matters related to Defense Department special warfare both underscored the importance of partnerships and collaboration during a pair of speeches today at the Special Operations Forces 2024 convention in Tampa, Florida./ DOD
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Announces Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion.
New Health Care Task Force Will Tackle Competition Problems in Health Care Markets
The Justice Department today announced the formation of the Antitrust Division’s Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (HCMC). The HCMC will guide the division’s enforcement strategy and policy approach in health care, including by facilitating policy advocacy, investigations and, where warranted, civil and criminal enforcement in health care markets./DOJ
During Mental Health Awareness Month, U. S. Department of Education Announces New Actions to Increase Access to School-Based Mental Health Services/DEPT. of EDUCATION
Biden-Harris Administration Reports Significant Progress Toward Protecting Children from Lead Poisoning
WASHINGTON - The President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children is publishing the Progress Report on the Federal Lead Action Plan, a comprehensive update on the government’s progress since 2018 toward reducing childhood lead exposures. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as co-leading members of the Task Force’s Lead Exposures Subcommittee, are leading aggressive actions to combat lead exposure./HUD
EPA, FDA, and USDA Issue Joint Regulatory Plan for Biotechnology.
In response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14081, “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a plan to update, streamline, and clarify their regulations and oversight mechanisms for products of biotechnology./FDA
BUSINESS:
CHIPS for America Announces $285 million Funding Opportunity for a Digital Twin and Semiconductor CHIPS/ US COMMERCE.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Climate Nonprofit to Resolve Claims of Employment Discrimination/DOJ
USDA Announces $22 Million to Support Underserved and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers through the 2501 Program./USDA
Financial Stability Risks: Resiliency and the Role of Regulators Governor Michelle W. Bowman/THE FED
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TAKES CRITICAL STEP IN HEAT SAFETY RULEMAKING, CONTINUES HEIGHTENED ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, FOCUSES ON DANGERS TO AGRICULTURAL WORKERS/DEPT. of LABOR
IN FOCUS & LOCAL MEETINGS:
IN FOCUS: Tree Mortality Attributed to Douglas-fir Engraver Reaches 55-Year High in Annual Forest Health Highlights.
Annual DNR and Forest Service report also includes first pine mortality attributed to California Fivespined Ips beetle in western Washington
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources released its annual Forest Health Highlights report on Wednesday following a 2023 aerial detection survey that mapped 517,000 acres of forests with some level of tree mortality, defoliation, or foliar diseases.
Surveyors from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the USDA Forest Service gathered data and observed approximately 22 million forested acres across Washington on a series of low-altitude flights conducted each year since 1947, other than when the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the survey in 2020.
Though the 2023 Forest Health Highlights report documents the fewest acres affected as part of a complete survey since 2018, it also contains several concerning trends and new data points underscoring the forest health crisis in Washington.
“The Annual Forest Health Highlights report is one of the most comprehensive resources available each year for everyone to understand the magnitude of the challenges our forests face from increasing heat, drought, and wildfires,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “I encourage all landowners and land managers to use it as a resource as we work together to keep the Evergreen State evergreen for future generations.”
One of the most concerning datapoints within the Forest Health Highlights comes courtesy of the Douglas-fir engraver. Scientists mapped 25,600 acres of tree damage attributed to this bark beetle – the largest amount recorded by an aerial survey in Washington since 1969 and nearly 20 percent more than the 20,300 acres observed in 2019.
Douglas-fir engraver damage signatures such as dead tops and branch flagging are also caused by a second bark beetle (Scolytus monticolae) and by Douglas-fir pole beetle. All three species are considered secondary bark beetles because are not typically the primary cause of death for otherwise healthy trees. Rather, they take advantage of trees already stressed other factors like excess heat and drought.
Increased rates of drought and excess heat are also the likely driver behind the expansion of California Fivespined Ips beetle (CFI) up into the Puget Sound region. Prior to 2022, CFI-caused mortality in pine trees was historically limited in Washington to the Columbia River Gorge. A scientist from the Forest Service determined ponderosa pine mortality at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in July 2022 to be the work of CFI – the first known occurrence in western Washington.
Since then, scientists have recorded CFI-caused mortality in pine trees up through King County. Trap sites in western Washington north of Vancouver historically captured fewer than 10 CFI each season, with no recorded mortality, but are now attracting the beetles by the hundreds in Renton and Bothell. Localized outbreaks in Skamania, Klickitat, and Benton counties are causing unusually high levels of ponderosa pine mortality.
“We know that heat and drought are two of the most prominent areas of concern for forest health throughout Washington,” said DNR entomologist Glenn Kohler. “While we cannot say for sure if those factors led to some of our findings last year, we did expect to start seeing the effects of recent extreme weather events, like the 2021 heat dome, on our forests.”
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of western Washington ranged from moderate to extreme drought condition by late September of last year, while all forested areas of eastern Washington were in abnormally dry to severe drought conditions.
The symptoms of drought stress in trees are often amplified during summers marked by below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures. This also makes the trees less likely to recover from injuries incurred in 2023, which could lead to tree mortality in drought-prone forests this year.
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:
Clallam County Commission work session for 5/13/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132024-1186
Clallam County Commission meeting for 5/14/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05142024-1187
Housing Authority Committee meeting for 5/15/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05152024-1183
City of Sequim Council meeting for 5/13/24
https://sequimwa.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=115
City of Forks Council meeting for 5/13/24
https://forkswashington.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Agenda-2024-05-13.pdf
Clallam County PUD meeting for 5/13/24
https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/clallampud/Board.nsf/Public
OMC BOARD MEETING FOR 5/15/24
JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSON MEETING FOR 5/13/24
https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/67a45cc9-7d70-4d62-a5ea-ce0f5040cc6a
City of Port Townsend meeting for 5/13/24
https://cityofpt.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=1979
Weekly devotional
BIBLE VERSE: Ephesians 4:32 (New International Version)
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Weekly Bible Lesson:
Jesus and the Bible
Many people today claim to believe in Jesus, and even praise His name, but do not follow the Bible. Sometimes you will hear such people say, “Our faith is in a living Saviour, not in a dead book!” Others will speak of their great love for the Lord, yet refuse to obey His plain commands in the Bible. Jesus spoke of such people when He said: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).--TFTW
https://truthfortheworld.org/jesus-and-the-bible
Free bible studies (WBS)
https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)
http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/
(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362
The Chosen: About the life of Christ
https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
THIS WEEK'S VIDEOS:
Leak Exposes DARK WORLD of 'Gender-Affirming Care'
In a special in-depth exposé, Glenn blows the lid off one of the biggest scandals in medical history you’ve probably never heard of. This past March, journalist Michael Shellenberger’s organization, Environmental Progress, leaked the WPATH Files. WPATH is the World Professional Association for Transgender Health — without most of us knowing what it is, it has been setting the standards for transgender medical “care” for way too long.
Although its name makes it sound reputable and scientific, it is actually just a terrifying mix of surgeons, therapists, and activists working together to create “standards of care” that are neither standards nor about care. The WPATH Files are a collection of internal messages between this grab-bag of gender ideologues. Environmental Progress made all of the files publicly available and asked for other news outlets to dig into them. Very few outlets took him up on that offer, but the Glenn TV team did. And what we found was SHOCKING.
From Frankenstein-like experiments on minors and the mentally ill, to admissions on how to scam the insurance system, you will understand why Glenn is demanding doctors be jailed, and we all bring a reckoning to this activist cult. WPATH, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all have blood on their hands. Glenn is joined by Mia Hughes, Environmental Progress researcher and author of WPATH Files, who tells Glenn that “the Hippocratic Oath has long been abandoned” by these doctors. Glenn is also joined in studio by de-transitioner Luka Hein and her lawyer Harmeet Dhillon. They are suing her doctors, who she says coerced her into a life-altering medical transition. And Luka is not alone. There are dozens of other de-transitioners using lawfare to end this medical malpractice operating under the guise of compassion and care. The reckoning has just begun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeXpKvXmYp0
Sunday Worship 05/05/2024- Four Lakes C. of C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASOdX3agShg
NIGHT OWL COMICS
https://pjrnightowlcomics.blogspot.com/
The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley
