Cheers: To body cameras. The Clark County Council is again considering proposals for funding police body cameras. A ballot measure in November failed, likely in part because of confusion among voters; the measure would have funded juvenile justice systems, freeing money to purchase and implement a body-camera program.
“We’re really behind the time in modern policing that we don’t have this here in Clark County,” Councilor Gary Medvigy said this week. “Every law enforcement agency in the county fully supports it, the prosecuting attorney fully supports it. Pretty much no one is objecting to it.” With support from the public and law enforcement, councilors should be able to forge a path toward a program that would help protect residents and officers. Cheers are warranted for their continued attention to the issue, but next time they should ensure a ballot measure is clear about what people are voting on.
Jeers: To the Clark County Redistricting Committee. The game of hot potato with a redistricting plan continues, with the committee again failing to agree on a proposal. In December, committee members sent two proposals to the Clark County Council, and councilors promptly sent those proposals back to the committee.
This time, committee members again voted 3-2 when a three-fourths vote is required (four votes in this case). The designated redistricting master has submitted only one proposal to the county council this time. Two Republicans on the committee have been intransigent, giving specious reasoning for supporting an alternative map. The council should adopt the preferred map as it stands, allowing the county to move forward on the issue.
Cheers: To Ally Orr. Orr, a Prairie High School graduate and student at Boise State, has raised nearly $150,000 to support a scholarship for women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and law at the university.
The impetus was a comment from a Boise State professor, who said at a conference: “Every effort must be made not to recruit women into engineering, but rather to recruit and demand more of men who become engineers. Ditto for med school, and the law, and every trade.” Instead of being angered by the comments — well, in addition to being angered — Orr went to work. Her actions have generated national attention and raised money that will benefit women at Boise State.
Jeers: To Washington’s mandatory school age. Our state does not require students to begin formal schooling until the age of 8, the highest in the nation. A bill that would have lowered that to 5 — or possibly 6 — has died in the Legislature following opposition from home-schooling advocates.
Under the law, home-schooling is an acceptable alternative to public or accredited private schools. But opponents complained about having to file paperwork before their children turn 8, leaving Washington with an outdated law that poorly serves students.
Cheers: To Cooper Kupp. The biggest star in the biggest American sporting event of the year is a 28-year-old from Yakima and Eastern Washington University. Receiver Cooper Kupp was the key player on the final drive and caught the game-winning touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams, earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Super Bowl.
For NFL fans, the performance was not surprising; Kupp led the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns during the regular season. But the story of a guy from Yakima shining under the brightest of athletic spotlights is enough to make all of Washington cheer.
