Being Frank Commentary: Climate Change Forces Tribes to Leave Traditional Lands Behind

Last week, as part of longstanding bipartisan Washington congressional delegation tradition, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez received “The Chick” from Rep. Marilyn Strickland. “I’m honored to join such a collaborative and spirited delegation and I’m equally honored to have this gimlet-eyed monstrosity to hang in my office,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “The Chick '' was first presented to Rep. Joel Pritchard in 1972 as a gift for his office. He didn’t like the painting, but he hung it on the wall in his office. Then, he re-gifted it to Rep. Norman Dicks in 1976, who re-gifted it to Rep. Mike Lowry in 1979, and so on. Now, “The Chick” is passed on to each new member of the delegation with each member’s signature on the back.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was selected Thursday to serve on the House of Representatives agriculture and small business committees. During her town hall last week, Perez, D-Skamania, emphasized that the agriculture appointment was a top priority as a representative of an area so invested in timber and farming. "Very excited...

The Mount St. Helens Institute last week announced its campaign for a special license plate featuring the image of Mount St. Helens is back on track. After previously gathering almost 4,000 signatures, legislation creating the license plate died during the 2020 legislative session due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the institute. Now, state Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, is sponsoring House Bill 1489 to create the plate. The bill is co-sponsored by state Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, and has a companion bill in the state Senate sponsored by state Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, and co-sponsored by Sen. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia.