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The Chronicle - Centralia

Washington AG: Archdiocese of Seattle refusing to share sex abuse documents

The Archdiocese of Seattle is refusing to turn over documents showing how it handled child sexual abuse allegations by church leaders, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a news conference Thursday.

The archdiocese is citing a legal exemption for religious organizations that shields the records from public disclosure, said Ferguson, who has asked a King County Superior Court judge to force the church to comply with the office's subpoenas and turn over the documents. Ferguson has requested a May 22 hearing.

Ferguson's motion comes months after his office issued subpoenas to the state's three dioceses — Seattle, Spokane and Yakima — as part of an investigation into allegations that they misused charitable funds to cover up decades of sexual abuse by church leaders. The investigation also seeks to identify accused priests and determine the church's role in how it had kept those in positions of power, Ferguson said.

Ferguson is among nearly two dozen state attorneys general in the country investigating alleged abuse by church leaders, he said at a news conference Thursday in Seattle.

He said states such as Illinois have found hundreds more "substantiated child sex abusers" compared to what Catholic officials have disclosed.

"This investigation is not about second guessing the church's use of funds for legitimate religious or charitable purposes," said Ferguson, who is running for governor. "Abuse of children is obviously not a religious or charitable purpose — that exemption does not apply to them."

His office will file similar motions for the Yakima and Spokane dioceses if they refuse to cooperate with the investigation, Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the Attorney General's Office made a round of subpoenas to all three dioceses last summer and this spring.

In a statement Thursday, the Archdiocese of Seattle said it had cooperated with the Attorney General's Office for the last 10 months and had already turned over some of the information requested in an April subpoena, including offering to share with the office this week a series of "private deposition documents."

The  archdiocese also referenced a list it made public in 2016 of all 83 clergy members in the archdiocese who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, and said it had received no new reports since 2007.

"Only by addressing this issue directly, will victims and the Church find healing," the organization said in a statement. "However, based on the recommendations and guidance of professionals, we must do so in a way that protects the privacy of victims and ensures they are not re-traumatized."

The archdiocese said it had asked the Attorney General's Office earlier this year if they could hold a joint news conference about the investigation, but was rebuffed.

The Attorney General's Office does not typically discuss ongoing investigations, but did so Thursday because it is taking legal action against the Archdiocese of Seattle, Ferguson said.

The Attorney General's Office set up a hotline for victims and people with information to call at 833-952-6277.

"There is still time for the church to do the right thing — I can't say I'm optimistic, but there is still time," Ferguson said. "I'm speaking more as a Catholic than as an attorney general, but I have personally asked them to do that and to do the right thing and to do it now."

In a statement, Washington-based nonprofit Catholic Accountability Project called for Ferguson's office to share with survivors and advocates documents it gets from the archdioceses as the investigation progresses. The organization also called for Ferguson's office to work with the Vatican to obtain documents in its archive as well.

Terry Carroll, a retired King County judge and member of Heal Our Church, an organization pushing for transparency concerning sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church, said the Archdiocese of Seattle should have made the documents sought by the Attorney General's Office public years ago.

"What entity purporting to represent the teaching of our Lord would not welcome the idea of truth and reconciliation unless there was something to hide?" said Carroll, who is Catholic. "It is critical that the chips fall where they may with any conclusions of the attorney general in their investigation — this is essential for our church to heal and move on."

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Tucker Smeall is new member of American Angus Association

Tucker Smeall, of Chehalis, is a new junior member of the American Angus Association, Mark McCully, CEO of the national organization headquartered in Saint Joseph, Missouri, stated in a news release.

Junior members of the association are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in association-sponsored shows and other national and regional events.

Finn Hill Cemetery cleanup planned in Rochester

The public is invited to a cleanup event at Finn Hill Cemetery in Rochester.

The volunteer event will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 19, at the cemetery, located at 499 Nelson Road. Once the road turns to gravel, attendees are asked to continue to the very end of the road.

If possible, attendees are asked to bring gas weed eaters, edgers, mowers, power tools to trim overgrown brush, headstone cleaner or mildew and algae stain remover, 5-gallon buckets, gallons of water, nylon or non-metal brushes, sponges, plastic scrapers, leaf blowers and brooms.

Learn more and WSVP for the event online at https://tinyurl.com/5n7p7f5u

Trio of Washington lawmakers urge funding for bridge repairs

A bipartisan group of 17 members of Congress has urged the House Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program.

In a letter dated April 29, three Washington lawmakers — Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Kim Schrier and Rick Larsen — urged the committee to include $675 million to fund the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program.

“Making these key investments to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure today will provide outsized benefits for decades to come,” the lawmakers wrote. “We respectfully request that you provide $675 million in funding for the Bridge Investment Program. Funding the Bridge Investment Program at its fully authorized level is a necessary step towards improving the condition of our bridges and the function of our nation’s transportation system.”

In the letter, the lawmakers said the additional funding is needed “to address the poor condition of bridges nationwide.” According to the letter, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that nearly 43,000 bridges are in poor condition, and a backlog of repairs would cost $125 billion.

“Southwest Washington knows the impact of relying on a structurally deficient bridge all too well. Commuters are stuck in endless traffic and the narrow lanes are a safety hazard,” Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement. “Fully funding this program will help ensure we can continue supporting projects like the I-5 Bridge replacement and strengthening our country’s transportation infrastructure as a whole.”

The Stand (Washington Labor News)

Educational Student Employees authorize strike at WWU
Author: David Groves

The following is from WAWU-UAW: BELLINGHAM, Wash. (May 10, 2024) — A supermajority of Educational Student Employees at Western Washington University (WWU) voted resoundingly by 93 percent to authorize their union’s elected bargaining committee to call a strike if significant progress is not made in their negotiations for a first contract. Seventy-three percent of the […]

The post Educational Student Employees authorize strike at WWU appeared first on The STAND.

‘We got so much done in 60 days!’
Author: David Groves

Labor chairs Sen. Karen Keiser and Rep. Liz Berry reflect on 2024 legislative wins for working families. They say none of it would’ve been possible without you.   OLYMPIA (May 10, 2024) — In the 2023-24 biennium, for the first time in state history, two women served as labor committee chairs in both houses of […]

The post ‘We got so much done in 60 days!’ appeared first on The STAND.

NYT Politics

Biden Looks to Raise Taxes on Wealthy and Corporations to Shave Deficit
Author: Jim Tankersley
Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, said lawmakers should raise taxes on companies and the wealthiest while extending the 2017 cuts for those making less than $400,000.

Portland Business News

Dutch Bros prepares to 'ramp up' hiring for Arizona expansion
Author: Brandon Brown
Dutch Bros Inc.’s expansion of its corporate offices into Arizona is going as planned, the Oregon-based drive-thru coffee giant’s CEO said during a quarterly earnings call on May 8.
Oregon hospitals, patient advocates at odds over penalties for 'unreasonable' health care cost growth
Author: Elizabeth Hayes
The Sustainable Cost Growth Program faces critical questions around what should count as reasonable cost growth and how to hold players accountable.

Seattle Times Opinion

Young voters aren’t happy with Biden. But will they abandon him?
Author: Charles M. Blow

I predict that as November draws closer, the distinctions between Biden and Trump will become sharper, and the choice young Americans face will grow clearer.

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