Free Republic

Washington state officials are refusing to investigate daycare providers that reportedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer subsidies after reporters found little evidence that children were being cared for at some locations. According to a report from The Center Square, over the past six months, its reporters visited roughly three dozen daycare providers that had received large state and federal subsidy payments intended to support childcare for lower-income families, but only a small number appeared to have children present. [embedded tweet] In one case, a daycare listed at a West Seattle address received more than $229,000 between July...

Many Washington state daycare providers receive large taxpayer subsidies, but an investigation by The Center Square found several that had few, if any, children and at least one establishment that received hundreds of thousands of dollars despite residents at the listed address indicating it was not a daycare. Yet politicians charged with overseeing the spending continue to publicly say there is no problem with improper payments to the daycares and, instead, have been criticizing journalists for investigating the potential fraud. No state official has announced an investigation or crackdown though the legislature instituted some reforms last session. The Center Square...

A chemical tank ruptured at a facility in Washington state, resulting in multiple critical injuries and an unknown number of fatalities, authorities said. The "hazardous materials incident" was reported Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill in Longview, fire authorities said. A tank containing white liquor ruptured at approximately 7:15 a.m., according to a joint statement from local authorities and Nippon Dynawave Packaging. Authorities initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then an implosion, before referring to it as a rupture.

It looks like the embattled airline Boeing may be looking for a fresh start in South Carolina. Boeing told employees last week that it plans to consolidate 787 engineering work in South Carolina as it ramps up production of its popular twin-aisle jet, the union representing its engineers said on Wednesday. “Boeing regularly evaluates and adjusts its workforce to stay aligned to our commitments to our customers and communities,” a Boeing spokesperson said in an email. A Boeing spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday that in addition to adding engineers in South Carolina, the company plans to hire engineers in Washington,...

A Mexican national was arrested Thursday after Washington State Patrol said he caused a six-vehicle pileup on Interstate 5 in Lacey when the car-hauling semi he was driving without a commercial driver's license slammed into the back of a school bus just after 7:00 am on I-5 near Martin Road in Lacey. Authorities identified the driver as Juan Hernandez-Santos, 40, of Huentitlan, Mexico, and said four people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Troopers said there were two adults on the school bus at the time of the crash, but no students were on board. [snip] Troopers said...

A report recently released by US News & World Report has revealed that Washington and Oregon are among the most dangerous states in the nation. The report, which relied on the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations for corrections outcomes and public safety, put Oregon, the Beaver State, in 46th place while its neighbor to the north came in 39th. According to the data, Oregon had an incarceration rate of 295 per 100,000 residents, and a juvenile incarceration rate of 121 per 100,000 juveniles. The violent crime rate sat at 342 per 100,000 residents, slightly lower than the...

Vancouver, WA — Amid growing speculation, a Vancouver woman who made international headlines for reporting that a black woman threw acid in her face confessed to police today that the attack was self-inflicted. At a press conference this afternoon, Vancouver Police Department officials said they served a search warrant this morning at a residence where Bethany Storro was staying and took several items. Upon questioning Storro about what they found, police said she confessed the attack was a hoax.