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HomeMy WebLinkAbout111122 FW_ Friday 5 _ Water _ Veterans _ Mental Health _ Public Records ________________________________ From: Washington Counties | WSAC Sent: Friday, November 11, 2022 9:59:58 AM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) To: Heidi Eisenhour Subject: Friday 5 | Water | Veterans | Mental Health | Public Records ________________________________ ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. ________________________________ This week's wrap up of county news. November 11, 2022 <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a/images/cf04e6fd-150d-4420-a926-ee7a36f2d944.png> COUNTY NEWS Kittitas County, State, and Tribal Officials Gather to Celebrate Water Conservation Efforts More than a decade ago, Kittitas County landed in trouble with the state over complaints that a proliferation of rural domestic wells was hurting senior water right holders’ supply. That prompted the state Department of Ecology to enact a controversial moratorium that halted new rural construction in Upper Kittitas County. Efforts to solve the problem prompted an unprecedented series of conversations between often fiercely competing groups of farmers, developers, tribal officials, environmentalists and county officials who set aside their differences and together hammered out a landmark 2014 settlement that promised adequate water supply for fish, farms and rural development. Learn More <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=8e14d5f581&e=30e2d4045f> COUNTY NEWS New Approach, Service Center Pay Off for Spokane County Veterans The Cascade Mountains lie between Olympia and thousands of veterans in eastern Washington. Despite the physical separation, Spokane County is showing the region’s veterans that they’re not forgotten just because the state government is far away. A new veterans’ service center is just one of several measures the county veterans service office is taking to reach out to thousands of retired servicemembers, not just in Spokane, but in all of the surrounding rural counties. And the county veteran service office (CVSO) model has been crucial. Learn More <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=f05daf04df&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=59c1e0c30d&e=30e2d4045f> STATE NEWS Wait Times for Mental Health Services in WA Jails Worsen as Fines Spiral People in jails across Washington are waiting an average of nearly 78 days to get restoration services at a state facility. Fewer than 10% of defendants received services within the mandated time frame. “We are at an emergency point,” said Rebecca Vasquez, a senior deputy prosecutor with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “The system is not working.” The delays have implications for public safety: Wait times have become so long that judges often dismiss cases with misdemeanors or less egregious crimes rather than hold people for months on end without a trial. In King County alone, Vasquez estimates 350 felony cases are waiting for a competency evaluation or restoration treatment. She finds herself carefully sifting through which cases to prioritize. Learn More <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=aba98873dd&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=900c4fb6e6&e=30e2d4045f> COUNTY NEWS Auditors Received an Unprecedented Amount of Public Records Requests Since the 2020 Election, And it’s Likely Just the Beginning The 2020 presidential election brought on questions of election integrity, attacks of elections officials and questions about fraud. For county auditors, those concerns have manifested in an unprecedented and time-consuming way: a slew of public records requests related to the 2020 election. Most of them seem to be coming from the same template, which auditors say likely originated online. When the volume of requests became so large, Whatcom County Auditor Diana Bradrick, co-chair of the state auditors’ election committee, started holding regular meetings to help auditors coordinate responses and ensure they all had the same information about how quickly and accurately to fill the requests. Learn More <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=3adfcfe332&e=30e2d4045f> STATE NEWS WA Highway Users Federation Update The Washington Highway Users Federation is holding the Washington State Transportation Interim Briefing Event of the Year! This event provides a space to connect with stakeholders, state legislators, WSDOT, the Governor's Office and others who are involved in the transportation space throughout the state. As the state continues to work through a variety of transportation challenges, the WHUF Interim Briefing provides a unique platform for policy makers, stakeholders, advocates and others to network, collaborate and engage on relevant transportation issues Learn More <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=1367e22b2c&e=30e2d4045f> UPCOMING EVENTS NOVEMBER 17 Digging into Public Works Contracts <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=3e3bf7cb22&e=30e2d4045f> Kennewick | 1:00 pm | FREE NOVEMBER 14-16 County Leaders Conference <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=a1db5bee3e&e=30e2d4045f> Renton | $525 View More Upcoming Events <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=972ac22df4&e=30e2d4045f> SPONSORED BY <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=1c9a7ce911&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=920d776536&e=30e2d4045f> FOLLOW US <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=29160c6e30&e=30e2d4045f> facebook <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=c23262a3 ca&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=eff520dc62&e=30e2d4045f> twitter <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=2bbadee6b f&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=9174225e7c&e=30e2d4045f> instagram <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=2d848e1 6a4&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=1cb9e74a93&e=30e2d4045f> linkedIn <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=fe2bece3 d7&e=30e2d4045f> <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=8edfa72f4e&e=30e2d4045f> wsac.org <https://wsac.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6943e0d4535671f24022ca02a&id=5bfee548 85&e=30e2d4045f> View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/wsac/friday5_2020_08_21-4741349?e=30e2d4045f> This email was sent to heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> | Why did I get this? 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