Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of news that impacts families in Washington state. This Hits Home is your weekly hit of news, commentary, and, occasionally, opinion. Want to have a say? Look for the ‘Take action’ prompts. Here’s the update for the week of Feb. 16-22.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (Image: Seattle Mayor’s Office)
Family needs are a focus of Seattle Mayor’s first ‘State of the City’ address
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson gave her first “state of the city” speech last week at the Hughes Performing Arts Institute, laying out her plan for addressing the City’s affordability, child care, food cost, safety, and other parent concerns.
Addressing gun violence: Following the recent shooting deaths of two teens, Wilson said her office will convene a panel of local and national experts to develop a strategy to address Seattle gun violence that “is tailored to the needs of our neighborhoods and communities.”
Child care: Wilson said “It’s time we started treating child care and early education as public goods, accessible and affordable to all — just like our parks, schools and utilities. My administration will be pursuing this vision.”
Rising food costs: “The rising cost of food in particular has been a challenge for families that are already struggling,” Wilson said. “We have to start treating food access as core community infrastructure.” She added that, among other ideas, the City is exploring the idea of a public grocery store.
On history and hope: Wilson noted the importance of Black History Month and that Ramadan is also celebrated in February this year: “In this season of reflection and new beginnings, I am so hopeful about what we can accomplish together. But that doesn’t mean I look at the city through rose-colored glasses,” Wilson said.
“The hope I feel comes from history. From looking at an institution like this one here – how it’s evolved over time and overcome challenges to become what it is today. And from recognizing how that history lets us better imagine what is possible.” Read the full story at Seattleschild.com.
https://www.seattleschild.com/seattle-mayor-state-of-city-family-priorities/
TAKE ACTION: Have ideas for how Mayor Wilson’s administration can address your family’s and community’s housing, child care, food cost or other needs? Contact Wilson and let her know.
Class at Jose Mari Child Development Center in Seattle (Image: Joshua Huston)
Join the ‘Community Conversation’ about Seattle’s child care, K-12 student safety
Wondering what the City of Seattle has in store for improving child care and preschool access, keeping school-age kids safe and mentally healthy, and ensuring every kid gets a chance to go to college? Make a list of your questions and get ready to talk with city leaders on Tuesday.
Join the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) for family-friendly “Community Conversation” about how it plans to spend income from the $1.3 billion Families, Education, Preschool & Promise Levy (FEPP), the property tax approved by voters in November. The “Community Conversation” is a kid-friendly event and includes free dinner, activities for kids, and interpretation services. Details: Feb. 24, 5:3˛ 0-7:30 p.m. at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S, Seattle.
TAKE ACTION: Registration is required due to limited space. Sign up now.
(Image: Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs)
WA lawmakers advance bill restricting ICE access to schools
Legislation to force federal immigration agents to get court orders before entering schools and health care facilities cleared the Washington Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 5906 covers “nonpublic areas,” including preschools, K-12 schools, and health facilities. It also prohibits early learning providers and school district employees from collecting information about the immigration status of students and their families. It echoes Seattle Public Schools policies already in place and which were clarified earlier this month following a southend school lockdown. After that incident, district leaders also updated guidance for school principals and other leaders on how to handle unverified reports of ICE at or near schools. Read the SPS policies here.
TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion or stance on SB 5906? Make your voice heard by reaching out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.
Baby receiving Vitamin K shot soon after birth (Image: iStock.com)
More parents are rejecting Vit K for their newborn, despite the risks
A new study published in the January issue of JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, found that the number of parents declining to give their newborns a vitamin K shot or eye drops at birth has increased. In 2017, less than three percent of parents declined Vitamin K. In 2024 more than five percent said no.
Vitamin K supports normal blood clotting and newborns are born with decient and breast milk is not an adequate source of it. Dosing a baby in the hours after birth protects them from potentially life-threatening hemorrhage. Not dosing at birth could have catastrophic results, which is why the single injection at birth has been recommended for six decades.
If you are pregnant, or know of a pregnant person, consider this:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both recommend that all newborns receive a single intramuscular (IM) vitamin K injection shortly after birth to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). Currently in the U.S., there is no FDA-approved standard oral vitamin K regimen for newborns, but the most common international oral regimen is two milligrams at birth, followed by two milligrams at 4-7 days, followed by 2 milligrams at 4–6 weeks. Consult with your pediatrician regarding oral vitamin K.
The most common side effects are minor and include temporary pain or redness at the shot site (usually the thigh), mild swelling or bruising, or short-term fussiness. Allergic reactions or infection are rare.
The risks of not giving your newborn the shot are also rare, but could be catastrophic. The risk of late VKDB is 1 in 14,000-25,000 births. Between 30% and 60% of infants with VKDB brain hemorrhage. Read more about what doctors are seeing in The New York Times.
Seattle University (Image: Another Believer CC BY-SA 4.0)
Bill to boost financial aid for students at WA’s private colleges moves out of Senate
Washington students attending private colleges could soon receive more help covering tuition, after the state Senate voted Tuesday to restore scholarship funding that was scaled back last year.
Washington Senate Bill 5828, sponsored by T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, would boost funding levels within the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship for students enrolled at private institutions. The move effectively rolls back part of Washington Senate Bill 5785, which reduced the state’s contribution for private college tuition support while leaving public college funding unchanged.
The proposal does not expand eligibility or add new recipients. Instead, Nobles said, it restores balance after earlier cuts — reinforcing “fairness and stability” for families and encouraging students to pursue the college option that best fits their goals, whether public or private.
TAKE ACTION: Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.
(Image: Alexander Castro at Rhode Island Current)
More bills to protect kids bite the dust, won’t go further this year
While other bills sailed on, yet another cut-off day to move bills forward came and went last week, leaving many bills to protect kids on the cutting room floor. Among the proposals that won’t go forward:
House Bill 1834 would have barred social media companies from serving so-called “addictive feeds” to minors. It also would have restricted platforms from sending push notifications to kids overnight or during school hours without a parent’s consent.
In a statement, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown chided lawmakers for failing to pass “a commonsense proposal” to protect children online. “We will not stop pursuing policies that can save young people’s lives,” Brown said.
Senate Bill 6308, Senate Bill 6319, and House Bill 1544 sought to address the child safety crisis at Washington’s Child Protective Services (CPS) by, among other things, requiring stronger court monitoring of CPS cases involving children under 5 who remain at home with their parents and by creating a community-based referral system connecting families to services in cases involving children under 4 and exposure to high-potency synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
House Bill 1152, would have established requirements for safe storage of firearms in vehicles and residences. In the meantime, a bill to ban guns in parks and other locations kids frequent (SB 5098) and another to ban use of 3D printers to create firearms (HB 2320) are still in the running.
House Bill 2389 sought to address overloaded juvenile detention facilities by, among other things, easing criminal sentencing for youth.
TAKE ACTION: Are the lost bills ones you care about and want to see brought to the 2027 session of the state legislature? Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.
(Image: iStock.com)
In the meantime, millionaires’ tax bill keeps on moving, approved by state Senate
As other bills were gleaned and left behind, Senate Bill 6346 — dubbed the “millionaires’ tax” by supporters because it would impose a 9.9% levy on personal income above $1 million annually —took another big step forward last week. It was approved by the full Senate on a 27–22 vote after hours of debate over whether the policy would make the state’s tax code fairer or risk an exodus of wealthy residents.
The proposal now heads to the House. If approved there and signed by Gov. Ferguson, the tax, estimated to add $3 billion a year to state coffers, would apply to household income, meaning married couples and registered domestic partners with combined earnings over that threshold would be subject to the surcharge. Would passage help kids in Washington? Child welfare and education advocates think so.
TAKE ACTION: Make your voice heard on the “millionaire’s” tax,” SB 6346. Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1983. (Image: Warren K. Leffler)
Black History Month: Teach your children about the Rev. Jesse Jackson
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leader of the The Civil Rights Movement in America, a mentee of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and an unofficial diplomat and champion of Black History Month, died last week.
The passing of a Black leader who spent his life advocating for the poor and underrepresented is a teachable moment: an opportunity to sit down with your kids, no matter their age, and discuss his example of peaceful protest as a way to move a nation forward toward good for all. Read more about the Rev. Jesse Jackson in The Seattle Times.
Most important, Jackson popularized the empowering phrase, ‘I am Somebody,” from the poem of the same title by civil rights activist Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr. Jackson integrated those words into many speeches to encourage Black pride and uplift the poor, young, BIPOC and other marginalized communities. Here’s that poem—and its critical sentiments— in full.
I am Somebody
By Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr.
I am Somebody!
I am Somebody!
I may be poor,
But I am Somebody.
I may be young,
But I am Somebody.
I may be on welfare,
But I am Somebody.
I may be small,
But I am Somebody.
I may have made mistakes,
But I am Somebody.
My clothes are different,
My face is different,
My hair is different,
But I am Somebody.
I am Black,
Brown,or white.
I speak a different language
But I must be respected,
Protected,
Never rejected.
I am God’s child!
(Image: Courtesy White Center HUB)
White Center ‘HUB’ is community space designed for families and gathering
White Center families have a new place to gather — and, for many, a new place to call home. On Jan. 24, the long-anticipated White Center HUB (Hope, Unity and Belonging) community center opened its doors beside the new Canopy Apartments, marking years of organizing and advocacy by neighbors.
The HUB is built to serve daily life: a health clinic, coffee shop, recording studio and maker space, all woven around outdoor play areas and space to simply sit and connect. The design is intentional: housing and services, creativity and stability, all in one place, built for the families. Read all about it in the South Seattle Emerald.
Kids deserve federal and state pot regulations | Op-Ed
Have children in the house? Lock up edibles or other cannabis, add this symbol and teach your kids what it means danger. (Graphic: Washington Poison Control)
Last week I read an opinion by the New York Times editorial board that gave me pause, and left me shaking my head in agreement.
The editors pointed out that daily marijuana use in the U.S. has climbed from about six million in 2012 to nearly 18 million today—as has the number of people (youth and adults) with pot-related illness and marijuana-linked paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders.
And another number has also risen. According to a 2023 study published in the journal Pediatrics, the number of edible cannabis exposures among children under age 6 increased by about 1,375 % from 2017 (207) to 2021 (3,054). According to Washington Poison Center, “One of the most common calls we receive about cannabis is little kids mistaking an edible for candy.”
The bottom line for the NYT editors? They still support legalization. But there position has evolved and they now say the feds need to step in—with a federal tax on pot, by restricting high THC and other harmful types of marijuana and and by “cracking down” on spurious and unproven health claims about weed.
Thankfully, Washington has been been forerunner in two of those three areas. In this state, pot is subject to a 37 % cannabis excise tax along with regular sales tax (state + local), making Washington one of the heavier taxing states for legal cannabis. And while the state does not limit THC concentration in marijuana flowers and concentrates, it does limit each edible “serving” to no more than 10 milligrams of THC. In fact, Oregon lawmakers are considering mirror legislation right now to prohibit the sale of individual edibles that have more than 10 milligrams of THC. According to a report in the Washington State Standard last week, in 2023, children ages newborn to 5 made up one-third of all cannabis-related cases reported to the Oregon Poison Center.
There’s good news when it comes to cannabis. Over the last decade teen use rates have not risen in King County or Washington state. They have gone down by most measures. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports declines in current cannabis use among King County students (grades 8/10/12) from 2008–2021; the Washington Department of Health’s 2023 Healthy Youth Survey notes youth substance use stayed mostly stable post-pandemic, with current cannabis use around 8% among 10th graders.
President Donald Trump supports states’ rights to legalize pot. For once, I agree with him. If alcohol—despite its well-documented health and social harms—is legal and regulated, then marijuana should be treated the same way. I believe that added federal regulation of THC levels (my vote would be for lowering it to 5% in individual edibles), is an important next step and would go miles to discourage weed companies from creating new, stronger strains. Cannabis has gotten significantly stronger over the last 20 years—cannabis growing is a business and it’s bottom line is money, not addiction control. And yet, research shows the newer strains of pot are addictive—and that most addiction begins with teen use.
Cannabis companies don’t care if a new strain is strong or addictive. They care about making money.
For now, if you have cannabis at home, heed the poison center’s warning, no matter how old your kids are: “Keep your kiddos safe by always storing your stash up high, out of their reach, and locked up.”
TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion about whether the federal government should legalize but regulate and tax cannabis? Make your voice heard. Contact your members of Congress.
The Good Reads: For the karate-chopping kid in all of us
New Bruce Lee Forever stamp (Image: USPS)
A generation before Hollywood routinely cast Asian American leads, Bruce Lee lit up movie screens with his fast, fierce mastery of martial arts. Not only did Lee prove non-white actors could carry a film, he encouraged millions of kids to jump up on the couch and karate chop their way to dinner.
Fifty years later, kids are still chopping air as Lee’s choreography and camera work emphasizing speed, fluidity, and realism remain a mainstay of action films today.
This week, the United States Postal Service made Lee’s legacy official. During a festive event in Seattle’s Chinatown International District, the agency unveiled the new Bruce Lee stamp, part of the postal service’s Forever stamp series. Lee, a one-time Seattleite, is buried at Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, a spot that lures tens of thousands of fans of all ages every year.
A win for writing? Perhaps the new Bruce Lee stamp will inspire your karate kids to write more letters to their grandparents!
