2013 Congressional Art Competition for highschoolers

Congressman Rick Larsen

Everett Office

2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 9F
Everett, WA 98201
Phone: 425-252-3188

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our congressional district.

The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the 2nd District. The over-all winner of our district’s competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nation-wide.

Art works entered in the contest may be up to 32 inches by 32 inches (including the frame) and may be up to 4 inches in depth. The art work may be

Paintings – including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
Drawings – including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
Collage
Prints – including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
Mixed Media
Computer Generated Art
Photography

For those in the Tulalip, Marysville and Everett area visit this page for further information, criteria and application
Hon. Rick Larsen, WA-02

For those interested and not located in the Tulalip, Marysville and Everett area, please find your Districts Congressman here. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/WA

View criteria and application here

Hon. Suzan DelBene, WA-01
Hon. Rick Larsen, WA-02
Hon. Jaime Herrera Beutler, WA-03
Hon. Doc Hastings, WA-04
Hon. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA-05
Hon. Derek Kilmer, WA-06
Hon. Jim McDermott, WA-07
Hon. David G. Reichert, WA-08
Hon. Adam Smith, WA-09
Hon. Denny Heck, WA-10

View artwork for the 2012 competition here http://conginst.org/art-competition/

Native Americans march against coal trains

Idle No More
by LOR MATSUKAWA / KING 5 News, kgw.com, March 22, 2013

SEATTLE — Two-hundred Native Americans and their supporters marched through Seattle during Thursday night’s rush hour to protest proposed coal trains that would pass through the city on their way to a shipping terminal planned to be built near Bellingham.

The group called “Idle No More” represented several tribes who support the Lummi Nation, which opposes the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal because they say it would hurt the environment.

“There’s wind energy, there’s solar enegy, there’s tidal energy,” said one of the event organizers, Olivia One Feather of the Standing Rock Nation. “Now is the time to come together and brainstorm on what we can do to move past coal.”

The group rallied at Westlake Park before following a police escort to the headquarters of SSA Marine on Harbor Island. SSA Marine is the terminal’s developer. Senior Vice President Bob Waters said the company respects the right of people to express their opinions. He said the $700,000 project is undergoing a “vigorous” environmental study co-lead by the Washington State Dept. of Ecology, Whatcom County and the Army Corps of Engineers. He said construction is easily “a couple years out.”

As the participants played drums and sang songs of healing, Shania Belgarde, a senior member of the Chippewa Nation, clapped along. Her message to government leaders: “I’d just like them to listen to us, the Native Americans. We need our land.”

Watch video coverage here.

Free annual Easter Egg Hunt in Jennings Memorial Park

Marysville Parks invites you to hop over

City of Marysville Parks and Recreation

6915 Armar Rd.

Marysville, Washington 98270

(360) 363-8400 * web: marysvillewa.gov

March 11, 2013

MARYSVILLE – Marysville Parks and Recreation invites your family to the free annual Easter Egg Hunt from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, March 30 in Jennings Memorial Park, 6915 Armar Road.

More than 10,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and prizes will be hidden in and around Jennings Memorial Park Rotary Ranch for your child aged 8 or under to find. Limit is eight eggs per child.

Participants are asked to bring a canned food item for donation to the Marysville Community Food Bank. Additional parking will be available at the nearby Marysville Middle School parking lot, 4923 67th St. NE.

This Marysville Parks and Recreation Easter Egg Hunt is sponsored by Steve Fulton State Farm Insurance, Marysville Noon Rotary Club and Grandview Village.

For more information, call the Parks Office at (360) 363-8400.

Porterville, CA loses at Indian gaming table

City may have to give back $215,000 in grant funds

By DENISE MADRID | dmadrid@portervillerecorder.com, March 22, 2013

The city of Porterville might give back more than $215,000 in grant money it received in the last two years to mitigate the impacts of tribal gaming, and lose out on thousands more.

During a closed-door meeting last week, the Tulare County Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee, charged with selecting grant recipients, voted to request the money be return, Porterville City Council and committee member Cameron Hamilton announced during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday night.

The committee, a seven-member body made up of county, city and Tule River Tribe representatives, is responsible for the allocation and administration of funding provided by Senate Bill 621.

The bill was passed in 2004 and makes the money available to counties, cities and special districts affected by local tribal gaming from the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund.

Gaming tribes that operated 200 or more gaming devices on or before September 1999 contribute a variable portion of their net winnings into the fund. In Tulare County, the Tule River Tribe contributes winnings and must sponsor the grants and find the proposed grant projects have a valid relationship to the impacts associated with Eagle Mountain Casino.

A small portion of the funding is earmarked for the county’s administrative expenses, with the remaining divided 60 percent for nexus geographical proximity grants and 40 percent for discretionary grants.

Until last week, only the city and county qualified for the nexus grants while the city, county and special districts qualified for the discretionary grants.

“It all boils down to one thing; the nexus was not correct,” said Mike Ennis, a member of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and the committee. “Porterville had been taking 60 percent and was supposed to get 40 percent. For the last three years, this was something we’d been talking about and we finally got (former state Sen. Michael) Rubio’s people to come down and look at it.”

Obama to designate national monument in San Juan Islands

“The San Juan Islands will become the third national monument in Washington, joining Mt. St. Helens and Hanford Reach.”

March 21, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Posted by Jim Brunner of Seattle Times

President Obama plans to designate a national monument in the San Juan Islands, handing a long-sought victory to island residents and members of Washington’s congressional delegation.

Obama will sign a proclamation Monday creating the monument, a White House official said Thursday. The action will provide permanent protections for nearly 1,000 acres of undeveloped federal lands on the islands, including Lopez Island’s Iceberg Point and Chadwick Hill and the Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan Island.

The news was hailed by members of Washington’s congressional delegation who had worked for years to preserve the lands.

“We’re very pleased because it’s such an incredible unique spot in the United States… it will be permanently protected for generations to come,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said in an interview Thursday.

The lands that islanders had sought to preserve are already federally owned and overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. While there were no apparent plans for the government to sell or develop the properties, the monument designation offers virtual certainty they will remain protected in perpetuity.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, credited “years of persistence” by environmental and business leaders who built a coalition to campaign for the monument.

“San Juan Islanders have been shouting from the rooftops for years: protect these lands. Well the president heard our message loud and clear,” Larsen said in a written statement.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray thanked Obama and outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for the action, saying in a statement through her office the San Juan Islands will now “join our nation’s most iconic parks, wildlife refuges, and landmarks as a permanent, federally protected national monument.”

The president’s authority to create national monuments was given by the Antiquities Act of 1906, first utilized by President Theodore Roosevelt to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. There are now more than 100 national monuments across the country, including the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty and Colorado’s Canyon of the Ancients.

The San Juan Islands will become the third national monument in Washington, joining Mt. St. Helens and Hanford Reach.

Along with the San Juans, Obama on Monday also will designate new national monuments in Delaware, Maryland and New Mexico, according to the White House.

Washington unemployment rate unchanged at 7.5 percent

“More than 3,300 unemployed workers ran out of unemployment benefits last month.”

By RACHEL LA CORTE — Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington gained 4,000 jobs in February and unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.5 percent, new numbers released Wednesday show.

Economists with the state Employment Security Department said that overall, the state has added about 65,000 jobs over the past year, regaining about 70 percent of the more than 200,000 jobs lost during the recession.

“February was relatively uneventful,” department economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman said in a prepared news release. “The job growth was close to the monthly average for the past year, with no big surprises.”

The unemployment rate in Washington state in February 2012 was 8.4 percent.

Map and Date from Washington State Emplyement Security Department — Map and Date from Washington State Employment Security Department

Industries that saw the most growth included education and health services, up 3,000 jobs, manufacturing, up 2,900 and professional and business services, which gained 1,200 jobs.

Construction saw a loss of 3,600 jobs, leisure and hospitality, was down 1,100 and transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 400.

Earlier this month, state economists reported that new numbers showed the state gained 24,100 jobs for the month of January, a number they expected would later be revised down. But Wednesday’s report revised that number up to 24,200 jobs.

The national unemployment rate for February was 7.7 percent.

An estimated 259,100 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in February, including nearly 140,000 who claimed unemployment benefits.

More than 3,300 unemployed workers ran out of unemployment benefits last month. A total of 132,165 people have exhausted their benefits since extended benefits were activated in July 2008

Tribal chairman: Land transfer will benefit timber counties

“The tribe could be the recipient of 14,500 acres of federal timberlands under a proposed transfer”

by Thomas Moriarty, The World

COOS BAY — The chairman of the Confederated Tribes said its proposed acquisition of more than 14,000 acres of federal timberlands will ultimately benefit Oregon timber counties.

The tribe could be the recipient of 14,500 acres of federal timberlands under a proposed transfer circulated for discussion this month by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Bob Garcia, chairman of the tribal council for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, said its goal is long-term stewardship of culturally important lands.

“We believe our active management will put more people on the ground than are currently there,” Garcia said. “We’re talking more foresters, more biologists, people working on stream restorations.”

None of the lands under consideration for transfer are currently impacted by a federal injunction to protect marbled murrelet populations. “Our attempt was to try to find lands that were non-controversial.”

The chairman said the timberlands will be managed under a very similar model to that currently used in the status quo — including the completion of environmental impact statements.

“We’re talking about lands going from the Bureau of Land management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, still within the federal government.”

One initial concern, raised by Association of O&C Counties President Doug Robertson, was that O&C counties would lose timberlands, potentially harming county revenue.

The lands in question currently fall under the O&C Act of 1937, which set aside millions of acres of timber land for economic activity in 18 Oregon counties. The act covers land reclaimed by the government in 1916 after the Oregon & California Railroad Company violated the terms of a federal grant.

In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Wyden committed to a no-net-loss policy regarding O&C lands, saying the total acreage will remain the same under any tribal land conveyance legislation

The difference, Garcia said, is that the land will receive much more active management under tribal control than it does under current federal forest planning. And that means more jobs.

The chairman said he believes the tribes and the O&C counties ultimately have similar intentions.

“We’re talking about how we can put people to work and how we can make Oregon counties prosper,” he said. “Tribal control is local control.”

Source

Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at thomas.moriarty@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

Native American artists take back the headdress

“Appropriation of cultural Regalia, such as the war bonnet …causes sacred objects to lose their power when they are represented out of context,” wrote Luger in his artist statement.

By Marianne Combs

When Dyani White Hawk Polk asked a group of artists for work for her exhibition “Make it Pop,” she was looking for contemporary pieces responding to issues of the day.

“We’ve had somber exhibits, politically driven, fine art,” says White Hawk Polk, sitting at her desk in All My Relations Gallery. “I wanted this to feel more playful and cutting edge, something that really speaks to our youth and people interested in pop culture as well as fine art lovers.”

White Hawk Polk got what she was looking for; the colorful show reflects and comments on popular culture in a number of ways. Interestingly, two artists – Frank Buffalo Hyde and Cannupa Hanska Luger – chose to focus on an issue that has many Native Americans upset: the appropriation of Native Regalia by popular culture – in particular, the headdress.

"In-Appropriate 3," a painting by Frank Buffalo Hyde responding to the use of a Native American headdress and jewelry on a Victoria's Secret model at a fashion show held on November 7, 2012. — “In-Appropriate 3,” a painting by Frank Buffalo Hyde responding to the use of a Native American headdress and jewelry on a Victoria’s Secret model at a fashion show held on November 7, 2012.

White Hawk Polk says she wasn’t surprised.

“It’s always been an issue,” reflects White Hawk Polk. “It’s always been there, but this past year, year and a half, it’s just been prolific.”

Native Americans belong to many different tribes spread across Native North America. But the headdress, or war bonnet, is a universal symbol of great spiritual importance worn only by highly respected individuals.

Read full article and see photos here

Razor clam dig starts March 28; more digs tentatively set for April

Easter weekend clamming

March 20, 2013
Contact: Dan Ayres, (360) 249-1209

OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers have approved a four-day razor clam dig starting March 28 and scheduled tentative dates for additional openings in April.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the late-March dig after marine toxin test showed the clams are safe to eat.

Twin Harbors beach will be open for morning razor clam digging March 28-31.

Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks will be open to digging March 29-30.

No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon. The schedule, along with morning low tides, is:

March 28, Thurs., 7:57 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
March 29, Fri., 8:40 a.m., -0.6 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
March 30, Sat., 9:26 a.m., -0.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
March. 31, Sun., 10:16 a.m., -0.6 ft., Twin Harbors

By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2012-13 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.

Meanwhile, WDFW has tentatively scheduled two morning digs in April, subject to favorable marine toxin tests. Final word on these digs will be posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html.

Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, reminds diggers they will need to purchase a 2013-14 license to participate in the April openings, since current fishing licenses expire at midnight March 31. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

Tentative opening dates in April, along with morning low tides, are:

April 9, Tues., 6:39 a.m., 0.0 ft., Twin Harbors
April 10, Wed., 7:19 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
April 11, Thurs., 7:57 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors
April 12, Fri., 8:34 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 13, Sat., 9:11 a.m., -0.2, ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 14, Sun., 9:49 a.m., +0.1, ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 24, Wed., 6:10 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
April 25, Thurs., 6:54 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors
April 26, Fri., 7:38 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 27, Sat., 8:24 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 28, Sun., 9:11 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 29, Mon., 10:01 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach and Mocrocks
April 30, Tues., 10:55 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors

3 Ways to Catch Razor Clams

From Do it yourself

Razor clams are coastal shellfish, known for their rarity and their meaty contents. Found in the sand of the intertidal coastal beaches, they can be harvested in several ways.

The best way to start is to get to the beach is early in the morning, so you can follow the tide out. First, look for a “clam show.” At the edge of the surf line, there will be small dimples or holes in the wet sand as the water ebbs. It’s where the clam has stuck its neck out and tried to dig to go back to the sea. As soon as you see the telltale hole, start quickly with one of these methods:

Tools you will need gloves (razor clams are so named because of the sharp edges of their shells), ice chest, clam gun or tube (for1st way), clam shovel or other sharp curved, narrow bladed shovel (for 2nd way) and table salt (for 3rd way). Although, the tools will majorly depend on how you are catching clams.

Ways to Catch Razor Clams:

1. With a Tube or “Clam Gun”

The tube, or “clam gun,” you need for razor clams is about 2-3 feet long and 4 inches in diameter, with a ½ inch hole at the top. Stainless steel or metal will work best for digging in wet sand. The best idea is to just go to a fishing supply store and get a clam gun, but if you have something similar it could work just as well. A clam gun has a T-shaped top so you don’t have to try and cover it with your fingers while digging.

When you spot a clam show, place the tube around it, with the hole in the center and work the tube down into the sand at least 2 feet. Then cover the hole at the top and remove the tube. Empty the tube onto the beach and take the clam or clams out and put it in your ice chest. Clam guns can be difficult to use on rocky or pebble-filled beaches.

2. Dig With a Clam Shovel

Once you locate the holes in the sand, dig quickly with a clam shovel. Go straight down about 3-6 inches from the center of the clam show. Place the back of the shovel facing the hole and begin removing sand. Don’t curve it toward the center of the hole because you risk cutting the clam off at the neck or breaking the shell. Keep scooping straight down until you expose the clam. Then reach in and carefully grab it by the neck or shell and place it in your ice chest.

3. Salt Them Out

Razor clams are extremely sensitive to salinity. One way to reduce your effort and have the clams come to you is to use table salt. As soon as you see the show, when it is open widest, pour salt into the hole. The clam should emerge in order to escape the salt and then just catch it and place it in your ice chest.

Be sure to check fishing rules and seasons with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (1-866-880-5431). There’s a limit on how many clams you can harvest at one time. So be very careful when digging, especially with the clam shovel. The clams are fairly delicate and break easily. Clams with broken shells will die, but they will also count for your total, so don’t discount the broken ones. They can still be eaten, just harder to clean.

Lawmakers offer bill to ban ‘Redskins’ trademark

Participate in the poll here!

By Ben Pershing,

Mar 20, 2013 08:52 PM EDT

The Washington Post Published: March 20

A group of U.S. House members has offered a bill that would prohibit the term “Redskins” from being trademarked, as the debate over the NFL team’s name expands from the legal system and the court of public opinion to Capitol Hill.

Del. Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) has authored the Non-Disparagement of American Indians in Trademark Registrations Act of 2013, which would cancel all existing federal trademarks using “Redskins” to refer to Native Americans and prohibit future trademarks as well. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) — a critic of the team’s name — is an original co-sponsor, along with Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

A Redskins spokesman said the team had no comment on the bill.

There is no guarantee that the measure will even receive a committee hearing in the House, much less a vote. But it comes at a sensitive time: Earlier this month in Alexandria, a three-judge panel on the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board heard arguments over whether the term Redskins should be considered a slur and therefore not worthy of trademark protection.

It could be a year, the Associated Press reported, before the judges issue a ruling in the case, which stems from a petition by five Native Americans. And even if the Redskins lost their trademark, they wouldn’t necessarily have to change their name. But it would be easier for other businesses and people to cut into the franchise’s profits by selling paraphernalia with the name on it.

Critics of the team’s name also spoke up during a forum last month at the National Museum of the American Indian, saying that the term is demeaning, and dismissing the franchise’s argument that the word is meant to honor Native Americans rather than disparage them.

For her part, Norton recently told the Hill newspaper that the Redskins “should consider” a new moniker. “I am a fan of the Redskins. I’m just not a fan of their name,” she said.

District Mayor Vincent Gray has also weighed in on the subject, albeit carefully.

“I would love to be able to sit down with the team … and see if a change should be made,” Gray said in January, though he later clarified that he simply meant the subject would likely be discussed if the Redskins were to move back to the RFK Stadium site, which is on federal land.