skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Jury hears Trump and Cohen Discussing Hush-Money Deal on secret recording; Nature-based solutions help solve Mississippi River Delta problems; Public lands groups cheer the expansion of two CA national monuments; 'Art Against the Odds' shines a light on artists in the WI justice system.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Biden defends dissent but says "order must prevail" on campus, former President Trump won't commit to accepting the 2024 election results and Nebraska lawmakers circumvent a ballot measure repealing private school vouchers.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Bidding begins soon for Wyoming's elk antlers, Southeastern states gained population in the past year, small rural energy projects are losing out to bigger proposals, and a rural arts cooperative is filling the gap for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

New Year Brings a New Congressman for WA

play audio
Play

Monday, December 27, 2010   

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The new year will bring new boundaries for Washington's congressional districts - and soon, one more U.S. Representative for the state, bringing the total from nine to 10. In many states, creating the new district would be a legislative responsibility, but Washington does it differently. Legislative leaders choose four members to serve as a Redistricting Commission - two Republicans and two Democrats - and those four choose a fifth, non-voting, member as commission chair.

Kim Abel, state action chair with the League of Women Voters of Washington, says voters approved the system in the 1980s, to make the process as fair as possible.

"It really makes a lot of sense to have an even-handed commission - a commission that's not weighted to either party - deciding these things. That's why the League got involved originally, to make sure that got on the ballot before the citizens."

Making 10 districts out of nine means each will be a little smaller, geographically, but the overall effect in Congress will be bigger, she points out.

"That extra representative gives you just that little bit more clout - another committee, and other issues of interest for the state of Washington. It's really important that this gets done without a lot of politics, so that more citizens' voices can be heard."

The commission also sets the boundaries for state legislative districts. The goal is to create districts that represent roughly equal numbers of voters, and the public will get to weigh in on the process in hearings around the state. The new boundaries will be in place for the 2012 primary election.

Information about the process and the commission's progress is available online at www.sos.wa.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument's new Molok Loyuk region provides habitat for tule elk, mountain lions, bears, bald eagles and golden eagles. (Hispanic Access Foundation)

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups, tribes and community organizers are praising President Joe Biden's decision Thursday to expand two national monuments in …


Health and Wellness

play sound

Studies show suicide is a serious public health problem, claiming more than 48,000 lives each year in the nation. A new initiative from the Zero …

Social Issues

play sound

By Kate Mothes for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collab…


A fracking operation is shown on Colorado's front range east of Denver. The state had more than 12,000 hydraulic fracturing well operations in 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A new film documents the 2018 battle between Colorado environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over proposed fracking regulations. The film …

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive…

Among U.S. grain exports, 60% is shipped on the Mississippi River through the Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana. (Daniel Thornberg/Adobe)

Environment

play sound

As part of an effort to restore the Mississippi River delta, an organization is collaborating with nature to address environmental challenges…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Toughing it out during spring allergy season is not in your best interest if you want to avoid asthma later in life. New Mexico has plenty of grass …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan legislators are tackling predatory lending practices, aiming to set standards for payday loans and maximum interest rates. In Kent County …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021