THS Principal Scott Seaman finds incredible value in Social Norms. Before the campaign, he saw “perceived leaders partying, drinking and making negative choices. But now I see the leaders making good choices and they don’t feel pressure to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Now it’s cool to not be a partier.” Social Norms, run by Together, changes student perceptions and is a cutting-edge, science-based approach to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse. A campaign is also under way in Black Hills High School, and additional schools may start this fall. Together is a nonprofit agency in Thurston County that works to promote healthy youth decision-making. It looks like they’ve discovered a winner in Social Norms.
Fortunately, police were alerted to this security breach by law-abiding citizens before something went terribly wrong.
Police wouldn’t say if the rifle was loaded. Regardless, this is an embarrassing incident that would not have happened if one or the other officer had simply followed Police Department policy, which includes never leaving a weapon unattended and never driving away without first inspecting your police vehicle.
Thumbs Up: A new podcast dedicated to open government in the state of Washington has been released and is available online. Called OG Pod, this new media should prove useful to anyone with an interest in holding government officials accountable for their actions. OG Pod will offer practical advice to individuals seeking public records or attending government meetings. The weekly show is hosted by Michael Reitz, general counsel for the Freedom Foundation, and Greg Overstreet, a principle in Allied Law Group, which is a law firm that specializes in open government litigation. The hosts will discuss real examples of why open government matters and show individuals how to use state laws such as the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act to improve their communities. The podcast will also highlight government agencies that have embraced the principles of transparent, open government.
Check it out by googling OG Pod.
Thumbs Down: A federal judge has ordered the city of Mercer Island to pay $90,060, plus attorneys’ fees to a former city employee for violating the state Public Records Act. The city withheld public documents from former deputy city manage Londi Lindell in a lawsuit against the city stemming from her dismissal. The city claimed some of the documents were protected by attorney-client privilege, even though the city had agreed to waive that privilege. The city’s actions were troubling, illegal and warranted the monetary penalty handed down by the U.S. District Court judge.
