Patricia Murphy

Stories

• Wash. Senator Patty Murray Wants Timeline For DoD Mental Health Diagnosis Reviews

  Washington Senator Patty Murray has asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to provide a timeline for a review of how the military diagnoses PTSD and other behavioral health issues.

  Oct 18, 2012 at 12:00 am
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  King County And Seattle City Councils Say Yes To Sodo Arena

  The King County Council and Seattle City Council both gave the go-ahead for an agreement to build a new professional basketball and hockey arena in Seattle.The union that represents Longshore workers plans to file a lawsuit to stop it.The $490-million arena would be built with $200 million in public financing. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen has been instrumental in pushing the deal. Under the agreement, the public investment would be paid back with rent money and admissions taxes from the arena. If that money falls short, Hansen would be responsible for making up the rest. That detail proved critical for some county council members.Less impressed is the Longshore Union, which has vowed to file a lawsuit. The union says building another sports venue in the Sodo area will erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses. King County Councilmember Joe McDermott tried to address those concerns before the vote. He says an environmental review will happen, and other sites will be considered. “This is not a final agreement," said McDermott. "This is an agreement to a process. I’m very proud of the work that this council has done in seeking to afford this cachet, this public value the possible return of the SuperSonics to Seattle.”International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19 attorney David Mann says the memo is a proposal, and should have been subjected to an environmental review.  Mann said, “Are they going to turn around a year from now after they’ve gone through the environmental review process and tell Chris Hansen 'no?' Of course not.”Hansen wants the stadium built near the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums.The Seattle City Council approved the deal 7-2. The County Council's vote was unanimous. 

  Oct 15, 2012 at 6:05 pm
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  UPDATE: How The Sodo Arena Plan Would Work

  Story last updated by Patricia Murphy on October 15, 2012 at 3:13 p.m.The Sodo arena plan has had a few twists and turns.  After first being unveiled in February, it was later altered by the Seattle City Council and more recently by the King County Council.The latest iteration is scheduled to be voted on by the whole King County and Seattle City councils.Here’s an outline of how it works:The investor who’s pushing the arena plan, Chris Hansen, obtains land for the arena in Sodo.The City of Seattle would buy the land from Hansen, using government bonds that are backed by future taxes on arena events.Then, the city would lease the land back to Hansen.Hansen would build the arena.  He could end up paying property tax on the building for at least a year.After that, the city and King County would purchase the arena. Hansen would personally guarantee to cover any shortfalls or debt.Hansen, the city and the county would contribute toward an account that would pay for transportation improvement in Sodo.The plan is detailed in a memorandum of understanding (PDF).  Opponents To The PlanCritics of the plan include the Port of Seattle and maritime businesses.  Among other things they say that a new arena in Sodo would attract increased traffic and make it harder for them to do business.Also, a Seattle longshoremen’s union plans to announce a lawsuit Monday to stop the proposed Sodo arena.  An attorney representing the union said the actual filing will happen later, after the expected passage of the legislation.Supporters Of The PlanSupporters include many Seattle-area officials, including King County Councilman Joe McDermott, the chair of the council’s budget committee.He said it makes sense to use public resources for an arena, arguing that professional sports have a cultural value. “This proposal, which an independent expert has said is the strongest public-private partnership that he’s seen in a decade of studying them, uses only new revenue from existing taxes to pay back the county’s investment which would be financed by bonds — less than three percent of the county’s outstanding bond capacity.  So I think it’s a very solid investment for the county," he said.When asked why public bonds were needed for the plan, McDermott said public involvement lowers the borrowing cost.  “We can finance over a longer period of time, and those factors make it much easier to pencil out, and successful for the private investor. It wouldn’t otherwise be profitable and therefore it wouldn’t happen,” he said.One looming question is how Hansen would actually get an NBA team.  We’ll have to stay tuned for that.UPDATE: October 15, 2012 3:13 p.m. by Patricia MurphyThe King County Council and Seattle City Council both gave the go-ahead for an agreement to build a new professional basketball and hockey arena in Seattle.Meantime, the Longshore Union plans to file a lawsuit. They say the agreement violates state environmental law. 

  Oct 15, 2012 at 3:21 pm
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  Report: Arrests For Marijuana Disproportionally Affect Blacks, Latinos And Native Americans

  A new study by Marijuana Arrest Research Project says more than 240,000 people in Washington have been arrested for marijuana possession over the past 25 years, and that those arrested are disproportionally Black, Latino and Native American.The New York-based group analyzed crime data from the FBI. The reports co-author Harry Levine is a sociology professor at City University of New York. He says the report found that in Washington Blacks were arrested at nearly three times the rate of whites. Latinos and Native Americans were arrested at one and a half times the rate of whites.Levine says these numbers are striking since analysis of government studies show that young whites use marijuana at higher rates than either group. Levine explained, "White upper-middle class people by and large do not get arrested for this offense. White upper-middle class people do not get fines for this offense but others do, and that is blatantly unjust and unfair."Levine estimates that in the past 10 years arrests for marijuana possession cost Washington more than $194 million in police and court costs.The timing of Levine’s study is no accident. Washington is one of three states considering Marijuana reform.Initiative 502 would let adults over 21 buy taxed, inspected marijuana at state-licensed shops. Some police officials worry about increasing the availability of pot, especially for teens.

  Oct 11, 2012 at 5:44 pm