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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J ULY 18, 2012 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 29 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Ballot Fraud in Motion? PARK JUBILEE Nonprofit sends out voter info for dogs, cats, dead people By Mike Baker The Associated Press PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Nuwani, 1, and her cousin Darius play in the new water feature at Jefferson Park, Saturday, July 14, during the Jefferson Park Jubilee. The event celebrated the Grand opening of the renovated park and included a dedication ceremony with Taiko and Bon Odori performances, activities, food, demonstrations of Kirikiti, skateboarding, lawn bowling and much more. State Tries to ID Veterans in Prison Effort brings solidarity for ex-soldiers, more services from VA By Rachel La Corte The Associated Press ABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) — More than 80 inmates enter a large visitation room at Stafford Creek Correctional Center. All are U.S. military veterans, but not all of them realize it. Teri Herold-Prayer, a research manager for the state Depart- ment of Corrections, asks the large group how many veterans are present. About two-thirds raise their hands. When she asks how many served in the mili- tary, all of their hands shoot up. ``You’re ALL veterans,’’ she told them, regardless of whether they served in a war or not. She stressed that when both they, and the state, know their veteran status, the state can better help them get the benefits they’ve earned once they’re released, easing their re-entry into the community and hopefully cut- ting back on recidivism. ``I don’t want you back here,’’ she said. ``I don’t think you want to come back here, either.’’ Herold-Prayer’s visit is part of INDEX News ........................2,4 Calendar ....................2 Opinion .......................3 Bids/Classifieds............3 a statewide effort to identify all veterans in the state’s 12 pris- ons. The project was sparked two years ago after a Veterans Health Administration directive allowed health care benefits to be provided to veterans in work release. That federal change prompted officials at the state Department of Corrections to investigate what more could be done for the state’s veterans who are inmates. ``Incarcerated veterans are uniquely qualified for benefits that can help them succeed once they complete their prison sen- tence,’’ said Chad Lewis, a spokesman for the department. ``They’ve earned these benefits, and the public is safer when they have housing and mental- health treatment.’’ The trick, Lewis said, was identifying veterans in the sys- tem, something he said was ``more difficult than you might expect.’’ Up until a few years ago, state officials were only able to veri- fy 4 percent of the prison popu- See VETS on page 3 OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The voter registration form arrived in the mail last month with some key information already filled in: Rosie Charlston’s name was com- plete, as was her Seattle address. Problem is, Rosie was a black lab who died in 1998. A group called the Voter Participation Center has touted the distribution of some 5 million registration forms in recent weeks, targeting Democratic-leaning voting blocs such as unmarried women, blacks, Latinos and young adults. But residents and election administrators around the country also have reported a series of bizarre and questionable mailings addressed to animals, dead people, nonciti- zens and people already registered to vote. Brenda Charlston wasn’t the only person to get documents for her pet: A Virginia man said similar documents arrived for his dead dog, Mozart, while a woman in the state got forms for her cat, Scampers. ``On a serious note, I think it’s tampering with our voting system,’’ Charlston said. ``They’re fishing for votes: That’s how I view it.’’ Every presidential election cycle brings with it a variety of registration drives target- ing people who typically are underrepre- sented at the polls, and Republicans have long seized on sloppy or questionable regis- trations as a sign of potential fraud on the part of Democrats. It’s an issue that is particularly sensitive this year. GOP political leaders have used fears of fraud to successfully push laws across the country that could make voting more difficult by requiring voters to show identification. Democrats have fought the laws, arguing that they can disenfranchise citizens, minorities in particular. The group at the root of the questionable mailings — the Voter Participation Center See VOTERS on page 3 Higher Fees Add to College Costs Tuition has increased as much as 20 percent each year since 2009 By Donna Gordon Blankinship The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Talk about rising col- lege costs has centered on double-digit tuition increases, but tuition is only one part of the sticker shock awaiting students at Washington’s four-year colleges and univer- sities. Along with the typical fees for dorm rooms, books and meals, students and par- ents can expect an array of other mandatory fees included in their total college bill. The fee to access wireless Internet and computers: $75 to $123. The fee to work out in the campus gym or use other recreational facilities: $200 to $300. Your college is ren- ovating its stadium or dormitories? Your share: $50 to $250. Those are just the mandatory fees. Stu- dents can voluntarily pay for other fees, such as $5 to support a college’s environ- mental efforts or $10 to see how close you are to graduating. ``Students do feel nickeled and dimed a lot of the time,’’ said Carly Ray, a Washing- ton State University senior from Puyallup who is mostly paying her current college See COSTS on page 3
