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J ULY 18, 2012
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 29
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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
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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