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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2013)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J UNE 12, 2013 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 36 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 Jobs for At Risk Youth FURRY RACE New arts programs aim to reduce youth violence and poverty T PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED King 5 Television anchor Joyce Taylor and her dog Quincy and King 5 Producer Aaron Day with his dog Vito were among the over 1000 runners and walkers who participated in the 14th Annual Furry 5k Fun Run and Walk Sunday, June 9, at Seward Park. Over $125,000 was raised for the Seattle Animal Shelter's Help the Animals Fund. For more see Furry 5k Fun Run and Walk on page 6. Health Benefit Exchange Rolls $1.6 million will fund new network in health care services T he Washington Health Benefit Exchange today announced the selection of Public Health – Seattle & King County to provide in-per- son assistance as part of the Washington Healthplanfinder Customer Support Program. Washington Healthplanfinder is a new way for people to find, compare and enroll in health insurance in Washington start- ing Oct. 1, 2013. Beginning January 1, 2014, about 180,000 uninsured King County residents will be newly eligible for affordable health coverage through the expansion of the Medicaid program. Washington Healthplanfinder. Public Health – Seattle & King County will receive $1.6 million from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange to build and oversee a network of partners who can give residents impartial information to help them deter- mine which health insurance option best fits their needs and help them enroll. “Our goal is nothing less than the full enrollment of those INDEX News .....................2,3,6 Calendar ....................2 Opinion .......................4 Bids/Classifieds............7 uninsured who will become eli- gible for health insurance next year,” said King County Execu- tive Dow Constantine. “We are launching a ‘Get Covered King County’ initiative to create a ‘culture of coverage’ in King County.” “We are excited to partner with such knowledgeable and trusted organizations that are experts at reaching people in their communities,” said Richard Onizuka, Ph.D, CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. “Their work will connect hundreds of thousands of people with quality health coverage – many for the first time.” Public Health is one of 10 organizations statewide, includ- ing public health agencies, coalitions, regional health net- works, and community organi- zations, chosen to help residents enroll in a qualified health plan starting Oct. 1, 2013. Lead organizations will share nearly $6 million in total grants funds from the Exchange. See HEALTH on page 3 his week Mayor Mike McGinn announced a new program that pro- vides work opportunities for at-risk youth in collaboration with arts organiza- tions and the Seattle Youth Violence Pre- vention Initiative. Work Readiness Arts is a program provid- ing out-of-school programming that links arts learning and work experiences for up to 70 Seattle youth ages 14 to 18. Arts organizations interested in participat- ing in this program are encouraged to sub- mit proposals by June 28. This is in addition to summer work oppor- tunities targeting at-risk kids offered by SYVPI, the Seattle Parks Department, and the Human Services Department. The mayor’s 2013-14 budget funds 450 new slots in the SYVPI program, 225 of which will be filled this year. “Seattle’s at-risk youth need our help to get work experience and a path to prosperi- ty,” said McGinn. “By funding these addi- tional opportunities we can help reduce youth violence and strike a blow against poverty in our communities.” “It’s important that we provide positive opportunities for at-risk young people in our community to help prevent violence like we saw at the beginning of last summer,” said Interim Police Chief Jim Pugel. “Having a summer job in the arts can help keep kids off the street and out of trouble, as well as inspiring them creatively.” The Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative was established after an increase in gun violence in 2008. The Initiative pro- vides youth enrolled in the program with activities, mentoring, case management, employment services, and other targeted support. In 2012, the demand for SYVPI services was so high that the Initiative had a waiting list of youth and enrollment was capped at 1,050 due to limited capacity and services. In earlier years, enrollment had reached a one time high of 1,600 because no one wanted to turn youth away. Without suf- See YOUTH on page 3 Somali Attack on Yachters in Court Three men charged with piracy, murder of Seattle residents By Brock Vergakis The Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Defense attor- neys for three Somalis charged with mur- dering four American yachters in a pirate hijacking said Thursday there’s no physical evidence proving their clients fired the shots that killed the Americans during a moment of chaos as U.S. Navy warships and special forces circled nearby off the coast of Africa. The attorneys also suggested during open- ing statements in federal court that the other 11 men who have already pleaded guilty to piracy in the case have a vested interest in testifying against their clients, noting that they agreed to testify in exchange for the possibility of a reduced sentence. The 11 are currently serving mandatory life sentences. The yacht’s owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., and their friends, Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death in February 2011 after they were taken hostage at sea several hun- dred miles south of Oman. They were the first Americans to be killed during a wave of pirate attacks that have plagued the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent years, See HIJACK on page 7
