Seattle, WA
Seattle School Board President facing recall effort
As Seattle Public Schools faces continued public backlash over proposed school closures, a group of parents is attempting to recall board President Liza Rankin.
In court documents filed with King County, the group argues Rankin adopted a “rushed and improper” school closure process and repeatedly failed to “provide transparency and community engagement on decisions critical to the well-being of the district.”
The parents also contend Rankin failed to uphold her duties as a school board member to adequately oversee the district and “ensure the district delivers student educational outcomes.”
“As Board President, Liza Rankin must uphold the highest standards in public office, especially in a time of urgent crisis like that which Seattle Public Schools now faces,” Ben Gitenstein, one of the petitioners, said in a statement. “Instead, Rankin has committed violations that have worsened our district’s crisis.”
“Now more than ever, it is necessary to recall Rankin in order to save our students and Seattle Public Schools from her leadership,” added Gitenstein, the parent of two SPS students and a former school board candidate.
Janai Ray, Nancy Bacon, Annie Becker, and Rebekah Binns are also named as petitioners on the recall paperwork.
Rankin was first elected to the board in 2019, and represents the northernmost parts of Seattle, including the Crown Hill, Broadview, Northgate, and Lake City neighborhoods. She was reelected for a second four-year term last fall.
A King County Superior Court judge must approve the recall before the petition can be circulated to voters. The petition would then need to get over 48,000 valid signatures from legal voters before getting on a ballot.
Gitenstein said the group isn’t planning to recall other board members “at this time.”
The recall effort comes as Washington’s largest public school system moves ahead with proposals to close four schools — a scaled down version of a previous plan that called for up to 21 schools to be shuttered next year. The board is expected to vote on a final closure plan by the end of January.
RELATED: 4 Seattle schools up for closure revealed
In an interview with KUOW on Tuesday, Rankin said she stands by her actions as school board president and denied any accusations of malfeasance or wrongdoing.
“I have actually been taking it very seriously, that my duty as board president is to help ensure that we are abiding by laws and rules around compliance,” she said.
Rankin also argued the closure process hasn’t been rushed, pointing out that she was among several board members to push back on the mass closure plan first proposed in September.
‘It’s literally a skeleton.’ Seattle School Board critiques plan for mass closures
“What we received didn’t justify that level of change, and so we said ‘no thank you, please try again,’” Rankin said. “I think rushing would have been to accept it anyway, knowing that it didn’t have all the information we needed. And we definitely didn’t do that.”
This is Rankin’s second attempted recall. She and the entire board were targeted for recall in 2021, amid accusations they failed to prepare for schools to reopen during Covid. A judge later dismissed the petition.
Seattle, WA
Seattle area Iranian-Americans, activists react to ceasefire deal
SEATTLE — People from Seattle to Redmond are speaking out about the ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump’s threat of massive attacks.
President Trump on Tuesday announced he would suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for two weeks as part of a temporary ceasefire brokered by the Pakistani government.
The suspension of attacks is contingent on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
ALSO SEE | Oil prices drop and stock futures jump as US and Iran agree to a 2-week ceasefire
Iran responded by claiming victory, saying ships will be allowed to pass through the strait, but only under the management of the Iranian military.
Shayan Arya is an Iranian-American with cousins and friends in Iran, who have detailed by phone their experiences being near recent warfare.
“In the middle of our conversations, the bombing started,” Arya explained. “And so she said, ‘Can you hear the bombs dropping?’”
He said he was concerned about power plants being bombed in Iran, and is grateful they won’t be targeted, for now.
Meanwhile, on the steps of Seattle City Hall, a group rallied against the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and actions.
“Perhaps we should stop bombing the cradle of civilization and calling it freedom. We should be investing in people, the communities,” one woman chanted through a megaphone.
Counter-protesters showed up, leading to heated confrontations for a short time.
Arya said he feels relief, for now, amid the ceasefire, but that there’s ongoing concern about Iran’s future under its current regime.
“It’s just a matter of time [until the regime collapses], and at what price?” he asked.
CNN reports the White House is preparing for in-person negotiations with Iran to help broker a long-term peace deal.
The developments come just hours after the president posted a message online, threatening, “A whole civilization could die tonight… Never to be brought back again.”
Seattle, WA
1-inch RapidRide G Line error costs Seattle $650,000 to fix – MyNorthwest.com
The City of Seattle is paying $650,000 to fix a bus line error along the RapidRide G Line.
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews removed three orange steel plates that had lifted buses by approximately one inch and repaved the short sections of the roadway along Madison Street where the plates were initially placed.
Those orange plates were a stopgap solution to properly serve riders who use wheelchairs and walkers, as the original construction for the three center-road bus stops along King County Metro’s RapidRide G Line were roughly an inch too high when it first opened in 2024.
The $650,000 construction fix is expected to come from a $144.3 million construction project, which paid for nine new buses, built 8 miles of sidewalks, repaved the road, and replaced or upgraded more than 40 traffic signals, according to The Seattle Times.
The affected stops were Stops 104, 105, and 124. Stop 104 is on Madison Street between Terry and Boren Avenues, while Stop 105 is on Madison Street between Summit and Boylston Avenues, and Stop 124 is on Madison Street at E. Union Street and 12th Avenue E.
An SDOT spokesperson told The Seattle Times the specific bus platforms were “slightly too high for bus ramps to extend properly.” If the platform height is even slightly off, riders using wheelchairs, walkers, or experiencing other mobility issues can’t get on or off the bus.
The RapidRide G Line, which opened in 2024, connects Madison Valley, Capitol Hill, First Hill, and Downtown Seattle.
Seattle, WA
Kraken lose 5th straight game, Jets 6-2 win pushes Seattle further from playoffs
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Kraken dropped their fifth-straight game as the Jets won 6-2 in Winnipeg.
The loss adds to the dwindling Stanley Cup Playoff hopes for a Kraken team that’s made the postseason just once since the team began playing in the 2021-2022 season.
The Kraken’s (32-33-11) 75 points trail the Nashville Predators’ 81 points with just six games remaining.
The Jets, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Saint Louis Blues are ahead of the Kraken in the standings as teams jockey for Wild Card spots.
Kraken captain Jordan Eberle opened the scoring in the first period to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.
The Jets then scored once in the first period and twice in the second to take a 3-2 advantage into the third.
Goalkeeper Joey Daccord was pulled after allowing two goals on 12 shots.
Forward Jared McCann scored early in the third period to bring the Kraken to within one.
The Jets then scored two unanswered goals and an empty-net goal to seal the 6-2 win.
Up next
The Kraken play at the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
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