By Phineas Pope and Lauren Gallup

Phineas Pope: “For years, the majority of Tacoma was reserved for single family housing development. But the city, as well as the state of Washington, is moving away from that. NWPB’s Lauren Gallup has been reporting on this, and she joins me now to discuss. Hey, Lauren!”

Lauren Gallup: “Hi Phineas, how are you?” 

Pope: “I’m good. So let’s start with House Bill 1110. Can you explain some of the key provisions of this bill?”

Gallup: “This is a bill that passed last year in the 2023 legislative session. Put really simply, what it does is allow for more housing development and then more housing types in neighborhoods that traditionally would only have allowed for single family housing. Cities of 25,000 to 75,000 people — so some of our like more midsized to smaller cities — have to allow for development of at least two units per lot on all lots zoned predominantly for residential use. So essentially, what that does is say, as a state, all of our cities, we’re moving away from single family zoning.

As the size of the city increases, the number of units allowed per lot increases. There are also more units allowed when the neighborhood is within a certain distance of major transit, and when there are some units reserved for affordable housing.”

Pope: “How does House Bill 1110, then, aim to address the housing crisis in cities like Tacoma?”

Gallup: “It’s really looking to address what we’re calling middle housing. So these are places that are achievable for people with more of a moderate income. Maybe they’re, you know, area median income, they’re hovering right around there. They are not affordable housing. There are provisions to create affordable housing, but that is not the main aim of this bill. So if neighborhoods allow more housing types, like duplexes, for example, the idea is that those are going to be less expensive, more affordable, maybe, you know, as a starter home or for someone to rent while they’re saving up to buy a bigger space.”

Pope: “You’ve attended some City Council meetings in the course of your reporting. What’s been the public’s reaction to all of this?”

Gallup: “The city council held this public hearing to talk about Home in Tacoma phase two, these zoning changes they’re considering. A lot of people showed up, and a lot of people have a wide range of opinions. There’s some that are opposed, there’s some that are in favor of it. But even amongst those two camps, people feel really differently.”

Pope: “I want to talk about one of the pictures you took of a yard sign. It said, ‘save our homes and tree canopy.’ Can you talk about the environmental impacts tied to rezoning for middle housing?” 

Gallup: “So, when I spoke with Lowell Wyse, who’s the executive director of the Tacoma Tree Foundation, he feels really strongly, actually, that the provisions that are included in this phase, phase two, actually really help ensure protection for existing trees, create more tree canopy and green space when we’re developing.”

Lowell Wyse: “Sometimes it comes down to housing versus trees, but we think that that’s a false choice.”

Gallup: “I think people are rightfully worried that more housing development could lead to loss of these green spaces and tree canopy. We have definitely seen that in Tacoma. We have the lowest level of tree canopy in the Puget Sound. But I will say that a lot of people are happy with what is being proposed regarding to this, because it’s the first time that in Tacoma, there would be regulation of existing trees on private property.”

Pope: “All right, last question for you, Lauren. Are there any upcoming policy decisions or votes related to rezoning in Tacoma that residents should be aware of?”

Gallup: “Yes. So, the City Council is going to vote on these proposals in mid-November. That’s what’s scheduled, always subject to change. Over this month and into the beginning of November, city council members will get opportunities — they’re called study sessions — to look over what’s being proposed and, you know, do their homework before they make a vote. There was a lot of opportunity for public input. But of course, you’re always welcome to reach out to city council members in the planning commission and reporters like me, you know, to ask questions and just understand what’s going on in your local government.”

Pope: “NWPB’s Lauren Gallup has been reporting from Tacoma. Lauren, thanks so much!”

Gallup: “Thanks, Phineas!” 

The Washington Wizards are adding a former player to their staff, according to The Athletic insider Josh Robbins.

“The Washington Wizards have hired former NBA point guard Ish Smith as a pro scout, team officials said. Smith, who had two stints with the Wizards, played for an NBA-record 13 different teams,” Robbins tweeted.

Smith, 36, played for the Charlotte Hornets last season and was waived in February, subsequently leading to his retirement from the NBA. Smith played for nearly half of the franchises in the NBA, giving him oodles of connections from across the league, making him an ideal scout for the Wizards.

Smith joined the Wizards as a player in 2019 and left in 2021, then returned for 28 games at the end of the 2021-22 campaign after being acquired in a trade for Vernon Carey Jr.

Throughout his career, Smith played for the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets, where he won his lone NBA championship in 2023.

Throughout his career, Smith averaged 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

While Smith may not have been able to stay in one NBA home for very long, he was always someone that was desirable by a team. That is what led him to have a long career as a player, and that is what is helping fuel the next stage of his basketball life.

Smith hopes that his efforts as a scout can help the Wizards during their rebuild, breaking away from their 15-win campaign last season.

While Smith begins his scouting journey, the Wizards are getting ready for their preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

When staff and students returned to George Washington High School this fall, several surprises awaited them. Over the summer, CPS had installed air conditioning window units in both the student cafeteria and the counselor offices and a permeable brick walkway in one of the internal courtyards.

These upgrades will immediately lead to a better student experience at school this year. They are a direct result of the sustained action of CTU members, parents and community residents who have been raising their voices, highlighting the deficiencies and dangerous conditions and organizing to secure a new, sustainable green school building for the Southeast Side’s only neighborhood high school. 

I have worked at Washington High for the past 10 years and I also live in the neighborhood. While there are many things our school is proud of  — caring teachers and staff, strong student leadership, and championship athletic programs —  the physical condition of our building is unfortunately not one. Still, the improvements we saw this year are welcome and demonstrate our ability to win when we work in collaboration with our families and community. 

With over 1,520 students, even CPS acknowledges we are severely overcrowded, at 111% capacity. We lack sufficient classroom space, teacher planning rooms, and parking spots for our staff. The non-air conditioned auditorium is used for health and driver’s ed classes. And, in the winter months, educators and staff must open windows and run air conditioners because our aging heating system can’t properly regulate the temperature. 

Our four mobile classrooms, located behind our main building, are more than 25 years old with holes in the ceiling and floors. We don’t have a regulation turf field for soccer and football games and the pool is broken more days than it works. In 2022, we made news when part of our ceiling collapsed, injuring a staff member. 

Washington’s mighty CTU members, along with parents and community residents, have been advocating for a new building for years and this year Mayor Brandon Johnson and CEO Martinez visited the school. It was the first time any mayor had bothered with us. 

When the mayor and Martinez visited George Washington, they got a small taste of the unbearable conditions our students and staff endure on a regular basis. The auditorium, gyms, and hallways lack air conditioning, so when our VIP visitors got to the auditorium they found a PE teacher drenched in sweat and students missing desks. 

Washington High School sits in the middle of one of the city’s most toxic communities. Industrial pollutants from the long-shuttered steel mills still impact its air, soil, and water quality. The neighborhood posts higher asthma rates and cancer diagnoses than other areas of the city. And more than 1,600 diesel trucks drive on nearby streets during our school hours every weekday. 

This is why CPS must prioritize schools located in Black and Brown environmental justice communities like ours for facilities improvements to ensure our students have healthy safe environments both at school and at home.

Our experience at Washington has shown that CPS is most responsive when CTU members take collective action as a school community. During the last school year, we organized several actions aimed at pressuring CPS to collaborate with us on a plan for a new, green school building.

We organized a walk-in and press conference during the heatwave in the fall of 2023. CTU president Stacy Davis Gates and CPS Board President Jianan Shi joined us and toured the building. We had teachers speak at CPS Board meetings in July and August of 2023 and a parent speaker in April of 2024. We highlighted issues of overcrowding, facilities problems and lack of athletic spaces in our comments, and we urged board members to partner with us in securing funding for green renovations and new school buildings.

For Earth Day this past April, CTU members at Washington taught lessons about environmental justice, wearing green on Friday, and posting photos on social media before school. We connected the issue of toxic lead, asbestos, and mold in school buildings with systemic environmental racism in Chicago.

Donald Davis, center with glasses, and his colleagues before their Sept. 30 walk in for full funding.

Finally, Washington staff attended regional meetings to engage in CPS’s facilities master plan and capital budget. While this was a positive experience overall, we left feeling that CPS was asking us to limit our expectations for what’s possible.

Washington teachers have joined CTU’s Climate Justice Committee and helped write contract proposals urging CPS to create safe, healthy, and climate resilient school buildings. And, in June, many of us attended our first-ever public bargaining session with CPS focused on green and healthy schools.

When we use the term “green schools,” we refer to school buildings that are free from toxins like lead and asbestos, that reduce their carbon footprint and are resilient to future climate challenges. However, just as important, “green schools” also must offer climate justice curriculum and job training to equip our students with skills to enter the green economy after graduation.

That may sound like a tall order, but our union has shown time and again that when we fight and work in collaboration with our school communities, we can win. CTU members at Washington understand this is a long-term fight and will not back down until our students have the healthy, safe, green school they deserve.