Cheers: To innovative inmate programs. Through a partnership between the Humane Society for Southwest Washington and Larch Correction Center in east Clark County, inmates are training dogs for adoption. The dogs live and work with their trainers, learning to sit, lie down, and walk obediently on a leash.
“I’m locked up, now she’s locked up,” one inmate said of his dog. “At the same time, it’s growing for both of us. … I’m in the position to where I can learn some responsibility.” The animals are learning the necessary skills to be a family pet in a loving home, while the inmates are developing a connection to the dogs and working toward a dog-training certificate. The program provides essential education and life skills for both parties, providing a win-win situation that can pay dividends for years to come.
Jeers: To influenza. Local health officials say flu season in Clark County started earlier than usual this year and that the number of sick people is climbing. At PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, an influx of flu patients recently had the hospital at capacity.
Hospital representatives say they are taking steps to ensure there is no interruption in patient care, and county officials recommend avoiding a trip to the emergency room if possible. Most flu symptoms can be treated at home with plenty of rest, good hydration, and medication to relieve pain. If patients experience confusion; pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen; blue lips or skin rash; or difficulty being awakened, breathing, or keeping down liquids, then they should seek immediate attention. Meanwhile, there still is time to get a flu shot, but a vaccination takes two weeks to become fully protective.
Cheers: To steelhead license plates. Washington has unveiled new steelhead-themed license plates, with revenue from sales going to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to support conservation of wild steelhead. The latest specialty plates range from $54 to $72, depending upon the vehicle, in addition to regular license fees.
Admittedly, we give this one tepid cheers. The design of the steelhead plate is colorful, but it is difficult to decipher the depiction of a steelhead. In addition, the new plate brings to 57 the number of specialty plates offered by the state, which seems a bit excessive. But if residents are willing to buy them and support steelhead preservation, well, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Jeers: To overzealous celebrations. According to reports from neighbors, a 52-year-old man in Spanaway celebrated New Year’s by firing about 175 rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun, a 9 mm handgun, and a .223-caliber AR-15-style rifle from the yard of his home. According to The (Tacoma) News Tribune, sheriff’s deputies responded and found the man passed out in a lawn chair with shell casings strewn around the yard. He was arrested on suspicion of 100 counts of discharging a firearm and booked into the county jail.
A reminder to Spanaway Man and anybody else who thinks that firing guns into the air is a good idea: What goes up must come down.
Cheers: To the Seattle Seahawks. After winning the NFC West Division title with a 10-5-1 record this year, the Seahawks kick off the NFL playoffs tonight against the Detroit Lions.
Seattle will have to win three games in order to reach the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, and most experts consider that to be a long shot. But the fact that both of last year’s Super Bowl participants failed to even reach the playoffs this season points out the exceptional success Seattle has enjoyed in reaching the postseason for the fifth straight year.
