Earplug ordinance, senior housing rent caps, Rainier school closure, and other recent stories for Cascade PBS
June 20, 2025

Live music at Fremont's Add-A-Ball for a story about a proposal that live venues should provide free or cheap earplugs

The crowd dances as Fluung performs at their self-titled third album release concert at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. Add-A-Ball sells pairs of earplugs for 50 cents at the bar. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
A sign behind the bar menu indicates that earplugs are available for 50 cents a pair during a concert at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Schuyler Jensen (right), guitarist with the band Waltzerr, says he always wears earplugs while performing, seen here during a recent performance at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. Add-A-Ball sells pairs of earplugs for 50 cents at the bar. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Mike Sampson (right) and Dylan Ramsey wear earplugs during Fluung’s album release concert at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. “I never leave home without them,” Sampson says of his six-year-old pair of Decibullz custom molded earplugs. Some concertgoers like Sampson use higher-end, and more expensive, earplugs which are supposed to protect one’s hearing while maintaining music sound quality. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. Add-A-Ball sells pairs of earplugs for 50 cents at the bar. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Concertgoers hold out the various types of earplugs that they brought to Fluung’s album release concert at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. Add-A-Ball sells pairs of earplugs for 50 cents at the bar. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Kara Kelly, singer and guitarist for Seattle band Letterbomb, leaves the venue after Fluung’s album release concert at Add-A-Ball in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington, USA, on Sat., April 12, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss has proposed a law requiring venues with loud music to provide earplugs to concertgoers for under $1. Add-A-Ball sells pairs of earplugs for 50 cents at the bar. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)

Advocates on boths sides of the possible closure of the Rainier School

Mike Raymond, 78, lived at the Rainier School, for most of the first twenty years of his life. At age 20, his sister asked him if he wanted to stay or leave the school, and he made the decision to live independently with his wife, also a former Rainier resident with intellectual developmental delays. Raymond has been a long-time advocate for closing state-run institutional housing for those with intellectual developmental delays, and he helped found People First of Washington in the 1970s, an organization that advocates that no person should be segregated from their community in institutional housing. Raymond now lives with his niece, Kasey Bowen, his licensed care provider, in her home in Belfair, Washington, USA, on Mon., April 14, 2025. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Willis McNabb, of Carbonado, has worked for almost 34 years at Rainier School, a residential habilitation center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, in Buckley, Washington, seen on Thu., April 10, 2025. McNabb, who has served in various leadership roles in the Washington Federation of State Employees union, has helped organize efforts to keep the Rainier School open. Bills before the state legislature would close some of these institutions in the state and replace care for those in need with other types of community-based housing and support. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Ken (left) and Tamra Jennings, of Bonney Lake, joined a rally with Rainier School employees and community advocates in Buckley, Washington, on Thu., April 10, 2025, to advocate for the Rainier School to stay open. The Jennings' son has lived at the school for 16 years. "There's no place for him in the community," Ken Jennings said, "The [group homes] that are out there, I wouldn't put my dog in them, let alone my family." Bills before the state legislature would close some of these institutions in the state and replace care for those in need with other types of community-based housing and support.
A button reads "Shut them down / We count too" on the hat of Mike Raymond, 78, who lived at the Rainier School, for most of the first twenty years of his life. At age 20, his sister asked him if he wanted to stay or leave the school, and he made the decision to live independently with his wife, also a former Rainier resident with intellectual developmental delays. Raymond has been a long-time advocate for closing state-run institutional housing for those with intellectual developmental delays, and he helped found People First of Washington in the 1970s, an organization that advocates that no person should be segregated from their community in institutional housing. Raymond now lives with his niece, Kasey Bowen, his licensed care provider, in her home in Belfair, Washington, USA, on Mon., April 14, 2025. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Mike Raymond, 78, and his niece and licensed care provider Kasey Bowen, walk on the pier at Twanoh Falls Beach Club near their home in Belfair, Washington, USA, on Mon., April 14, 2025. Raymond spends a lot of time with family and community members at the beach, an opportunity he says he wouldn't have if he still lived in a state-run institutional facility for people with intellectual developmental delays. Raymond lived at the Rainier School, for most of the first twenty years of his life. At age 20, his sister asked him if he wanted to stay or leave the school, and he made the decision to live independently with his wife, also a former Rainier resident with intellectual developmental delays. Raymond has been a long-time advocate for closing state-run institutional housing for those with intellectual developmental delays, and he helped found People First of Washington in the 1970s, an organization that advocates that no person should be segregated from their community in institutional housing. Raymond now lives with his niece, Kasey Bowen, his licensed care provider, in her home in Belfair, Washington, USA. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)

AIDNW provides support for recently-released immigrants outside Tacoma's ICE facility

Aidan Perkinson is the Operations Manager of Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW), which operates a Welcome Center for newly released immigrants outside the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Fri., March 21, 2025. AIDNW serves as a first point of contact for immigrants released from the ICE detention facility. Volunteers with the organization and partners operate the Welcome Center outside the facility and provide assistance including food, clothing, and help with making travel arrangements. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center is one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the United States.
Sack lunches provided by local churches stand on a table at the Welcome Center put up by Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) outside the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Fri., March 21, 2025. AIDNW serves as a first point of contact for immigrants released from the ICE detention facility. Volunteers with the organization and partners operate the Welcome Center outside the facility and provide assistance including food, clothing, and help with making travel arrangements. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center is one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the United States.
An intake form for recording travel arrangements rests on a table in the Welcome Center put up by Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) outside the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Fri., March 21, 2025. AIDNW serves as a first point of contact for immigrants released from the ICE detention facility. Volunteers with the organization and partners operate the Welcome Center outside the facility and provide assistance including food, clothing, and help with making travel arrangements. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center is one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the United States.
The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center (also known as the Northwest ICE Processing Center or NWIPC) is a privately-run detention facility run by GEO Group in partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Mon., Jan. 27, 2025. The Washington State Legislature passed a law in 2021 banning private detention centers which aimed to close the Northwest Detention Center in 2025 when the GEO Group's current contract expires, but subsequent legal rulings seem to indicate the Detention Center will not close. The facility has 1575 beds in the prison, one of the largest such ICE facilities in the country.
Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) operates a Welcome Center outside the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Fri., March 21, 2025. AIDNW serves as a first point of contact for immigrants released from the ICE detention facility. Volunteers with the organization and partners operate the Welcome Center outside the facility and provide assistance including food, clothing, and help with making travel arrangements. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center is one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the United States.
A transportation bus arrives to the secure area of the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center (also known as the Northwest ICE Processing Center or NWIPC) is a privately-run detention facility run by GEO Group in partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Mon., Jan. 27, 2025. The Washington State Legislature passed a law in 2021 banning private detention centers which aimed to close the Northwest Detention Center in 2025 when the GEO Group's current contract expires, but subsequent legal rulings seem to indicate the Detention Center will not close. The facility has 1575 beds in the prison, one of the largest such ICE facilities in the country.
Shoes and other clothing made available to newly released immigrants fill a room in the RV operated by Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) outside the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, USA, on Fri., March 21, 2025. AIDNW serves as a first point of contact for immigrants released from the ICE detention facility. Volunteers with the organization and partners operate the Welcome Center outside the facility and provide assistance including food, clothing, and help with making travel arrangements. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center is one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the United States.

Contractor conmen now in jail after stealing more than $400,000 from one (anonymous) homeowner

A No Soliciting sign says that the last solicitors at this Shoreline house ended up in federal prison, in Shoreline, Washington, USA, on Sat., March 15, 2025. David, 80, (last name withheld and photographed anonymously) paid $435,000 to two conmen posing as contractors starting in 2023. They knocked on his door and said they'd seen some holes in his roof that needed repair. Despite the roof being only about 2 years old, David agreed to let the men work and over the course of a few months kept giving them money. David's daughter Rebecca learned about the situation and eventually they were able to provide enough information to lead to the men's arrest and eventual convictions in 2024 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The brothers are now serving 18-month prison sentences for this case and crimes involving other homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. David has received over $200,000 back. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
A view of the roof of David, 80, (last names withheld) who paid $435,000 to two conmen posing as contractors for unnecessary or poorly-done work on his home in Shoreline, Washington, USA, on Sat., March 15, 2025. The men claimed David's roof needed work and also started work on an exterior paint job, wall patching, a concrete porch, and unneeded foundation work. David's daughter Rebecca learned about the situation and eventually they were able to provide enough information to lead to the men's arrest and eventual convictions in 2024 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The brothers are now serving 18-month prison sentences for this case and crimes involving other homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. David has received over $200,000 back. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Partially patched woodpecker holes cover the exterior of the home of David, 80, (last name withheld and photographed anonymously) in Shoreline, Washington, USA, on Sat., March 15, 2025. David paid $435,000 to two conmen posing as contractors starting in 2023. They knocked on his door and said they'd seen some holes in his roof that needed repair. Despite the roof being only about 2 years old, David agreed to let the men work and over the course of a few months kept giving them money for various repairs including these woodpeckers holes and the start of an exterior paint job, unneeded foundation work, and a poorly-poured concrete porch replacement. David's daughter Rebecca learned about the situation and eventually they were able to provide enough information to lead to the men's arrest and eventual convictions in 2024 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The brothers are now serving 18-month prison sentences for this case and crimes involving other homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. David has received over $200,000 back. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
Partially patched woodpecker holes cover the exterior of the home of David, 80, (last name withheld and photographed anonymously) in Shoreline, Washington, USA, on Sat., March 15, 2025. David paid $435,000 to two conmen posing as contractors starting in 2023. They knocked on his door and said they'd seen some holes in his roof that needed repair. Despite the roof being only about 2 years old, David agreed to let the men work and over the course of a few months kept giving them money for various repairs including these woodpeckers holes and the start of an exterior paint job, unneeded foundation work, and a poorly-poured concrete porch replacement. David's daughter Rebecca learned about the situation and eventually they were able to provide enough information to lead to the men's arrest and eventual convictions in 2024 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The brothers are now serving 18-month prison sentences for this case and crimes involving other homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. David has received over $200,000 back. (M. Scott Brauer / Cascade PBS)
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