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Donate with honor, not to a sham charity             

Donate with honor, not to a sham charity             

Would you donate to a charity called Help the Vets? The appeal says your donation will help wounded and disabled military veterans. What about in response to a robocall that asks you to donate your car to Veterans of America? Sounds like a charity, right? Unfortunately, donations to Help the Vets weren’t spent helping disabled and wounded veterans. Very little was spent helping veterans in any way. And, allegedly, Veterans of America wasn’t a charity at all – it was…

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Soldier and flag
How libraries serve veterans

How libraries serve veterans

On May 2, the Washington State Library sponsored a First Tuesday webinar titled “Thousands Eligible with Millions Unclaimed.” First Tuesday presentations are funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act.    Presenters from veteran service organizations WestCare Foundation, WAServes, and the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs described the array of social services and benefits available to veterans. Each of the speakers is an expert in coordinating services to veterans and their families….

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More Classics in Washington History

More Classics in Washington History

From the desk of Judy Pitchford Digital Collections has been busy adding more titles to our Classics in Washington History. Here’s what we have added this week: Under Native Americans – The Indian captive : a narrative of the adventures and sufferings of Matthew Brayton, in his thirty-four years of captivity among the Indians of north-western America by J.H.A. Bone Brayton’s narrative was recounted to J.H.A. Bone, editor of the Cleveland Daily Herald, who is presumed to have composed the…

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You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

For years, soldiers from Washington have been flying their state flag while deployed to faraway places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. But they were required to buy those flags due to a quirk in state law that prohibited donations of state property to private citizens. With the help of 5th District state Rep. Jay Rodne, an Iraq War veteran, the Legislature in 2009 provided a way for the Office of Secretary of State to provide Washington State flags to military…

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Military-overseas voting bill moving forward

Military-overseas voting bill moving forward

One of Secretary Reed’s requested bills for this session cleared a key hurdle when the Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee passed it Monday. House Bill 2483 would let military and overseas voters return a ballot by fax or email as long as the voter’s signed declaration is returned with the ballot. It would help ensure that our military and overseas voters can send in their ballot in time to be counted. The bill is headed to the Senate Rules…

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House OKs easier military and overseas voting

House OKs easier military and overseas voting

The Washington House has unanimously approved legislation to make it easier for military and overseas voters to cast ballots electronically. The 96-0 vote on House Bill 2483 came Friday after sponsors in both parties characterized it as a fitting tribute to the thousands of soldiers who serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and other trouble spots around the globe. The bill also would make voting easier for relief workers, business people, Peace Corps members, missionaries and others who are away from home….

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August 18 primary is underway

August 18 primary is underway

Over 60,000 ballots were mailed out yesterday to military and overseas voters for the county-level August 18 primary election to make sure those voters receive their ballots on time. Counties could choose to fax a blank ballot, e-mail a blank ballot, sending a ballot by mail and send a ballot by priority mail or other delivery service. Military and overseas voters still have to print out the ballot and mail the hard copy back to the county in which they are registered….

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When our state flag becomes personal…

When our state flag becomes personal…

(Photo courtesy of House of Representatives)   When Governor Gregoire yesterday signed into law a bill (here is the bill report on it) creating the Washington state flag account, it was a meaningful and special moment for anyone with a relative or friend who is serving overseas in the military.   It was especially important for my co-worker Suzette Black, who is a receptionist in our Legislative Building office. Suzette also manages the Office of Secretary of State’s state flag…

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