Cascadia today: Cascadia vote-by-mail threatened + OR is getting older + Fantagraphics celebrates 50 years
Good morning, friends! Just a reminder that you can find all of Cascadia Journal's features on our home page under the tab Cascadia features. You'll find pieces about a Portland city council candidate who supports the idea of Cascadia, returning Indigenous names to Cascadia's volcanoes, and how cruise ships are a disaster for Cascadia.
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Fate of vote-by-mail in Cascadia still uncertain
Whether the Trump regime will move forward with demands for full voter rolls from states that conduct their elections by mail – including Oregon, Washington, and California is still unclear months before the mid-term elections. Oregon Capital Chronicle notes that the Department of Homeland Security, facing lawsuits from Oregon and other states, is quietly walking back some demands in Trump's executive order, which voting rights groups say is unconstitutional. The threat is especially real in Cascadia: according to Sightline Institute, 4 of 5 voters in states that are part greater Cascadia region (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington) vote entirely by mail.
If the feds continue to interfere with the democratic process in our region, it's time for Cascadia to seriously consider independence:
Andrew Engelson
Questions about deaths in custody at Seattle-area jail
The Urbanist looks at ongoing deaths in custody at the SCORE jail in King County south of Seattle. With 12 deaths in custody since 2023, the jail – which is owned by six cities – has a long record of medical neglect and poor conditions (which I reported on two years ago for PubliCola). The latest death involved a drug overdose in which jail medical staff took four hours to respond to.
Oregon's aging population sets back economy
The Oregon Journalism Project looks at the aging population of Oregon – which now has the 11th highest median age in the US at 40.4 years. Higher age rates generally mean a more stagnant economy as more residents are drawing on retirement rather thank contributing to the workforce. Oregon's unemployment rate is at 5.2%, well above the US rate of 4.4%.
Governor Tina Kotek has convened a prosperity council to look at economic development in Oregon. Seems like a massive push to convert to renewable energy is in order. And why not court China's electric vehicle powerhouse BYD to become the site of their first manufacturing plant in North America?
Parasite threatens Upper Klamath chinook
Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that fisheries biologists are concerned about a parasite, Ceratonova shasta, that is killing young chinook salmon in increasing numbers in the Upper Klamath river watershed on the Oregon - California border. Despite removing dams on the river, drought and higher temperatures thanks to climate change are leading to a surge in the parasite.
“What’s significant is this is the first time we’ve had mortalities of Chinook juveniles in Oregon since dam removals,” --Oregon State University fish parasitologist Sascha Hallett
50 years of Fantagraphics
KUOW talks with the people behind the Seattle-based comics and graphic novel publisher Fantagraphics, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The punk-ethos publisher, based in the scrappy Georgetown neighborhood, has advanced the careers of cutting edge comic creators including Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, and the Hernandez brothers (of "Love and Rockets" fame). Shop them online, or visit their retail shop in Georgetown.
Have a great weekend! Keep loving, and keep fighting. --Andy
