was it a good or bad idea?
TRANSCRIPT
Vol. 11 No. 26 8220 W. Gage Blvd., #715, Kennewick, WA 99336 www.TuDecidesMedia.com June 30th, 2017
IMMIGRATION: Trump wants a solar wall at the border > 18
STATE: More Hanford nuclear mishaps likely > 15
SPORTS: Sounders draw 2-2 with Portland > 13
Study of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage says it costs jobs > 19Was it a good or bad idea?
19 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper June 30th, 2017
Wisdom for your decisions
STATE
SEATTLE, Washington (AP)
Seattle’s $15-an-hour minimum wage law has cost the city jobs, according to a study released
Monday that contradicted another new study published last week.
A University of Washington team studying the law’s effects found that the law has boosted pay in low-wage jobs since it took effect in 2015, but that it also caused a 9 percent reduc-tion in hours worked, The Seattle Times reported. For an average low-wage Seattle worker, that’s a loss of about $125 per month, the study said.
“If you’re a low-skilled worker with one of those jobs, $125 a month is a sizable amount of money,” said Mark Long, one of the authors. “It can be the difference between being able to pay your rent and not being able to pay your rent.”
There would be about 5,000 more low-wage jobs in the city without the law, the study estimated.
Seattle was one of the first U.S. cities
to adopt a $15 minimum wage law, and its experience is being closely watched as other cities have followed suit and as advocates push for a higher federal
minimum wage.The city’s law is raising the minimum to
$15 for all businesses by 2021.In the years covered by the study, 2015
and 2016, the minimum wage was at most $13, depending on business size, worker benefits and tips. The current minimum wage in Seattle ranges from $11 to $15, and unemployment is at a historically low 2.6 percent, thanks in part to the booming tech sector. Seattle has added about 40,000 jobs overall in the last few years.
Last week, a review by University of California at Berkeley economists found the law raised pay without hurting jobs in the restaurant industry. An author of that report, Michael Reich, criticized the Uni-versity of Washington team’s methodol-ogy.
The University of Washington effort compared economic data from Seattle with economic data from other parts of Washington state — a statistical model referred to as “synthetic Seattle” — for which economic trend lines were previ-ously similar to Seattle.
But Reich took issue with how Uni-versity of Washington team compiled its “synthetic Seattle.” It was based on areas that “do not at all resemble Seattle,” Reich warned in a letter to the city Monday .
By contrast, the Berkeley study com-pared Seattle to a statistical model based on areas around the country — not just within the state — and was thus a “more representative” comparison, he said.
Study of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage says it costs jobs
In this June 2, 2014, file photo, a sign that reads “15 Good Work Seattle” is displayed below Seattle City Hall, right, and the Columbia Center building, left, after the Seattle City Council passed a $15 minimum wage
measure.
tú Decides Newspaper8220 W. Gage Blvd., #715
Kennewick, WA 99336Phone: 509-591-0495
Fax: 800-790-4145
SubscriptionsSubscriptions are available for $26 for 6 months
Web Site: www. TuDecidesMedia.com
tú Decides is published weekly by tú Decides Media Inc. on every Friday. News deadline is every Monday at 12 p.m. Ad reservation deadline is Monday at 10 a.m., ad material deadline is every Monday at noon.
Albert Torres, CEO & President [email protected]
Ismael G. Campos, [email protected]
Gracie Campos, [email protected]
Fernando AcevesSales Representatives
Dr. Claudia RomayTranslations
Briseida RiosStaff Writers
Félix Connection, Isaiah Torres, Ezequiel TorresDistribution
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of
tú Decides Media, Inc.
Table of Contents19
18
STATE: Study of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage says it costs jobs
IMMIGRATION: Trump wants a solar wall at the US-Mexico border
FINANCIAL LITERACY: How to buy your first home
STATE: Official says more Hanford nuclear mishaps likely
NATIONAL: Prosecutors use Joe Arpaio’s immigration talk against him
OUR PRIDE: Sharing her dream and inspiration with others
SPORTS: Sounders draw 2-2 with Portland
17
13
15
14
13
Wisdom for your decisions
June 30th, 2017 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper 18
Wisdom for your decisions
The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported with funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. NWFHA is solely
responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such representations do not necessarily reflect
the views of the Federal Government.
If so, we may be able to help you file a complaint under the Fair Housing Act with the
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
Call us at 509-325-2665 or visit our website at www.nwfairhouse.org
HAVE YOU BEEN DENIED OR DISCOURAGED FROM
GETTING A HOME LOAN BECAUSE OF YOUR: Race, National Origin, Color, Gender Identity, Religion, Sex, Disability, or Familial Status?
FAIR LENDING HELPS THE DREAM OF
HOMEOWNERSHIP COME TRUE FOR ALL
IMMIGRATION
WASHINGTON (AP)
President Donald Trump wants to add solar panels to his long-promised southern border wall
— a plan he says would help pay for the wall’s construction and add to its aesthetic appeal.
“We’re thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself,” Trump said at a rally Wednes-day night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And that’s good, right?”
Trump had previously floated the solar panel idea during a closed-door meeting with Republican members of Congress earlier this month, but this was the first time he’d discussed the idea publicly.
“Pretty good imagination, right?” Trump said at the rally, framing the plan as “my idea.”
Not quite.The notion of adding solar panels to the
border wall was explored in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March. Vasilis Fthenakis, director of the Center for Life Cycle Anal-
ysis at Columbia University, and Ken Zweibel, former director of the Solar Insti-tute at George Washing-ton University, concluded it was “not only technically and economically feasible, it might even be more prac-tical than a traditional wall.”
They said a 2,000-mile solar wall could cost less than $1 billion, instead of tens of billions for a tradi-tional border wall, and pos-sibly become “wildly prof-itable.” The writers were studying a concept laid out by Homero Aridjis and James Ramey in the online World Post in December.
The idea also was proposed by one of the companies that submitted a design to the government as a border wall proto-type.
The bid by Las Vegas-based Gleason Partners LLC proposed covering some sections of the wall with solar panels to provide electricity for lighting, sensors
and patrol stations along the wall. Gleason said sales of electricity to utilities could cover the cost of construction in 20 years or less, and suggested that power could also be sold to Mexico.
Managing partner Thomas Gleason said he wasn’t sure whether his company was still in the running for the contract, but added, “We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, and that’s to make the president realize there was such a pos-
sibility.”Department of Homeland
Security spokesman David Lapan said nobody from the department had shared the submitted proposals with the White House, though several have been made public by the bidding com-panies.
But Trump’s comments could raise questions about whether he was attempt-ing to interfere with what is intended to be a regimented contracting process. The government has selected the
finalists for contracts to build wall pro-totypes in San Diego and is expected to announce the winners soon.
During his campaign, the president vowed to build an impenetrable wall along the length of the U.S.-Mexican border out of concrete and steel.
But since his inauguration, he has faced resistance, with Congress unwilling to finance the plan.
Trump wants a solar wall at the US-Mexico border
President Donald Trump speaks during campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 21, 2017.
17 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper June 30th, 2017
Wisdom for your decisions
Financial LiteracyThis Page is Sponsored by Washington Federal
How to buy your first home
Maybe your family is growing, or you are moving into an area where buying a home
makes more sense than renting. Regardless of your reasons, buying a home is a decision that requires a lot of thought and research. If it’s your first time buying, then the process can be even more confusing. Here are a few things you can expect.
Determine your household budget.
Before you start looking at homes, be sure you can afford to buy. Start by reviewing your monthly income, how much money you make, and expenses, how much money you spend. Then, add in any new costs associated with owning a home – like property taxes or homeowners insurance. Remember, some expenses are the same whether you rent or purchase a home, such as utilities, phone, cable, etc.
If you are not sure what other costs, besides your monthly mortgage payment, you would need to pay if you owned a home, your local Washington Federal or other experienced home loan lender can help.
Compare renting versus buying a home.
In general, people that rent a home usually have less home-related items to pay for and less unexpected costs that they need to cover. If you are thinking about buying a house, then you’ll want to include items in your budget that you may not be used to paying for.
Meet with mortgage professionals.
After you have worked through your budget and decided that buying a home is right for you, it is time to shop for a home loan, or mortgage. We recommend attending a first-time homebuyer seminar and asking your friends and family that have recently bought homes about their experiences.
Apply for credit.
After you have met with mortgage professionals and obtained different quotes for financing, it is time to start the loan application process.
Receive a credit approval document, if applicable.
A credit approval letter or document provides basic information to help you move onto the next step of buying a home. This document will include the maximum loan amount that you might qualify for based on your financial situation, the term of the loan, and/or the mortgage type and the expiration date of the credit approval (usually 60 days.) Every lender’s process is different, so some will have different requirements than others.
Select a realtor or broker.
How do you decide which realtor to work with? Interview at least three realtors using the following sample criteria:
1. The neighborhood(s) you want to live in – think about schools, shopping or your work commute.
2. Realtor’s knowledge with first-time homebuyers in your price range.
3. Realtor’s experience with your type of transaction – years of experience and honors/awards.
Negotiate a purchase and sale agreement for your new home.
An experienced realtor should be
able to help you with this important step. In general, you will want to consider the home’s listed price, the closing date and earnest money deposited when making an offer.
Inspect your home.
Why the need for an inspection? As a buyer, you want to be sure you are getting what you paid for, and sellers want to be sure they are in the clear if problems arise after the home was sold. Unless you agree to different terms, in general, the buyer pays for the home inspection of the exterior and interior of the house.
Complete the final steps from your mortgage lender.
This typically includes a deposit to cover the cost association with the processing of the loan application,
the appraisal of the property, title insurance and flood certificate. Depending on the lender’s process, you will also usually lock in your interest rate and firm up any underwriting steps and a transfer of funds through escrow.
We are here to help.
At Washington Federal, we have been specializing in home ownership for the past 100 years. Our neighborhood loan officers are available to meet with you to discuss whether owning a home is right for your situation. Unlike other lenders, we are not paid on commission, so you can be confident that your needs will come first.
Visit WashingtonFederal.com or call 800-324-9375 to find out more.
NMLSR # 410394washingtonfederal.com
We don’t just offer home loans...We offer confidence, reliability, and the peace of mind to buy or build the home of your dreams. We’ve helped our neighbors buy homes since 1917. Plus, as a Portfolio Lender, your loan is never sold to another bank, so you’ll always work with us.
Whether you’re buying or building, let us earn your business. Visit your local branch or give us a call at 1-800-324-9375.
15 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper June 30th, 2017
Wisdom for your decisions
*Here’s the legal stuff. Not good on cash out or the refinance of Numerica loans. Subject to credit approval. Call us at 800.433.1837 or stop by your favorite branch for details. If you choose to defer payment for 90 days, interest will continue to accrue during this time period. Valid May 1, 2017 - June 30, 2017. BRV17
Call or stop by your favorite Numerica branch today!numericacu.com • 800.433.1837
Boats & RVsNo payments for 90 days!*
STATE
RICHLAND, Washington (AP)
Future accidental radiation releases at the largest U.S. site of waste from nuclear weapons pro-
duction are likely following back-to-back emergency evacuations of workers in May and June because aging infrastructure is breaking down, the top Energy Depart-ment official at the site told The Associ-ated Press.
Adding to the likelihood of more nuclear mishaps at the sprawling Hanford Nuclear Reservation is inadequate gov-ernment funding to quickly clean up the millions of gallons of toxic nuclear waste at the site, said Doug Shoop, who runs the department’s operations office at Hanford.
Hanford has an annual budget of $2.3 billion for cleanup but Shoop said it will cost at least $100 billion to clean up the highly toxic radioactive and chemical wastes on the 580-square mile (1,502 square kilometer) site which produced up to 70 percent of the plutonium for the U.S. nuclear arsenal since it was established in World War II.
“The infrastruc-ture is not going to last long enough for the cleanup,” Shoop said in an inter-view this week. “It will be another 50 years before it is all demolished.”
Shoop made the comments after hundreds of Hanford workers were evacuated May 9 when the roof of a 1950s rail tunnel storing a lethal mix of waste from plu-tonium production collapsed. Tests show no radiation was released.
Then, on June 8, demolition work at a 1940s plutonium plant sent 350 workers seeking cover inside. Radiation was emitted but not deemed at a level harmful to people.
More money would lead to a faster
cleanup, Shoop said. But President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for next year includes a $120 million cut for Hanford.
The official deadline for cleaning up Hanford is 2060, but Shoop said so much infrastructure at the site is deteriorating that “some facilities are not going to with-stand that time.”
The site’s cleanup began in 1989 and
critics have accused reg-ulators of allowing the U.S. government to delay cleanup deadlines by decades, putting lives and the environment at risk.
“Every year that we don’t have an earthquake ... has been just luck,” said Gerry Pollet, a Washington state legislator who represents a liberal Seattle district, about 200 miles (320 kilo-meters) from Hanford.
Shoop said about half of the site is free of pollu-tion. And parts of Hanford make up the new Man-hattan Project National
Historical Park, where visitors can learn about the development of the atomic bomb.
But Hanford’s most dangerous contam-inated waste has not been cleaned up, and the two recent evacuation incidents illus-trated problems that could become more frequent in the future.
Official says more Hanford nuclear mishaps likely
In this photo taken July 11, 2016, a sign warns of radioactive material stored underground on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Washington.
Wisdom for your decisions
June 30th, 2017 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper 14
Wisdom for your decisions
BOOK YOUR EVENT
Only 7 Saturdays Available in 2017
It All Depends on Your Perspective
Goals change, markets fluctuate. Investment results vary over time.
Most financial experts agree that you’re better off taking a long-term
perspective when evaluating your investments and how much they
match your life’s goals. A financial advisor can provide the assistance
you need to set strategies and take action toward your specific needs
and aspirations. Call your Waddell & Reed financial advisor today and
ask about creating your personal financial plan.
Investing. With a plan.
Waddell & Reed, Inc. 11866 (01/11) Member SIPC
ISMAEL (Mel) G. CAMPOSFinancial Advisor8905 W Gage BlvdSuite 300Kennewick, WA 99336O: (509)[email protected]
NATIONAL
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP)
Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s criminal trial opened Monday over his defi-ance of the courts in traffic patrols
that targeted immigrants, marking the most aggressive effort to hold the former lawman of metro Phoenix accountable for tactics that critics say racially profiled Latinos.
In opening arguments, prosecutors dis-played comments Arpaio made in news releases and during TV interviews in which he bragged about immigration enforce-ment, aiming to prove that he should be found guilty of misdemeanor contempt of court.
“He thought he could get away with it,” prosecutor Victor Salgado said, adding that at least 170 were illegally detained because Arpaio didn’t stop. “He never thought this day would come.”
Arpaio’s defense lawyer vigorously dis-puted that a person with nearly 60 years in law enforcement would violate a court order, putting the blame on a former attor-ney who gave bad legal advice.
Critics hope the eight-day trial in federal
court in Phoenix will bring a long-awaited comeuppance for the defiant 85-year-old who led crackdowns that divided immi-grant families and escaped accountability.
His tactics drew fierce opponents as well as enthusiastic supporters nation-wide who championed what they consid-ered a tough-on-crime approach, including forcing inmates to wear pink underwear and housing them in tents outside in the desert heat.
Arpaio spent nine of his 24 years in office doing the sort of local immigration enforcement that President Donald Trump has advocated. To build his highly touted deportation force, Trump is reviving a long-standing program that deputizes local offi-cers to enforce federal immigration law.
Arpaio’s lawyers say the former sheriff is charged with a crime for cooperating with U.S. immigration officials, which the Trump administration now encourages.
His legal troubles played a major role in voters turning him out of office in November after a campaign in which he appeared alongside Trump at several rallies in Arizona.
Now, Trump is in office and Arpaio is on trial.
If convicted, Arpaio could face up to six months in jail, though lawyers who have followed his case doubt that a man of his age would be put behind bars.
The former six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix has acknowledged defying a judge’s 2011 order in a racial profiling lawsuit by prolong-ing the patrols for months. But he
insists it was not intentional. To win a con-viction, prosecutors must prove he violated the order on purpose.
Unlike other local police leaders who left immigration enforcement to U.S. authori-ties, Arpaio made hundreds of arrests in traffic patrols that sought out immigrants and business raids in which his officers tar-geted immigrants who used fraudulent IDs to get jobs.
Prosecutors use Joe Arpaio’s immigration talk against him
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, center, leaves U.S. District Court on the first day of contempt-of-court trial with attorney Mark Goldman, left, Monday, June 26, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona.
13 You Decide – A Bilingual Newspaper June 30th, 2017
Wisdom for your decisions
PASCO, Washington
Lupita Farias has celebrated over 10 years in the beauty industry as a salon owner. She brings
her dream and inspiration to the school. Without her vision, dedication, talent and relentless quest for excellence to her profession, Lupita’s Beauty and Barber School would not be a reality.
However, personal success was not enough for Lupita. She decided that she wanted to share the keys to her success with other people who dreamed as she had of a career in the industry. Her dream took root when she was just a young lady working in the farm fields. Having to drive out of town to obtain her instructor’s license inspired her to open a local bilingual school.
That’s why in June of 2017 she opened the Tri-Cities’ first bilingual and Kenra Professional Affiliated Beauty And Barber School. She is dedicated to pre-paring, educating and training individu-als for a career in cosmetology and bar-bering arts and sciences. She utilizes a
high level of instruction and the latest technology.
Lupita also provides an enjoy-able and exciting atmosphere. The students “learn by doing” in a fully operational student salon, where she hopes to touch countless lives of graduates and clients, share her expertise, life lessons, and most importantly, her philosophy that “the differ-ence between a career and a true profession is emphasis on per-sonal service, sincerity, positive attitude, integrity and honesty.”
Newly Remodeled
1 and 2 Bedroom Apartment
Homes• All household members must be 62 or older to qualify• All utilities included• Subsidized apartments are available• Income restrictions apply
Conveniently located near the Senior Center and shopping
in downtown Kennewick
Call Today to Tour Our Community
509-586-4927Desert Villas
635 S. Auburn St.Kennewick, WA
To advertise, call Albert Torres
at (509) 308-4990 or (509) 591-0495 or
tú Decides.You decide.
Lupita Farias poses in front of her business, Lupita’s Beauty and Barber School, in
Pasco, Washington.
Sharing her dream and inspiration with othersOUR PRIDE
SPORTS
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP)
Clint Dempsey scored in added time to help the Seattle Sounders salvage a 2-2 draw
on Sunday against the Portland Timbers, during a Cascadia Cup rivalry match.
Fanendo Ali scored his 50th goal of his career in Portland and Dairon Asprilla scored another goal at the end of the first half to put the Timbers up 2-1, until Dempsey leveled things up in the final minute of play.
The Sounders, who scored first during the game in the 27th minute when Joevin Jones put the ball in the back of the net, played with 10 men after Brad Evans was shown a straight red card in the final minutes of the first half. Seattle has gone three games without a win.
The intense heat had delayed the game until late in the afternoon, but the tem-peratures still remained at around 90 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff. During the first half, a quick water break was allowed.
Both teams along with the Vancouver
Whitecaps play for the Cascadia Cup, a 3-team tournament decided each season on points. The rivalry goes back to 1975, when all three teams were part of the now
defunct North American Soccer League, but fans of the teams didn’t call it the Cas-cadia Cup until 2004. Vancouver is the current holder of the title.
Sounders draw 2-2 with Portland
Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres (left) and Portland Timbers player Fanendo Ali fight for the ball during an MLS match on Sunday in Portland, Oregon.