Do we want prisoners to be rehabilitated and effectively re-enter society? Removing stigma helps.
Do we want prisoners to be rehabilitated and effectively re-enter society? Removing stigma helps. NSF.gov

Department of Corrections Attempting to Remove Stigma from Prisoners: "They were once prisoners, inmates or offenders," KOMO reports. "Now, the nearly 19,000 residents of Washington’s 12 state prisons will be referred to another way." Instead, according to a new memo, they'll be called "students" if they're attending classes behind bars, "patients" if they're receiving medical treatment, and "incarcerated persons" otherwise. "Studies show words do matter," KOMO adds, "and what you call someone can not only define who he is now, but who he’ll be in the future as well."

Republican Representative Dave Reichert Is Incensed By This Change: “I'm totally baffled," he told KIRO. He's the guy who wanted to ban welfare recipients from buying legal pot, even though that was already illegal.

Seattle Police Awarding Bodycam Contract to Taser: "Former SPD employee and public disclosure rabble-rouser Tim Clemans alerted Crosscut to the decision," Crosscut reports. "The competition was between Taser, COBAN (which operates SPD’s dash-cameras) and Seattle-based Vievu."

Low-Income Families Evicted in Renton: "The number of low-income families being forced out of their homes in Renton just keeps climbing," KING 5 reports. "Many of those being evicted are single moms, and all of them rely on government assistance to help pay their rent." To fight the trend, the Renton City Council is working on legislation that would ban discrimination based on source of income, as Seattle has done.

Homelessness in Puyallup: As in Seattle, there is not enough affordable housing or short-term shelter.

How White North End Homeowners Dominate the City's Housing Focus Groups: Erica C. Barnett reports for the South Seattle Emerald: "This is what fake equity looks like," wrote one attendee who resigned from the groups.

KUOW Found a Muslim-American Voting for Trump: His name is Hossein Khorram, originally from Tehran and now a Bellevue real estate developer. He passionately opposes President Obama's policies toward Iran. "We have to let go of appeasement and the time is now," he told the station.

Outside Money Pours into Race for Lands Commissioner: This is one of those obscure but important statewide offices—make sure to fill out your entire ballot. The SECB excitedly endorsed Democrat and environmentalist juggernaut Hilary Franz in this race. Her opponent is getting a late infusion of campaign cash from timber and mineral extraction companies, KUOW reports.

Unemployment Declining in Rural Washington? Labor economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman tells KNKX there are signs that rural residents are joining the workforce in greater numbers, even though unemployment numbers haven't changed much post-recession. Requests for unemployment insurance haven't gone up.

Suicide Kills as Many Young Adults as Traffic Accidents: "Social media exponentially amplifies humiliation, and an unformed, vulnerable child who is humiliated is at much higher risk of suicide than she would otherwise have been," the New York Times reports.