EDITORIAL: Cheers & Jeers: The Blazers; ignoring the law
Cheers: To the Portland Trail Blazers. The stay might be short, but the Blazers have arrived in the postseason for the first time since 2021. With two regular-season games remaining entering the weekend, the Northwest's only NBA team had clinched a spot in the league's play-in tournament, where it will have one or two games to earn a spot in the eight-team Western Conference playoffs.
It is premature to plan a championship parade, but simply making the postseason is worthy of cheers for the franchise. One game into the season, the Blazers faced turmoil when their coach was arrested by federal agents on gambling-related charges; now, replacement Tiago Splitter has led the team to its best record in five years. Considering the franchise's recent history, a spot in the play-in tournament is a sign of progress.
Jeers: To ignoring the law. Washington health inspectors say they are being denied access to an immigrant detention center in Tacoma, despite a court ruling last summer. The center is operated by a private organization, the GEO Group. In August, a federal appeals court ruled that the center must comply with state law regarding health and safety requirements at the 1,575-bed facility.
"GEO Group is obstructing our efforts to inspect the Northwest ICE Processing Center," Gov. Bob Ferguson said. "The law is clear. We are going to do what it takes to get our health inspectors into that facility."
The situation adds to concerns about the tactics behind federal immigration enforcement. If that enforcement is legal and righteous, it should not be cloaked in subterfuge.
Sad: The death of Jim Whittaker. The Washington native, who was the first American to summit Mount Everest, has died at his Port Townsend home at the age of 97. Whittaker began climbing as a youth in the Olympic Mountains, and his conquering of Mount Everest in 1963 made him a bit of a celebrity.
Whittaker also spent years promoting his sport and helping others reach new heights. "You're in nature, participating in God's creation. ... It's such a high, such a spiritual thing," he once said. "I think it's good to participate in that and to face life. When you live on the edge, you can see a little farther."
Jeers: To proposed cuts at Hanford. The Trump administration has proposed a budget that would cut funding for cleanup at the Hanford nuclear site by approximately $400 million. That is a relatively minor reduction for a budget that stands at $3.3 billion this year, but it is disappointing.
"Trump's proposed budget is a slap in the face to the Tri-Cities, threatening the Hanford cleanup mission and the community with this absurd budget request," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. For decades, the federal government under presidents of both parties has been lax in its duty to clean up the nation's most contaminated site. The people of Washington deserve better.
Cheers: To Vancouver's arts community. Metropolitan Performing Arts - a nonprofit, kid-oriented theater and school - is preparing for a move to a space on Main Street. The transfer from its site along Mill Plain Boulevard would bring it into close proximity with Magenta Theater and Kiggins Theatre.
A vibrant arts community is essential for a vibrant city. The relocation of the school would further enhance what has been designated as Vancouver's Arts District, drawing participants and patrons to downtown. "It makes a triangle for the performing and live arts," one organizer said.
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