curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
REAL ID refers to a federal law and not necessarily one specific piece of ID. It is based on a law passed by Congress in 2005.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was poised to begin requiring REAL ID-compliant identification for air travel starting October 2021. That date was delayed to May 2023 because of the pandemic, but now has been further delayed to May 7, 2025. At that time, anyone who travels by airplane or visits certain federal facilities must use a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card.
"This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a press statement.
For Washington State residents, REAL ID-compliant identification includes:
Please note that the enhanced driver license (EDL) is different from a standard license and is notably more expensive. Current standard licenses can also be upgraded for a lower fee.
In May 2021, three Tacoma police officers were charged in the death of Manuel Ellis. Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins were charged by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson with second-degree murder and Officer Timothy Rankine with first-degree manslaughter. Three other law enforcement officers who helped restrain Ellis on the night he died were not charged.
The trial, originally scheduled to begin in January 2023, has now been delayed to Sept. 18, 2023, pending a ruling from the Washington State Supreme Court.
According to reporting by The News Tribune, "The question before the state's high court is whether a compelled internal affairs statement from an officer who hasn't been charged should be disclosed to prosecutors. The new trial date of Sept. 18 pushes verdicts in the prosecutions of officers Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank and Timothy Rankine beyond the three-year anniversary of when they encountered Ellis, 33, on a Tacoma street corner and, according to a medical examiner ruling, fatally restrained him following a struggle."
Ellis' death was ruled a homicide by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. The next hearing for Burbank, Collins, and Rankine is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2023.
Earshot Jazz, a nonprofit that "cultivates a vibrant jazz community to ensure the legacy and progression of the art form by engaging audiences, celebrating artists, and supporting arts education," is now accepting commissions from artists around Puget Sound!
Three composers will be selected to commission a musical work; they will each receive $3,000. The commissioned work must be an original composition.
Submitted works will be selected by a community panel, and commissioned works will be premiered at the 2023 Earshot Jazz Festival in fall 2023.
Applications are due Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PST. To apply, email the following materials to Info@Earshot.org:
For more details about all necessary materials, visit the Earshot Jazz website.
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