Teacher Strike, Deflategate & More News

Hundreds of Seattle teachers marched in front of schools Wednesday on the eve of a strike vote in hopes of a better contract offer from the district, KOMO News reports. The teachers unified with picket signs in front of nine high schools in the Seattle area to draw attention to concerns in their current contract, such as how much students should be tested, how long they should get for recess and how to ensure minority students are not being disproportionately disciplined. There are also issues of pay, with teachers demanding a three-year, 18 percent pay increase. Teachers meet Thursday to decide if a strike is necessary, although a district spokesperson told KOMO they expect a deal to be in place before classes start September 9.  

New school bus alarms in North Thurston School District buses will be installed to ensure drivers do not accidentally leave children behind, says KING 5 News. The move comes in response to incidences in which children fell asleep and were left unattended in parked buses. The new system triggers an alarm whenever a driver shuts off the bus—to deactivate the alarm the driver must walk to the back of the bus where the alarm is located, ensuring that drivers double-check for any children left behind. It cost $8,000 to outfit nearly 130 school buses.

Good weather for Labor Day Weekend. Expect sunshine and comfortable temperatures throughout most of Washington this Labor Day weekend, The Seattle Times reports. The Puget Sound area is expected to have temperatures in the upper-60s to lower-70s, with eastern Washington in the upper-70s and lower-80s. The forecast is good news for the estimated 705,000 Washington residents expected to travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend.

Free Tom Brady. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won the appeal of his four-game suspension, issued to him by the NFL in response to his involvement in the Deflategate controversy, ESPN reports. A federal judge ruled Thursday that the NFL went too far in its punishment of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, criticizing commissioner Roger Goodell for dispensing “his own brand of industrial justice.” The decision enables Brady to play in the Sept. 10 season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.