Happy Juneteenth!

On Thursday, May 13, 2021 Washington State Governor Jay Inslee declared Juneteenth an official state holiday, making June 19 a paid day off for state workers starting in 2022.

Juneteenth —also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day— marks the day when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 and informed the last enslaved African Americans there that they were free and that the war had ended. This news was delivered more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued on January 1, 1863.

Let’s celebrate and honor the importance of this day!

• Learn more about this important day in America’s history at the official Juneteenth site.
• Celebrate Juneteenth by supporting Black-owned businesses across the country and in our neighborhood.
• Check out How Stuff Works to learn “How Juneteenth Became Black Independence Day.”
• Learn more about “Black Innovators Who Made Daily Life Easier.”
• Listen to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — a song which has been deemed by many to be the “Black National Anthem.”
• Celebrate fiction and nonfiction by African American authors who continue to shape our culture, celebrate liberation, and acknowledge the ongoing work towards freedom and equality by checking out this Juneteenth reading list.
• Reflect on this historic day and how we can continue the celebration of African Americans in our communities.

The Whitman County Association of REALTORS® (WCAR) is proud to announce the recipient of this year’s Scholarship Award — Rosalia High School Senior Christina Ward of Latah, WA!

Daughter of Greg and Michelle Ward, Christina was named Valedictorian of the Rosalia Class of 2021. She maintained a 3.99 grade point average and was a participant in the Olympia Page Program, Future Farmers of America, ASB, Tough As Nails Youth Group, Rosalia Garden Club and Lions Club.

Christina received the State FFA Degree, Chapter FFA Degree and Greenhand Degree. She was in the National Honors Society, the FFA Chapter President, Vice-President and Secretary, as well as Class President. She was active in golf, volleyball and softball during her time at Rosalia.

Christina plans on attending Washington State University to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture and Food Systems. She hopes to take over the family farm — becoming a second-generation farmer.

Several students throughout Whitman County were considered for this scholarship award of $1,000 to aid in their upcoming educational expenses at Washington State University. The criteria for winning this award included a review of the student’s civic and social activities, letters of recommendation, grade point average and a written essay of his or her educational goals and foreseeable challenges.

As you may recall, in 2019 the Department of Licensing (DOL) proposed a general real estate fee increase to take effect in the fall of 2020. Those increases were delayed in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the DOL is resuming the effort to increase these fees in order to bring the Real Estate Account into good standing. In accordance with RCW 43.24.086, DOL is required to set real estate fees “at a sufficient level to defray the costs of administering that program.”

These fees have not been changed since 2010 and are insufficient to sustain the real estate program. The DOL has determined the proposed fee increases below are necessary to continue to provide the information technology systems, staffing levels, and other critical services needed to support licensees and maintain public safety. Below is a table that outlines the complete list of proposed fee increases for the real estate program and the amount these fees will be raised.

The DOL intends to have the new fees in place by late summer 2021.

If you have questions or would like to share any concerns, please email Ellis Starrett, Rules and Policy Manager, at [email protected].

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