Author

Grace Deng
Grace Deng joined the Washington State Standard shortly after graduating from Northwestern University in June 2023. Grace, who currently lives in Tacoma, is a local Washingtonian who was born and raised in Snohomish County. She has previous experience covering statehouse politics and policy for the Minnesota Reformer and the USA TODAY Ohio Network, which includes the Columbus Dispatch, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Akron-Beacon Journal.
Teachers end strike at Vancouver’s Evergreen Public Schools
By: Grace Deng - September 12, 2023
Around 23,000 public school students in the Vancouver area have headed back to classrooms after their teachers voted to ratify a new labor contract. Teachers at Evergreen Public Schools went on strike Aug. 30, the first day of scheduled classes for the school year, and were on strike for seven school days. Classes Monday were […]
Camas teachers vote to end strike
By: Grace Deng - September 7, 2023
About 450 teachers on strike in the Vancouver area will soon return to classrooms after voting to approve a tentative agreement with Camas School District. As part of the deal, the district agreed to increase teacher wages by 13% over the next two years, reduce class sizes and establish a resource fund for libraries, physical […]
Classes delayed for 30,000 students as more teachers strike in southwest Washington
By: Grace Deng - August 30, 2023
Special education teacher Angie Latange was one of 1,500 educators at Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver on strike Wednesday. It was not her first time: Evergreen educators also picketed in 2018. But this strike, Latange said, feels different. “The energy is higher,” Latange said. “Last time, it was more … salary-based. This time, it’s absolutely […]
Teachers strike in southwest Washington delays school year for thousands of students
By: Grace Deng - August 29, 2023
The start of the school year was delayed on Monday for about 7,000 students in Camas, Washington after 450 teachers in the district went on strike. This is the first time the teachers’ union has ever gone on strike in the district, which is located along the Columbia River, just east of Vancouver, Washington. The […]
Violence against staff rises sharply at a Washington psychiatric hospital
By: Grace Deng - August 28, 2023
Assaults on staff by patients surged last year at one of Washington’s state-owned psychiatric hospitals, although just two individuals were responsible for nearly 20% of the attacks, according to a new report. At Eastern State Hospital, which is located near Spokane and treats adult psychiatric patients, assaults on staff rose 63% from 2021 to 2022, […]
Why WA is taking a new approach to caring for newborns exposed to drugs
By: Grace Deng - July 6, 2023
In Washington, hospitals automatically report newborns affected by their mother’s use of drugs or alcohol during pregnancy to Child Protective Services. State guidelines then call for testing those infants every few hours using a complex scoring system to determine whether they need morphine or other medications to treat withdrawal. They’ll also often be sent to […]