Daily Archives: June 3, 2014

The Results of a Seattle Suburb’s Minimum Wage Hike Deserve a Big Fat ‘We Told You So’

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At the start of the year, the Seattle suburb of SeaTac raised the area’s minimum wage to $15, and the consequences are now starting to be felt. And it’s not just the unions who championed the effort, or those who still have jobs, that are feeling them.

Over the last few months, a few things have happened:

  • Managers have taken more responsibilities on themselves, instead of hiring more workers.
  • Businesses have laid off workers, or eliminated their plans to hire more.
  • Area parking now comes with an added “living-wage surcharge.”
  • Hotels have cut employee benefits, free food, and overtime.

Shocking: when bad ideas are put into place, there are consequences.

Read more at IJ Review

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

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03WRIT-articleLargeBy MARIA KONNIKOVA

Does handwriting matter?

Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard.

But psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader educational development run deep.

Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.

Read more at The Washington Times

Improvement project on US 180 in Flagstaff has started

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Improvements include improving and adding turn lanes, new pavement and guardrail improvements between Columbus Avenue and Bader Road. There is currently work along the shoulder of the road with no lane restrictions. However, travelers using this route can expect delays and lane restrictions through the project area as early as Monday, June 9 as construction continues.

In addition, some night work will take place during the asphalt milling and paving operations to minimize impacts to heavier daytime traffic.

Motorists interested in traveling to the Grand Canyon can use I-40 to State Route 64 west of Flagstaff as an alternate route.