Daily Digest: Trump hates preschoolers, First Nations fight mine dam & Black Belt Eagle Scout is rad

OR and WA sue feds to fund Head Start

OPB reports that Oregon and Washington are part of a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Trump administration from ending the Head Start preschool program, which provides early learning services to some 800,000 children and low-income families across the US. The Washington State Standard notes that without the program, 25,000 children in Oregon and Washington could be without services. Too bad the Democrats in the legislature in their wisdom decided to slash funding for ECAP, the state's low-income early learning program. Oh, and in other news to file under "Trump cruelty," Cascade PBS reports that Washington's food banks face a crisis because of federal cuts.

Most of Canada is united but murmurs of West separation

After the Liberal win in Canada, David Beers at the Tyee notes that the world gave a collective sigh of relief that Trump's favored outcome didn't materialize and that the general global response is "We are all Canadians!’” But not everyone is feeling confident in the confederation – the Tyee also notes that many opposition members of parliament are making noises about western separtism from Canada – including some in British Columbia. Here at Cascadia Journal, we're of course watching with interest – but we're also committed to a unite bioregion that is dedicated to democracy, a strong social safety net, and human rights – not some Trump-inspired 51st state nonsense.

First Nation fights mine dam in BC

The Narwhal reports on how the Xatśūll First Nation is filing a lawsuit to prevent the creation of a mine tailing dam from being re-built at Mount Polley in central British Columbia. Mount Polley was the site of one of BC's worst mine disasters in 2014. The Xatśūll are arguing the obvious: it shouldn't happen again; and also, that projects of this magnitude require Indigenous consent.

Black Belt Eagle Scout is a rad Native songwriter

Cascadia Daily News has a profile of Katherine Paul, the singer-songwriter of Swinomish heritage who's better know by her stage name Black Belt Eagle Scout. She'll be touring in Vancouver, BC, Mount Vernon, and Portland in early May. Check out her ethereal, intense but soft folk rock on her most recent album, The Land the Water, the Sky:

--Andrew Engelson