Don’t forget the lights! I talked with Kevin and Alanis from Bellevue Lighting today about their options for weddings throughout the Seattle/Tacoma metro. We discuss expertly-crafted lighting and effects to create the extraordinary wedding day. Great tips for an amazing atmosphere and affordable options from Bellevue Lighting.

Check them out for an unforgettable wedding day!

Bellevue Lighting:https://bellevue.lighting

Here’s an episode you don’t want to miss if you’re searching for mobile bartenders for your wedding or event. Today I talked with sisters, Cameo and Jessica about their business which serves brides and grooms throughout the Pacific Northwest. They offer tips on bar etiquette, list popular drinks for weddings, and why hiring professional and experienced bartenders is a must.

Cameo Mobile Bartending:https://www.cameomobilebartending.com

Cascadia Weddings and Events offers wedding and event planning and coordination in Washington and beyond. Today I talk with owners, Audrey and Ashley about their company and how wedding planning may be a good fit for engaged couples. They offer great tips including:

When should we start booking our wedding vendors?If our budget doesn’t allow for an expensive wedding, should we cut certain vendors?How 2022 is shaping up to be a challenge to find available vendors.Ashley and Audrey discuss their available internships and sponsorships.And lots more!

Join me for this fun and informative podcast episode from Best Day DJ!

Cascadia Weddings and Events:https://www.cascadiaweddingsandevents.com/

For the first episode of the Best Day Wedding Podcast, we meet Zasha Sepulveda. Zasha is a bride and a business owner (Seattle Brides By Z) in Seattle, Washington. She successfully planned her own wedding in just a few short months. We’ll discuss her new business which is helping brides and grooms throughout the Pacific Northwest. Zasha also provides tips when searching for wedding vendors.

Join me for this informative episode perfect for brides and grooms planning a wedding.

Seattle Brides By Z:https://www.seattlebridesbyz.com

TRANSCRIPT:

0:00:02.1 DJ John: Welcome to the Best Day wedding podcast. My name is DJ John from Best Day DJ. If you’re planning a wedding in the Pacific Northwest, this podcast is for you. Welcome to the show. Hey. [chuckle] I’m laughing because I can see Zasha in the web cam, but I know you can’t see her because this is a podcast, it’s DJ John. I’m here with Zasha and pronounce your last name for me again.

0:00:32.8 Zasha: Sepulveda.

0:00:34.8 DJ John: Thank you. I wasn’t gonna try ’cause I was probably gonna mess that up. Well, tell me a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been doing the last several months, ’cause it’s been big and time-consuming, I guess.

0:00:49.8 Zasha: Yeah, well, thank you for having on the podcast, I’m really excited. This is my first podcast, so we’re in this together.

0:00:56.4 DJ John: Welcome, welcome.

0:00:57.9 Zasha: Thank you.

0:01:00.0 Zasha: So yeah, my name is Zasha Sepulveda, I’m 25 years old. I am working on the light rail project, that’s my full-time job. But I am also planning my wedding, and as I’ve been planning my wedding, I’ve met a lot of great vendors that were really great, but, you know, you can only hire one photographer or one videographer, so… I really wanted to help spread the word of all these great vendors, and during this time I’ve also met a lot of not so good vendors that are maybe not very trustworthy or maybe don’t even get back to you. Sometimes you’ll ask for a quote or you ask for more information, and then they won’t respond for two or three weeks and it’s not…

0:01:45.3 DJ John: Wow, I guess they don’t want any money, I guess. Right, I mean?

0:01:47.9 Zasha: Yeah, it’s really weird. I’m like, “Please let me give you my deposit.” But they don’t want… I don’t know so… Yeah.

0:01:53.0 DJ John: Well, let’s go back to what you just said, because as a wedding vendor myself, I automatically think people are… If they’re a vendor, they’re gonna be trustworthy, they’re gonna get back to people with quotes in a timely matter, but you said vendors that are not so good or not professio

Being forced to register brings a host of challenges, including depression and loneliness. The isolation and social rejection can often feel overwhelming with no one to turn to.

Join me for this podcast episode as I discuss my issues with loneliness and ways to move past the feelings of isolation. Just because we have a sex offense and are forced to be on the "list" does not mean we need to feel all alone.

Additional Resources:Ashamed and AloneDanielle J. S. Bailey, Jennifer L. Klein

Since the invention of sex offender registries in the United States, overly harsh restrictions have been put into place for people forced to register. From living restrictions to complete banishment from communities, registrants and their families face numerous obstacles even years after their reentry from incarceration or probation/parole.

The clause, “except for sex offenders,” is becoming increasingly popular among reentry support organizations. Furthermore, criminal justice reform policies often exclude people convicted of sexual offenses, leaving almost a million people without life-saving resources. Join me on this episode as I discuss these issues while offering examples of the “except for sex offenders” exclusion in organizations such as Goodwill and Volunteers of America.

TRANSCRIPT:(Download PDF)

Since the invention of sex offender registries in the United States, overly harsh restrictions have been put into place for people forced to register. From living restrictions to complete banishment from communities, registrants and their families face numerous obstacles even years after their reentry from incarceration or probation/parole.

The clause, “except for sex offenders,” is becoming increasingly popular among reentry support organizations. Furthermore, criminal justice reform policies often exclude people convicted of sexual offenses, leaving almost a million people without life-saving resources. Join me on this episode as I discuss these issues while offering examples of the “except for sex offenders” exclusion in organizations such as Goodwill and Volunteers of America.

TRANSCRIPT:(Download PDF)

A moral panic is defined as a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue," usually perpetuated by moral entrepreneurs and the mass media and exacerbated by politicians and lawmakers.This interesting podcast looks at former moral panics throughout the years and compares today's moral panic against sex offenders, pedophilia, and the registry. Will this moral panic ever fade? Or are we witnessing a prolonged panic because of inaccurate statistics and the increase of parental fear?

On June 9, 2021, South Carolina Supreme Court says a state law requiring sex offenders to register for life without prior judicial review is unconstitutional. Justices called South Carolina's sex offender law "The most stringent in the country." The court also upheld a portion of the statute that permits the sex offender registry to be published online. Join me as I interview attorney Lori S. Murray who represented, Dennis J. Powell, Jr., the respondent in this case. She will answer my questions, including:

What does this mean for other level III registrants in South Carolina?

Why do you think it took 30-years to challenge South Carolina's registry?

Does the ruling only affect South Carolina law, or does it also involve the constitutionality of SORNA?

We'll also discuss Senate Republican Sandy Senn's statement about the public aspect of South Carolina's sex offender registry. Seen was quoted saying, "We are certainly going to keep publicizing the sex offender registry list. No one wants a sex offender moving into their neighborhood."

RESOURCES:Powell vs. Keel (Appellate Case No. 2019-001063)

In 2006 (the year I was arrested), Title I of the Adam Walsh Act, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), wholly rewrote the federal standards for sex offender registration and notification. It also created a new baseline of sex offender registration and notification standards for jurisdictions to implement. SORNA also established a 3-tier system:

 

Tier I offenders must appear once per year for 15 years

Tier II offenders must appear every six months for 25 years

Tier III offenders must appear every three months for life

 

Since the enactment, only 18 states have substantially implemented SORNA’s requirements. Courts have also discussed the constitutionality of SORNA and if the Act is considered punishment vs. administrative. Furthermore, there is often mass confusion on how SORNA operates in each state and what this means to individuals convicted of felony sex offenses.

 

RESOURCES:

2020 SORNA Guide