Anthony Tomashefsky

The Port Angeles School District released seven arbitration decisions to The Olympic Herald, in response to a public-records request. One ruling ordered reinstatement and back pay for a Stevens Middle School secretary fired after more than nine years without prior discipline. The district had failed to prove misconduct. Two

The Washington Supreme Court on October 15 ruled that a restriction barring a man convicted of child molestation in Kitsap County from possessing or accessing “sexually exploitive materials” was unconstitutionally vague. The 6–3 decision concerns one condition of Jeremiah J. Jeffries-Porter’s supervision after prison. It does not

The Quillayute Valley School Board again offered no substantive public response October 13 as speakers called for it to retract its statement about the Kari Larson lawsuit, complete a misconduct investigation and hold administrators accountable. Five of the six public commenters discussed misconduct, accountability or changes to school practices. The

Johnny Steven Talbert, who was arrested in Port Angeles in May on charges stemming from a 2008 North Carolina double homicide, has been ordered to undergo a hospital evaluation after his attorney said she did not believe he could assist in his defense. An October 13 order in Cabarrus County

Federal prosecutors accuse a Kirkland pastor of using his church position to obtain at least $13 million in investments and loans for a Bellevue internet company and diverting millions for personal spending and stock trading. Cristian Popescu, 46, of Bothell, pleaded not guilty October 13 in U.S. District Court

Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden served on an LDS church council that discussed a family while he presided over its custody case, according to a fellow council member who said participants excluded him from those conversations “knowing it would be a conflict of interest.” Brittney Hales described the

The Quillayute Valley School Board meets tonight at 5:30 pm, with no item on its published agenda calling for a vote on residents’ requests to retract the district’s statement about the Kari Larson lawsuit. As The Olympic Herald previously reported, the district’s August 25 statement emphasized findings

Why Not You Academy, a Des Moines public charter school that closed in June, lacks sufficient cash reserves and future funding to repay about $3.8 million in debt due by June 2027, according to a new state audit. The Washington State Auditor’s Office found that the school did

The Washington Court of Appeals on October 12 upheld Jose Mario Nash Jr.’s firearm conviction and sentence in a SeaTac case, rejecting his argument that a prior conviction for a nonviolent drug offense could not constitutionally bar him from possessing a gun. The unanimous Division I decision also rejected

Washington’s Court of Appeals ruled October 12 that wage liens against two apartment properties were invalid because the filings did not identify the security guards whose work supported the claims. The published ruling also held that class-action representatives may record wage liens for class members with valid lien

The Port Angeles School Board approved a water remediation plan Thursday after testing found elevated lead levels at nine outlets across three schools. Follow-up testing left two fixtures at Port Angeles High School above the state’s action level, with one permanently shut off and the other restricted from

Washington’s Examining Board of Psychology has suspended Issaquah psychologist Leafar Espinoza’s license after finding unprofessional conduct involving physical contact with patients, personal gifts and instructions for taking an unprescribed controlled medication. An agreed order signed by the board in September bars Espinoza from seeking reinstatement for at least

Taholah School District could not locate 16 of 21 assets selected for testing by state auditors and could not show that purchases totaling $238,755 were included in its inventory, according to a Washington State Auditor’s Office report. The accountability audit found inadequate controls for tracking and safeguarding district

Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Haley Wolcott Sebens to a newly created Skagit County Superior Court judgeship, the court’s first additional seat since 2006. The appointment takes effect January 1, 2027. Legislation enacted this year expanded the court from four judges to five. Sebens has served as a Skagit

Update (Oct 10 10:43 PM): Fred Anderson has been found safe in Yelm, Washington. The Washington State Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Fred Anderson, 82, who was last seen at about 8 a.m. Saturday, October 10, in the Sequim area. The alert was activated on behalf of

Washington education officials have permanently revoked the certificates of former White Pass School District Superintendent Greggery Teel and former Archbishop Murphy High School teacher John Doty following their convictions in separate cases involving child sexual abuse material. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, or OSPI, revoked Teel’s certificate

The Washington Court of Appeals on Thursday directed a trial court to enter judgment in favor of Grant County in a lawsuit over a man’s fatal jail overdose, ruling that his felony possession of heroin barred the claims under the state law that applied when he died. The published

The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday upheld dismissal of a privacy-act claim brought by parents who alleged Seattle Children’s Hospital shared their website searches with Meta without their consent. The parents said they used the hospital’s website to research their children’s health and find care, and

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police are asking for the public’s help investigating an elk poaching near Highway 504 in Cowlitz County after officers found that someone had also cut off the animal’s antlers. The poaching occurred Saturday, October 3, or Sunday, October 4, near milepost 39,

A former Wenatchee health care executive and LDS stake president has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for embezzling funds from Community Clinic Network, or CCN. The scheme cost the company, which managed money for Washington health clinics, more than $24 million. U.S. District Judge Thomas O.

A Port Angeles man has pleaded not guilty to firearm and drug charges after authorities alleged he left a jacket containing a loaded handgun and suspected methamphetamine at a slot machine inside the Elwha Casino. Timothy Allen Williams, 44, entered the pleas October 2 before Clallam County Superior Court Judge