A 34-year-old Spokane man has been convicted by a federal jury for his role as the source of a deadly interstate drug trafficking scheme that introduced fentanyl into a remote Alaskan community, leaving two men dead. Following a five-day trial in Juneau, Alaska, Jacob Cotton of Spokane

From April 6 through April 10, 2026, the digital doors to the Clallam County Superior Court will be locked. The Clallam County Clerk’s Office has announced a total shutdown of electronic filing as it transitions to the Enterprise Justice system. For five business days, the court will revert to

Just weeks after a massive, multi-agency raid uncovered a heavily armed narcotics distribution network, the man at the center of the operation is back on the streets. Johnny Watts, the former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator, bonded out of jail on March 24 after posting a $250,000 bail

While Clallam County Superior Court attempted to navigate a catastrophic 18-month backlog in family law cases, then-Presiding Judge Brent Basden turned to “experts” who promote a theory that even its own architects now admit is a failure. Courtroom video obtained by the Olympic Herald reveals that Judge Basden

For a victim of domestic abuse, the legal system is supposed to offer an exit strategy. The swift resolution of a divorce, the finalization of child custody, and the issuance of a permanent protection order create the only legally enforceable boundary between a victim and their abuser. In Clallam County,

The long-awaited return of professional basketball to the Pacific Northwest is nearing a reality. This week, the National Basketball Association Board of Governors is expected to hold a pivotal vote regarding league expansion. The current proposal aims to increase the league from 30 to 32 teams, with Seattle positioned

The Washington State Department of Health has indefinitely suspended the credential of a Spokane County home care aide following allegations of financial exploitation. Shannon Marie Treece, who worked as a caregiver for Generations Healthcare in Valleyford, Washington, lost her license in February 2026 after failing to respond to a state

A Clallam County man was arrested for the possession of child sex abuse material, following an investigation sparked by a national cyber tip. Robert J. Phifer, 58, faces five counts of Possession of Depictions of Minors engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct in the 1st degree, and one count in the

Former Bainbridge Island High School math teacher and debate coach Vann Berryman was issued a formal Letter of Concern by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The action stems from a September 6, 2023, complaint filed by Bainbridge Island School District Superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen, which alleged Berryman engaged

On March 12, 2026, a lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court in Georgia. While the venue is over 2,500 miles away, the defendant’s actions are relevant to residents across Washington state. The lawsuit, Jason Gatewood v. Bainbridge Media, LLC and Carpenter Media Group, LLC, accuses

In February, Skagit County dentist, Jeffrey Jech, stipulated to an agreement with the Washington Department of Health, indefinitely suspending his license to practice dentistry. This latest disciplinary action is unfortunately not the first time that Jech has failed to comply with basic sanitation and HIPAA requirements for the lawful practice

I recently wrote about the disqualification procedure in Washington, which can generally be used to disqualify a judge, as long as it is used before that judge makes a discretionary ruling in the case. Our readers often ask me what can be done after a judge issues a problematic ruling.

March has already proven to be a relentless month for accountability in Washington State. The tradition of asking hard questions and demanding transparency is one this publication carries forward every single day. Over the last two weeks, our investigations have uncovered systemic local failures, exposed deep betrayals of public trust,

The arrest of former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator Johnny Watts during an armed police standoff earlier this week—and his subsequent connection to a massive Kitsap County fentanyl ring—has sparked intense public scrutiny of the Clallam County Superior Court. How does a man with a highly documented, violent

The arrest of former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator Johnny Watts was the first domino in a two-day, multi-agency sweep that led investigators straight to the doors of the 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim. According to the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, the March 11 standoff in Agnew

The Office of the Washington State Auditor released an accountability audit report last month, detailing the practices and financial health of the Aeneas Lake Irrigation District. Located in Okanogan County near Tonasket, the District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors and provides irrigation to over 1,300

On March 11, 2026, a standoff in the Agnew area ended with the arrest of a wanted violent offender—and another man found with a loaded firearm and suspected drugs. The second man was 50-year-old Johnny Watts. Watts is not just a peripheral figure in the local criminal

Exactly one month after the disgraced and abrupt exit of former Court Commissioner Brian Parker, Clallam County has officially opened the search for his replacement. An email distributed yesterday by Superior Court Administrator Lacey Halberg, confirmed that the court is now soliciting applications for the vacant position. After a year

A King County judge has added more than four years to the prison sentence of a man who used his relationships within a Redmond church to sexually abuse children in his congregation. On March 6, 2026, King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung sentenced Buckland Lee Darrell to an additional

On March 5, 2026, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the disbarment of attorney Stephen Kenneth Monro. The 56-page opinion, authored by Justice Mary Yu, outlines a pattern of exploitation spanning several years, in which Monro stole from vulnerable clients, collected unreasonable fees, and repeatedly lied to the Office

A Washington attorney has surrendered his law license rather than face public disciplinary hearings, this time over allegations of treating his client trust account like a personal ATM. Hari L. Alipuria, a Tacoma-based attorney licensed since 1997, permanently resigned from the Washington State Bar Association in lieu of discipline