The Washington State Court of Appeals has affirmed the convictions of Robert Aaron Estes, a Kitsap County man found guilty of six counts of second-degree child molestation involving two underage girls. In an unpublished opinion issued July 7, the Division II appellate court unanimously upheld the August 2024 judgment

On Friday, I sent a formal demand letter to Superintendent Michelle Olsen, Board President Sandy Long, and the district’s public records officer. 📄 Tomashefsky July 3 Letter Re Prr (171KB ∙ PDF file) It gives the Port Angeles School District a clear choice: start producing the censure records now, or defend

The fight for transparency in the Clallam County Superior Court escalated this afternoon as I filed a formal Petition for Internal Review challenging the court’s aggressive refusal to release years of judicial search warrant logs. 📄 NO. 2026-12 Petition Internal Review (275KB ∙ PDF file) On February 27, I submitted

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, fifty-six men signed their names to an act of journalism. We don’t usually talk about the Declaration of Independence that way. We’ve buried it under so much marble and ceremony that it’s easy to forget what the document actually

A 75-year-old Port Angeles man who was the subject of a Washington State Patrol Silver Alert has been located, authorities confirmed. The alert for Axel Lorenzsonn was officially canceled by the Washington State Patrol Missing Person Alerts division, bringing a positive resolution to the search. Lorenzsonn had been

A multi-agency search for a missing 22-year-old Port Angeles man came to a tragic conclusion on the morning of July 1, 2026, when authorities recovered the body of Gunnar Peterson from the waters near the public boat launch at Ediz Hook. The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office

The devastating consequences of judicial leniency are rarely abstract. Within our regional justice system, the outcomes of a judge prioritizing an offender’s comfort over a public safety are tangibly measured in bloodshed, profound violence, and irreversible tragedy. For a brief moment, an examination of the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal

The 2019 appointment of Judge Brent Basden to Clallam County Superior Court was—and remains—a highly controversial moment in our local judiciary. While the governor’s office presented a polished narrative to the public at the time, newly released public records obtained by The Olympic Herald through a Public

Just days after the Port Angeles School District Board of Directors passed a highly controversial resolution censuring newly elected Director Nancy Hamilton, the district is attempting to build a four-and-a-half-month bureaucratic wall around the very documents they used to justify the reprimand. On June 22, I

The North River School District is facing a $22,000 reduction in state funding after a Washington State Auditor’s report found the district overreported its special education enrollment during the 2024-2025 school year. An assessment audit, published June 18, 2026, by the Office of the Washington State Auditor,

The Washington State Supreme Court unanimously ruled on June 25, 2026, that the Department of Ecology acted lawfully when it implemented agricultural fuel exemptions under the state’s Climate Commitment Act, dealing a blow to farming and trucking groups seeking relief from emissions-related fuel surcharges. 📄 Opinion (840KB ∙ PDF file)

A multi-agency search is actively underway at Ediz Hook for 22-year-old Gunnar Peterson of Port Angeles, who has been missing since the early morning hours of June 28, 2026. Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched on June 28 after Peterson was reported overdue by his

In the spirit of transparency, we are releasing the public records we previously obtained regarding the Clallam County Superior Court’s hiring and subsequent termination of former Family Court Commissioner Brian Parker. As previously reported, Parker’s termination in February created the vacancy on the bench recently filled by Commissioner

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that federal law does not prohibit states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day, a decision that preserves Washington state’s universal vote-by-mail system and maintains current election procedures for Clallam County voters. In a 5-4 decision issued

A Washington attorney has permanently surrendered his law license rather than defend against formal disciplinary allegations, including claims that he misappropriated client funds and gave false testimony under oath. Robert Patrick Brouillard, who was admitted to practice law in Washington in November 1990, filed a Resignation in Lieu of Discipline

Looking to kick off your summer with a picturesque evening of live music and community spirit? The highly anticipated “Concerts on the Pier” returns to downtown Port Angeles on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, promising an unforgettable night on the waterfront. Running from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.

The Mount Baker School District is navigating a challenging financial landscape as it works to restore its cash reserves while operating under state oversight, according to an independent audit released on June 22, 2026, by the Washington State Auditor’s Office. The audit, which reviewed the district’s financial statements

When the Port Angeles School District Board of Directors gaveled out of their chaotic, protest-filled meeting on June 18, the four-member board majority likely believed they had finally solved their “Nancy Hamilton problem.” By ramming through a sweeping eight-page censure resolution and a highly restrictive new superintendent’

Recently, we reported on the Clallam County Superior Court’s hiring process for its newest Family Court Commissioner, Lorraine Rimson. As we revealed in our previous coverage, the court interviewed a total of just three candidates to fill the vacancy left by the termination of former Commissioner Brian Parker. While

A former science teacher at Leota Middle School has had his Washington state teaching certificate permanently revoked following a conviction for attempted child molestation, according to a final order issued by the state Superintendent of Public Instruction. 📄 John Butz (370KB ∙ PDF file) John Butz Jr., who had held a Washington

Washington state residents have until Tuesday afternoon to weigh in on newly proposed revisions to the rules that guide how government agencies handle public records requests. The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 5: