In the News

Democrats in the legislature are making procedural moves that will decide what the state’s new drug possession law will look like—an exercise that became necessary after the state supreme court’s 2021 ruling Blake v. State of Washington invalidated existing law.

Pacific Lutheran University Pre-Law Club President Quan Huynh ’25 unexpectedly stepped into the world of state government, with a bold new perspective. A self-described political newcomer, Huynh proudly represents PLU in Olympia as an intern at the Washington State Senate. As a member of Sen. Manka Dhingra’s (D-45) office, Huynh ...

Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic violence victims need to go into hiding and it holds the abusers accountable, she said. The ...

As Washington lawmakers try to reshape how the state deals with substance-use disorder, a Senate bill is advancing that would make most drug possession a gross misdemeanor instead of a felony, while also encouraging substance-use treatment. Lawmakers earlier this month voted Senate Bill 5536 out of the Senate ...

OLYMPIA, WA - Twenty percent of all murders in Washington State are the result of domestic violence. A quarter of rapes and more than half of simple assaults are as well. Washington State legislators held a press conference today at the State Capitol to discuss domestic violence proposals under consideration ...

Police could call judges at a domestic violence crime scene to issue no-contact orders, and a cold case unit would be formed to examine cold cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women under several bills under consideration by Washington legislators. Lawmakers held a bipartisan news conference Tuesday to highlight a collection ...

The Redmond Police Department implemented new GPS technology last month that has helped result in three arrests. The technology, called StarChase, uses a high-powered air compressor mounted on a police car to fire a GPS tracker at the fleeing vehicle. The tracker, which is coated in an industrial-strength adhesive, sticks to ...