Video: https://redlib.catsarch.com/r/SeattleWA/comments/1xikkus/watch_out_in_the_area/

Additional context: The Auburn police were the employer of the first officer convicted after Initiative 940 brought the circumstances in which a police officer could be charged with murder in Washington state in line with the other 49 states. Former Auburn officer Jeffrey Nelson was sentenced to 16 years, 8 months in prison for the murder of Jesse Sarey.

"In attendance on Nelson’s side of the courtroom were various family and friends, Auburn Police officers, including Assistant Chief Sam Betz and Cmdr. Cristian Adams, who defended Nelson in a statement to Phelps, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, who did not speak to the judge. According to City of Auburn spokesperson Jonathan Glover, Backus attended to support the Auburn Police Department and City of Auburn staff, of which many officers were in attendance, including Nelson’s wife, Natalie Mount, a current Auburn officer." Nelson had a long history of questionable use of force which went completely unchecked by the Auburn police before Sarey's murder.

An inspection contractor found a chemical tank at a Washington state paper mill “not fit for continued service” 10 months before it failed in May, killing 11 in one of the deadliest U.S. workplace disasters in recent decades, according to a federal report released Friday.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s update about the May 26 failure in Longview, which expelled enough caustic liquid to blow out building walls, is part of an ongoing investigation.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/53271240

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Initiative=false&Year=2025

To hell with this.

The first public hearing is this Friday, January 16, in-person and online. If you live in Washington, you can file a comment in advance rather than attend the hearing. Follow the link above and hit the "Send a comment to your legislators" button.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41602217

https://archive.ph/KYOew

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/23352475

archived (Wayback Machine)

THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire in Oregon prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to close nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) of an interstate in the Columbia River Gorge on Wednesday.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said Interstate 84 was closed between Hood River and The Dalles. Hood River, a popular tourist destination about 55 miles (90 kilometers) east of Portland, is home to some 8,000 people, and more than 15,000 people live in The Dalles farther east.

Department spokesperson David House said in an email that the interstate will be closed indefinitely “due not only to the wildfires but also due to the extreme danger of driving in smoke.”

archived (Wayback Machine)