Research conducted by leading digital mailbox provider iPostal1 has Washington state rounding up the top ten worst states for porch pirates in 2024. iPostal1 examined nationwide online search data for relevant key terms related to stolen mail, including ‘Amazon delivery stolen’, ‘DHL lost my package’, and more from Google Keyword Planner. The states with the highest average monthly search volume per 100,000 people have been named the top ten states for stolen mail in 2024. Alaska takes the crown, with 76.70 average monthly searches per 100,000 people, 58% higher than the nation’s average of ..read more

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Violent gangs have taken hold of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, overpowering the nation’s police and plummeting the city into chaos. Gang leader in the Haitian civil unrest. SOURCE: https://youtu.be/nvCJLXU2MVA?si=YWoRFOYXxf8CQjTM More than 360,000 Haitians have already fled the city seeking refuge in traditionally safer, southern regions, according to a new report by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. Meanwhile gunmen have open fired at government buildings, barricaded streets, torched businesses and police stations, took over the ports, looted and p ..read more

BELLEVUE—Starting this morning, April 27, 2024, passengers on the Eastside of Lake Washington will be able to use Link light rail to travel quickly and safely to destinations throughout Bellevue and Redmond. Bellevue Link light rail station. SOURCE: Sound Transit. The 6.6-mile initial segment of the 2 Line includes eight stations, with service every 10 minutes, 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The travel time between the two ends of the line – from South Bellevue to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond—is 14 minutes, down from approximately 40 minutes to travel the same route by bus or 30 minu ..read more

LYNNWOOD—After nearly two weeks of being hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center, Robert Craig Rowland, who allegedly drove the wrong way on 525 causing a fatal car crash on April 11, has been transported to the Snohomish County Jail. His bail has been set for $2 million and a trial date set for June 14, 2024. Alleged Kidnapper, killer and hate crime suspect, Robert C Rowland. SOURCE: Department of Corrections. Rowland had been driving with his kidnapped ex-girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat during the incident, court records state. The crash killed 83-year-old Trudy Slanger. Rowland ..read more

MONROE – A minimum security incarcerated individual has escaped from the Minimum-Security Unit at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington. The individual, 59-year-old Patrick Lester Clay (DOC 908566) appears to have escaped by breaking into a staff office during routine maintenance cleaning and stealing the keys to the staff members car which Clay then drove off grounds. DOC search teams and local law enforcement are actively searching for Clay. Clay was last seen in a white 4 door GMC Sierra truck, plate number C39525X. Clay was last seen wearing khaki pants, khaki jacket and ..read more

OLYMPIA—Snohomish County and local cities are set to receive approximately $61,189,456.22 from efforts led by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office that will be used to fight the opioid epidemic statewide, his office states. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announces $518 million settlement from pharmaceutical companies in May 2022. SOURCE: Screen capture from video press conference on TVW.org The dollars come from settlements resulting from lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies Attorney General Ferguson claimed were fueling the distribution of opioids, namely fentanyl, across the reg ..read more

OLYMPIA—Washington State Supreme Court Commissioner Michael E. Johnston ordered, on Thursday, April 25, that the state’s prohibition on high-capacity firearm magazines will remain in effect at least until an ensuing legal battle comes to a close. Johnston said his decision was based on the opposing side failing “to persuasively show” that the ban be overturned while the ultimate law be decided upon and weighing the pros and cons to allowing the sale of the magazines for the time being. #BREAKING: The Washington State Supreme Court has extended its stay, blocking the effect of a lower court d ..read more

WASHINTON, D.C.—Women’s Declaration International’s USA Chapter has submitted an amicus brief (otherwise known as a friend of the court) to the U.S. 9th District Court of Appeals in defense of Olympus Spa, a Lynnwood-based business currently entangled in a human rights commission battle. Dual Pro Olympus Spa and Pro-Trans rallies at the Lynnwood Event Center on June 17, 2023. Lynnwood Times | Gerti Katro. WDI is an explicitly non-partisan feminist group created by women, for women, and led by a group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s “sex-based rights,” its website states. Th ..read more

LAKE STEVENS—The City of Lake Stevens has threatened to take the Lake Stevens Sewer District back to Superior Court following, what they call, concerns of “transparency, fairness, and fiscal responsibility” after the District raised salaries for some of its lead positions. Lake Stevens Sewer District wastewater treatment. SOURCE: Lake Stevens Sewer District. “Recent actions taken by the Sewer District Commissioners, including substantial salary increases for top managers, raise serious concerns about transparency, fairness, and fiscal responsibility,” wrote Lake Stevens Mayor Gailey in a lett ..read more

SNOHOMISH COUNTY—At its Monday meeting on April 15, the 10-member appointed Snohomish County 2024 Salary Commission is proposing a 5-percent minimum salary increase for Snohomish County government elected officials; and a 28.9-percent (or $53,180) increase for the Snohomish County Sheriff position. If approved by the Board at its meeting at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 25, the base compensation for the Sheriff will be approximately $237,399, up from $184,219. Salary Commissioners at their April 15, 2024, meeting. SOURCE: Screen capture from the meeting by the Lynnwood Times. “That is a pretty s ..read more