spokane
Attorney general files campaign finance suit
State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a campaign finance lawsuit involving the 2014 campaign for Grant County prosecutor.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Thurston County Superior Court against former Grant County Superior Court Judge Jerry Moberg and Moses Lake business owner Ken Greene.
The lawsuit seeks a total of $453,852.60 in penalties, plus costs and fees.
The lawsuit alleges Moberg and Greene intentionally concealed the fact they were behind a political mailer attacking candidate Garth Dano in the 2014 prosecutor election in Grant County.
Dano eventually won the race, defeating Angus Lee, who now practices law in Clark County.
If all violations are proven and found to be intentional, Moberg and Greene could each face penalties of $83,616.30, and jointly face penalties of $286,620.
olympia
Special session hits the halfway mark
Washington lawmakers have hit the midway point of a 30-day special session, but there’s no indication they will reach a budget deal before needing to go into additional overtime.
Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday that while a bipartisan group of lawmakers are engaged in “useful discussions” on the education policy part of the two-year state operating budget, “they have not made substantial progress on the financial aspect of that.”
The current two-year budget expires on June 30, which means the 2017-2019 budget must be signed by the governor by then or else the state risks a partial government shutdown. Within that budget, lawmakers must also comply with a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that they must meet the state’s constitutional requirement to fully fund the basic education system.
spokane
Police officers shoot man wielding knife
Spokane police officers have shot a man wielding a knife and wearing a hospital gown in the city’s northeast side.
Police Chief Craig Meidl told KREM-TV that about 6 p.m. Sunday officers received a call about a reckless driver. Meidl said that after a short chase, the driver got out of the car and ran from police.
The chief said that an officer reported the man had a knife and was starting to go after neighbors.
Authorities told KREM that the officers stopped the man and used a Taser on him, but they were not able to control him.
Meidl said that’s when the officers shot the man. KREM reported that the man was taken to a hospital for treatment and his condition is unknown.
spokane
State Patrol, veterans reach settlement
A historic settlement has been reached between the state of Washington and plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit that will benefit at least 887 Washington State Patrol troopers and applicants who served in the military but were denied a veterans’ preference.
The settlement, announced Monday, consists of $13 million in cash and an estimated $2 million worth of retirement benefits.
Lawyers say it is the largest settlement in the history of the federal veterans’ employment rights law.
The lawsuit, filed in Spokane County Superior Court, challenged the State Patrol’s failure to give qualified veterans hiring and promotion preference as required by state law.
