(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has endorsed a plan to close residential streets in the Aurora Avenue area after residents fed up with growing gun violence took the matter into their own hands. Residents have pleaded with the mayor’s office and the city council to stop the gun violence that police and community members say is related to underage prostitution in the area. “We absolutely need to stop the human trafficking, and
(The Center Square) – The Pierce County Charter Review Commission will hold a special meeting on Saturday, June 13 to give the public an opportunity to provide comments on proposed charter amendments being considered for the upcoming November ballot. Among those amendments are two highly controversial proposals that directly impact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Both measures have drawn significant public debate and vocal pushback from the current administration, including Sheriff Keith Swank. “This is
(The Center Square) – The early and unexpected retirement of Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese along with four members of the department’s leadership team has Kitsap County Democrats scrambling to identify three nominees for the interim sheriff role. Last year, Kitsap commissioners approved 3% budget cuts across all departments, which amounted to an estimated $1.7 million cut for the sheriff’s office. The budget issues and timing of pension benefits reportedly played into the timing of
(The Center Square) – After months of build-up, the Safe and Healthy Spokane Task Force released its final report on Thursday, urging the region to impose taxes to fund “modern, integrated justice facilities” and a “network of community-based facilities,” two years after residents rejected a countywide jail tax. The 14 recommendations come as several local jurisdictions consider councilmanic tax hikes and other proposals to place on the August and November ballots. The report will likely
