North Idaho judge extends ban on further release of murder trial videos, audio
Latah County Judge Megan Marshall has extended the restraining order blocking the release of crime scene photos, video and audio related to the student murders until the court reaches a final decision.
Family members of two of the University of Idaho students who were killed in 2022 have sued the city of Moscow to block the release of certain records related to the case.
In a hearing Thursday, Leander James, a pro bono attorney representing two of the families, argued that even blurred images of the crime scene photos being released has been damaging. He says people whose identities have been exposed by the released have been harassed and threatened.
Andrew Pluskal, an attorney representing the City of Moscow, argued that under Idaho law, the images have to be released now that the investigation is over, whether it wants to or not.
“ I don't know if this dispute is going to be resolved here simply by virtue of the fact that we are talking about a statute that seems to have perhaps unintended, perhaps intended negative effects," he said.
Spokane man detained by ICE agrees to leave the country
Spokane resident Cesar Perez has agreed to go back to his native Venezuela. The 21-year-old Perez was one of two men detained by federal immigration agents in Spokane on June 11.
Protesters, including Perez’s legal guardian in the U-S, Ben Stuckart, organized to stop the agents from transporting them to an ICE detention facility in Tacoma. In a Facebook post, Stuckart said Cesar was told this week that he would be sent back to Venezuela.
The other man detained, Joswar Torres, remains at the Tacoma facility, though for how long is unknown. A recent hearing continued his case for another month to six weeks.
Spokane teachers say yes to new contract
The union that represents Spokane teachers has ratified a three-year contract. The pact must now be approved by the school board.
The board this week approved what the district refers to as a new balanced school calendar. Students will still attend school for the traditional 180 days, but they’ll have a shorter summer vacation and more frequent breaks within the academic year, including week long breaks in October and February.
The district says the new calendar will be used for two years and continually evaluated and then tweaked for years after that.
Spokane's youth homeless shelter gets new building
After eight years of planning, cost increases, multiple redesigns and moments of nearly giving up, Spokane’s youth homeless shelter is opening the doors of its new facility.
Crosswalk 2.0 on North Haven Street was designed by and for youth often escaping abusive homes or neglect.
"If we could prevent our youth from being adult homeless, we could get somewhere," said Fawn Schott, CEO and president of Volunteers of America Eastern Washington. "So let’s break the cycle."
VOA currently operates Crosswalk on the east edge of downtown Spokane.
But this new building in the Chief Garry neighborhood will move vulnerable youth into quieter surroundings.
A CHAS medical clinic, Spokane Community College and the City Line bus route are all steps away.
But VOA’s previous CEO, Marilee Roloff, says it’s what’s inside that really blows her away – and she’s not just talking about the expanded shelter capacity or the dorm rooms on the second floor.
"I burst into tears when I saw the fireplace," she said. "Such a normal, sort of, living area where kids could feel like other kids.”
The three-story building will also have staff offices on the third floor, communal gathering places throughout the building and a testing center for academic exams.
Staff are set to move in in the middle of September, and youth should move in by the end of that month.
Eastern Washington's new chief “cop in the woods”
Captain Alan Myers now leads the Washington Department Fish and Wildlife's law enforcement officers in the eastern region.
Myers started his game warden career in eastern Washington 25 years ago. The 52-year-old says he’s excited to finish out his career in the same place.
Plenty of Myers’ work centers around wildlife.
“One of my more humorous stories was when I was in Clarkston," Myers said. "One morning I get a call—-early morning, I get a call that there's a bear walking through downtown Clarkston.”
Perhaps a little less humorous, Myers' work will require a lot of investigation into wolf and rancher interactions.
"Our top predator issue is wolves right now," he said. "That's one in which has the longest reach in policy implications and social implications, along with the politics that are involved in that predator management ... That's a really tough thing to balance, and it's one in which that I'm focused on every day. I focus on ensuring that we have the best, most comprehensive investigations when there is a predation event that occurs on a cattle producer's ranch."
But what people don’t realize, Myers says, is that game wardens are essential parts of rural law enforcement in general.
“Fish and wildlife officers are the ones that are oftentimes out there all alone in places very, very remote with individuals who are armed in some form or fashion," he said. "There's no one better than a game warden when it comes to being able to use verbal judo skills and make sure to use their minds, as well as the tools that they have at their disposal to make sure that they come home safe every day and night.”
They also can be some of the first responders to wildfires or distress calls from people stuck in remote places.
Currently, 17 Fish and Wildlife officers serve the entire eastern third of Washington.
As a new captain, Myers hopes to highlight their work and add to their numbers.
He wants to start by filling an agency vacancy in Ferry County. But Washington’s current budget woes are making that a pretty steep uphill climb.
Immigration enforcement not a major disruptor of NW construction firms
Construction companies in the Northwest have many challenges. Near the top of the list is finding enough qualified people to fill their vacancies.
According to a new report from Associated General Contractors, a large percentage of companies in all three Northwest states are actively looking for workers for a variety of roles. Even after they hire people, they report nearly half of their new employees quit or fail to show up shortly after starting.
As of now, though, immigration enforcement doesn’t appear to be a big problem.
The report says construction companies in the three Northwest states have not had their worksites visited by federal immigration agents. About four percent of companies in Idaho and Oregon, none in Washington, reported losing workers worried about immigration raids. About a quarter in Washington reported they had subcontractors who lost employees.
Brian Turmail from Associated General Contractors says immigration enforcement is a larger problem for companies in other parts of the country, such as the South. He says the construction industry is trying to convince the feds to stabilize the immigration system.
“Many of the members of Congress that we talk to appreciate, understand and are interested in taking steps. Congresswoman Salazar from Miami has introduced the Dignity Act, which would actually provide a lawful pathway for people on temporary unprotected status for people who are undocumented, but otherwise responsibly engaged in economic activity. It would give them a pass to lawful status so that they can continue to contribute to economic development in this country," he said.
The survey shows that tariffs are also a problem for construction companies. About one-in-four in Washington, one-in-eight in Idaho said tariffs forced them to postpone, reduce or cancel projects.
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Reporting contributed by Eliza Billingham, Lauren Paterson and Doug Nadvornick.