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Washington mayor claims she’s being harassed after calling 911 on ‘far right’ activists at Walmart

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A Washington mayor said she’s being harassed after audio from her 911 call to report a group of “far right-wing” petition signature gatherers at Walmart surfaced online.

“There’s some far right-wing petitioners at Walmart, and they don’t — they’re not leaving,” Yakima Mayor Janice Deccio can be heard saying in a 911 call from Sept. 3. “Walmart has asked them repeatedly to do so, and the police have not taken them off the premises.”

Yakima Mayor Janice Deccio says she misunderstood the Washington state law about gathering signatures on private property when she called 911 to report petitioners at a local Walmart. (City of Yakima)

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Activists were gathering signatures on six Washington ballot initiatives relating to taxes, parental rights and police pursuits over the Labor Day weekend. The initiatives are funded by a group called Let’s Go Washington, which did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

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A recording of Deccio’s 911 call was first shared on YouTube by conservative commentator Glen Morgan last week.

In the call, the dispatcher and a supervisor can be heard telling Deccio that the petitioners have a right to gather signatures on private property under state law and that Walmart would need to obtain a court order to stop them.

LISTEN: MAYOR CALLS 911 TO REPORT ‘FAR RIGHT’ SIGNATURE GATHERERS:

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

“Gathering signatures for ballot measure petitions is a constitutionally guaranteed practice in the State of Washington,” according to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, which acknowledges that the law does not clearly spell out to what extent businesses or other private property owners can exclude petitioners.

Deccio is expected to address the issue at Tuesday night’s Yakima City Council meeting and provided Fox News with a copy of her statement. In it, she says a constituent told her “an extreme right-wing group was petitioning at Walmart and creating problems for shoppers.”

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“I don’t care, nor even know what they were petitioning about, just that he told me they were harassing shoppers and that the manager had called the police numerous times during the week after she had asked the petitioners to move from the entrance of the store,” Deccio wrote.

Walmart declined to answer questions about the incident or its policies on signature gathering efforts. A spokesperson for the Yakima Police Department confirmed the 911 call and told Fox News after publication that officers will not remove signature gatherers from business property without a court order.

“Complaints about other criminal activity are investigated and addressed accordingly,” the spokesperson wrote. “Whether or not signature gatherers have a right of access on private property is determined by a balancing test of three factors: the nature and use of the property; the impact of the decision upon the effectiveness of the initiative or referendum; and the scope of the invitation that the owner of the property has extended. Decisions are made based on the facts of each individual situation.”

“I admit I was unaware of all the nuances of the law at that time, though, and, in hindsight, I could have waited to hear from the chief,” Deccio wrote in her statement. “No one told the group they couldn’t petition, and it was certainly not my intention to stop them.”

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Since the initial incident, Deccio said “numerous credible local people” have told her the petitioners’ behavior was aggressive, even threatening.

The Walmart logo on a store

Activists were gathering signatures for initiative petitions over Labor Day weekend at a Walmart in Yakima, Washington. (Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images / File)

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Deccio said she has received hundreds of harassing texts, emails and voicemails since the 911 call was released without redacting her phone number.

“I was just wondering how a beautiful face could be such a liberal c— to like, stop democracy,” a man can be heard saying in one voicemail Deccio shared with Fox News.

Deccio said people are also harassing her husband, “who is a disabled veteran with PTSD,” and flooding her fellow counselors with emails, the bulk of which are coming from outside Yakima, a city with less than 100,000 residents.

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Yakima County lies in central Washington and has not voted for a Democrat president in at least four decades.

Aerial view of downtown Yakima, Washington

Yakima is a city with less than 100,000 residents located in central Washington. While Washington state has long been a Democrat stronghold, Yakima County and other rural areas tend to vote Republican. (iStock)

The initiatives sponsored by Let’s Go Washington include:

  • I-2113, which would roll back some restrictions on when police officers can engage in vehicular pursuits
  • I-2117, to prohibit state agencies from imposing any type of carbon tax-credit trading
  • I-2124, which would allow employees to opt out of the state’s long-term care insurance program
  • I-2109, to repeal the state’s capital gains tax
  • I-2111, which would prohibit state and local jurisdictions from imposing income taxes
  • I-2081, which would allow parents of public school students to review instructional materials and student records upon request

Deccio became a city council member last year and was nominated to serve as mayor by her fellow councilors, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic. The mayor and council positions are nonpartisan.

Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.

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Oregon

Everything to know for No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 7 Washington State volleyball

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Everything to know for No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 7 Washington State volleyball


These two programs are both on the cusp of breaking into the AVCA top 5 — and Sunday’s matchup just might determine who will.

The Cougars and the Ducks are known for their power swinging. The two rank in the top 10 nationally for team hitting percentage, with Washington State taking third at a .316 average and Oregon three spots behind, posting a .303.

Although all of Washington State’s ranked wins have been pushed to four sets this season, the Cougars have swept eight opponents in 2023. Leading the defensive effort is fifth-year middle blocker Magda Jehlárová, who has 61 blocks so far this season, at 1.42 per frame.

In this match, however, eyes will be on Oregon setter Hannah Pukis, who transferred from Washington State. On Friday, the redshirt senior put up her 10th double-double this season with 47 assists and 10 digs. She additionally tacked on four kills, four service aces and three blocks en route to the Ducks’ 3-1 win over Washington. When Oregon played Washington State in November 2022, Pukis posted a then-season-high of 58 assists against her previous school. Thus, it’s safe to say that her caliber of competition will be as elevated as ever on Sunday.

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Oregon currently posts the third-longest home winning streak in the country with 20 consecutive wins at Matthew Knight Arena. Washington State is 4-1 on the road, dropping its only contest of the season against Louisville in August — the Cougars are currently riding on a 12-match win streak.

Whose streak will be broken? Who will get the chance to crack the top five? Tune in this Sunday to find out.





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Utah

Utah State quarterback McCae Hillstead exits UConn game with injury

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Utah State quarterback McCae Hillstead exits UConn game with injury


Utah State true freshman quarterback McCae Hillstead is out with an injury early in the third quarter of the Aggies’ contest against UConn Saturday.

The Skyridge High standout was escorted off the field to the locker room, sans helmet, after spending time in the medical tent following an injury incurred on roughing the passer penalty early in the third quarter.

UConn defensive lineman Eric Watts was called for the penalty after hitting Hillstead late on a play where Hillstead found wide receiver Jalen Royals for a 31-yard highlight reception.

Hillstead struggled early in the game against the Huskies, throwing an interception on his first two pass attempts of the game.

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The signal caller settled down late in the first half, however, and found wide receiver Colby Bowman for a 63-yard touchdown just before the end of the half to pull the Aggies with 10 points of the Huskies.

Following Hillstead’s exit early in the third quarter, QB Cooper Legas led the Aggies down the field for another touchdown — a 15-yard pass to Royals — cutting the UConn lead to just three points.

This story will be updated.





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Washington

Pat McAfee Tells Washington State Coach To Shut Up After Lee Corso Comments

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Pat McAfee Tells Washington State Coach To Shut Up After Lee Corso Comments


Pat McAfee has a message for Washington State head coach Jake Dickert after he whined about Lee Corso last week: keep our name outcha mouth!

Actually, that’s paraphrasing and being nice about it.

McAfee went scorched-earth on Dickert on today’s College GameDay when the show returned from break and showed the WSU flag, ol’ Crimson.

Enjoy:

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Pat McAfee and Desmond Howard go in On Jake Dickert, Ryan Day

Goodness gracious, stop the fight!

Oh, you wanna come after 190-year-old Lee Corso for something he actually DIDN’T say?! Fine. Go ahead. It’s the last thing you’ll do.

In case you missed it, Dickert got all up in his feelings last week after he misheard Corso on GameDay.

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Frankly, it’s tough to actually understand anything Corso says at this point, which made Dickert’s whining even sillier.

See what I mean? To me, it sounds like Corso says the “No One Wants Us Bowl,’ which is sort of true. Not Lee Corso’s fault the Pac-12 and college football are an absolute mess right now.

It’s ESPN’s fault (kind of), but not Lee’s.

Anyway, the College GameDay fellas weren’t done taking aim at disgruntled college coaches. Desmond Howard followed up by going IN on Ryan Day over his weird obsession with 240-year-old Lou Holtz:

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Ding, ding, ding!

Can’t wait for GameDay to head to Washington State and/or Ohio State later this year. Should be must-see TV.

Shut up!

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