Washington
Five new maps proposed for Central Washington redistricting
Wider impact
In a court brief, Secretary of State Steven Hobbs outlined the impact redrawing the maps will have on the 14th District and its neighboring districts, whose boundaries will change as a result. The brief was based on an analysis by Nick Pharris, who works in the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
In the document, they outline the countries impacted by each proposal. In all five proposals, Yakima, Benton and Klickitat Counties are impacted. Franklin, Adams, and Grant are impacted by four proposals, as are Clark, King, Pierce, and Thurston counties, namely due to redrawn lines that cross the Cascades into Western Washington.
Among the incumbents in the Legislature who would be displaced is State Sen. Nikki Torres, a Latina who was elected in the redrawn 15th Legislative District in 2022. Torres’ attorneys have asked the court to allow Torres to intervene in the case. In a court filing, Torres’ attorney said implementing any of the proposals would make her reelection in 2026 “more difficult — if not impossible.” Attorneys say four of the proposed maps would move her out of the 15th. One proposal does allow her to remain in the 15th District, which would no longer be a Latino voter-majority district.
In filing for appeals in both the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth District and the U.S. Supreme Court, conservative Latino voters contend that the case is a veiled attempt to get more Democrats elected in Central Washington. They point to the election of Torres, a Latina Republican, as an indicator that the minority-majority district is already performing.
They also point to the districts displacing several Republican incumbents in Central Washington as showing the Democrats’ intent. In a court filing, the Republican filing also noted that 10 Republicans, including all three legislators in both the 14th and 15th districts, would be moved into new districts by at least one of the proposed new maps.
However, the Palmer plaintiffs’ analysis shows that even with the changes, the overall partisan flavor of Central Washington would remain Republican. In addition, they say Torres will be able to finish out her term until it expires in 2026.
“Since nearly every legislator surrounding [the 14th and 15th districts] is Republican, Republican districts are necessarily impacted,” attorneys for the Palmer plaintiffs wrote in a court filing. “But all the partisan efforts outside [the districts] are marginal and inconsequential.”
The attorneys also point out that Lasnik did not buy into conservative arguments that Torres’ election meant the 15th District was compliant with voting rights laws. In his ruling, Lasnik said the progress in Latino representation in the state Legislature doesn’t negate roadblocks voters continue to experience in the 15th district.
What’s next
Lasnik, with the help of Mac Donald, the voting expert, will now evaluate the proposal maps — and the rebuttals and responses to those proposals. The court aims to adopt a new redistricting map and transmit it to the Secretary of State’s office by March 25, so the new map can be used for 2024 elections.
The Republican intervenors continue to pursue an appeal of Lasnik’s ruling; however, with the remedial map process underway, that group filed a motion to put the appeals process on hold temporarily while the U.S. District Court completes its process.
The intervenors said they plan to appeal the Court’s decision on a new redistricting plan and then consolidate it with their appeal of the original ruling on the Palmer case.
Intervenors also have an appeal of Palmer before the U.S. Supreme Court. A separate request for a related case, Garcia vs. Hobbs, which was deemed moot by the ruling on Palmer, was also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices are expected to discuss both requests during its conference — when they decide which cases to review — this Friday.
Washington
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
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Washington
How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington
On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
Washington
Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC
Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.
Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.
Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.
End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.
Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.
Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared
À La Carte Menu
Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup
Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce
Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette
Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16
Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus
Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables
New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts
Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake
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