Washington

Maryland to require interlock devices in all DUI offenders' cars

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

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Maryland to require interlock devices in all DUI offenders' cars

Maryland will have a new tool to keep drunken drivers off the roads starting Tuesday.

“It’s been a long, long journey, and it shouldn’t have been.”

The long journey for Rich Leotta started when his son Noah died in 2015. The Montgomery County Police officer was hit and killed while on patrol by a drunk driver.

“I think about Noah all the time,” Leotta said. “I know he’s with me.”

Noah’s Law passed in 2016, requiring ignition interlock devices — like breathalyzers — to be installed in the cars of those convicted of drunk driving in Maryland.

But there was a loophole that allowed thousands of drunk drivers to avoid the program every year. If they were given what’s called probation before judgment, as many are for a first DUI offense, then they weren’t required to participate.

The exemption applied to about 50% of cases statewide.

This past session, Maryland lawmakers closed the loophole, requiring all DUI offenders to participate.

Under the new law, experts predict another 5,700 will be required to get into the ignition interlock program.

supporters say the program is not about punishment — it’s about changing behavior.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who have the ignition interlock device are less likely to drive drunk again in the future.

“But we still have a lot of work to do to make sure every state requires interlock devices beginning with the first offense,” said Stacey Stewart with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Kathleen Riley with Smart Start demonstrated how the device works. If it detects alcohol, you can’t start your car.

“In the state of Maryland, we also have cameras, so it identifies who is trying to take the test,” she said.

For Leotta, the journey isn’t over. He’s working to get legislation passed by Congress to require interlock laws across the country.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, ignition interlocks prevented more than 76,000 drinking and driving attempts in Maryland last year.

All DUI offenders are required to take part in the Ignition Interlock System Program starting Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Convicted drivers will have to install the system and use it for at least 180 days.

Under a new change to the law, all drivers convicted of alcohol-related offense will have to get interlock devices installed in their vehicles.

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Washington

Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant

Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury has announced that she and her husband Matt are expecting a baby in July.

The couple made the announcement in a video on the Spirit’s social media channels, holding a baby goalkeeper jersey on the pitch at Audi Field.

Kingsbury becomes the most recent Spirit star to go on maternity leave, following defender Casey Krueger, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Ashley Hatch.

Sullivan gave birth to daughter Millie in July, while Hatch welcomed her son Leo in January.

Krueger announced she was pregnant with her second child in October.

Kingsbury has served as the Spirit’s starting goalkeeper since 2018, and has been named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year twice (2019 and 2021).

The 34-year-old has two caps with the U.S. women’s national team, and was named to the 2023 World Cup roster.

The club captain will leave a major void for the Spirit, who have finished as NWSL runner-up in back-to-back seasons.

Sandy MacIver and Kaylie Collins are expected to compete for the starting role while Kingsbury is on maternity leave.

The Spirit kick off their 2026 campaign on March 13 against the Portland Thorns.

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Washington

Washington state board awards Yakima $985,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

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Washington state board awards Yakima 5,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design

YAKIMA, Wash. — Yakima could soon take a major step toward redesigning Sixth Avenue after the Washington State Public Works Board awarded the city a $985,600 loan.

The loan was approved for the design engineering phase of the Sixth Avenue project. The funding can also be used along Sixth Avenue for utility replacement and updated ADA use.

The Yakima City Council must decide whether to accept the award. If the council accepts it, the city’s engineering work will move forward with the design of Sixth Avenue.

The cost of installing trolley lines is excluded from the plan. The historic trolleys would need to raise the funds required to add trolley lines.

The award is scheduled to be discussed during next week’s City Council meeting.

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Washington

Microsoft promises more AI investments at University of Washington

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

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Microsoft promises more AI investments at University of Washington

Microsoft will ramp up its investment in the University of Washington.

Brad Smith, the company’s president, made the announcement at a press conference with University of Washington President Robert Jones on Tuesday.

That means hiring more UW graduates as interns at Microsoft, he said.

And he said all students, faculty, and researchers should have access to free, or at least deeply-discounted, AI.

“ Some of it is compute that Microsoft is donating, and some of it is pursuant to an agreement where, believe me, we give the University of Washington probably the best pricing that anybody’s gonna find anywhere,” Smith said. He assured the small group of reporters present that it would be “many millions of dollars of additional computational resources.”

The announcement today didn’t include any specific numbers.

But Smith said Microsoft has already invested $165 million in the UW over several decades.

He pointed to Jones’ vision to spur “radical collaborations with businesses and communities to advance positive change,” and eliminate “any artificial barriers between the university and the communities it serves.”

Microsoft’s goal is for AI to help UW researchers solve some of the world’s biggest problems without introducing new ones.

At Tuesday’s announcement, several research students were present to demonstrate how AI supports their work.

Amelia Keyser-Gibson is an environmental scientist at the UW. She’s using AI to analyze photographs of vines, to find which adapt best to climate change.

It’s a paradox: AI produces carbon emissions. At the same time, it’s also a new tool to help reduce them.

So how do those things square for Keyser-Gibson?

“ That’s a great question, and honestly, I don’t know the answer to that,” she said. “I’m highly aware that there’s a lot of environmental impact of using AI, but what I can say is that this has allowed us to make research innovations that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”

“If we had had to manually annotate every single image that would’ve been an undergrad doing that for hours,” Keyser-Gibson continued. “And we didn’t have the budget. We didn’t have the manpower to do that.”

“AI exists. If we don’t use it as researchers, we’re gonna fall behind.”

Microsoft reports on its own carbon emissions. But like most AI companies, it doesn’t reveal everything.

That’s one reason another UW student named Zhihan Zhang is using AI to estimate how much energy AI is using.

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