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Plans revealed for Washington County’s new public safety building

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Plans revealed for Washington County’s new public safety building


Demolition bid approved for Courthouse Square office building

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This architectural rendering shows the county’s new public safety building that will be built in Washington.

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John Campbell of AE Works unveils architectural renderings and schematic plans of Washington County’s new public safety building to the city’s planning commission as the project gets closer to beginning.

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Mike Jones


Detailed plans for Washington County’s new public safety building were revealed Thursday as the city’s planning commission got its first look at the project.

John Campbell of AE Works and Sean Donnelly of Gateway Engineers unveiled architectural renderings and schematic plans during Washington’s planning commission meeting for an initial pre-development update as the project gets closer to beginning.

“There is a lot of public interaction (with those county services) and they want the building to express that,” Campbell said of the new county public safety building that will replace the Courthouse Square offices.

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The three-story building’s facade will mimic the exterior of the neighboring Crossroads Center county office building across West Beau Street. The public safety building will house the 911 dispatch center, sheriff’s office, booking center and have other various office space for county government, along with some areas for civic institutions to gather for meetings.

The building is designed with large windows and will have easy pathways to the neighboring Family Court Center, although there is no enclosed connector planned over to the Crossroads building.

“We’re trying to make it much more transparent and open to the public,” Campbell said of the public safety building’s design.

Members of the city’s planning commission seemed intrigued by the designs that were presented, although the presenters admitted it’s still in the beginning stages and they’ll have to return with a formal land development application – basically a site plan – that will need final approval from the city.

“You talk about a smaller footprint,” planning commission member Jason Kilgore said. “How much room is there for growth and expansion with this building?”

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Campbell said one area of the building that was labeled “shell” will remain undeveloped to allow for government operations enough room to expand as the county’s population grows.

“I think that’s what the intention is for the ‘shell’ space,” Campbell said.

Some information was still not available during Thursday’s meeting, including the estimated cost of the building and the construction timeline.

“On paper, it looks good,” planning commission member Angelo Musto said. “We’ll just have to see when it’s built.”

As the designs were being discussed at the city building, the Washington County commissioners were meeting at the Crossroads Center building a few blocks away and approving plans to demolish the Courthouse Square office building to make way for the public safety building. The commissioners unanimously approved a $1.555 million bid from Adamo Demolition Co. of Detroit to bring down the building and parking garage that sits behind the Washington County Courthouse.

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The current 911 operations center partially connected to Courthouse Square that faces South Franklin Street will remain standing while the tower and parking garage are demolished so dispatch teams can continue operations. That department will be moved over to the public safety building after it’s constructed.

Campbell said the Courthouse Square building is no longer suitable because the bottom level of the three-story parking garage is heaving upward because the slab was built on poor soil.

“Things are kind of deteriorating over there,” Campbell said.

The new building will have a small parking garage for some employees and the courthouse’s seven judges, but there will not be enough parking for all of the county’s workers. Campbell noted that the Crossroads Parking Garage operated by the Washington Parking Authority has ample space for county workers to park their cars, which they have already been doing for months with the closure of the Courthouse Square parking garage.

“We’re still going through the design and need to answer some questions, including with parking,” Donnelly said.

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The county offered $4 million to purchase that garage from the parking authority last year, but that price was considered too low. The garage is owned by the city, Washington School District and county – the city and school district would receive the lion’s share of the sale revenue – and members of each government entity sit on the parking authority.

The parking authority rebuffed the $4 million offer and instead voted to perform its own appraisal hoping for a higher figure. However, the county walked away from the sale at that point and negotiations have been at a standstill since. It’s not known whether the county might re-engage the parking authority to purchase the garage at a higher price or continue to lease the available parking spots on behalf of county workers.



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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid


Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

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The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

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Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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Washington sues USDA, alleging billions in funds illegally withheld

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Washington sues USDA, alleging billions in funds illegally withheld


Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging the federal agency is illegally withholding billions of dollars in funding and attempting to force states into compliance with unlawful demands.

The complaint, filed as part of a multistate effort, argues the USDA has threatened to cut off critical funding tied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, unless states agree to federal conditions that exceed the agency’s authority, according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.

Other critical programs that would be affected include the school lunch program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program.

Brown’s office said the funding at stake supports the administration of SNAP, a federally funded, state-run program that provides food assistance to millions of low-income Americans. Washington alone receives about $129.5 million annually to administer the program, and disruptions could have “catastrophic” consequences for residents who rely on it, according to the attorney general’s office.

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In the lawsuit, the state alleges the USDA is effectively holding those funds “hostage” to compel states to comply with federal directives, including demands tied to program data and administration, according to the complaint and accompanying news release from Brown’s office.

The legal challenge contends the USDA’s actions violate federal law, including constitutional limits and statutory authority governing the SNAP program. The coalition of states argues the federal government cannot condition funding on requirements that were not authorized by Congress, according to the complaint.

Brown said the lawsuit is aimed at protecting both funding and the people who depend on it.

“The rule of law is on our side,” Brown said in a statement, adding that the state is seeking to ensure continued support for vulnerable residents and prevent federal overreach.

According to the attorney general’s office, SNAP serves as a key safety net nationwide, delivering billions of dollars in food assistance. States administer the program but rely on federal funding to operate it.

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The lawsuit asks the court to declare the USDA’s actions unlawful and block the agency from withholding funds or imposing conditions the states argue are illegal.

The case is the latest in a series of legal challenges involving SNAP, as states push back on what they describe as unprecedented federal demands tied to the program’s operation and funding, according to the Washington attorney general’s office.



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Washington Nationals acquire infielder Jorbit Vivas

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Washington Nationals acquire infielder Jorbit Vivas


The Washington Nationals acquired infielder Jorbit Vivas from the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Sean Paul Liñan on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.
Vivas, 25, hit .270 with 21 doubles, a triple, four home runs, 43 RBI, 64 walks, 12 stolen



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