Washington
Washington panel set to consider Trump’s ballroom project in March
Washington – President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project may get a blessing from Washington planning authorities as soon as next month.
Trump razed the White House’s East Wing in October to make way for a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) addition that he says will be privately financed. The administration planned the neoclassical building’s ribbon-cutting for summer 2028 as part of the most extensive remaking of the U.S. capital’s landscape in decades.
The National Capital Planning Commission said it would consider “approval of preliminary and final site and building plans” on March 5, according to a tentative meeting agenda posted online.
The commission is one of two federal bodies, along with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, assigned a role in overseeing key D.C.-area building projects.
Neither group is expected to block or delay Trump’s plans. Trump picked several members of both groups, and his former personal lawyer Will Scharf chairs the National Capital Planning Commission.
But federal courts are scrutinizing the project. A judge last month expressed skepticism about whether the administration had authority to proceed with construction after a demolition that Congress didn’t approve.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in December, arguing that the project lacked the required approvals and environmental review.
In documents supporting its proposal and posted online by the commission, the Trump administration said it concluded that demolition of the East Wing was “the most effective solution to many longstanding issues affecting the White House” in light of the 120-year-old structure’s limitations, poor energy efficiency and limited accessibility for people with disabilities.
The White House’s disclosures were the most extensive description of the project to date, including illustrations by architect Shalom Baranes.
In those disclosures, the White House said the administration planned to incorporate some preserved items from the East Wing, such as its cornerstone and a pergola designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei.
WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — Officers in Washington Township, said they finished a DoorDash food delivery after arresting the driver who had warrants out for his arrest.
Body camera video shows officers stepping in to deliver the food themselves, a move the department in southern New Jersey later shared on its Facebook page.
“I thought something happened. Oh my God, I got so scared,” said the customer when she answered the door.
The DoorDash customer, seen on police body cam video, was instantly relieved and appreciative upon learning why officers were at her door.
“Arrested your driver, but, yeah, we delivered your food,” one of the officers said.
It turns out a Washington Township police officer stopped the DoorDash driver during routine patrols in front of a high school over the weekend.
“He made a stop on it for a violation,” said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.
But then, Chief Gurcsik said the officer learned the driver had warrants out for his arrest in another county.
“He made the officers aware that he had two DoorDash meals in the car that he was in the middle of delivering,” Gurcsik said.
The officers went from cuffing the driver to ringing a doorbell to finish his delivery.
“I never heard of anything like that in the South Jersey area. It’s sort of a first for us here in Washington Township, definitely,” Gurcsik said.
Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey
It’s happened in other places, too, including in New Mexico last summer, when a motorcycle cop delivered someone’s Chick-fil-A order after arresting the driver.
“Hello, sir, got your DoorDash. Oh, thank you,” the officer said. “He’s a good kid, give him five stars. He just didn’t take care of a simple insurance ticket.”
And officers over in Arizona made a similar arrest during a traffic stop and were seen on body camera finishing the delivery.
“Your GrubHub, still delivered your pizza,” the officer said.
“We definitely serve the community in more ways than one,” Gurcsik said.
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SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
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Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
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