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Washington State Patrol Convenes Traffic Safety Equity Summit in Vancouver – Washington State Patrol

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Washington State Patrol Convenes Traffic Safety Equity Summit in Vancouver – Washington State Patrol


March 14, 2025

Vancouver, WA – On Thursday, March 13th, over 70 individuals gathered at the Washington State Patrol (WSP) District Headquarters in Vancouver to discuss traffic safety issues and how they impact different demographic groups in Washington. WSP Chief John R. Batiste welcomed attendees and shared that fatal collisions in the state are far too high and cut across all racial, regional, gender, and age groups. He told those assembled, “We need your help to understand this growing problem and help us change dangerous driving behaviors that impact us all.”

Over 40 local citizens attended, including several students from local high schools as well as representatives from city and county government, police agencies, tribes, and state agencies. Chief Batiste was especially happy to see the students in attendance and shared a direct message, “We are glad you are here, and we want to be always glad you are here. Far too many young people lose their lives on our highways so the issues we are discussing today – distracted driving, impaired driving, driving too fast, and without a seatbelt – are really all about you, your safety and your futures.”

Issues discussed included road-user rights and responsibilities, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roadway design, and post-crash response services. A few troubling statistics were shared. Fatalities tied to distracted driving were up 36.4% in 2023 and all vehicular fatalities were up by 9% that same year with 810 fatalities on our state’s roadways. An early review of 2024 data shows only slight improvement as the numbers are still higher than in the past, affecting every racial and age demographic, but particularly drivers between the ages of 18 and 25.

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Local troopers, along with representatives from WSDOT, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Target Zero, and local city government worked in small groups with members of the public to review the data and discuss ways to change poor driver behavior and improve safety conditions so that the rising numbers can be suppressed. This was a pilot project coordinated by WSP’s Office of Cultural Engagement and will be replicated in each of the agency’s eight districts across Washington.

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Release sent by Chris Loftis, Director of Communications

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Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

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Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt


The votes weren’t there yet late Wednesday for Democrats’ income tax bill in the Washington state House.Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns.



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Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

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Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI


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.

SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement

Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.

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“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.

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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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Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

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Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth


Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame. 

Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.

“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.

“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”

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Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.

“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”

The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes. 

“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”

When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win. 

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“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”

Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.

“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

  • Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.
  • Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.
  • Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.

The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.

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