Washington
WSP chief calls for lower BAC limit in Washington
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste has called for lowering Washington’s blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05 BAC.
Batiste said lowering the limit would save lives.
“I’m hired to save lives and to make sure troopers out there are helping to do that. And that is another tool, a law, that will help them do so,” Batiste said on TVW’s Inside Olympia.
From 2017 to 2021, more than half of fatal crashes in Washington involved drivers impaired by drugs and/or alcohol.
Impaired drivers are more likely to speed, less able to react and control their vehicles, and less likely to wear seat belts, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
According to House Bill 2196 estimates, if implemented, the 0.05 limit could save more than 1,700 lives every year, and cut alcohol-related fatalities by 11.1%.
“The goal isn’t to arrest more DUIs. That’s not the goal. The goal is to educate and make people make conscientious decisions and choose not to drive under the influence,” Batiste said.
Utah is only state to lower BAC limit to 0.05
Currently, Utah is the only state in the country that has adopted the 0.05 limit. In the 12 months following its implementation, the state saw fatal crashes drop nearly 20%, serious injury crashes
drop more than 10%, and total crashes drop more than 9.5%.
Batiste said it’s time Washington follows Utah’s lead.
“We’re one of the only industrialized nations in the world who really doesn’t operate at an .05 level. Utah, who was the first state to take that challenge on, and they’ve seen nothing but success,” Batiste said.
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A 26-year-old man had an argument with a co-worker before allegedly fatally shooting the colleague in Washington Heights, prosecutors said Friday.
Bobby Martin, who was charged with first-degree murder Thursday, made his first appearance Friday in Cook County court.
Martin, is accused of killing his co-worker, Antoine Alexander, 32, in a parking lot at 9411 S Ashland Ave about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Chicago police.
Prosecutors said Martin and Alexander worked together at an armed security company and got into a verbal altercation inside the guard shack on Tuesday afternoon. During the altercation, prosecutors said Alexander removed his bullet proof vest and threw it to the ground. A witness, another co-worker, then told the defendant and the victim to take the altercation outside.
After stepping outside, the defendant pulled his firearm and fired one shot into the victims abdomen, prosecutors said. The victim’s firearm was holstered at the time of the argument and the shooting. The defendant fled the scene and came into contact with another co-worker, whom he told that he had just shot Alexander.
Alexander was then taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.
Martin was arrested by authorities three blocks from his home approximately 20 minutes after the shooting, prosecutors said.
Martin was detained and will appear in court again on March 17, authorities said.
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Trinity Rodman signs record deal with Washington Spirit
USWNT forward Trinity Rodman signed a three-year deal with the NWSL’s Washington Spirit. The deal makes Rodman the highest-paid female footballer in the world.
unbranded – Sport
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.
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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