Friday, November 14, 2025

Local News

What to know about and how to view September’s full moon, lunar eclipse

The full moon might look red this weekend, depending on where you are. A lunar eclipse will make September's full moon appear red this weekend... depending on where you are.   Lunar eclipses, the opposite of solar eclipses, happen when the Earth is positioned between the full moon and sun. The red glow is creates earns these types of eclipses the title of "blood moon."  The main show, a total eclipse, will be visible in Asia — from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines, as far north as the Arctic Ocean all the way down to Antarctica — as well as parts of East Africa and the western half of Australia. The rest of Africa and Australia, as well as Europe, will be treated to some but not all of the action. Tidbits will be visible from the Brazilian coast and part of Alaska. The eclipse will not be seen in the United States since its peak illumination will be at 2 p.m. ET. Despite this, many   When is the blood moon eclipse? The full moon and eclipse will happen late Sunday, Sept. 7, into Monday, Sept. 8 and last roughly an hour and 22 minutes, according to the Associated Press.  Will America see September's blood moon? The eclipse is unlikely to be seen in the United States. Americans will have to wait until March to see the next blood moon, total lunar eclipse.  According to NASA, on March 3, 2026, another total lunar eclipse will be visible from the Americas. Just a few months later, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 27-28, 2026. After that, our next total lunar eclipse won't happen again until June 2029. Here's a video from Space.com as to when and where the total lunar eclipse will be seen.  Your browser does not support HTML5 video. How to watch the blood moon Time and Date has a YouTube livestream already up in preparation for the full lunar eclipse. It can be found here.  When is the next full moon? If you miss this one, mark your calendar for the next full moon, which will rise Monday, Oct. 6, known as the Hunter’s Moon, or the Harvest Moon due to the timing of the autumnal equinox. After that, 2025 will bring: Nov. 5: Beaver MoonDec. 4: Cold Moon Why does the moon turn red during a lunar eclipse? The moon appears to turn crimson thanks to the same process that makes our skies blue and our sunsets red, NASA says.  When sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, blue light scatters more easily while red light travels more directly through the air. During a lunar eclipse, some of the sunlight passes all the way through the Earth's atmosphere and reaches the moon's surface, giving it a subtle glow.  "It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon," NASA says. The space agency says the intensity of the moon's color depends on the amount of dust or clouds in the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the eclipse — the more clouds or dust there is, the redder it appears.  Do you need glasses to see a lunar eclipse?  No, unlike a solar eclipse (when the sun is blocked by the moon), a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to watch. They happen when the earth's shadow blocks sunlight from hitting the moon, meaning there's no direct sunlight to damage anybody's eyes.  During a solar eclipse, the light of the sun is still visible around the edges of the moon, posing a danger to the eyes of sky watchers.  Usually when you look at the sun in the sky, the bright light damages the retinas in the back of your eyes. In fact, it can cause permanent damage in a matter of seconds, according to Scientific America.  Eclipse glasses, similar to masks used by welders, are often used to allow people to watch a solar eclipse.  Technically, you don't need any eye protection during the height of a solar eclipse, when day turns to night and the sun is completely covered by the moon. In those minutes of complete darkness, the sun's corona won't be as bright, only appearing as streams of white light around the moon. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

5 years later, family is still searching for missing Anacortes woman

Laynee Westbrook disappeared September 10, 2020, under suspicious circumstances. Her family is offering a reward for information leading to her location. ANACORTES, Wash. — Five agonizing years have passed since Laynee Westbrook went missing from Anacortes, and her family and friends are still searching for answers as hope continues to fade. Posters with Westbrook's picture can still be seen around Anacortes, but the trail to find her or the person responsible for her disappearance has gone cold. Westbrook, who would be 46 now, was someone who was always there for her friends and family. She was a staple at graduations, weddings and other important moments.  "I mean that was just kind of her presence: Here I am! The party can begin," said Michelle Hansen, who considered Laynee her best friend since sophomore year in high school.  Now her loved ones are coming to grips with the possibility that she might be gone forever. "It's not fair that someone took her from us," said Hansen. "They felt like they could just take her away. It's not right." Westbrook disappeared Sept. 10, 2020, after going to hang out with a male friend. She left the San Juan Motel in Anacortes around 6:30 p.m. Surveillance video caught her at a gas station near the Swinomish Casino at 7:15 p.m. Her family believes Westbrook then went to the Thousand Trails Campground in La Conner with the same man, where witnesses reported hearing a fight between a man and woman. Police named that man as a "person of interest" at the time, but no arrests were ever made. "There's nothing. We are no closer today than we were five years ago. That's the most heartbreaking thing about this," a family member said. Westbrook's phone and bank accounts remain untouched. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts. Anyone with information should call Anacortes Police at 360-299-1985.  Westbrook's mother, Barb Kopp, said her daughter would never intentionally put anyone through an ordeal like this. She says she still has dreams about her daughter, and those may be the closest she comes to ever seeing her again. "It's devastating," said Kopp, fighting back tears. "She was my best friend."  Westbrook's family is planning a vigil Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Causland Memorial Park in Anacortes. The public is encouraged to attend. KING 5's More Than a Number series seeks to give a face to those killed and a voice to their family and closest friends. If you would like to honor a loved one you lost, you can use the form below or email us at MoreThanANumber@king5.com to tell us about them, and we will add them to our memorial page.  If you need help or support in your time of loss, please visit our resource guide. For more details on this project, please visit king5.com/MoreThanANumber.

Washington Ecology calls DOE report unscientific, fights rollback of climate rules

State scientists say federal draft report justifying environmental rollbacks is riddled with errors, from sea ice data to wildfire trends. SHORELINE, Wash. — Washington state scientists are rebuking a federal draft report that could be used to roll back environmental regulations, calling its science inaccurate and misleading. On Friday, the state Department of Ecology issued a formal condemnation of the U.S. Department of Energy report, which the Trump administration is using to justify revoking a 2009 government finding that climate change threatens public health and welfare. That “endangerment finding” underpins many pollution rules for cars, power plants and other sources. RELATED: Washington AG Nick Brown sues Trump administration over 'illegally withholding' climate funding The DOE report claims climate models have overstated warming, that long-term disaster trends show little change, and that climate has limited economic impacts. But state officials and outside experts say the document is riddled with basic errors. One example: the report stated that Arctic sea ice has declined about 5% since 1980. It cited a chart from the National Snow and Ice Data Center — but the chart tracked Antarctic ice. In reality, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by more than 40%. The Associated Press surveyed nearly 350 scientists cited in or familiar with the DOE and EPA documents. Of the 64 who responded, 53 gave the reports negative reviews. Only seven praised them. In a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller accused the department of omitting decades of peer-reviewed evidence and violating federal standards for scientific integrity. “This is not a game. Wildfire smoke, heat waves and drought are putting lives and livelihoods at risk here in Washington,” Sixkiller said. The DOE report also claimed U.S. wildfire acreage had not increased since 2007. But Yale climate researchers, using National Interagency Fire Center data, found the opposite: the 10-year average burn rose from 6.5 million acres in 2007 to nearly 7.6 million in 2024. “We’ve seen entire communities and homes burned down, and then many of the people in Washington have been affected by the smoke that lingers in the air for days, harming their public health,” said Jennifer Hennessy, special assistant to the Ecology director. “We know that downplaying those risks and those impacts is not helpful.” Washington is legally required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 45% below 1990 levels by 2030. Ecology officials warn that rolling back federal standards would make that target harder to reach. KING 5’s Tess Wagner and the Associated Press’ Seth Borenstein and Michael Phillis contributed to this report.

Trump wants to remove artifacts of America’s darker past. Museum leaders push back

President Donald Trump said the Smithsonian only discusses "how horrible are country is," but local museum leaders say he misses the deeper story. SEATTLE — A beacon of American innovation and preservation, the unparalleled collections of the Smithsonian Institution have been deepening our understanding of world culture since the mid-1800s.  But the world's largest museum complex is coming under fire, and long standing exhibits are in jeopardy.  On his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump claimed that the Smithsonian is "out of control, where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been."  An NBC investigation from May found that at least 32 artifacts were removed from the African American History Museum in Washington, D.C., following an order from Trump directing institutions to remove exhibits that "divide Americans based on race." These artifacts include Harriet Tubman's book of hymns and "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass." Local leaders from some of Seattle's top museums say there's a deeper story of hardship and triumph that the president is missing in these exhibits. "This is our history, and our history is very complicated," said Scott Stulen, executive director of the Seattle Art Museum. "There are a lot of parts of it that maybe we aren't so proud of - there are parts of it that we are proud of, but we need to show both of those things."  CEO and President of the Northwest African American Museum, Brandon Bird, emphasized the importance of seeing the full picture of the United States.  "We can't remove certain segments of our history," Bird said. "If we're gonna really share and fully understand the full arc of our nation's history...slavery is part of that fabric of the story. We owe it to all of us, as citizens and as stewards of that history, to make sure we're telling a full, factual story of our local population and beyond."  Stulen said, it hasn't been for very long at all that museums have actually strived to tell the full story of their communities - he said it's important not to go back.  "I think it's a danger if you're having any administration, it doesn't matter what party it is, that's controlling that narrative we want to be basing our stories on, principles and values, and telling a complete history from multiple perspectives. That's the role of museums," Stulen said.  Stulen revealed that the Seattle Art Museum has already lost all of its federal funding over the course of a few years. He estimated the funding losses to be between $400,000 to $700,000.  Bird said at this moment he recognizes there are attempts to remove, or even rewrite parts of U.S. history.  "The momentum is stressful, both as the lead steward of a beautiful museum, but also as an individual citizen," he said. "That said, we've been here before as a country, and we have examples that we can rely upon to remain courageous, supplement our endurance." Bird said at this time he is leaning into fulfilling the mission of the Northwest African American Museum, which includes using "Black heritage to cultivate healing and hope for all." "It's through the advancement of our mission where we're really able to elevate our commonality with our diverse population and really create a level of dialogue that honestly contributes to the advancement of our region, and our nation as a whole," Bird said. 

Laotian refugee and West Seattle father taken into ICE custody during regular check-in

Alan Phetsadakone has been checking in with ICE every year since his felony conviction in 1997 without any issues. SEATTLE — A West Seattle family is fighting to bring their father home after he was taken into custody by ICE.  Alan Phetsadakone's wife, Cheryl Eugenio, said Phetsadakone went in for his regular check-in with immigration officials at the Tukwila office in August. She waited for him outside the building but he never came out. "After that I checked my phone and there was a message," Eugenio said. "He just said they were taking him into Tacoma." Phetsadakone is currently detained at the Northwest ICE processing Center in Tacoma.  Mo Hamoudi is a partner with Stritmatter Law and Phetsadakone's attorney. The Seattle Clemency Project reached out and Hamoudi took on Alan's case as co-counsel, free.  Phetsadakone who arrived as a refugee from Laos when he was a baby, grew up in Seattle. Eugenio said he has no ties or family members in Laos. "When he was a teenager, around 17 and 18, he made a mistake, he was involved in a check running scheme," Hamoudi explained. "He got caught, he cooperated, he helped, he took responsibility, and when he did that he plead guilty to a federal felony, and in doing that he had to have advice about his status here as a refugee, he got bad advice." Hamoudi said Alan's criminal defense attorney said his guilty plea wouldn't mean deportation during his hearing in 1996.  "We have here is not a certainty of deportation if there is a conviction, nor necessarily a certainty of extended confinement," Phetsadakone's attorney can be heard in a recording of that hearing. Hamoudi is arguing, had Alan known about the future consequences of potential deportation, he never would have pleaded guilty.  After nearly 25 years of yearly check-ins with out issue, Hamoudi said he believes the feds are acting on one thing: "Fear. The country is going through a change, and people are afraid that letting a person like Alan stay here is going to do something that's gonna stop what's happening as to the change in the country," he said. In the meantime, Cheryl is hoping to prove, Alan was never the worst of the worst that the Trump administration promised to lock up. "It's so unfair, that we have to go through this. This is where his life is," Eugenio said. "He paid for his mistake. Lot of people make mistakes. why not give him that second chance to live his life with his family?" Federal Judge Jamal Whitehead heard Phetsadakone's Temporary Restraining Order case Friday morning. Judge Whitehead said he needed more time to make a decision. If he grants the TRO, Phetsadakone would at least temporarily be protected from immediate deportation.

Star-studded tribute to honor Ozzy Osbourne at MTV VMAs

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Yungblud and Nuno Bettencourt will pay tribute to the "Prince of Darkness" at Sunday's VMAs. NEW YORK — MTV announced Friday that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, along with Yungblud and Nuno Bettencourt, will perform a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne during Sunday's Video Music Awards ceremony. The performers will unite for a performance honoring the legendary "Prince of Darkness" and metal luminary with a medley of his greatest hits.  Osbourne died July 22 at the age of 76. A death certificate listed cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease as the leading causes, citing Parkinson’s disease as a contributing condition.  Yungblud, Tyler and Bettencourt were among the artists who joined Osbourne in his Back to the Beginning concert just weeks before his death.  "I'll try my best to do you proud Oz," Yungblud said in a post on social media. "Tune in from up there. I love you forever."  They’ve asked me to pay tribute to you at the vmas on Sunday night. I’ll try my best to do you proud Oz. Tune in from up there. I love you forever. 🦇🦇🦇Posted by Yungblud on Friday, September 5, 2025 With more than 120 million albums sold worldwide, Ozzy, the global rock icon, multi-platinum singer-songwriter and pop culture phenom made his name as the frontman of Black Sabbath before launching a successful solo career.  Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist. Later this year, Paramount+ will debut the feature-length documentary, "Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now." How to watch the 2025 MTV VMAs The 2025 MTV VMAs will be hosted by LL Cool J and will air live on CBS, MTV and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET from New York's UBS Arena.  Paramount+ subscribers with a Premium subscription will be able to stream the show live. Essential subscribers will be able to stream it the day after it airs.  Lady Gaga leads the nominations this year with 12, but close behind are Bruno Mars, who received 11 nominations, and Kendrick Lamar, who has 10. Special honorees this year include Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and Busta Rhymes.

University of Washington program uses sports to teach mental health skills: HealthLink

The "Mentally Strong" initiative helps young athletes develop critical coping strategies through sports. SEATTLE — As students head back to school and the fall sports season begins, there's growing recognition that athletic programs can do more than just build physical fitness. A local initiative is using sports to teach young people crucial mental health and coping skills. Preparing for life's inevitable challenges starts at a young age. In a fast-paced world often propelled by social media, taking care of mental health is as important as ever. "Really thinking about, how do you manage stress, how do you get through a stressful moment, how do you deal with big, emotional challenges?" said Dr. Sara Chrisman, a pediatrician and professor of adolescent medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Chrisman is part of an innovative program based at the UW's Sports Institute that helps young students navigate stress—not only through physical fitness, but through mental stamina. "It's a perfect place to kind of practice some of these skills that help you for life," Chrisman said. Program origins The idea came to her a few years ago while watching teenage Olympic ice skaters struggle emotionally after losing. As Dr. Chrisman puts it, they lacked coping skills for managing failure. "We could use sport as a way of teaching these kinds of coping skills because when you play sports, there's lots of amazing things that happen but they're also stressful. You're going to fail, you're going to miss that goal, you're going to drop the ball and you're going to do it publicly in front of all of these people," Chrisman said. The Sports Institute points out that 40% of teens struggle with depression and anxiety, calling it a crisis. It's also worsened by the pandemic, which Dr. Chrisman said provided an unexpected, natural experiment. "During the pandemic, a lot of sports shut down, and I think parents saw their kids isolated, not physically active, not seeing their friends, and could see the impact of that," Dr. Chrisman said. The "Mentally Strong" program Through a program called "Mentally Strong," the Sports Institute designed an educational tool that trains coaches to teach athletes how to manage stress and reset after tough moments. Rather than using clinical terms like meditation or mindfulness, the program uses sports language, like controlling breathing to help focus and get through challenging moments. "The truth is, it's to be a better athlete, a better student, a better human, because these are really skills for life," Chrisman said. The initiative has been piloted at Ballard, Ingraham, and Garfield high schools in Seattle with the goal of launching an app to support more schools interested in the program. For more information, visit https://thesportsinstitute.com/our-work/mentally-strong/

‘Rays of hope shining through’: Doctor, father give update on Sophia Forchas, shot at Annunciation

Dr. Galicich, Forchas' surgeon, said she suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of her head, and the bullet remains lodged in her brain. MINNEAPOLIS — The father of one of the Annunciation Church shooting victims gave an update about his daughter's condition Friday, alongside the neurosurgeon who operated on her, saying 12-year-old Sophia Forchas isn't "out of the woods" just yet, but she does continue to recover.  "The door's been opened a little bit and there's some rays of hope shining through," Dr. Walt Galicich said. "... If you had told me at this juncture, 10 days later that we'd be standing here with any ray of hope, I would have said it would take a miracle." Galicich said Forchas suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of her head, and the bullet remains lodged in her brain. In response, surgeons had to remove the left half of her skull to give her brain the room it needed to swell, he said. Galicich went on to detail Forchas' injuries along the path of the bullet, which damaged "some critical [blood] vessels." The surgeon said the team of doctors operating on Forchas tried to save as much of a critical blood vessel as possible, as well as stop the bleeding, before inserting a pressure monitor and relocating her to the ICU, where she's spent most of her time heavily sedated in a sort of medically induced coma. As of Friday, Galicich said Forchas has shown enough improvement to allow for her to wake up more. "She's very purposeful on her left side of her body, she's got some slight movement in her right leg and she's opening her eyes," he said. "She's no longer fixed and dilated, and the pressures in her brain are OK — and hopefully they'll remain that way... We're starting to get out of that worrisome window, but we're not out of it yet." Tom Fochas, Sophia's father, spoke next, thanking the first responders and hospital officials who were determined to keep his daughter alive, especially Dr. Galicich. "To Dr. Galicich, thank you," he said. "Thank you for using the talents God gave you to save our daughter. Without your skill, your precision and your attentiveness, Sophia would not be here today. On behalf of our entire family, Dr. Galicich, thank you." He also thanked others in the community who he said have helped his family "through this nightmare." "Your courage, your compassion and your love have carried us," he said. Galicich ended the press conference by saying he expects improvements over the coming weeks, but it's possible the injury will have lasting neurological impacts. "Time will tell, and hopefully we'll continue to see some gradual improvements, but it's just very difficult to say when she's going to be out of the woods."

Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut passenger flight’s engines pleads guilty, no contest

His attorney says Emerson agreed to the deals because he wants to take responsibility and hopes to avoid more time behind bars. PORTLAND, Ore. — A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit reached separate plea deals with state and federal prosecutors on Friday. Attorney Noah Horst said his client, Joseph Emerson, agreed to the deals because he wants to take responsibility and hopes to avoid more time behind bars. He declined to provide details prior to Friday's hearing. Emerson was subdued by a flight crew after trying to pull emergency handles that would have cut fuel to the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023. He was not the flight's captain or co-pilot, but was riding in a jump seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board. Emerson later told police he was despondent over a friend’s death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier and had gone more than 40 hours without sleep. He said he believed he was dreaming and was trying to wake himself up when he grabbed the handles. Federal prosecutors charged him with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon added 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. Emerson previously pleaded not guilty, but was expected to change his plea Friday to guilty on the federal charge and no contest on the state charges, which carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea, according to the Associated Press. In federal court, Emerson pleaded guilty Friday to interfering with flight crew members and attendants. He faces a maximum sentence in that case of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years' supervised release. His sentencing in federal court is scheduled for Nov. 17. As part of the plea agreement, Emerson agreed to pay full restitution to the victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon. On Friday afternoon, Emerson appeared before a Multnomah County judge to change his plea on the dozens of state charges to no contest. Victims were given the opportunity to deliver impact statements, which several did. Emerson also made an emotional statement of apology to the victims alongside his plea, saying he was in recovery for alcohol use and had started a nonprofit dedicated to getting pilots better mental health care. "What happened was wrong and it shouldn't have happened," Emerson said. "And I bear the responsibility for that." Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Albrecht sentenced Emerson to 50 days in jail for the state charges, with credit for time served. He'll also need to complete 664 hours of community service — hours for each of the victims, along with five years' probation. What happened inside the flight According to court records, when the plane was between Astoria and Portland, Emerson declared, “I’m not okay,” threw his headset and tried to pull the two red handles controlling the fire suppression system. Alaska Airlines said gate agents and the crew noticed no signs of impairment before the flight. Emerson held a valid FAA medical certificate and was eligible for the cockpit jump seat as a current Alaska Airlines captain. The airline has since relieved him of his duties. Police records say Emerson had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time several days earlier but showed no indication of distress during the first part of the flight. Emerson was released from custody in December 2023 pending trial, under conditions requiring him to undergo mental health treatment, avoid drugs and alcohol, and stay away from aircraft. The case renewed scrutiny of cockpit safety and pilot mental health, including a New York Times documentary examining the incident. Amy-Xiaoshi DePaola contributed reporting to this article. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

TransUnion breach exposes personal data of 4.4M Americans

The incident appears to be linked to a wave of cyberattacks targeting third-party Salesforce applications. CHICAGO — Hackers accessed personal information of 4.4 million Americans in a cyber incident affecting credit reporting agency TransUnion, the company revealed in regulatory filings.  The breach involved personal information stored in a third-party application, including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth, according to notifications filed with attorneys general in Maine and Texas. The incident began on July 28 and was discovered two days later, TransUnion told regulators. The company stressed that its core credit database and credit reports were not compromised. TransUnion said the breach did not affect its primary credit reporting systems. The Chicago-based company is one of three major U.S. credit bureaus, along with Experian and Equifax. TransUnion has begun notifying affected customers and is offering free credit monitoring services. Customers can also check if their data was compromised by calling TransUnion's Fraud Victim Assistance Department at 800-680-7289.   The incident appears to be linked to a wave of cyberattacks targeting third-party Salesforce applications, according to cybersecurity experts. Multiple companies have reported similar breaches involving unauthorized access to Salesforce-connected systems. In 2017, credit reporting agency Equifax suffered a massive data breach, which exposed personal information of approximately 147 million Americans. That incident, one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, compromised Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and driver's license numbers. Equifax eventually paid more than $700 million in settlements and fines related to the breach. The Equifax incident led to increased regulatory scrutiny of credit reporting agencies and prompted congressional hearings on data security practices. It also resulted in new state and federal legislation aimed at strengthening consumer data protection. Security experts recommend that individuals affected by the TransUnion breach monitor their credit reports, consider placing fraud alerts on their accounts, and watch for suspicious activity. Consumers can request free credit reports from all three major bureaus at annualcreditreport.com. Law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe announced it is investigating the TransUnion breach, indicating potential legal action in the future.  TransUnion has not disclosed whether it plans to offer financial compensation to affected customers or what specific security measures it is implementing to prevent future breaches.
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JBLM soldier sentenced for sexually assaulting college student in barracks

A military judge sentenced Pvt. Deron Gordon to over six years in prison for sexually assaulting a college student. JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — A Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier who sexually assaulted a college student in the barracks in 2024 was sentenced to more than six years in prison Friday. A military judge sentenced Pvt. Deron Gordon, 20, to six years and three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one specification each of sexual assault, abusive sexual contact and as a principal to indecent recording. Gordon was previously charged with additional crimes, but those were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Gordon is one of four soldiers who were charged in in connection to the sexual assault of a college student, who is now a commissioned Army officer, in October 2024. When Gordon pleaded guilty, he said that he and another soldier followed the college student into a bedroom after she had been drinking with them. He said she was unstable walking into the room and when they went inside she was on the bed and not responsive. Gordon said he and the other soldier each proceeded to have sex with her and they filmed each other sexually assaulting her on Snapchat. As part of his sentencing, Gordon will be reduced in rank to E-1 and dishonorably discharged from the Army. Gordon will serve the remainder of his sentencing at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Once he is released, Gordon must register as a sex offender. The three other soldiers who were charged in the incident are at different points in the legal process, and their cases are being treated separately. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources are available on the Washington State Department of Health's website. KING 5’s Conner Board contributed to this report. 
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Charlie Sheen Says He Turned to Alcohol to Help His Stutter

Charlie Sheen Drinking Helped Me Find My Voice!!!

Josh Allen Calls Out Bills Fans Who Left Before Comeback Win, ‘Have Some Faith’

Josh Allen Hey, Bills Mafia Have Some Faith Next Time!!!

Teen sentenced in 2023 deadly Metro bus shooting near White Center

In the plea agreement, the teen said he recognized the man from pulling a gun on him on the bus several days prior and was nervous and scared. WHITE CENTER, Wash. — A teenager was sentenced Friday to over 23 years in prison for shooting and killing a man aboard a King County Metro bus near White Center in 2023. King County Judge Brian McDonald sentenced Miguel Rivera Dominguez, 19, to 23 years and 4 months in prison, with credit for time served. Prison time will be followed by three years of community custody. The sentencing comes after Rivera Dominguez pleaded guilty July 3 of first-degree premeditated murder. On Oct. 3, 2023, Rivera Dominguez fired five shots from “point blank range” at the head and neck of Marcel Da'jon Wagner, 21, who appeared to be asleep aboard the bus near Southwest Roxbury Street and 15th Avenue Southwest, according to charging documents. In the plea agreement, Rivera Dominguez said he recognized Wagner from having “pulled a gun” on him on the bus a few days prior. “i was nervous and scared when I saw him on 10/3/23 but he was not threatening me and I was not acting in self-defense,” Rivera Dominguez wrote. There were 15 other passengers on the bus at the time, but none of them were injured in the shooting. Rivera Dominguez, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, fled after the incident and remained at large for a month before he turned himself in. The shooting prompted concerns about safety aboard King County Metro buses. After the shooting, Metro said it would add security to the H Line, expanding transit security officers who patrol buses and transit centers.

Let’s Go Washington launches initiative campaign on trans youth sports, parental rights

Let's Go Washington, the backers of the 2024 initiatives, is looking for signatures again. OLYMPIA, Wash. — Let's Go Washington is back in the initiative game. The organization, founded by Brian Heywood, sponsored several initiatives in 2024 changing state law. Heywood announced Monday signatures are being gathered to submit two initiatives to the 2026 state Legislature or potentially voters. The initiatives relate to parental rights and trans youth athletes. Heywood's organization achieved significant victories last year when voters supported initiatives restricting natural gas use and overturning state laws limiting police pursuits. The state Legislature also passed Let's Go Washington-backed measures banning income taxes and guaranteeing parental rights to access school records. The success came after Heywood invested more than $5 million of his own money into seven initiatives. "Someone has to stand up and fight back. And what I think I've done is given the voice. I've given voice to 1.2 million people who signed at least one of our initiatives," Heywood said. However, the organization faced a setback earlier this year when Gov. Bob Ferguson signed legislation overhauling the "parents bill of rights" initiative.  "It stripped all the parts about parental notification or parental access to information," Heywood said. In response, Let's Go Washington is now gathering signatures for two new campaigns. The first seeks to overturn Ferguson's recent law, restoring their original parental rights initiative. The second would require physicians to assign genders to youth athletes during physicals, prohibiting those considered males from competing against females. "Allowing biological males to compete in girls sports is a blatant, a flagrant violation of Title IX, I would argue, and also extremely unfair to girls who've worked really hard to get in a position to be top athletes," Heywood said. Despite failing to pass initiatives targeting the state's climate law, long-term care savings program, and capital gains tax in 2024, Heywood remains optimistic about his organization's impact.  "Four out of seven, I'm pretty, pretty happy with what we did, and we're not done," he said. If the organization can collect enough signatures by the end of the year, the issues would be submitted to the state Legislature. Lawmakers could either pass the initiatives or let voters decide in November 2026.