Latest news with #JamesHanlon
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Stevens County deputies kill suspect in standoff near Northport
Mar. 24—Stevens County sheriff deputies shot and killed a man while attempting to carry out a felony arrest warrant Sunday in the 3300 block of state Route 25 south of Northport, Washington. According to a sheriff's office news release, the subject of the arrest warrant exited the residence with a firearm on his hip and refused orders to surrender. The sheriff's crisis negotiator was called in, but the man fled the residence on foot after deputies attempted to de-escalate. Deputies followed him, continued to give commands, then deployed a nonlethal pepper ball. The man then pulled his firearm, and "lethal force was utilized to stop the threat," the news release said. Deputies immediately rendered medical aid, and the man was transported to the Colville hospital where he died a short time later. Washington State Patrol's Criminal Investigation Division will lead an investigation. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Reuters
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US Supreme Court turns away dispute over Indiana University bias reporting policy
WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a conservative group's challenge on free speech grounds to Indiana University's policy for monitoring and reporting what the school considers to be bias-motivated incidents. The justices turned away Washington-based group Speech First's appeal of a lower court's ruling denying its request to block the university's policy as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of speech. Indiana University is a public school. The issue of free speech on college and university campuses has become a flashpoint in the U.S. culture wars, with some liberals citing the need to counter hate speech and some conservatives saying schools have enacted policies aimed at silencing views on the right. Speech First, which on its website says it is dedicated to fighting "toxic censorship culture on college campuses," has sued at least nine universities over their speech policies. Its 2024 lawsuit against Indiana University President Pamela Whitten and other school officials sought to block enforcement of the bias incident reporting policy. The school's main campus is located in Bloomington, Indiana. The policy defines "bias incidents" as "any conduct, speech, or expression, motivated in whole or in part by bias or prejudice meant to intimidate, demean, mock, degrade, marginalize or threaten individuals or groups based on that individual or group's actual or perceived identities," according to court records. Under the policy, opens new tab, students are asked to submit a report to alert the university if they experience, witness or are aware of a bias incident. "Indiana University is committed to creating welcoming, inclusive, and respectful campus communities where everyone can thrive and do their best work - a place where all are treated with civility and respect," the university states on its website. In the lawsuit, Speech First said the policy violated the First Amendment rights of its student members at Indiana University. The group also said the speech standards defined in the policy were so vague as to deprive students of their constitutional right to understand what conduct is prohibited. The university's bias incidents policy marshals the authority of university administrators "to police speech that someone believes is motivated by 'bias,'" the lawsuit states. "This policy poses a grave risk of chilling the open and unfettered discourse that should be central to higher education." The group said that students accused of "bias incidents" can be referred for formal disciplinary proceedings, but school officials disputed this in court papers. U.S. District Judge James Hanlon in August 2024 denied Speech First's request to block the Indiana University policy, finding that the group lacked the necessary legal standing to bring their legal challenge. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in September 2024 upheld Hanlon's ruling, prompting Speech First's appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in March 2024 sidestepped Speech First's challenge to Virginia Tech University's policy for monitoring and reporting allegations of bias against LGBT people, racial minorities, religious groups and others.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Word of firings at Grand Coulee Dam remains uncertain
Feb. 21—COULEE DAM, Wash. — Rumors are swirling in the towns around the country's largest hydroelectric dam that employees are being quietly laid off amid the recent slashing of the federal workforce. Workers at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center referred questions to the Bureau of Reclamation's general email for press inquiries. Reclamation did not immediately respond. Municipal officials and residents from Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, Electric City and Elmer City on Friday reported either not knowing anything or hearsay that a handful of employees had been fired. The Star newspaper in Grand Coulee reported it is looking into tips about the firings from employees. "So far, those affected may be in the tens, not hundreds, but the process seems to be in full bloom," the Star wrote in an article Wednesday. Of Reclamation's 6,000 employees, about 550 work at the dam, according to a 2017 article by Cory Dunlap, training administrator for the bureau's Grand Coulee Power Office. The critical infrastructure manages water levels of Lake Roosevelt flowing into the Columbia River, generates 6,800 megawatts of electricity for eight western states and Canada, and provides irrigation for the Columbia Basin Project. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Spokane cold snap expected to let up with more snow Thursday evening
Feb. 11—A week of bitterly cold temperatures should improve Thursday as a fresh layer of snow falls across the Inland Northwest. A low of -2 degrees was measured at Spokane International Airport Tuesday morning — that's 29 degrees below the normal low, said Daniel Butler, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Spokane. The high Tuesday was 18 degrees. A cold weather advisory is in effect through noon Wednesday, though temperatures are expected to remain in the single digits overnight again through Thursday morning. The arrival of a moist airmass over the region should warm temperatures into the upper 20s Thursday and bring milder overnight lows in the low 20s. Two to 3 inches of snow is forecasted Thursday evening through Friday, with more snow possible Saturday night through Monday. Snow could affect the Friday morning commute. Heavier snow is expected over mountain passes and at higher elevations. Temperatures are expected to warm closer to normal by Monday with highs above freezing. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Bus driver from Spokane was among four who died in crash near Wenatchee
Feb. 10—A 66-year-old Spokane man who was driving a charter bus on state Route 28 east of Wenatchee died Sunday when a passenger car attempting to pass opposite traffic collided head-on with the bus. The 17-year-old female driver of the Toyota Camry and her 17-year-old male passenger, both of East Wenatchee, were pronounced dead at the scene, a Washington State Patrol news release said. Eight bus passengers, including one who later died from injuries, were transported to Confluence Health Hospital in Wenatchee. The names of the deceased were not released, but the news release noted their hometowns. The driver and two child passengers of a third vehicle struck in the collision were uninjured, according to a news release from WSP. Among the passengers on the bus six were from Spokane, not including the driver. three of those passengers were injured, WSP said. Another passenger from Spokane Valley was not injured. The Northwestern Stage Lines bus was on its regularly scheduled route from Seattle to Spokane, owner Jacob Price said in an email. There were approximately 20 passengers on board. A news release from the Spokane-based company described the driver as "talented and dedicated." "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking event," the statement said. The crash occurred at about 1:30 p.m. near Rock Island Dam. Washington State Patrol is investigating. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
