Columbia Legal Services Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Petition Seeks Early Release Of Some Washington Prison Inmates To Reduce Coronavirus Risk

By Austin Jenkins March 26, 2020

Columbia Legal Services has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington seeking the early release of some inmates to reduce the risk of a coronavirus outbreak. CREDIT: Thomas Hawk / Flickr -TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

The petition for a writ of mandamus by Columbia Legal Services, a civil legal aid law firm, asks the Washington Supreme Court to intervene on behalf of older inmates, those with underlying health conditions and those who are within 18 months of their release date. Read More

Washington Lawmakers Stop Short Of Banning Pesticide Linked To Neurological Problems

By Courtney Flatt March 14, 2020

File photo. A sign at the property of Eric and Mari Perez in Qunicy, Washington, where houses are surrounded by apple orchards. Some people don't want the pesticide chlorpyrifos drifting from orchards to their property. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Washington regulators must soon consider rules to limit the use of a controversial pesticide that can cause neurological and health problems, especially in young children. A bill passed by state lawmakers this session didn’t outright ban the pesticide, as health and farmworker activists had proposed. Read More

Yakima City Council Pulls Strong-Mayor Proposal From Ballot Hours After Opponents File Lawsuits

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa December 11, 2019

The Yakima City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in favor of a proposal that would establish an at-large mayoral position in city government if approved by voters in a February special election. Civil rights organizations say any kind of city-wide elections would disenfranchise Latinx voters in Yakima and would violate the federal Voting Rights Act. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

A proposal to change Yakima’s form of government by replacing the city manager with an elected mayor is off the table — at least for now. City council members voted Tuesday to remove the measure from the February ballot hours after two lawsuits were filed by a coalition of civil rights organizations. Read More