Kelsey Turner / InvestigateWest
Stories
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WA renters say unregulated ‘junk fees’ are being used to retaliate, discriminate
While Washington law requires renters to follow all “reasonable” rules set by landlords and restricts certain tenant screening fees, most other fees are not regulated at all by state law. Advocates and attorneys say that creates an opening for housing providers to use excessive fees to target certain renters.
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Education
Washington state wants school districts to keep better track of truant students
Districts say they’re changing practices in effort to keep kids from falling through the cracks.
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Investigations
An Indigenous teen in Washington disappeared. It took police more than a year to start investigating
Experts say Kit Nelson-Mora's case reflects larger issues of law enforcement stereotyping missing Indigenous kids as runaways and criminal jurisdiction confusion within Indian Country.
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Crime
How a Seattle-area school district ignored repeated warnings of ‘grooming-like behavior’
Former Tahoma School District paraeducator Bryan Neyers awaits trial on Sept. 5 on charges related to his alleged sexual abuse of several elementary school boys. For years, Neyers' colleagues had attempted to warn administrators about his suspicious conduct, but he faced no real consequences and continued to work with children.
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Law & Courts
Low-income domestic violence survivors face uphill battle in obtaining court-ordered protections
Advocates are calling for more funding for housing, shelters, and legal services as well as consistent policy implementation.
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Law & Courts
Why many judges in WA won’t order abusers to turn in guns
Washington has some of the strongest firearm regulations in the country. But across the state, many judges have stopped enforcing Washington’s firearm surrender law in civil protection order cases due to their interpretation of a landmark court decision.