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Redistricting commission agrees to pay fines after violating open-meetings law  bigcountrynewsconnection.com

The Washington State Capitol and Supreme Court buildings, photographed from Heritage Park on Oct. 21, 2020, in Olympia. (Jovelle Tamayo for Crosscut) The settlement resolves two open-meetings lawsuits filed against the five-member commission, a body that meets every 10 years after the U.S. census to decide how to redraw the state’s political districts. As part of Wednesday’s settlement, the R...

Legislation to provide some transparency to police hiring and stop the practice of shuffling “bad apple” officers from one law enforcement agency to another was passed last fall and signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers with little fanfare. There was probably a good reason for that – it doesn’t have much teeth. The intent of the new law is laudable – it requires law enforcement agencies, jails, ...

Erin Wise-Ackenbom is worried her students will be in danger. The Albemarle High School teacher remains double-masked at all times while working. Staying safe from COVID-19 can be challenging due to the thousands of students in the school. But the school division’s mandate that everyone wear masks makes her feel safer, Wise-Ackenbom said. In a matter of days, that’s going to change. On Tuesda...

Japan's Cabinet approved Friday a draft law to promote economic security by strengthening supply chains for vital products such as semiconductors and to better cope with geopolitical risks associated with China and Russia. As global competition intensifies in the high-technology field and concerns grow about cyberattacks, the government aims to enact the bill during the current parliament ses...

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The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety has unanimously approved state Representative Timmy Beson’s plan to preserve and update the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument. Beson’s legislation would keep the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument up to date. The monument, dedicated in 2019 near the state Capitol, commemorates the names of state and local l...

At 9:32 P.M. on Thursday evening, crews from the Palm Coast Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Fire Police, and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported structure fire on Blyth Place in Palm Coast. Upon arrival, crews found heavy black smoke and an active fire in a back bedroom. The quick-thinking of the homeowner to close the bedroom door prevented the fire from ...

A casual game of golf about six months ago has culminated in the merger of two Valley law firms. Lamar Hawkins, partner and manager of Tempe-based Guidant Law Firm, said that a round of golf with Shad Brown and Scott Jensen of Mesa-based Brown & Jensen led to them deciding to join Guidant. Jensen is now a partner with Guidant, while Brown is Of Counsel. "We've been friends for a number of...

Hundreds march for immigration reform in Milwaukee organized by Voces de la Frontera. (Voces director Christine Neumann Ortiz, center) Photo by Isiah Holmes Immigrant rights groups are speaking out against a bill that passed the Assembly this week. AB-176 would allow law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin to hire people enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, ref...