Free Republic

<p>SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A U.S. judge in Spokane has firmly rejected a water park's challenge to Gov. Jay Inslee's emergency powers as the state responds to the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>Slidewaters LLC, a water park in Chelan, sued the governor and the Department of Labor Industries last month, saying that Inslee abused his power in declaring the emergency and that the state's restrictions were likely to prevent it from opening for the summer.</p>

Leaders of the Church of Planned Parenthood say their regular protests are not intended to disrupt the facility’s services. Councilwoman Lori Kinnear wants to make sure of it. Kinnear introduced a new law Monday that she said aims to respect free speech and the protesters’ right to their opinion, while ensuring their chorus of objection does not intrude on the services inside the health care facility’s walls. “It does not impact free speech. Protests are still allowed, that’s not the issue. It’s about noise,” Kinnear said. The South Hill councilwoman drafted a law that would set specific protections for health...

SPOKANE, Wash. — Matt Shea was 34 years old when he ran for the State Legislature in eastern Washington, but he had already established credentials that made him a promising Republican candidate. A lawyer trained at Gonzaga University who had served a tour in Iraq with Washington’s Army National Guard, Mr. Shea pitched voters in 2008 on a platform of limiting taxes and punishing criminals, opposing same-sex marriage and supporting gun rights. He went on to win with nearly 60 percent of the vote, then moved up the ranks in the Legislature, reaching the powerful position of chair of his...

A judge has dropped charges against a Baptist pastor arrested at a Drag Queen Story Hour for refusing to move to a protest zone, saying the police order violated his First Amendment rights. Afshin Yaghtin, a pastor at the New Covenant Church in Spokane, was arrested June 15 for obstructing police when he refused to move to a designated zone outside the South Hill library branch, which hosted the children’s readings by local drag queens.

Pt. 1: Brad Dacus talks with PJI staff attorney, Jorge Ramos, about a shocking story of an unjust arrest of a pastor who was leading a peaceful protest against a drag queen story hour in a public library. Jorge gives the legal case that PJI is taking on. Pt. 2 Brad Dacus interviews Pastor Afhsin Yaghtin, the pastor arrested and jailed for praying and preaching, about his experience with aggressive SWAT team officers including a sniper who blocked him from carrying out his free speech rights outside of a public library where a drag queen story hour was taking place

Police say a man in Washington reported his truck was stolen — as he happened to be nearby allegedly robbing a store himself. William Kelley called authorities on Sunday around 6 a.m. to report that he left his keys on the seat of his red 1992 Chevrolet pickup truck in Kennewick, a city roughly 140 miles southwest of Spokane, and "someone just stole it." Kelley said he saw a man riding a bicycle who "discovered the keys and then threw his back bike in the bed of the truck and fled," according to a Facebook post from the Kennewick Police...

Afshin Yaghtin of New Covenant Baptist Church was arrested for obstructing an officer as he contended with police that the South Hill Library is public property and that he should be able to speak adjacent to the facility instead of being required to stand across the street. Video footage posted to social media shows police telling Yaghtin that if he does not support the event, he needs to stand on the other side of the street, away from the library — though those defending the drag queens were permitted to be on the same side. “So, I can stand right...

A Baptist pastor was arrested and jailed on Saturday after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane, Washington Public Library while exercising his free speech against a “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The event had a significant militaristic police presence, including camouflaged snipers positioned atop the roof to oversee the large crowd that stood both for and against the men dressed like women reading stories to children.

A former leader of the NAACP, a white woman who once sued a university over alleged anti-white discrimination but then later claimed to be black, has a new court date on charges of welfare fraud in the state of Washington. The case against Rachel Dolezal, who legally changed her name to Nkechi Diallo in 2016, will begin in Spokane on March 4. According to KHQ-TV in Spokane, Judge Michelle Szambelan was “growing impatient with legal maneuverings” by the former head of the local NAACP, as the case was languishing on the docket. USA Today reported she could face up to...

Washington state Rep. Matt Shea acknowledged Wednesday he had distributed a four-page manifesto titled “Biblical Basis for War,” which describes the Christian God as a “warrior,” details the composition and strategies of a “Holy Army” and condemns abortion and same-sex marriage. The document is organized in 14 sections with multiple tiers of bullet points and a smattering of biblical citations. Under one heading, “Rules of War,” it makes a chilling prescription for enemies who flout “biblical law.”

A day after a video surfaced showing her defend a 22-year-old white nationalist, Cecily Wright resigned as chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party. The announcement came late Wednesday in a post on the local GOP’s Facebook page. On Tuesday, Wright had come under fire for introducing James Allsup, a former president of the College Republicans chapter at Washington State University, during a July 11 meeting of the local conservative group Northwest Grassroots. A prolific YouTuber known for racist taunts and extreme stances on immigration policy, Allsup, who now belongs to a white separatist group called Identity Evropa, was invited...

Alt-right provocateur James Allsup, whose views have been widely condemned as racist, is introduced by Cecily Wright, the chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party, during a July 11 meeting of Northwest Grassroots, a group of local tea party conservatives. (Northwest Grassroots)

SPOKANE, Wash. – Effective immediately, Cecily Wright resigns as Chair of the Spokane County Republican Central Committee. Vice Chair Isaiah Paine becomes Acting Chair. Cecily Wright issued the following statement: “I profoundly apologize for giving James Allsup a platform to speak at the Northwest Grassroots meeting in July. I consider this a serious mistake in my judgment and I deeply regret that decision. “The Spokane County GOP remains committed to standing against white supremacy, racism, and bigotry in all forms. We will always support a free society where individuals are judged on the content of their character rather than the...

The city of Spokane has agreed to change its policies to make clear that police officers will not question or detain people to enforce federal immigration laws. That's part of a final settlement the city reached Tuesday in federal court with the ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

“Get Real” is a a comprehensive sexual education program developed in Massachusetts by Planned Parenthood, and it's one program being considered by Spokane Public Schools for its new sexual education curriculum. SPS' Human Growth and Development Citizen Advisory Committee (HGD CAC) has been considering the program for ab out a year. They have approved it twice. A 2014 study in the Journal for School Health noted success for the program in its first three years. 'Get Real' reduced sexual activity by 15 percent for girls and 16 percent for boys, compared to students who were not exposed to the curriculum.The program has...

Democrats in Washington state, like their counterparts in the other Washington, don’t always think the law applies to them. They can create elaborate procedures to trip up Republicans in, say, election law. But those requirements are quite optional where they are concerned.Part of this is they see themselves as the good guys, fighting for right – no matter how many jobs are lost, how much damage is done to the economy or how little the measure does to help the environment. If they have to bend a few rules to make it happen – hey, it was the right thing...

Presbyterian-affiliated Whitworth University openly partners with the area's Planned Parenthood, according to several reports. The same students who are encouraged to be dedicated Christian scholars are also given the opportunity to work with the local abortion clinic. "They are not equipping their graduates to be Christians and follow Christ," Katie Lodjic of Students for Life of America tells One News Now.

The racial victimhood racket has taken off. Marcus Owens, a black 19-year-old University of Iowa student, posted a picture of his bruised face and chipped tooth, claiming he was violently attacked by a group of whites for no reason. The story went viral. Predictably, black students protested, demanding “justice” and an end to “racism.” They called out the University of Iowa (even though the incident occurred off campus). Law enforcement launched a major investigation. The media descended on Iowa City to get to the bottom of this awful “hate crime.” Everything unraveled when surveillance video of the altercation revealed the...

The former president was speaking on behalf of his wife, Hillary Clinton, at a campaign event.Bill Clinton slammed the "awful legacy of the last eight years" on Monday, which Republicans quickly claimed was an attack on President Barack Obama. However, the former president was really talking about Republican obstructionism. Clinton was speaking in Spokane, Washington on behalf of his wife, former secretary of state and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, calling her a "change-maker" who can "make democracy work the way the framers intended for it to work." He added: "Now, if you don't believe we can all grow together...

"This appearance in Arizona was a new low," the eyewitness told The ENQUIRER. "Gabby Giffords is still suffering the aftereffects of being shot in the head by a psycho in 2011 — but she seemed to be much more articulate and aware of her surroundings than Bill! Everyone was dreading what would happen when [the former President] tried to speak!" But insiders also said that current events are taking a toll on the struggling campaigner — with Bill now terrified that an outspoken opponent like Donald Trump will harm Hillary by bringing up the former President's own disgusting behavior with...