'Seattle News Weekly': Millionaires tax, Skykomish arrest, DOL tort claim
'Seattle News Weekly S1E30': Fallout from WA millionaires tax, and DOL lawsuit
On this week's episode of Seattle News Weekly, FOX 13's David Rose sits down with reporter Lauren Donovan and Executive Producer Beth Roberts to talk more about the fallout from Washington passing its contentious Millionaires Tax. The three also chat about a recent lawsuit filed against the state's Department of Licensing alleging it failed to fix a data breach for six years. While the department is disputing the widespread fraud, one victim told FOX 13 she found her information had been changed twice.
SEATTLE - The legislative session ended this week, while arrests and tort claims were brought to light in the news sphere.
On this episode of the "Seattle News Weekly" podcast, FOX 13 Seattle Anchor David Rose sits down with Reporter Lauren Donovan and Executive Producer Beth Roberts to discuss the week's biggest stories in Seattle.
The podcast opens with a discussion on the 9.9% tax on income over $1 million for individuals and couples. Lauren shares a report from the state Capitol on a record-breaking 24-hour filibuster by Republicans.
Republicans, knowing they lacked the votes to stop the bill, proposed 60 of the 80 total amendments and forced oral roll calls to stall the process and lay the groundwork for future constitutional challenges.
"And then they proposed there were 80 amendments total to this thing. Democrats proposed. 20 Republicans proposed, 60. So it took like 30 minutes to address every single one of these amendments. And their goal was to make this the longest, I would say, like fight, right? Against a piece of legislation in state Capitol history. And it very much was," Lauren said.
The hosts discuss high-profile departures from the state, such as the former Starbucks CEO, debating whether it’s due to this tax or Washington’s 35% estate tax. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Ferguson, with funds allocated for school lunches and tax credits for families.
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WA Senate passes 'millionaires tax', advances to governor's desk
The "millionaires tax" is now headed to the desk of Governor Bob Ferguson for a final signature.
The conversation shifts to the arrest of a teacher in the tiny Skykomish school district (approx. 57 students), charged with horrific child sex crimes. The abuse allegedly spanned years, often occurring on school grounds.
Beth highlights a disturbing detail: school officials reportedly suspected issues and assigned an autistic student to "monitor" the teacher and victim, a move parents view as gross negligence.
The school was closed following the arrest, and parents at a school board meeting called for the immediate removal of the superintendent.
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Skykomish, WA teacher arrested for alleged rape of a student
A male teacher in the small Skykomish School District was arrested during the school day for the alleged rape of a student, with investigators stating the abuse occurred in various locations across the campus.
The final segment covers a legal claim filed against the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL). Lawyers allege that the "License Express" system had a security flaw from 2018 to 2025 where criminals allegedly created IDs in other people's names and had them mailed to fraudulent addresses.
A victim describes how her identity and voter information were repeatedly changed without her knowledge. She no longer lives in the state.
"Well, DOL says it's not true, but the lawyers have a whole bunch of cases involved in the tort claim. We're not talking about 1 or 2 licenses getting delivered. We're talking hundreds at times of licenses getting delivered to one email address…" David and Beth explain.
The hosts conclude the episode by encouraging listeners to check their License Express accounts for accuracy.
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Tort claim alleges WA DOL left your information open to criminals
A local attorney is suing the Washington State Department of Licensing, alleging the agency left a "backdoor" open for hackers to steal the personal information of millions of residents for more than six years.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible, or YouTube.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 reporting.