Snohomish County Therapeutic Courts celebrates 25 years of adult recovery
EVERETT—DJ Rivera, brother to Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Whitney Rivera, had a normal childhood growing up, but when his father passed away around his seventeenth birthday he turned to drugs and alcohol. His life quickly spun out of control until it culminated with being arrested on December 8, 2005, for a controlled substance. Instead […]
Two indicted for the 2022 murder of Irah Sok
SEATTLE—Two suspects are facing federal charges for the deadly 2022 home invasion of 36-year-old Irah Sok, a mother and wife who was killed in her South Everett home while sleeping next to her child. Kevin Thistle, 28, and Chris Johnson, 23, are both in custody and face first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, […]
Everett and Mukilteo levies failing, voters strike down Port Expansion
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—Statewide election results in Washington state are officially being tallied. Some races we can call early and others, we will have to wait as ballots are counted over the next several days. Overall, only 25% of the 517,543 ballots mailed have been returned and counted in Snohomish County as of August 6. Below are […]
Prosecutor’s Office still facing case backlog, lack of resources may be the issue
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—The Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office is still struggling to keep up with its ever-increasing criminal case backlog four years after the pandemic closed and restricted the court systems. Snohomish County Prosecutor Jason Cummings informed the Lynnwood Times getting caught up on case backlog is “a little bit like playing whack-a-mole.” Since last the Lynnwood […]
Snohomish County opens new $8.6 million Election Center
EVERETT—Snohomish County leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, July 9, to celebrate its newest Election Center in Everett, which will house all election-based ballot processing and counting operations for Snohomish County. Prior to the opening of the Elections Center, Snohomish County leased out office space off campus which was an expensive (approximately, $1.5 million any […]
Snohomish County launches Law & Justice Dashboard
EVERETT—After two years of thoughtful development, Snohomish County is releasing to the public its Law & Justice Dashboard. This dashboard is one of the first in the nation to combine both law enforcement and prosecutor data to provide users a better understanding of affected persons’ involvement in the law and justice system. “It has taken […]
Salary commission approves $230,000 in pay raises for elected officials
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—At its Thursday meeting on April 25, the Snohomish County 2024 Salary Commission approved a total of $229,815 (or 14.98 percent) in pay raises for Snohomish County government elected officials over a two-year period effective January 1, 2025. The commission unanimously agreed to a uniform approach to determining salaries for elected officials, reversing its decision […]
Salary Commission proposes $53,000 raise for Snohomish Sheriff
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—At its Monday meeting on April 15, the 10-member appointed Snohomish County 2024 Salary Commission is proposing a 5-percent minimum salary increase for Snohomish County government elected officials; and a 28.9-percent (or $53,180) increase for the Snohomish County Sheriff position. If approved by the Board at its meeting at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 25, […]
Lovick’s bill brings new District Court Judge to Snohomish County
OLYMPIA, Wash., April 3, 2023—Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5003 on Thursday, March 30, which will increase the number of district court judges in Snohomish County to nine. This would be the district court’s first bench expansion in 25 years. The bill—which was sponsored by Senator John Lovick (D-Mill Creek)—was recommended by the Administrative […]
The first 40 days: An exclusive interview with County Prosecutor Jason Cummings
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash., February 13, 2023—Snohomish County Prosecutor, Jason Cummings, was elected to public office last November as the county’s top, leading, attorney. To discuss his first 40 days in office and check in on the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office in general, the Lynnwood Times sat down with Cummings to discuss his role’s challenges, achievements, […]