Maurice Lavon Jones, 44, says Mayor Ed Murray paid him for sex as a teen. I am not part of any right-wing conspiracy, his declaration says.
Maurice Lavon Jones, 44, says Mayor Ed Murray paid him for sex as a teen. "I am not part of any right-wing conspiracy," his declaration says. Declaration of Maurice Lavon Jones

A Fourth Person Accusing Murray of Paying Him for Sex as a Teen Has Come Forward: A declaration filed in Delvonn Heckard's child sex abuse lawsuit against the mayor claims that Maurice Lavon Jones, 44, was introduced to Murray as a teen, and that Murray also paid him for sex. Jeff Reading, personal spokesman for the mayor, denied Jones' allegations and called the declaration a "sensational media stunt."

Two People Have Called for Murray to Step Down: LGBT activist and survivor Danni Askini, and as of this week, City Council candidate Jon Grant. Aside from Kshama Sawant, no sitting City Council member has acknowledged the allegations against Murray. City business continues as usual.

This is what Dave Reichert looks like when he isnt hiding from his constituents who are angry about the GOPs plan to gut Obamacare.
This is what Dave Reichert looks like when he isn't hiding from his constituents who are angry about the GOP's plan to gut Obamacare. Courtesy of Dave Reichert

Trump Is Lobbying Washington Congressman Dave Reichert to Vote for a Revised GOP Obamacare Replacement: "I told the president I’d like to help, but I am not there yet,” Reichert told the Seattle Times, referencing a 10-minute phone call he had with the president on Tuesday. He cited "worries about the legislation’s protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions, cuts to Medicaid and costs for middle-age Americans." US Rep. Jaime Herrera (R-Vancouver) says she's voting "no" on the GOP health bill.

Tacoma Considers Homelessness State of Emergency: Tacoma mayor Marilyn Strickland introduced the state of emergency resolution at a Tuesday City Council meeting. “It is something that is happening in every single neighborhood, and the reality of homeless is it’s not a new issue, but it becomes a new issue when it becomes visible," Strickland said. On April 18, the city cleared out the "Tacoma Jungle" an encampment of people living under I-5. At one point, more than a hundred people were living there, according to KING 5.

Why Is the Opioid Epidemic Getting More Sympathy Than the Crack Epidemic That Ravaged Black Neighborhoods? "Certainly those impacted by these substances, then and now, deserved compassion and respect," Daudi Abe writes. "If that’s so, then it feels to me something like the Tuskegee experiments transposed onto contemporary drug policy—the lives of the guinea pigs sacrificed so that we can get it right the next time around."

Herring Eggs Crowd West Seattle Beaches: Millions of them, smaller than pearls. They don't usually show up in West Seattle, but here they are.

Baton Rouge Officers Involved in Killing Alton Sterling Won't Be Indicted: "Video footage of the killing showed the officers holding Sterling on the ground when he was shot multiple times, prompting protests and a federal inquiry," KNKX reports. "A source familiar with the investigation confirms that the Justice Department is not pursuing criminal charges against the officers. The agency is holding a news conference in Baton Rouge at 2 p.m. ET."

Texas Officer Who Shot and Killed 15-Year-Old Jordan Edwards Is Fired: Edwards was unarmed and in a car being driven by his brother. They were leaving a house party in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb. According to KERA reporter Bill Zeeble, police officer Roy Oliver used a rifle to shoot through the window of that car. The Dallas County medical examiner ruled Edwards' death a homicide, and Police Chief Jonathan Haber said the shooting violated several department policies. "No other city has moved at the rate Balch Springs has," an attorney representing Edwards' family told the AP. "It's just unbelievable. It's absolutely unbelievable that a department did what a department should do."


What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Free Speech? Ana Sofia dives into the recent events here at the UW, in Berkeley, and beyond, talking to experts about where the lines between free speech, hate speech, and hate crimes exist—and what they mean.