Snow, yes; snowpack, no.
Snow, yes; snowpack, no. Dan Schreiber/Shutterstock.com

There Is No Snowpack in Washington Right Now: “That doesn’t mean there isn’t any snow at higher elevations. There are glaciers up there,” Jeff Marti of the state Department of Ecology told the Seattle Times. “It does mean the snowpack — what we depend on for our water supply — has essentially gone to zero already for the summer.”

All This Dry Weather Could Be Bad News for the Fire Season: Firefighters in the state are already battling three wildfires, and dry conditions this summer, coupled with summer storms, could result in a nasty fire season. Nationwide, fires are growing larger and becoming more volatile.

One of the Three Officers in the Pasco Shooting Resigns: Earlier this year, police officers in Pasco, Washington, fatally shot Antonio Zambrano-Montes after he threw rocks at cars and the officers. Zambrano-Montes, an immigrant farmworker, was running away from the officers with his arms in the air when he was shot multiple times. His death sparked protests. Officer Ryan Flanagan, who resigned, had been on paid administrative leave since the February 10 incident.

Judge Rules That Department of Homeland Security Violated FOIA Rules: A federal judge said the Department of Homeland Security committed “egregious” violations of the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release documents requested by Prison Legal News related to how the agency determined how much to charge inmates for phone calls.

Protest Held over Conditions at Jail Where Inmate Died of Dehydration: Keaton Farris, 25, wasn’t given enough water by jail staff, who also did not give him a medical evaluation and lied about how many times they checked on him, according to a report issued June 18 by the Island County Sheriff’s Office. He was found dead in his Whidbey Island cell on April 8. The Island County sheriff apologized for Farris’s death and blamed the “systematic breakdown of jail operations.”

Congregation in Charleston Mourns Victims, Families of Victims Forgive Shooter: Parishioners of Emanuel AME Church gathered yesterday in a “defiant show of unity,” reports the New York Times.

In the sanctuary, dim yellow light trickled through the towering stained glass windows as worshipers fanned themselves and volunteers handed out cold bottles of water to combat the muggy air.

But that did not deter what was at times a vigorous celebration as people stood and strained their neck muscles while singing. Tears streamed from many eyes as people made their way back to their seats from the altar call.

Meanwhile, relatives of the shooting victims told the perpetrator at his bond hearing that they’ve forgiven him.

White Terrorism Is as Old as America Itself: Writes Brit Bennett in the New York Times Magazine: “The Charleston gunman’s fears — of black men raping white women, of black people taking over the country — are the same fears that were felt by Klansmen, who used violence and intimidation to control communities of freed blacks. Even with these parallels, we still hear endless speculation about the Charleston shooter’s motives.”

A Major Golf Tournament Was Held Near Tacoma This Past Weekend: It was the US Open, and Jordan Spieth won. As we’ve previously reported, there was a bit of controversy surrounding the event, which was held at the Chambers Bay golf course in University Place. For example, some people got kicked out of their homes so that landlords could jack up prices and rent them to golf fans, but as Q13 Fox reports, it wasn’t the boon folks were expecting.

It’s Officially Summer. Did You Enjoy the Warm Weather This Weekend? Forecasters say next weekend will be even hotter, with temperatures reaching the 90s.

Kathleen Richards is the former managing editor of The Stranger. Prior to joining The Stranger, she was the co-editor of the East Bay Express in Oakland, Calif., where she also wrote award-winning stories...