Gene Johnson, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE -Olive, 4, deposits an election ballot into a drop box in Seattle, Wash. under the supervision of her mother, on Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)

Judge blocks Trump’s elections order in lawsuit by vote-by-mail states Oregon and Washington

January 9, 2026

A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing most of his executive order on elections against the vote-by-mail states Washington and Oregon, in the latest blow to Trump’s efforts to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote and to require that all ballots be received by Election Day. U.S. District Judge John H. Chun found that those requirements exceeded the president’s authority, following similar rulings in a Massachusetts case brought by 19 states and in a Washington, D.C., case by Democratic and civil rights groups.

This image made from a video provided by the Pacific Police Department shows homes underwater, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Pacific, Wash. (Pacific Police Department via AP)

High winds batter water-logged Northwest, injuring 2 children and cutting power to half a million

December 17, 2025

High winds have toppled trees and power lines in Washington state and Idaho, critically injuring two children and cutting power to half a million customers in the Pacific Northwest. On Wednesday, wind gusts reached up to 85 miles per hour, affecting areas like Pullman, Washington, and the Idaho cities of Moscow and Lewiston. In southern Idaho, the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s office reported that two children were critically injured when several old trees fell. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said the damage is profound but unclear. Residents are warned of more high water, mudslides, and wind in the forecast.

Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, left, listens as mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, right, speaks during a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell concedes reelection fight to progressive activist Katie Wilson

November 13, 2025

First-term Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell conceded his reelection fight to progressive activist Katie Wilson on Thursday, handing another victory to leftist Democrats around the country frustrated with unaffordability, homelessness, public safety and the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration. Harrell, a Democrat who previously served three terms on the City Council, led in early results. But Washington conducts all-mail elections, with ballots postmarked by Election Day. Later-arriving votes, which historically trend more liberal, broke heavily in Wilson’s favor, adding to a progressive shift to the left nationally. In a concession speech at City Hall on Thursday afternoon, Harrell said he had congratulated Wilson in a “delightful” call.

In this handout photo provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office deputies participate in the search for Travis Decker, at an undisclosed location in Washington state, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Snohomish County Sheriff's Office photo via AP)

Hunt for Travis Decker looks at whether he left Washington mountains — or died evading police

June 24, 2025

Authorities who have spent the past three weeks searching in the mountains of Washington state for an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters say there is no evidence that he remains in the area or that he is alive at all. Travis Decker, 32, has been wanted since June 2. That is when a sheriff’s deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — at a campground outside Leavenworth. The discovery came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit.

Authorities believe they spotted ex-soldier Travis Decker, who is wanted in deaths of 3 daughters

June 10, 2025

Authorities say they believe they spotted Travis Decker, an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, in the remote backcountry of Washington state, after receiving a tip from hikers who said they saw a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions. The Chelan County Sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Tuesday that tracking teams responded immediately, and a helicopter crew spotted a hiker in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments. Decker failed to return the girls to their mother’s house following a scheduled visit on May 30, and their bodies were found at a campsite three days later.

This undated photo provided by the Wenatchee Police Department shows Travis Caleb Decker who the police are asking the public for help in locating the Washington state father who is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead. (Wenatchee Police Department via AP)

Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state

June 6, 2025

Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters. Law enforcement officers from an array of state and federal agencies are looking for Travis 32-year-old Caleb Decker after the girls were found dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth on Monday. They have been identified as 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker. The girls’ mother reported them missing May 30 when Caleb Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee after a scheduled visit.

An image taken from Joint Base Lewis-McChord surveillance footage depicts two men identified by the Army Criminal Investigations Division as suspects in an assault and robbery in the 75th Ranger Central Operations Facility on June 1, 2025, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (Army Criminal Investigations Division via AP)

2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say

June 4, 2025

Investigators say two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included explosives and body armor, along with Nazi paraphernalia, were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend. A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court says Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday at their home in Lacey, near Olympia. Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man. The complaint says one of the men told investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or trade, and investigators found about $24,000 in cash at the home.

Gene Johnson.