By Jake Goldstein-Street | Reporter
State Sen. Nikki Torres is calling on her opponent to drop his campaign to unseat her after he was linked to a criminal investigation into alleged stalking and harassment at a home she owns. Gabe Galbraith, a fellow Republican and president of the Kennewick School Board, has called into question if Torres, R-Pasco, lives in the eastern Washington district they are competing to represent. A police report says he and others took matters into their own hands, coordinating to surveil a home to see if Torres lived there. A county board this week dismissed a separate challenge to her voter registration.
Also in today’s edition…
• A judge rules state inspectors should be allowed into the Tacoma detention center.
• Columbia Gorge farmers face threats from all sides.
• And, a map of inclusive bathrooms for transgender Idahoans.
News tips, feedback, questions? Email us: [email protected]
Washington state Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, on the floor of the Senate in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)
By Jerry Cornfield
Gabe Galbraith doesn’t plan to suspend his campaign, despite being tied to stakeouts outside a home where Sen. Nikki Torres’ daughter and granddaughter were staying, not the senator. In a statement, he appeared to acknowledge he sought proof of where Torres lived.
“I have not been charged with any crime. I have not done anything illegal and I am not going to be intimidated out of this race,” Galbraith told the Franklin County Republican Party this week.
But Torres believes he “should be advocating for the safety and protection of children and families. This is completely the opposite.”
Torres and Galbraith are the only candidates for the 8th Legislative District Senate seat, so both will automatically advance to the November general election.
A “no trespassing” sign outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center. (Photo by Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)
By Jake Goldstein-Street
The for-profit company that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma needs to let health inspectors inside the facility, a judge ruled Thursday. However, Judge Benjamin Settle’s order comes with some exceptions, specifically for administrative and medical areas run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And the ruling won’t take effect for two weeks, giving The GEO Group time to appeal. State officials have been pushing hard to get inside for years to examine conditions, to no avail.
By Alex Baumhardt
New Oregon state laws will require more square footage in farmworker housing and overtime pay for workers after 40 hours. And the 2025 pear-growing season was decimated so badly they’re asking the governor to seek federal aid. Columbia River Gorge farmers say the combination could force some of them to go under.
“We’re leveraging personal assets, we’re going into debt, and one bad year might push us over the edge, but one good year — if we have a good year — doesn’t mean it’s going to save us,” said Lesley Tamura, chair of a Hood River-based industry group. “It maybe helps reduce our debt and gives us a little bit longer to hold on.”
By Kyle Pfannenstiel
Idaho’s transgender bathroom ban is now law, so a trans advocacy group has released a crowd-sourced map of inclusive bathrooms across the state safe for people who are trans or gender diverse. The law creates criminal charges for people who “knowingly and willfully” enter a bathroom or changing room designated for the opposite sex, with some exceptions. A first offense carries a misdemeanor. A second offense within five years is a felony.
ICYMI
Here’s what WA’s federal delegation want residents in 2276 to know | by Jerry Cornfield
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