November 20, 2024
ISSUE 47
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Eatonville swimmers cap season with relay record By Skip Smith Contributing writer
The Eatonville High School swim team concluded its season on a high note at the State Swimming and Diving Championships on Nov. 14-15, at the King County Aquatic Center, highlighted by a recordbreaking performance in the 400 freestyle relay finals. Friday’s competition saw Eatonville’s Kaylee Bernt swimming in the 200 freestyle prelims, where her time of 2 minutes, 23.62 seconds was just shy of advancing her to the finals. The 200 freestyle relay team achieved a season-best time of 1:54.90, but it wasn’t quite enough to move past the preliminaries. RELAY RECORD However, the highlight of the day came from the 400 freestyle relay team, which clocked in at 4:14.78, securing 14th place and a spot in Saturday’s finals. In the finals on Saturday, Eatonville's 400 freestyle relay team of Nicole Tomyn, Annika Howard, Kaylee Bernt, and Gracie Forsman COURTESY ANDREA STAMMEN
SWIMMING, 4
Eatonville's school-record 400 freestyle relay team stopped for a photo during the WIAA State Swim and Dive Championships.
County Council opposes new court caseload standards By The Tacoma Weekly
ADOBE STOCK
The council cites significant challenges in implementing the changes within the given timeframe.
The Washington State Supreme Court is considering changes to court rules that provide standards for public defense. Under the Washington State and United States Constitutions, those accused in criminal prosecutions have a right to an attorney at public expense for their defense. The new standards propose: Lowering the maximum caseloads for public defense attorneys. Currently, public defense attorneys can be assigned 150 felony cases or 300 misdemeanor cases annually. The new standards move away from a “per case” standard and instead set a ceiling on the number of “case credits” that can be assigned. Case credits are based on the type of criminal charge and the case's complexity. Pierce County is using a model to estimate the staffing needs from these changes, and by 2028, the Pierce County Department of Assigned Council would need an additional 91.5 attorneys. Setting minimum support staffing requirements for public defense attorneys and offices. Using the same model, Pierce County estimates the Pierce County Department of Assigned Council will need an additional
92.5 support staff to meet the minimum requirements. The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and its Council on Public Defense (CPD) requested to amend current standards. The Pierce County Council sent a letter to the Washington State Supreme Court on Wednesday, Oct. 30, formally requesting the high court not adopt these proposed public defense caseload standards, citing significant challenges in implementing the changes within the given timeframe. According to the Council letter, the new caseload standards can lead to detrimental impacts on the criminal justice system and essential services across Pierce County, noting an immediate need to increase resources. County officials estimate a need for 28 additional full-time positions by 2025, costing between $9.8 and $11.6 million. By 2028, the staff requirement swells to 184 positions, pushing projected costs to between $34.6 and $42.6 million annually. The Council acknowledged that current standards need revision, but without further research and preparation, adoption of the proposal is infeasible and detrimental. The Council recommends:
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