Paula Wissel

U.S. attorney: A 'buggy whip moment' in fighting cyber crime

Paula Wissel — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:48:54 +0000

United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny Durkan faced tough questions from senators in Washington D.C. on Wednesday when she testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.

Durkan, who was speaking as chair of the U.S. Justice Department Task Force on Cyber Crime, was asked why more isn't being done to stop thieves who use the Internet to steal everything from credit card numbers to trade secrets.

At least 17 arrested as 'anti-capitalism' rally turns violent

Martha Kang, Paula Wissel and The Associated Press — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:30:18 +0000

At least 17 protesters were arrested and eight officers injured Wednesday as an "anti-capitalism" May Day march took a violent turn, first on Capitol Hill then in downtown Seattle.

Vandals shattered the glass door of Sun Liquor, at 512 East Pike, around 7 p.m. before heading downtown, hurling metal pipes and rocks at cars and police, shoving camera crews and setting off flares along the way.

No show of violence as thousands gather for May Day rally, march

Martha Kang, Ashley Gross, Bellamy Pailthorp, Gabriel Spitzer and Paula Wissel — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:00:50 +0000

A planned rally and march for workers and immigration reform progressed without interruptions by anarchists Wednesday, easing fears of another violent May Day.

Thousands of people gathered at Judkins Park, behind St. Mary's Church, for the Rally for Workers and Immigrant Rights at 1 p.m. Several unions were present, as were some representatives of the Occupy movement. Many people were displaying the flags of U.S. and Mexico, as well as signs urging comprehensive immigration reform.

Crash victims' son, husband, father: 'Things need to change'

Paula Wissel and The Associated Press — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:35:09 +0000

A Seattle man who lost his parents and whose wife and infant son were critically injured by a drunk driver says these tragedies must be stopped.

"This is preventable and it should be prevented," said Dan Schulte at a news conference Tuesday. "I don't know what that means yet. I don't know if I'm going to dedicate my life to this cause, which I might, but I do know that things need to change."

Seattle police say this time they're ready for May Day

Paula Wissel — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:04:55 +0000

Seattle police insist they’re ready for whatever happens on May Day, that they are better staffed, better organized and better trained than last year.

“We’re as prepared as we can be, given our resources,” said Captain Chris Fowler, the designated commander for police May Day response.

Last year on May Day, there was widespread confusion among officers on duty about how to respond to black-clad vandals smashing windows downtown.

What’s different this time?

Remnant of last year's May Day riots: Grand jury resisters

Paula Wissel — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:22:45 +0000

Reverberations from last year's May Day melee in downtown Seattle are still being felt among some activists in the Pacific Northwest.

You could say what happened after the window-smashing by black bloc anarchists on May 1, 2012 has spawned a whole new protest movement, the grand jury resistance movement.

DUI court packed with offenders and repeat offenders

Paula Wissel — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:46:03 +0000

Sit in a courtroom where people are being arraigned on charges of driving under the influence, and you get an idea of the obstacles Washington lawmakers face in trying to pass tougher drunk driving laws.

I recently spent an eye-opening afternoon in Judge Mark Eide's courtroom in King County District Court in Burien.

Legal victory for asylum seekers

Paula Wissel — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:57:42 +0000

The settlement of a class-action lawsuit, filed on behalf of asylum seekers, should make it easier for people to work in the U.S. while for their asylum petition to be acted on.

The problem has been with something called the “asylum clock.” The clock is actually a complicated formula the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies use to decide when someone is allowed to legally begin working in the United States. Theoretically, it’s supposed to be around six months. But, according to the court case, it stretches into years.

State to eye rules to ban pot at bars

The Associated Press and Paula Wissel — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:58:24 +0000

Washington state officials say it's not OK for bars to allow marijuana use, and they'll take quick steps to address that.

The announcement from the state Liquor Control Board on Wednesday followed a recent report by The Associated Press about establishments in Olympia and Tacoma that allow people to consume marijuana on-site.

But a worker at one such bar in Tacoma says the state’s efforts will do little good.

Ever try pot? Answer yes, and U.S. won't let you in — ever

Paula Wissel — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Ever try pot? Answer yes to a border agent, and foreigners could face permanent consequences even if they haven't used marijuana in years.

More and more Canadians are learning the hard way that admitting to U.S. border agents that you smoked pot can bar you from entering the country forever.

Immigration lawyers say some Canadians are under the mistaken impression that legalization of marijuana in Washington state has resulted in leniency by U.S. border agents here, but it hasn't. Marijuana is still an illegal substance under federal law.

Listen: Secret tapes of a terror plot

Paula Wissel — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:44:39 +0000

After Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for plotting to attack a military processing center in Seattle, some of the secretly recorded tapes of him planning the assault were released by U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan.

New national monument planned in San Juan Islands

The Associated Press and Paula Wissel — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:07:21 +0000

President Barack Obama is designating five new national monuments, using executive authority to protect historic or ecologically significant sites —including one in Washington state.

The San Juan Islands National Monument off Washington's northwest coast includes roughly 1,000 acres of public land already managed by the BLM.

UW Tacoma to offer cybersecurity degree

Paula Wissel — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:35:36 +0000

If cyber crime is a growth industry, so is fighting cyber crime.

The University of Washington Tacoma is the latest school to join the ranks of colleges and universities offering degrees in fighting cyber crooks.

Moms in prison shouldn't lose rights to kids so quickly, some say

Paula Wissel — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Should going to prison mean losing your parental rights forever? Legal advocates say that’s what’s been happening in Washington State, especially to women who are incarcerated.

Legal Voice and other groups are pushing a bill, HB1284, that would give judges more discretion in deciding whether to put children up for adoption when a mother or father is behind bars.

Free downtown bus is no longer a best kept secret.

Paula Wissel — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:07:40 +0000

Ridership on two free shuttles in downtown Seattle has doubled since the buses went into operation last October. The city funded the service for low income residents after Metro’s ride free area ended. The service was slow getting started because people either didn't know about it or had difficulty finding the bus stops.

(For an audio tour of a ride on one of the buses, click the Audio button above)