Issues of sexual harassment raised in the #MeToo era have trickled their way through just about every part of Washington state — from business, to government, and now possibly schools as state lawmakers flag consent as the cornerstone of a mandatory sex-education proposal. Read More
Former Washington state Sen. Kevin Ranker, an Orcas Island Democrat, violated Senate harassment policy in his treatment of a female subordinate during the 2010 legislative session, according to an investigative report released Friday. Read More
The handling of sexual harassment in the Washington Legislature will evolve following a new code of conduct that has already passed one chamber. Continue Reading New Code Of Conduct To Shift How Washington Legislature Deals Read More
Washington state Sen. Kevin Ranker, an Orcas Island Democrat, has resigned his seat in the midst of a workplace conduct investigation. In a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee dated Friday, Ranker, who served in the Senate for a decade, said his resignation was effective immediately. Read More
"We will do better next time," the U.S. senator from Vermont and former presidential candidate said. As Sanders considers whether to run in 2020, new allegations from his 2016 campaign have emerged. Continue Reading Bernie Read More
A Washington state senator under investigation for alleged workplace misconduct involving his former legislative assistant acknowledged Tuesday that he had a "brief relationship" with the woman before he hired her in 2009. Read More
Following eight months of meetings, a workgroup on the prevention of sexual harassment in the Washington state House is recommending an independent office where victims could report misconduct. The recommendation is part of a package of suggested reforms. Read More
The #MeToo movement has spurred efforts to make workplaces safer for women, and that includes Washington state strip clubs. A panel of lawmakers on Monday heard testimony from dancers who say they need more protections. Continue Reading Exotic Read More
Many at Google have been simmering since The New York Times reported the company gave generous exit packages to alleged harassers. Thousands of employees walked out of its offices around the world. Continue Reading Google Employees Read More
An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows a tight contest for credibility between Christine Blasey Ford and high court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But 42 percent are unsure who is telling the truth. Continue Reading Poll Finds Americans Read More
As it stands now, Hill tells NPR, the hearing cannot provide senators "with enough information to reach a reasonable conclusion." She testified in 1991 that Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. Continue Reading Anita Hill Says Brett Kavanaugh Read More
Cosby, 81, is the first celebrity to be sent to prison in the #MeToo era. The sentence completes the TV dad's stunning fall from groundbreaking cultural icon to convicted sex offender. Continue Reading Bill Cosby Sentenced To At Read More
Under pressure to resign following a new allegation of sexual misconduct, Republican state legislator Matt Manweller on Monday told a reporter from the Columbia Basin Herald that he would resign if re-elected this November. In his statement, Manweller neither denied what he called the "alleged relationship" nor apologized. Read More
A college classmate of Kavanaugh's says he acted inappropriately during a drunken party 35 years ago Kavanaugh, who's currently a federal appeals judge, denies the allegations. Continue Reading Brett Kavanaugh Denies New Sexual Read More
House Republican leaders on Friday called on embattled state Rep. Matt Manweller (R-Cle-Elum) to resign. The move followed the publication of a story by the public radio Northwest News Network earlier in the day detailing an alleged sexual relationship between Manweller and a 17-year-old former high school student of his in 1997. Read More
A former Idaho high school student of embattled GOP Washington legislator and longtime educator Rep. Matt Manweller says she had a sexual relationship with him beginning after she graduated in 1997, when she was 17 years old and he was a decade her senior. Under Idaho state law at the time, sex between an adult male and a female younger than 18 constituted statutory rape. Read More
Maria Gonzalez started at DeRuyter Brothers dairy in February 2015. At the time, she was the first and only woman working as a milker. For Maria, working there was a step up in career and pay. But it also meant facing sexual harassment from a male coworker. It ended with losing her job.
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Washington state Rep. Matt Manweller “engaged in a pattern of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior” with current and former female students at Central Washington University (CWU) over a 13-year period, according to an 85-page investigative report released by the university on Wednesday. Read More
Central Washington University fired Republican state Rep. Matt Manweller Tuesday, Aug. 14, from his position as a tenured professor of political science following a months-long investigation into his conduct toward students. Read More
Democratic state Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma was in third place in early primary returns Tuesday night, an indication of the political fallout he’s facing over numerous allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women and an investigation that found he violated House harassment policy. Read More
With less than a week until the primary election in his district, Republican state Rep. Matt Manweller has released a video accusing his employer—Central Washington University —of pursuing a partisan-driven investigation into his workplace conduct. Read More
In response to the #MeToo movement, the Washington state Senate will create a new human resources officer position to investigate complaints of harassment and other workplace misconduct, replacing a previous system of “facilitators” who served as a go-to resource for victims. Read More
The accusation is nearly two decades old. The Canadian prime minister said Thursday that he apologized "in the moment" but that "the same interactions can be felt very differently" by people involved. Continue Reading ‘…I Read More
In the aftermath of a recent workplace conduct investigation at the state Capitol, the Democratic lawmaker at the heart of the inquiry and one of his accusers say the process has revealed flaws in how the Legislature handles complaints made against elected officials. Read More
Washington House leaders are recommending that state Rep. David Sawyer, D-Tacoma, lose his chairmanship, not be assigned a legislative assistant and continue to have his access to staff restricted as the result of the findings of an investigation into his conduct that could also result in an ethics probe. Read More
Two embattled Washington state representatives have filed to run for re-election—despite ongoing investigations into their conduct. Continue Reading Despite Ongoing Investigations, Two Washington Lawmakers File To Run AgainRead More
Washington House Democrats voted Wednesday to suspend state Rep. David Sawyer as chair of the Commerce and Gaming Committee pending the outcome of an investigation into workplace conduct. Continue Reading Washington Lawmaker Read More
In the wake of the Me Too movement, a sexual harassment and retaliation case at a large fruit company brings the issue closer to home in Wenatchee. Stemilt Growers, a leader in Washington’s apple and cherry industry, has agreed to pay nearly $100,000 to settle a lawsuit with a former employee. Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed several measures into law aimed at tackling sexual harassment in the workplace and an update to the Equal Pay Act to help address gender pay gap in the state. Continue Reading New Read More
Native Community Reels From Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Famed Native Writer Sherman Alexie
One of the best-known Native American writers in the Northwest has come under fire for sexual harassment. Sherman Alexie is Spokane Indian, making the allegations against Alexie particularly painful for members of the Native community. Read More
Writer Sherman Alexie issued a statement last week admitting he "has harmed" others, after rumors and allegations began to circulate about sexual harassment. Without providing details, Alexie said "there are women telling the truth," and he apologized to the people he has hurt. Now, some of those women have come forward to speak to NPR about their experiences with him. Read More
In recent weeks, eight women interviewed by Northwest News Network, The News Tribune and The Olympian have said Washington state Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma has crossed personal and professional boundaries, sometimes repeatedly, and accused him of engaging in behavior before and after he joined the Legislature that ranged from inappropriate to harassing. Read More
Over 9 in 10 people think both gossip and deliberate touching are inappropriate at work, and many have seen it happen. Yet, almost no one admitted to doing either in a new Ipsos/NPR poll. Continue Reading POLL: The ‘Inappropriate’ Office Read More
Efforts to address sexual harassment in the Washington state Capitol have suffered a setback. Legislative leaders had pledged to improve the workplace climate following reports late last year that revealed a history of misconduct at the Capitol. But finding a solution has proven more difficult than expected. Read More
An investigation into behavior by Oregon Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, released this week states Kruse had a pattern of “engaging in unwelcome physical contact toward females in the workplace.” Continue Reading UPDATE: Oregon State Read More
Washington state Republican Representative Matt Manweller. CREDIT: WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE Listen UPDATE, Dec. 29, 2017: Public records released by Central Washington University this week show professor and GOP state Rep. Matt Manweller is barred from contacting past or present students while the school investigates allegations of sexual harassment against Read More
OraLynn Reeve, the ex-wife of Matt Manweller, standing in her Duvall, Washington, home. WALKER ORENSTEIN/THE NEWS TRIBUNE Listen UPDATE, Dec. 11, 2017: Central Washington University has placed Matt Manweller on paid leave pending a university investigation. Read more. ———————————- Original Story: The Read More
A bill introduced by Washington Sen. Karen Keiser would place limits on non-disclosure agreements. WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE Washington state Sen. Karen Keiser says she wants to encourage disclosure of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace. To that end, the Democrat introduced legislation December 4 that would place limits on non-disclosure agreements. Read More
WSDOT/FLICKR Listen Beginning next year, Washington state Senators and Senate staff will be required to take annual sexual harassment training. The Senate’s operations committee unanimously approved that requirement at a meeting Tuesday night. Republican state Senator Joe Fain told his colleagues there needs to be immediate action to address the workplace climate at the Read More
Kristina Hermach was an anonymous source for a 1992 story in The News Tribune on sexual harassment at the Washington state Capitol. Now she’s speaking out. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK Listen In response to recent reports about sexual harassment at the Washington state Capitol, a state Senate committee voted Tuesday night to require… Read More
Samantha Kersul is one of more than 170 women who have signed a letter to Washington state’s legislative leadership urging action to address sexual harassment at the Capitol. Kersul says she was forcibly kissed by a state lawmaker in 2009. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK Listen More than 170 women who work or have… Read More
Samantha Kersul said in 2009 a Democratic state Representative pinned her and forcefully kissed her against her will in a bar. She is one of several women to speak out in recent days about sexual harassment at the Washington Capitol. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK Listen It’s been an eventful and, for some, an… Read More
AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK Listen Leaders in the Washington Legislature said they won’t tolerate sexual harassment, and encourage women to report unwanted attention from men. Those comments follow NWPR’s investigation with The News Tribune of Tacoma into the workplace climate at the state Capitol. NWPR’s reporting quoted current and former Read More
Nicole Grant says she was groped by a lawmaker and a lobbyist while working as a lobbyist in Olympia for electrical workers between 2010 and 2016. PAMELA WANG Listen Nicole Grant was excited when she arrived at the state Capitol in 2010 to lobby on behalf of the Certified Electrical Workers of Washington. A journeyman… Read More