Woods & Brangwin Law Firm, PLLC

1. Always be calm and cool.

2. You have the right to remain silent, and you should.

Initiative 502 is currently gathering signatures. At its simplest, I-502 seeks to legalize marijuana and replace it with regulated sales. While I-502 may not be perfect, it would be a wise start. Through November, registered voters can sign I-502 petitions at our offices. For more on I-502, visit their web site at: http://www.newapproachwa.org

The question you want to ask yourself is if you want your marriage completely dissolved after 90 days or if you want to remain married but have everything legally divided between the parties.  The first thing you must do in either situation is file a summons and petition, serve the other party, and wait 90 days.  The big difference between a divorce and a legal separation is that after you file a summons and petition with the court, you have a wait time before final documents can be entered with the court.  In a divorce, you will have to wait 90 days and then you can enter final orders on asset and debt distribution, child support, parenting plans, etc.   After 90 days in a divorce proceeding, you can legally dissolve your marriage and be divorced.

Ignition interlocks don’t always make the roads safer. In fact, sometimes they kill.

There’s currently a bill pending in Olympia to make drivers convicted of DUI get a special license for their car.  If passed, House Bill 1955 would require every person convicted of DUI to get a license plate marked with a Z, and it would be a crime for the person to drive any other vehicle.

While it might sound enticing to brand drivers this way, it’s nothing more than the “A” for adultery from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel about Puritan Boston.  It would be a badge of shame for all to see.  But the truth is that such a law would do nothing to curb drunk driving.

When you are faced with the prospect of divorce, it is important to understand that you have options outside of the courtroom. While mediation may not work for every divorcing couple in every situation, if it works, it can save time, money, stress, and generally gets better outcomes.

A recent story in the Wenatchee World noted that five men were arrested for attempting to solicit a prostitute in Wenatchee.  These arrests were the result of a sting operation masterminded by the Wenatchee Police Department.  With all of the news about budget shortfalls, layoffs and decreased revenue, it might be interesting to look at what this sting likely cost the City of Wenatchee, and compare it to what it achieved.

First, let’s look at what it achieved.  Five men were arrested for patronizing a prostitute.  The more accurate description might be attempting to patronize a prostitute, as there was actually no prostitute involved. Instead, there were three police officers and an un-named female Confidential Informant who was posing as a prostitute over the phone and not even present at the time of these arrests.  But there is no need to quibble about the exact nature of the charge.  What is important to this discussion is what the police were trying to accomplish.  A police department Sergeant was quoted in the paper as saying, “We just don’t want prostitution in our city.” So we have to presume the goal of the sting was to discourage prostitution by arresting the customers.

Tourism is a key source of revenue for the Wenatchee Valley. Yet, the most high profile tourist events (Apple Blossom & Oktoberfest) are headed towards extinction.  While I could provide several examples of how tourism is being deterred and extinguished from Apple Blossom, Oktoberfest is the most recent festival and prompted the following commentary.   

Leavenworth and Chelan County advertise and market Oktoberfest to people across the state, hoping that due to the economy, tourists choose the short drive vacation as opposed to the expensive flight and hotel to Disneyland or Hawaii.  The City of Leavenworth relies heavily upon tourist’s spending money and is a significant influx of money to the community (hotels, restaurants, gifts, etc).  Further, every group is well aware that Oktoberfest is largely a festival that involves the consumption of large quantities of alcohol.  However, the increased security, law enforcement and arbitrary arrests are going to destroy this festival and the income it generates.

JoAnn Chiakulas deserves a medal. Who is she? She was the holdout juror in the trial of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The jury voted 11-1 to convict. Chiakulas held her ground. She’s been widely criticized because she held out and would not convict. But she did what she was legally obligated to do. She did what the court instructed her to do. She did what many jurors don’t do. She deserves a medal.

Many jurors are too quick to just follow the prosecutor’s evidence and blindly believe whatever the cops testify to and the prosecutor tells them in closing argument.