Other LanguagesThe state’s political parties lost another battle against Washington’s popular Top 2 primary today, a loss state officials hopes will put an end to years of litigation. US District Court Judge John Coughenour of the Western District of Washington at Seattle today ruled the Top 2 primary as implemented in partisan elections “is constitutional because the ballot and accompanying information eliminate the possibility of widespread confusion among the reasonable, well-informed electorate.”
OLYMPIA – Five bills requested by Attorney General Rob McKenna are scheduled for public hearings this week.
OLYMPIA…Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that Facebook has agreed to improve its terms and conditions for state and local government agencies using the social media Web site. The new terms, facilitated through the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), resolve a series of legal issues that were caused by the site’s standard terms of service agreement.
SEATTLE – A software company whose self-proclaimed “performance-enhancing and PC maintenance” programs were purchased by more than 19,000 Washington residents must offer refunds to some of those consumers as part of a settlement announced today by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
Bills to save money, foster open government and protect consumers receive bipartisan support
OLYMPIA – Legislators from both parties joined Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today to announce proposals to save money, protect the vulnerable and make government more accountable.
SEATTLE – The Public Counsel Section of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has reached an agreement with Qwest, CenturyLink, and the staff of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) on a set of conditions to address concerns with the companies’ proposed merger.
WASHINGTON— Parties responsible for contamination at the Moses Lake Wellfield Superfund Site have reached a settlement that provides the funding necessary to clean up the site. Cleanup of TCE (trichloroethylene), an industrial solvent, and other contaminants was initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will be completed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Under the consent decree lodged on [date] in federal district court in Yakima, Washington, the federal government has pledged to provide an estimated $55 million in cleanup funds. Other cleanup funding, in the amount of $3.25 million, will be provided by The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, and the City of Moses Lake.
Judge Roger Vinson of the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola today heard oral arguments in the multistate lawsuit challenging provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
SEATTLE – Dannon will pay $21 million to settle allegations of illegal advertising brought by 39 attorneys general who couldn’t digest the company’s claims about the degree to which its Activia yogurt can improve regularity. The case restricts how the company can market Activia and its DanActive dairy drink and represents the largest settlement payment to date with a food manufacturer.
SEATTLE: DIRECTV – which generated more complaints to the Washington Attorney General’s Office in recent years than any other business – will pay more than $1 million to resolve a landmark lawsuit brought by the state on behalf of consumers.