Washington News Roundup: State-Record Marlin Off Ilwaco, Ethics Fine for Rep. Tarra Simmons and More

Published Aug 16, 2026 · Community · Red Rock Daily staff

Here’s a roundup of recent Washington news: an Oregon man hauled in a 151-pound striped marlin off Ilwaco that is likely a Washington state record, the state Legislative Ethics Board fined Rep. Tarra Simmons $15,000 over three ethics violations, a Mukilteo father of seven was killed in a hit-and-run on Mukilteo Speedway and the driver later turned himself in, a fireball flashed across Spokane and the Pacific Northwest, and a Washington State Ferry crew rescued two boaters near Orcas Island.

Mukilteo father of seven killed in hit-and-run on Mukilteo Speedway

Jeffery “Jeff” Woods, 44, a Mukilteo father of seven and husband of Penny Woods, was killed about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11 on Mukilteo Speedway (SR-525) near Beverly Park Road while riding a 2025 Kawasaki motorcycle. (Lynnwood Times, Aug. 15, 2026; KIRO 7 News Seattle, Aug. 12-15, 2026; Washington State Patrol) David Hector Garcia Flores, 38, of Everett, was driving a blue 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan northbound in the left-turn lane and turned into the southbound lanes in front of the motorcycle; Woods struck the minivan and died at the scene despite wearing a USDOT-compliant helmet. (Lynnwood Times, Aug. 15, 2026; KIRO 7 News Seattle, Aug. 12-15, 2026) Flores fled on foot, leaving the Caravan behind, and turned himself in Friday, Aug. 14; he was charged with hit-and-run involving a death, a Class B felony, and is being held in the Snohomish County Jail without bail, with a court appearance scheduled Monday in Everett District Court. (Lynnwood Times, Aug. 15, 2026; KIRO 7 News Seattle, Aug. 12-15, 2026) Woods was a project manager at Tyson Remodel and the primary breadwinner for his household of his wife, seven children, and mother-in-law; a GoFundMe was set up by his employer and a friend. (Lynnwood Times, Aug. 15, 2026)

Rep. Tarra Simmons fined $15,000 by state Legislative Ethics Board

Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton of the 23rd Legislative District in Kitsap County, was fined $15,000 on Friday, Aug. 14 by the state Legislative Ethics Board for improperly using her position to steer public funds to a nonprofit where she worked and for trying to retaliate against the person who initiated the investigation. (Washington State Standard, Aug. 14-15, 2026; Lynnwood Times, Aug. 16, 2026; Yakima Herald, Aug. 15, 2026) The board concluded she committed three violations of conflict of interest and special privilege laws and levied the maximum $5,000 penalty for each; she must also pay the costs of state attorneys. (Washington State Standard, Aug. 14-15, 2026) The board dismissed three other allegations: helping a friend get a job, donating unspent campaign funds to the nonprofit to pay for the friend’s position, and working for an organization that received state funding. (Washington State Standard, Aug. 14-15, 2026) The nine-member board issued a 15-page decision about six weeks after a trial-like public hearing on June 8. (Washington State Standard, Aug. 14-15, 2026) Simmons, who denies wrongdoing, said the fine was unfair and excessive and plans to appeal in Thurston County Superior Court. (Yakima Herald, Aug. 15, 2026) The ruling comes days after the primary in which she beat fellow Democrat Daria Ilgen by a margin of 57.3% to 39%; Simmons is seeking a fourth term and serves as deputy speaker pro tem. (Lynnwood Times, Aug. 16, 2026)

Fireball flashes across Spokane and Pacific Northwest skies

Around 12:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, people awake in Spokane and across the Pacific Northwest saw a less-than-10-second flash across the sky — a fireball, a meteor brighter than normal, according to American Meteor Society fireball program monitor Robert Lunsford. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026; KING 5; KIRO 7; KOMO; The Seattle Times) The society received nearly 250 reports from Washington, the Columbia River, northern Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026) Lunsford estimated the fireball was traveling about 25 miles per second and became visible at about 50 miles altitude. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026) It is not yet determined where fragments landed, with a guess of somewhere near Bridgeport or Brewster, Washington. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026) Some Spokane witnesses heard noise from the fireball, which can indicate a fragment blasted into the lower atmosphere creating a sonic boom. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026) The meteor was not part of the Perseid shower, whose peak was expected between Wednesday and Friday. (The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 14, 2026; FOX 13 Seattle; FOX Weather; Kitsap Sun)

Striped marlin hauled in off Ilwaco likely a Washington state record

Tim Durheim, a Prineville, Oregon man fishing for albacore tuna aboard the Ilwaco charter boat Four Sea’sons about 40 miles west of Ilwaco, pulled in a 151-pound striped marlin Saturday, Aug. 15 — about eight and a half feet long and likely a Washington state record, since the current state record is 134 pounds, a fish caught in 2005. (Chinook Observer via Your Oregon News, Aug. 15, 2026) The marlin was being taken to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Montesano field office for confirmation with a marine biologist and an official scale. (Chinook Observer via Your Oregon News, Aug. 15, 2026) Striped marlin are considered exceptional “warm-water vagrant” anomalies in Washington’s frigid North Pacific waters and have appeared in years when El Niño conditions upset ocean temperatures and currents. (Chinook Observer via Your Oregon News, Aug. 15, 2026) The first recorded catch in Washington was in 1997, a strong El Niño year, a 104-pounder caught off Grays Harbor. (Chinook Observer via Your Oregon News, Aug. 15, 2026)

Washington State Ferry crew rescues boaters near Orcas Island

Around 9:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, the Washington State Ferry Tilikum responded to a U.S. Coast Guard call about a small craft in the water near Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. (KOMO News, Aug. 15, 2026; CHEK News, Aug. 15, 2026) The rowboat was “rapidly taking on water and unable to maneuver on its own.” (KOMO News, Aug. 15, 2026) The Tilikum crew changed course, launched a rescue boat and went to the boaters in distress, helping them to shore with no medical intervention needed. (KOMO News, Aug. 15, 2026) Washington State Ferries said crews practice rescue skills each week and are regularly called to assist boaters, paddlers, and divers in distress. (KOMO News, Aug. 15, 2026; CHEK News, Aug. 15, 2026)

For more on the Evergreen State, see the Washington guide.