A few weeks ago I wrote about how Benton and Franklin counties were planning to split up their joint public defender office. Apparently there's a much larger divorce in the works.

The Tri-City Herald reports, "Momentum is building to split Benton-Franklin Superior Court, one of a handful of joint judicial districts in Washington." Doing so would require action by the state Legislature. It seems that the Benton County commissioners favor a split — they think Benton is "bearing more than its share of the costs." But the Franklin County commissioners want to stay together because the joint system is efficient.

The Herald story is an interesting read.