THE LATEST
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Ross: You now have to pay your transit fare; imagine that
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2 hospitalized in WA state from hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen organic strawberries, says CDC
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Suspicious package investigation causes over 3 hour delay at Sea-Tac Airport
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Seattle high school teacher advocates for better digital literacy in schools
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With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties
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Rantz: Echo Glen youth inmates armed with shanks ignited fire, demanded McDonald’s
Local News

Puyallup Police investigating potential DUI that led to 3 people dying in fiery car crash
Saturday morning three people died in a fiery single-car crash in Puyallup. Detectives say alcohol and marijuana were found inside the car.

Seattle dives into professional cricket with new franchise, the Orcas
The Orcas will be one of six U.S. teams in Major League Cricket, alongside Dallas, San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

Semi-truck topples over on SR-167, northbound lanes reopened after long delay
A semi-truck rolled over on northbound State Route 167 Friday afternoon — just north of Ellingson — with the collision blocking all lanes.

King County Executive Dow Constantine won't run for WA governor
King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced that he won't run for governor of Washington state in the 2024 election.

Parents protest Ship Canal Bridge encampment near school
A group of parents is demanding action from the state on a homeless encampment under the Ship Canal Bridge with a protest.

Love for vinyl comes around — and around — again after sales spike
Cassettes, compact discs, Mp3s, and streaming would follow, but it's vinyl that's grabbing a base of new fans.
Seattle Sports

Mariners Notebook: Kelenic catches up to deGrom, Ray impresses again
Shannon Drayer details why the Mariners Radio Network team called an audible Sunday and what they saw from the M's against Jacob deGrom in Surprise.

Seahawks Draft: Tulane’s Tyjae Spears stands out in ‘good’ RB class
The Seahawks lost two running backs early in free agency. Could they find a replacement in the draft? The Senior Bowl's Jim Nagy has a name in mind.

Could Mariners be eventual trade match for Padres’ Fernando Tatís Jr?
MLB Network's Greg Amsinger explained on Seattle Sports' Wyman and Bob why he thinks the Mariners could be a fit for a Fernando Tatís Jr. trade.

Mariners’ George Kirby bringing confidence, ease into 2nd season
George Kirby was perhaps the best rookie pitcher in the AL last season, and the Mariners starter is working on building off that performance.

West favorites LAFC and Seattle Sounders play to 0-0 stalemate
Two of the favorites in the Wes relied on their goalkeepers as Sounders' Stefan Frei and LAFC’s John McCarthy posted shutouts in a 0-0 draw.

FGCU tops WSU 74-63, reaches 2nd round of March Madness
WSU Women's Hoops' season is over as they fell 74-63 to FGCU in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournment.
Jason Rantz

Fatal overdose victim abandoned at Seattle Children's parking lot
Sources told Jason Rantz there was a note left on the windshield explaining she died of an overdose. SPD is currently looking for a suspect.

Seattle City Attorney: Time to create 'accountability in the public safety system'
The Seattle City Attorney identified 118 individuals who were responsible for over 2,400 cases referred to the office over the past 5 years.

Rantz: Homelessness agency offers 'unlimited vacation' after $11.8 billion budget ask
It's a reminder this agency should never be trusted with taxpayer funds — this policy will be quickly abused once we give in.

Dem. Senator: Police pursuit bill a 'big political win,' despite own party disagreeing
A police pursuit bill, SB 5352, set to loosen restrictions for officers chasing criminals narrowly passed in the Washington State Senate on a 26-23 vote.

Man arrested for arson during CHOP enters race for Seattle city council seat
"My crime does not define who I will be in the future, or my narrative, or the legislative policies I can implement in Seattle for the greater good of my people."

Rantz: No whites, Jews allowed at Seattle school Multicultural Week event
A Seattle public school forbade white and Jewish students from attending a taxpayer-funded event for Multicultural Week.
Dave Ross

Ross: Ex-football players would convince people to pay for transit
Yesterday, the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Zachary Meredith, who in 2018 boarded a Community Transit bus without paying his fare.

Dave Ross quizzes ChatGPT on the hardest Jeopardy! questions
With the new update to ChatGPT being rolled out I found a Reader’s Digest feature headlined: “14 Final Jeopardy! Questions Everybody Got Wrong.”

Ross: Community policing program should include public tackle training
There would be five or ten of our burliest male and female citizens trained to swarm the assailant and, in 30 seconds, have him zip-tied

Ross: The myth of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps
A lot of us take that to the extreme by assuming everyone has those magical bootstraps that, if only you pull on them hard enough, will fix everything

Ross: Census expands ethnicity classifications to 217 unique identities
Next year, just in time for the election, the federal government will be rolling out a new list of possible ethnic and racial census classifications.

Ross: DeSantis is wrong, diversity isn't the reason the banks failed
There are a number of theories about why the Silicon Valley Bank failed. The easiest theory to understand came from Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis
Gee & Ursula

Big ideas for the city from the head of the Downtown Seattle Association
Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), has some big ideas on how to bring downtown back to its former glory.

Gee & Ursula: What about those airline fees?
What about those airline fees? More are coming. KIRO Newsradio's Gee & Ursula have different takes on the subject.

Kent Mayor: 'Our police department is fully staffed,' but needs more officers
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph says its police department is fully staffed in budgeted positions but needs more officers.

Gee and Ursula debate whether money really does buy happiness
According to research from two Nobel Prize-winning economists from Princeton University, their study concluded $500,000 can indeed boost happiness.

Gee & Ursula: Are there really 'pet parents' or are they 'pet owners'?
Ursula Reutin and guest host Mike Lewis argued about people who claim to be "pet parents" and whether it's appropriate or not.

Ursula: 'That's just nuts!' regarding lack of pursuit of truck dragging ATM
An ATM was ripped out of a Lakewood credit union Friday morning. As a truck was dragging it down the street, police could not pursue.
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Seattle Traffic

WSDOT's homeless initiative showing some early signs of success
I think we all realize just how tough it is to clear homeless camps from the freeway, and only kicking people out doesn't work.

SR-520 drivers won't be getting a lane back for another year
This is not the news westbound State Route 520 drivers want to hear, they will not be getting their second lane back to Interstate 5 any time soon.

Construction season is year-round across the Pacific Northwest
There is no such thing as construction season. There is so much work to do around the state that those orange cones are going to be with us year-round.

WSDOT to address I-5 chokepoints between Everett, Marysville
It's been eight years since I first started talking about a fix to the daily chokepoint on I-5 between Everett and Marysville.

Time to pay up or face Good to Go! toll fees and penalties
Have you checked your Good to Go account or searched those piles of mail in your house for a forgotten toll bill?

Grab bag: Where will Road Usage Charge funds go?
The plan is to eliminate the gas tax and replace it with a 2.5-cents-a-mile road usage charge, starting voluntarily in 2025.
Feliks Banel: NW History and All Over The Map

Before it collapsed, WaMu ad campaign was the 'Friend of the Family'
All the failing banks in the news lately remind so many around the Pacific Northwest of a memorable WaMu ad campaign.

Regional anthem “Viva! Sea-Tac” celebrates 1990s Seattle culture, good and bad
Over the past few decades, “Viva! SeaTac” has become something of an anthem for the region, at least among a certain demographic.

Cherry trees in front of Pike Place Market are gone
The City of Seattle removed the storied cherry trees on Pike Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue Tuesday.

Gray Field namesake’s ‘oxygen ran out before his courage’
The airfield at Fort Lewis is named for a nearly forgotten high-flying aviator from the Evergreen State, with family history here stretching back to the 1830s.

City pauses Pike Street logging project: Cherry Trees 1, Chainsaws 0
“We are so grateful to Mayor Bruce Harrell for looking carefully at what can be done,” said Save The Market Entrance president Ruth Danner.

Removal of Pike Street cherry trees on pause after community feedback
A linear grove of cherry trees more than four decades old in downtown Seattle is slated to be cut down to make way for bike lanes.