KIRO Newsradio Headlines: Mushroom grower facing lawsuit over gender discrimination, retaliation

Bob Ferguson, the Washington state Attorney General, has filed a civil rights lawsuit against a Washington state mushroom grower Ostrom Mushroom Farms.

The lawsuit accuses Ostrom of discrimination and retaliation for firing its predominantly female workforce after they raised concerns, including one worker who reports being attacked by a manager for bringing up these issues.

The suit claims they were replaced with nearly exclusively male, foreign-born workers who have fewer labor laws protecting their rights. There has been no comment yet from Ostroms.

KIRO Newsradio Headlines: WA unemployment at historic low, delivery drivers go on 24-hour strike

Washington ranked number three for most spoiled dogs

A new study done by Forbes ranks Washington the No. 3 state in the country for the most spoiled dogs.

Forbes surveyed thousands of dog owners on a range of topics, and they found Washington residents were 52% are likely to order a special treat for their dog at a restaurant.

That is the second highest percentage in the country for this metric.

Also, 38% are likely to prepare homemade food for their pets. More than half of Washingtonians bring on pets on trips and vacations.

Two-alarm house fire in Everett, possible explosion

Snohomish County officials are tweeting out a report of a two-alarm house fire this morning.

The incident happened on the 12400 block of 51st St SE in Everett.

There are initial reports that the fire is associated with an explosion and the house may have collapsed.

We are working to confirm the details.

Fecal matter in the water at King County beaches

Do not go into the water at Meydenbauer Bay Beach in Bellevue, King County says it has high bacteria levels, which means there’s poop in the water.

You can monitor when it’s safe to go back to that beach on King County’s website. Water samples are taken and results are posted on the website weekly.

Other beaches that are unsafe to visit due to high bacteria levels include Gene Coulon, Matthews, and Newcastle beaches, all on the shores of Lake Washington.

Bonney Lake Little League lose to Honolulu, will return to face a new opponent 

Disappointment for Little League fans in Washington as the Bonney Lake-Sumner team lost its first game against Honolulu, Hawaii in the Little League World Series Wednesday night.

The team’s 11-to-1 loss to the Honolulu team ended after just five innings because of the mercy rule, which ends a game early if the scoring gap between the teams is too great.

But they’re not coming home yet, with the double-elimination tournament means Bonney-Lake Sumner will get to play Sunday against an as-yet-unknown opponent.

Crew member saved at 5th Ave Theater 

A rescue operation at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater Wednesday evening occurred after a theater crew member was injured in the rafters above the stage.

Kristin Tinsley of Seattle Fire tells us the woman’s injuries made it impossible for her to come down on her own, so they brought in a crew to lower her down a ladder to a catwalk.

She was treated by paramedics, then taken to Harborview to treat her injuries.

The theater is preparing for its next show, The Griswold’s Broadway Vacation, which opens September 10.

Hazardous Materials disposed of by Pierce County Sheriff from Lakewood park

A hazardous materials response closed part of the Lakewood Industrial Park Wednesday night.

Crews from West Pierce Fire and Rescue were called to the Aero Precision Warehouse on 100th St., where they say chemicals from a metal drum began reacting.

HAZMAT teams worked with the Pierce County Sheriff’s bomb squad to puncture a hole in the drum to alleviate the pressure.

People were kept out of the area until the situation was under control and nobody was hurt.

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