Verneda Obrien

Feb 1, 2019, 7:00 AM

As a patient services coordinator at the Swedish SCI Thoracic Institute, Verneda Obrien has always been known to have an amazing work ethic and caring heart. However, her fellow employees were recently surprised to learn her generosity went beyond the workplace – they discovered that Verneda spends her lunch breaks distributing meals to the homeless community.

Starting each day at 3am, Verneda prepares meals – and on Fridays she adds extra food to help take them through the weekend. Verneda’s humble generosity is a gift of hope to many, and her consistency in serving others each day is inspiring to all of her colleagues.

KIRO and WSECU are proud to honor Verneda Obrien as a Hometown Hero and award her with $2,000 for her selfless investments into her community. If you know someone who invests in their community, nominate them to be a Hometown Hero here.

train kills person puyallup...

Bill Kaczaraba

Train hits, kills person in Puyallup Wednesday morning

A person was hit and killed on the train tracks in Puyallup Wednesday morning, according to a report from authorities.

1 year ago

Work continues to shore up areas at Seacliff State Beach against further damage, Friday, Jan. 13, 2...

Associated Press

California gets more rain and snow, but dry days are ahead

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More rain and snow fell during the weekend in storm-battered California, making travel dangerous and prompting evacuation warnings over flooding concerns along a swollen river near Sacramento. Bands of gusty thunderstorms started Saturday in the north and spread south, with yet another atmospheric river storm following close behind Sunday, the National […]

1 year ago

Associated Press

Magnitude 2.8 earthquake shakes southern Illinois; no damage or injuries reported

GERMANTOWN, Ill. (AP) — An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 has been reported in southern Illinois, near the Missouri state line, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The earthquake was detected about 6:55 p.m. Thursday north of Germantown, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of St. Louis, at a depth of just over 14 miles (22.5 kilometers). […]

8 minutes ago

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

15 minutes ago

Associated Press

Burned bodies of Easter pilgrims still lie inside a bus that crashed off a bridge in South Africa

MMAMATLAKALA, South Africa (AP) — Emergency workers in South Africa were searching Friday for the bodies of victims after a bus carrying pilgrims to an Easter gathering plunged off a bridge and caught fire. An 8-year-old child was the only survivor of the crash that killed at least 45. Hours after the Thursday afternoon crash, […]

20 minutes ago

Associated Press

Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher after another set of Wall St records

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares ended mostly higher in quiet, Good Friday holiday trading, while European and U.S. markets were closed. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.5% to 40,369.44 and the Kospi in Seoul was little changed, at 2,748.55. The Shanghai Composite index gained 1% to 3,041.17. Taiwan’s Taiex advanced 0.7%. In Bangkok, the SET added […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

Georgia joins states seeking parental permission before children join social media

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could join other states in requiring children younger than 16 to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts. Lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which also would ban social media use on school devices and internet services, require porn sites to verify users are […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Cranes arriving to start removing wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

BALTIMORE (AP) — The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city’s vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore […]

8 hours ago

Verneda Obrien