KIRO Newsradio Headlines: Storm win playoff series against Mystics, set to play Aces in semi-finals

The Seattle Storm closed out its WNBA playoff series with the Washington Mystics Sunday at home in Climate Pledge Arena.

Sue Bird had 18 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds with four three-pointers.

Coach Noel Quinn was hard-pressed to pick her favorite moment from the game.

“With our crew, how we performed tonight just knowing our team was locked in and focused, we will enjoy this one tonight, but know that then we will get ready for the next round,” Quinn said.

The Storm advance to the semi-finals against the Las Vegas Aces.

KIRO Newsradio Headlines: WA’s Cherokee population to be visited by Principal Chief, First Lady

Feral kittens in Gig Harbor cause problems … and smells 

Gig Harbor has a kitten problem, with neighbors complaining that there are about 30 cats and kittens running loose on a property and causing an odor.

Police have tried contacting whoever lives at the house, but they say no one answers the door.

Police say whoever lives there has probably been leaving food out for feral cats.

The Kitsap County Humane Society may soon have to find a new home for them.

Assault at a rally against housing price increases in Hilltop

A rally in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood took a frightening turn when a protester was assaulted by a driver.

An advocacy group, Tacoma Action Collective, was trying to call attention to skyrocketing home prices driving long-term Hilltop residents out of the community.

Jamika Scott of the Tacoma Action Collective tells KIRO 7 TV that one car didn’t go around the group but instead started driving through them.

She said when the group tried to talk to the driver, he grabbed the organizer’s arm and then drove off, pulling the person alongside the car.

Tacoma police say they want to talk to that driver.

Better Business Bureau warns of “buy now, pay later” scams

As parents and students prepare to go back to school– the Better Business Bureau of Washington is warning about “buy now, pay later” offers.

The BBB of Washington says these offers are popular for back-to-school shopping but warns that many of the offers come from third-party financing companies and not retail stores.

These third-party companies also look to collect late fees and possibly interest from consumers, and failure to pay on time could impact credit scores, experts say.

They recommend researching the company providing the financing and how it handles late payments before you accept any offers.

The numbers from the National Retail Federation indicate families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items, approximately $15 more than last year.

Kitsap County house fire put out, dogs, cats, goats, and chickens rescued

A house fire in Silverdale ended up destroying the home, a garage, several outbuildings, and a boat Saturday evening.

Central Kitsap Fire says flames broke out at the home on Old Cedars Place NW.

Due to its location and a lack of fire hydrants, a strike team was deployed to shuttle water for several hours from an area off Clear Creek Road.

Fire crews rescued numerous animals from the scene, including dogs, cats, goats, and chickens.

No one was in the home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

The Kitsap County fire marshal is now investigating the cause of the fire.

Toxic timber pilings to be removed from Duwamish River

Thousands of timber pilings coated with toxins are being removed from the Harbor Island shoreline along the Duwamish River.

The pilings are coated with creosote – a poisonous wood preservative that can be hazardous to animals and people.

The King County Solid Waste Division is removing a 72,000 square-foot derelict timber dock from the mouth of the Duwamish River in hopes of restoring the area to its natural state.

Creosote can kill herring, which is an important food for salmon.

Listen to KIRO Newsradio on 97.3 FM. Stream it live here.