Featured Stories
Charlie Harger
Harger: Katie Wilson says she’s not DSA. Fine. The DSA platform says ‘defund the police,’ and SPD’s hiring bonus just got defunded
"No WAY," I told myself. There's no way SPD, short hundreds of officers, working through a rough stretch on morale, and still a little tender from the whole "defund" era, would cut its one big recruiting tool: the hiring bonuses.26 days ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Somehow, three years is the full sentence for the Third and Pine shooting. Sentence served, says the state
Monday afternoon, the state sent out a notice that William Tolliver is out of prison. Sentence served. One person dead, seven others shot. He served a little more than three years for it.27 days ago
Manda Factor
Venezuela oil deal won’t help gas prices for years while Iran conflict drives them even higher
The U.S. oil agreement with Venezuela will take years to lower gas prices, and renewed strikes in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing costs higher.28 days ago
Manda Factor
86 of 114 King County juvenile cases diverted in July — prosecutors say context matters
The vast majority of juvenile cases diverted from traditional prosecution in King County last month involved low-level misdemeanors that state law required prosecutors to keep out of court, according to new data released by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.28 days ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Housing, the Bite of Seattle shooting, security cameras. Mayor Katie Wilson keeps finding new ways to postpone hard decisions
About 46,000 Seattle renter households spend more than half their income on housing. Half. Rent gets paid. Groceries get squeezed.28 days ago
Manda Factor
‘He’s absolutely spot on’: Former Republican AG backs Nick Brown’s fight to preserve mail-in voting
McKenna said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting to move forward could create chaos ahead of the November midterm elections.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: A community college radio station gave me a career, a newsroom full of colleagues, and a wife
I talk for a living, on a medium that talks about itself constantly, and I found out about National Radio Day after the show ended yesterday.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: A 17-year-old was convicted, locked up, released, and the allegations got worse. Now what?
He's 17 years old. He's already been through the juvenile justice system for serious crimes. But we know what happened next. He eventually got out.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: You think Brian Heywood spends big? A caregivers union in Olympia outspent him on campaigns
The union SEIU 775 likes to note that The Seattle Times once compared it to Boeing and Microsoft and called it one of Olympia's most powerful players.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Ordinary abundance and how the most astonishing thing about your life is no longer being astonished by it
A website called Ordinary Abundance blew up on my feed this weekend. It walks you through an ordinary modern apartment, and every ordinary object opens a quote from someone in history for whom that object was unimaginable.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Auburn Police arrested five shoplifters at Fred Meyer and booked them into jail. Here’s why that matters more than you think
Last year, Kroger closed the Fred Meyer in Kent, about 10 minutes from the Auburn location, citing "a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment."1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: 2 students, 1 bear, pastrami, and a dorm kitchen that needed 2 days of professional cleaning
Two Cornell students wanted to do some home cookin' in their communal dorm kitchen. These two guys wanted to make bear pastrami. Kind of complicated, but sure.1 month ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: SPD described a Georgetown stabbing suspect down to his jacket. For the Bite of Seattle shooters? Nothing.
Here's what SPD has released about the shooters who opened fire into a crowd at the Bite of Seattle on July 26, killing two bystanders: nothing.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Sound Transit’s radical new idea that riders should pay to ride
Discover Sound Transit's bold plan for riders to pay, set for a vote on Aug. 27. Is this common sense or a new challenge?2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: The legislature built a perfect trap for the income tax repeal. A Thurston County judge just proved the trap works
Before any of this started, the Democrats asked experts to design a perfect bill to enact an income tax. Guess what? The experts delivered.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Pierce County forgot to charge me for a school levy, sent a letter blaming nobody, and wants $1,100 by November
I got a letter from the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer, informing us of a "discrepancy" on our 2026 property tax statement. Not a mistake. A discrepancy.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: A killer. Medium to high risk. Questioned about arson 3 times. 2 states had his file. Hundreds of homes in Spokane are gone
The situation in Spokane is hard to believe. A man has been arrested and is being held on suspicion of starting the biggest of those three fires.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: The Bite of Seattle shooter is still out there. SPD won’t release a description. Here’s what may be slowing this investigation down
I'm frustrated. I don't have inside information. What I have is police reports, public statements, and the same questions you have.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: My primary ballot is sitting on my microwave. If a politics nerd is cramming, the August primary isn’t working
We moved primaries from September to August in 2008 to give election officials more time to process mail-in ballots. That made logistical sense. For actually getting people to vote, it's a flop.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: Washington leads the nation in retail theft. Vancouver’s answer is to stop citing shoplifters. What could go wrong?
A study ranked us No. 1 among the states for retail theft impact. No. 1. Out of 50. The study found Washington had 48% more reported retail theft than our share of the national population would predict.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: The Seattle Times wants to ban the Blue Angels. I’ve changed my mind. They’re right
Thanks to The Seattle Times' editorial board, I've changed my mind. The Blue Angels don't belong in modern Seattle. Not because they're loud. Not because they're military. Because they're just too exciting.2 months ago
Seattle's Morning News
‘The governor’s office putting out a fire’: Center Square reporter breaks down Ferguson-Wilson texts after Bite of Seattle shooting
Center Square reporter TJ Martinell obtained texts between Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Governor Bob Ferguson following the shooting.2 months ago
Charlie Harger
Harger: A 15-year-old allegedly opened fire at the Bite of Seattle. Two broken laws will almost certainly let him walk
The bullets that killed Whitehead and Villalba do not appear to have come from the teen's gun. Think about what a defense attorney does with that.2 months ago
