The latest deportation by local ICE officials on Tuesday involved 13 adults. The detainees were bussed from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. They arrived at the King County International Airport, known as “Boeing Field.”

As detainees waited to be searched, ICE workers laid their belongings 鈥� in plastic bags 鈥� on the tarmac. Each detained migrant is allowed to keep and travel with 35 pounds of personal items.

First off the detention center bus was 37-year-old Eulalio Ginez-Zarate, a fugitive from Mexico. He’s facing a homicide warrant when he returns. ICE Field Director Camilla Wamsley alleged that approximately half of Tuesday鈥檚 passengers have a criminal past.

鈥淲e had a couple of folks who had some child molestation charges,鈥� Wamsley said. 鈥淲e had an individual with a warrant for aggravated theft, but it鈥檚 the gamut. It can go from just somebody who has a removal order with no criminality to somebody who has an active warrant for homicide.鈥�

Regardless of their background, each adult detainee was shackled throughout the transport. Each migrant was shackled at the wrist, waist, and feet before being escorted on board the flight. It’s a part of the ICE transfer protocol.

鈥淧art of that officer safety is to ensure that everybody is restrained, to not encourage or engender any ideas for people to act out,鈥� Wamsley said.

But immigration groups call聽restraints just one of many human rights violations aboard ICE Air operations.

Immigration groups gather to protest the mass deportations

鈥淭hey cannot move. We have seen people slipping from staircases,鈥� a spokesperson for La Resistencia, a Washington immigrant rights group, told 成人X站 Newsradio. 鈥淲e have talked to people who have been on flights where they鈥檙e not giving food. They鈥檙e not allowed to go to the bathroom.鈥�

成人X站 Newsradio was not able to verify the claims about treatment on board.

La Resistencia held a protest Tuesday outside the airport鈥檚 perimeter, demanding an end to all deportations.

The flight that left Tuesday from Boeing Field wasn鈥檛 headed abroad, but rather to Arizona. It鈥檚 what鈥檚 called a “shuffle flight” 鈥� a domestic charter plane that moves detainees to different U.S. facilities based on their space, medical needs, or proximity to the border.

That movement can hinder transparency about the flow and treatment of detainees, Phil Neff, a research coordinator for the University of Washington (UW) Center for Human Rights, stated.

鈥淲e know that specific people left ICE custody from the detention center on a given day, where the county says there wasn鈥檛 a flight, OK? What happened to those people?鈥� Neff said.

On its public website, King County provides two camera feeds of Boeing Field, allowing anyone to live-stream deportation flights. Such flights are increasing to as many as three a week.

According to King County flight logs, ICE flights out of Boeing Field have increased by more than 30% this year compared to the first half of 2024. In a new report, La Resistencia alleges the increase is closer to 75%.

鈥淲e cannot rely on ICE,鈥� the spokesperson for La Resistencia said. 鈥淭hey will never give us information.鈥�

Director Wamsley pushed back on that claim. Telling 成人X站 Newsradio, her office works to make each flight logistically seamless and uneventful. According to Wamsley, detainees are given full transparency about what’s next in their deportation process.

The timeframe from apprehension to final deportation flight can take months, even years.

“It could be a year or two years until they get through the entire process,” Wamsley confirmed. “It’s a case-by-case basis.”

However, the process could be expedited in the years ahead. The recent passage of President Trump鈥檚 鈥淥ne Big Beautiful Bill鈥� secured unprecedented funding for ICE operations.

It provides a runway to provide more staffing, arrests, and one-way tickets out of Seattle for undocumented migrants.

According to , U.S. District Court Judge Jamal Whitehead ruled that the Trump administration must allow entry for the approximately 80 refugees who were already approved and cleared all requirements.

The case was brought to Whitehead by refugee groups, including Lutheran Community Services Northwest, based in Tacoma. These groups argued in the lawsuit against the Trump administration that the halted refugee admissions, via an executive order issued on Trump’s first day in office, need to be allowed into the U.S.

Whitehead agreed, ruling the president鈥檚 order “crossed the line” of separation of powers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed Whitehead鈥檚 ruling only to allow the entry of refugees whose applications were approved before Trump signed the executive order, according to The Washington State Standard.

Whitehead also ordered the government to speed up entry for unaccompanied kids and Afghan refugees in Qatar.

The ruling is expected to be appealed.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

According to , 1,235 customers lost power just after 5 a.m. Friday. Power is expected to return at any minute. The cause of the outage is unknown, as of this reporting, but Seattle City Light crews are actively investigating the situation.

Additionally, another 309 customers lost power in Burien in the neighborhoods north of Moshier Memorial Park. This outage began Thursday evening at 7:40 p.m., and isn’t expected to be resolved until 2 p.m. Friday.

Follow the to track local outages.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Julie Leon died of hyperthermia on June 28, 2021, the hottest day on record in Seattle’s history. Temperatures reached as high as 108 degrees that day in the throes of the Seattle heat dome that occurred that summer. Leon, 65, was found unresponsive in her car. Her internal temperature had risen to 110 degrees, .

The family claimed climate change caused the extreme heat that killed Leon. The lawsuit was filed by Julie Leon’s daughter.

The major oil companies named in the lawsuit include ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and Shell, with the claim that these companies knew their products were dangerous and had misled the public for decades.

“On that day, Julie was overcome by heat while driving through Seattle with her windows rolled down,” the . “She managed to safely pull off the highway and onto a residential street before losing consciousness. Roughly two hours later, a good Samaritan discovered her, unresponsive and hot to the touch. First responders administered over a dozen rounds of CPR and other lifesaving measures but could not revive her.”

Critics speak out against the lawsuit

Cliff Mass, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Washington (UW), challenged the notion of the lawsuit, claiming many factors contributed to the bizarre heat dome, and that climate change has only contributed a 1-2 degree increase in extreme heat.

“Global warming only contributed a very small amount of the increase in temperature during that heatwave,” Mass told The Center Square.

Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer for Chevron, provided a statement to regarding the lawsuit.

“Exploiting a personal tragedy to promote politicized climate tort litigation is contrary to law, science, and common sense,” Boutrous told NPR. “The court should add this far-fetched claim to the growing list of meritless climate lawsuits that state and federal courts have already dismissed.”

Legal experts stated it鈥檚 one of the first lawsuits of its kind due to placing an individual, and a face, to the case.

Other climate-change-related lawsuits haven’t had too much success. On May 1, the Justice Department sued the states of Michigan and Hawaii in an attempt to prevent those states from filing climate lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry. Some climate-change-related lawsuits, like ones filed in Baltimore, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, have failed to move forward, while others, filed in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Rhode Island, are still ongoing.

When deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, two different cars sped off.

One driver got away, the sheriff’s office confirmed, driving north on I-5. The other driver, however, crashed their car into a power pole after deputies deployed spike strips.

The car burst into flames after striking the pole. The cannabis plants in the car also caught fire.

The driver was arrested at the scene and subsequently booked into the Thurston County Jail for burglary, attempting to elude, and vehicle prowling, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

The medical center categorized the injuries as 18 involving hands, 13 involving eyes, eight involving other body areas, and eight involving multiple areas (such as hands and eyes).

The reported injuries come as fire departments around the Puget Sound region responded to dozens of fires and calls over the weekend.

Despite the large number of injuries, Dr. Arvin Akhavan said Harborview Medical Center, the area鈥檚 leading trauma center, sees an average of 55 people over the Fourth of July holiday due to fireworks-related injuries.

Misused, even legal fireworks can lead to severe burns, cuts, eye injuries, hearing loss, and amputations.

Before this year’s Fourth of July, Chelsea Boe, an orthopedic surgeon with Harborview Medical Center, said some of the most severe injuries she鈥檚 seen are when people get too hands-on with fireworks.

鈥淪ometimes people try to light the fireworks and then throw them,鈥� Boe told 成人X站 Newsradio.

Or, people will continue holding fireworks after they鈥檙e lit. Boe said the results can be 鈥減retty impressive and horrendous blast injuries.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 trauma to the skin, the soft tissues, the tendons that help you move your fingers, the nerves that let you sense your fingers, and then the bones themselves,鈥� she explained.

Sometimes, a blast itself can amputate fingers and hands, or force doctors to remove parts of the body that are beyond repair.

Contributing:

The two firefighters, ages 34 and 40, were attempting to make a turn from State Route 102 (SR 102) to US 101 near the Sanderson Airport overnight on July 5 when a mechanical issue with the truck caused it to roll.

“Vehicle One was traveling eastbound on SR 102 attempting to make a right-hand turn onto southbound US 101,” the Washington State Patrol (WSP) wrote in a memo obtained by 成人X站 Newsradio. “Vehicle One experienced a mechanical failure that caused it to lose control and roll over. Vehicle One came to rest in the northbound ditch on its top.”

Neither crew members were hurt in the incident, according to WSP. Both were wearing their seatbelts when the accident happened.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

The stabbing happened near 5th Avenue N. and Mercer Street, across from the QFC in Queen Anne, early Thursday morning at approximately 4:30 a.m. Police are actively searching for the suspect.

The victim was discovered by police with multiple stab wounds. The knife was still embedded in his body when found by officers.

Seattle police are investigating a stabbing near 5th Avenue North and Mercer Street. Police are actively searching for the suspect. Please avoid the area. More information to follow.

鈥� Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD)

The victim was rushed to Harborview Medical Center. His injuries have been described as life-threatening, as of this reporting.

Police are investigating what led to the stabbing, believing the victim and the suspect got into a fight on a Metro bus before the stabbing took place.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

WSDOT crews are currently filling potholes and gaps in the road, leaving southbound I-5 to just one operational lane.

The work runs from the Highway 12 ramp down to the Lewis County line.

It鈥檚 happening from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. Monday and Tuesday

Drivers are being asked to plan ahead. Leave early, travel late, or skip the trip if you can.

Officers with the Puyallup Police Department reported they were in a standoff with an armed man at a home. According to the department, a young child was inside with him.

No injuries were reported, but negotiators were at the scene, and a SWAT team was called in.

The standoff was on 2nd Street Northeast in the downtown area. Police blocked off streets between 4th Avenue and 7th Avenue.

There is police activity in the area of 2nd Street SE. It is closed between 4th Ave SE & 7th Ave SE. There is no active threat to the public right now. Please avoid the area as several roads are closed.

鈥� Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD)

“There is no active threat to the public right now,” the Puyallup Police Department stated on X.

Next month, paddlers and pickleball enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest have a chance to compete in a brand new competition: .

A limited number of teams can register now, but anyone can go watch the action on professional courts. The tournament lasts from June 27 to 29 at , a weekend event featuring food, drinks, and entertainment at the fairgrounds in Puyallup.

It’s the first annual pickleball tournament within The Taste Northwest’s festivities.

June 27 is dedicated to women’s doubles, June 28 is for mixed doubles, and June 29 is for men’s doubles.

Washington’s love for pickleball

Washington has had a burgeoning pickleball movement over the last five years. In May 2023, it was announced that Seattle had the most pickleball courts per 100,000 people in the U.S., though it has since been passed up by Louisville, Kentucky, Madison, Wisconsin, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

For the third year in a row, pickleball, which originated from Bainbridge Island just outside of Seattle when it was invented in 1965, was crowned the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., according to . Pickleball has grown 51.8% from 2022 to 2023, and by 224% over the last three years. Every age demographic saw a growth in participation during this span.

But pickleball enthusiasts in the Puget Sound region have struggled to enjoy the sport as most of the courts for pickleball are outdoors, conflicting with the region鈥檚 rainy climate. Luckily, the Puyallup Paddle Battle is an indoor tournament.

Last December, Side Out Pickleball Centers opened the first indoor facility dedicated to pickleball in the聽Seattle metro area, with plans to open a 26-court center later this year in South Seattle. Former NFL star quarterback Drew Brees鈥� pickleball company,聽, quickly followed suit, replacing Theo Chocolate in Seattle鈥檚 Fremont neighborhood.

In April, Pickleball Kingdom announced it will inhabit a 40,000 square foot facility in Lynnwood, replacing a now-shuttered Bed Bath and Beyond located at 3115 196th Street SW.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

In an email obtained by 成人X站 Newsradio, VA leadership in Seattle recently told staff many employees will be subject to mandatory overtime, beginning May 18.

For many workers, that includes up to 25 hours of overtime per month.

The VA ended its mandatory overtime rule for most employees last summer, shifting to a system of mostly voluntary overtime. The VA has relied on mandatory overtime for the previous seven years to keep up with its increasing workload.

Several government employee unions filed a lawsuit intended to rescind the firing of tens of thousands of new employees in a federal workforce reduction ordered by President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration. The suite of lawsuits included reversing the dismissal of more than 1,000 workers terminated at the VA.

Charges have been filed against the suspect in Sunday morning鈥檚 double homicide at a Rainier Beach hookah lounge.

On Wednesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney鈥檚 Office charged聽Leontai D. Berry with two counts of first-degree murder with firearm enhancements and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

A 成人X站 Newsradio investigation revealed Berry was already on probation. In fact, he had been celebrated by community anti-violence organizations for turning his life around.

Federal charges: running a ‘straw man’ scheme as a teen

Berry is now 25 and the father of a four-year-old daughter. But at the age of 18, federal investigators said he convinced his mother to start buying guns for him.

Court records from the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office show one of them was a Glock 19 9-millimeter handgun that was converted into a fully automatic machine gun. Investigators said at one point, the gun was in the hands of a felon with ties to a violent street gang. That felon filmed himself shooting the modified gun out the window of a moving car. It was also used in a drive-by shooting before the Seattle murder suspect posted the handgun for sale on Facebook.

An Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Seattle (ATF) investigation into that felon led them to discover the mother-and-son duo. Investigators said the mother bought eleven guns in total, with at least five for her son. None of them were recovered when the ATF searched their home.

Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Gun Control Act, and making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. The mother was sentenced to eight months in prison.

At the age of 21, Berry was sentenced to five years of probation, ending in 2026.

‘Exceptional mitigating factors’ and a redemption story

One of the organizations he worked with was , an anti-violence organization that runs diversion programs.

Community Passageways backed the suspect

When Berry petitioned to end his probation early this year, the CEO of Community Passageways, Dominique Davis, wrote a personal character reference. Davis detailed how the young man had approached him in 2019 after the indictment to attend meetings and trainings and then graduated to leading group discussions.

The final vote was 6-3.

Details of Bondi’s plan have not officially been announced.

Seattle and a group of several other cities in the state of Washington have declared themselves sanctuary cities.

Bondi’s possible order would apply to cities that house undocumented immigrants.

The city of Seattle responds to the sanctuary cities report

A spokesperson from the city of Seattle sent a statement to 成人X站 Newsradio Wednesday afternoon about the potential order and reported it had not received any direction or orders from the federal government in that regard.

“Currently, the City has not received any memo or directive from the DOJ and we are not aware of any federal funding to our departments being impacted,” Callie Craighead, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s press secretary, said in her statement.

Craighead went on to explain the enforcement of immigration law is done exclusively by the federal government and the city does not get in the way.

“The City and its employees follow federal and state law in all circumstances,” the statement reads. “Immigration law and enforcement is solely the domain of the federal government and the City does not interfere with, nor carry out, the federal government鈥檚 duties.”

The statement from the mayor’s office then outlined a series of actions the mayor’s office has taken to respond to any potential order that may come from the federal government.

“Recently, Mayor Harrell issued a Mayoral Directive to all executive branch departments regarding federal immigration enforcement to ensure that as a city, our policies protect the safety, privacy, and constitutional rights of Seattleites while complying with applicable law,” Craighead said in her statement. “The mayor also recently met with several immigrant, refugee, and asylee community-based organizations to discuss anticipated needs and solutions we can work on together. The Mayor鈥檚 Office will closely collaborate with our state and county governments and cities across the nation in ensuring coordinated and strategic responses.”

Craighead also issued a reminder that protections are in place that can limit what the federal government can do and how it can coerce cities to act.

“Strong constitutional protections exist that limit the federal government’s ability to coerce cities by conditioning funds. We will continue to assess actions that impact Seattle鈥檚 access to federal funding that supports all of our residents and respond appropriately.鈥�”

More from Matt Markovich: Washington lawmakers push to slash parking requirements, paving way for new housing

More on Pam Bondi’s plans and her confirmation

Fox News Digital stated it has obtained documents outlining Bondi’s plans, which will lay the groundwork for the Justice Department under her leadership.

“Those plans will feature sweeping changes in multiple areas. including orders to combat the weaponization of the legal system; make prosecutors seek the death penalty when appropriate; and work with the Department of Homeland Security to “completely eliminate” cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” .

The Senate confirmed Bondi as attorney general Tuesday, putting a longtime ally of President Donald Trump at the helm of a DOJ that has already been rattled by the

The vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with only Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, joining with all Republicans to pass her confirmation 54-46.

叠辞苍诲颈,听聽and corporate lobbyist, is expected to oversee a radical reshaping of the department that has been the target of Trump’s ire over the聽.

Republicans have praised Bondi as a highly qualified leader they contend will bring much-needed change to a department they believe unfairly聽聽resulting in two indictments.

“Pam Bondi has promised to get the department back to its core mission: prosecuting crime and protecting Americans from threats to their safety and their freedoms,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Parental rights showdown: WA lawmakers accuse one another of lying about student privacy

But Bondi has faced intense scrutiny over her close relationship with the president, who during his term聽聽who refused to pledge loyalty to him and forced out an attorney general who聽聽from the Justice Department鈥檚 investigation into potential ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign.

While Bondi has sought to reassure Democrats that politics would play no part in her decision-making, she also聽.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Matt Markovich often covers the state legislature and public policy for 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of Matt’s stories here. Follow him on , or email him here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on , or email him here.

“He has no known address and a significant criminal history, including convictions for second-degree robbery, attempted second-degree robbery, and third-degree assault,” Vasquez stated.

The judge agreed with Vasquez’s argument, citing the suspect’s criminal background and lack of a permanent address. The suspect refused to appear via video call from jail.

The suspect is accused of stabbing a 13-year-old boy from Everett. The motive behind the alleged attack remains unclear.

Previous story (Jan. 29, 5:45 p.m.): A suspect has been arrested in the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy in Everett.

The Everett Police Department (EPD) a man was arrested around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Police stated a community member notified the department of the suspect’s whereabouts, who was arrested without incident.

EPD said the suspect will be booked into the Snohomish County Jail on assault in the first degree.

Previous story (Jan. 20, 12 p.m.): The Everett Police Department (EPD) has identified a person of interest in the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy who was on his way to school.

The person of interest has been identified as Andrew Freeman. EPD released a previous mugshot of him in a social media post asking the public for help.

While searching for Freeman, according to , it was revealed to authorities the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office arrested him less than an hour after the stabbing occurred on an unrelated drug charge.

According to jail records reviewed, Freeman was booked into the Snohomish County Jail Thursday morning at 9:21 a.m. on a charge of possessing prescription drugs without a prescription — less than an hour after the stabbing.

Freeman was released the next day at 2:14 p.m.

As a person of interest, EPD and other police agencies are actively searching for him. If anyone sees Freeman, members of the community are encouraged not approach him. Instead,聽 they should just call 911.

Previous story (Jan. 17, 2:45 p.m.): At approximately 8 a.m. Thursday, a 13-year-old boy was walking to class at North Middle School in Everett when EPD said an unknown man approached and stabbed him.

Police said multiple witnesses reported the stabbing, and officers swarmed the area for an extensive search.

“I, personally, drove through almost every alley in this neighborhood trying to find a clue or find the suspect and we did not see him,” EPD Chief John DeRousse said.

A spokesperson for the department explained that the “notion that it鈥檚 random (attack) is still equally up in the air.”

At this point, investigators aren’t sure whether the attack was random, planned or with any other motive.

“We don’t know,” EPD Officer Natalie Given said. “It’s too early in the investigation.”

Friday morning, Jan. 17, the EPD still wouldn’t state if the teen victim knew the suspect or not. The department also stated the suspect stabbed the teenager from behind and fled.

, EPD asked for the community to be on the lookout for a person who has been identified as a person of interest in the stabbing and was last seen in the area around the time of the stabbing.

Police described the suspect as a Black male, approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall, last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and yellow beanie. DeRousse also said Friday he thinks the suspect is no longer in the area.

A suspect seen wearing a yellow beanie is wanted for allegedly stabbing a teenager in Everett on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Image courtesy of 成人X站 7)

Community reacts to the Everett stabbing

Oxford Jones owns a hobby shop near North Middle School and has a son who goes to the school. The news of the teen’s stabbing upset him.

“(It makes me) sick to my stomach … I’m already the protector type,” Jones said. “That never would have happened had I saw that, I promise … I would have attacked that guy in a heartbeat.”

Many parents like a woman named Mitra say they learned about it from their kids.

“Scary. So, my daughter was messaging me while she was on the bus and (said) ‘There’s police everywhere. I’ve never seen this many police (officers).’ When she got here, they went straight into lockdown,” Mitra said to 成人X站 Newsradio.

The day after the event, many parents, including one named Gabriel who has a daughter, drove their kids to school instead of letting them walk.

“It’s really terrifying, it happening so close to home around here,” Gabriel said to 成人X站 Newsradio. “I’m glad they beefed up the security that we need here.”

DeRousse said he will allocate whatever resources he can to catch the suspect and make those who go to the school get a sense of safety.

“This kind of event shocks us and as a police chief … we’re going to deploy resources and do everything we can to not only track this guy down, but people who go to this school and the family members who take their kids to these schools, we want them to feel safe as well,” DeRousse said Friday.

Video of the morning after鈥� a 13yr old stabbed on his way to school in – I have more on

鈥� Luke Duecy (@Luke成人X站)

Contributing: ; Steve Coogan, Frank Sumrall and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Editors’ note: This story originally was published on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. It has been updated and republished multiple times since then.

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on , or email him here.

Luke Duecy is a reporter, editor and anchor at 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of Luke’s stories here. Follow Luke on , or email him here.

Rahr’s memo, which was obtained by 成人X站 Newsradio, states she is “clearing out the ‘Chief’s Office'” Wednesday. From there, “Chief Barnes will be moving into his Seattle home and start moving his stuff into the Chief’s Office,” Rahr wrote.

On Friday, there will some sort of welcome reception at City Hall for Barnes, the memo from Rahr also states. There is a possibility of more events being planned for that day as well.

Rahr said that despite her departure from the office, she will be in regular contact with Barnes and the mayor’s office for “a couple of weeks to wrap up projects and loose ends until mid-February.” She added she will still have access during that period.

Next week, Rahr stated she will send “a more detailed department wide email to wrap things up.”

“It’s going to be a lot harder than I expected to step away from my ‘interim’ police family,” Rahr said in the memo to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

More on Interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr

As a news release from explained last year, Rahr began her career in law enforcement as a King County Sheriff鈥檚 deputy in 1979. She rose through the ranks and was elected sheriff in 2005 and re-elected in 2009.

In 2012, then-Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed Rahr as the executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, a position she held for nine years. President Obama appointed Rahr in 2015 to the President鈥檚 Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

Retired King County Sheriff John Urquhart noted Rahr’s wealth of experience.

“I think she provided that stability for the last six months and I’m sure glad she was able to do it. I think she was the right person, at the right time, for the right job,” Urquhart said. “SPD has had so many chiefs. Something like seven chiefs in the last twelve years. Sue is really good at going in and being just a kind of calming influence. She has a tremendous resume that says a lot about her knowledge, her ability, and her leadership.”

State Senator and Former Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick calls Rahr a friend and also highlighted Rahr’s professionalism.

“(She is) one of the best leaders the law enforcement community has ever had I think she’s one of the most competent people I’ve ever worked with and it was always based on integrity,” Lovick said. “She talked with me about doing work to change the culture, and not that the culture is bad, but to bring in good people who will serve their community and be guardians of the community and not warriors.”

Shon Barnes steps in as the new chief to replace Sue Rahr

Harrell made the announcement late last month that he had chosen Barnes to be the next SPD chief after a national search. Barnes had been the Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin, since 2021.

“I am very excited to see Chief Shon Barnes join the Seattle Police Department,” Rahr said in a statement at that time. “He has achieved a national reputation for his focus on research and innovation while remaining centered on the core values of community policing.”

Harrell also complimented Barnes’ experience and thanked Rahr for her help during the process of hiring a new chief.

“Chief Barnes brings proven experience and a forward-looking vision to help us achieve our One Seattle commitment to safety in every neighborhood. I want to thank Chief Sue Rahr for her strong leadership this year. We took a different approach to this search, seeking the best possible chief for SPD鈥檚 future. I am confident Chief Barnes is that leader.”

Earlier this month, however, “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH reported that Barnes failed the Seattle Police Department’s polygraph as part of the city’s pre-employment screening process.

Harrell’s office, through a spokesperson, later denied the claim coming from the source. He said the polygraph test isn’t a traditional pass/fail test.

“The City’s Human Resources Department reviewed the background investigation of Chief Barnes and reported to the mayor that there were no adverse findings,” Jamie Housen, director of communications for the Office of the Mayor, told 鈥渢he Jason Rantz Show鈥� on KTTH.

James Lynch is a reporter at 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on , or email him here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on , or email him here.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that about 1,500 troops were being sent to the border this week, as the department scrambles to put in motion President Donald Trump’s executive order demanding an immediate crackdown on immigration.

JBLM officers will head south

U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) announced in a statement Friday the U.S. Army’s 66th Military Police Company out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Pierce County as part of the military’s agency mission.

It is unclear exactly how many JBLM officers will take part, but USNORTHCOM says the number of personnel deployed will fluctuate as units rotate personnel and as additional forces are tasked to deploy. Specific units will be announced as soon as more information becomes available, . The Associated Press (AP) reported the additional personnel would include active duty, National Guard and Reserves, and come from land, air and sea forces. Other defense and military officials this week estimated that the additional number deployed could be in the thousands.

USNORTHCOM added the military forces being sent will support enhanced detection and monitoring efforts and repair and emplace physical barriers.

More on the border: Asylum-seekers pushed to new extremes in Mexico after Trump鈥檚 border crackdown begins

More on the military personnel going to the border

The troops announced Wednesday include about 1,000 Army soldiers from a variety of units and 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in California.

Officials said Thursday that they expect the bulk of them to be in El Paso 鈥� including Fort Bliss 鈥� or in San Diego by Friday, where they will get their mission assignments and prepare to spread out along the border. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on troop movements.

There were already about 2,500 Guard and Reserve forces deployed to the border, and the new 1,500 would add to that total. But officials noted that given the length of the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, it will take additional forces to help put large rolls of concertina wire barriers in place and provide needed transportation, intelligence and other support to the Border Patrol.

As of Thursday there were still no requests for the use of military bases to house migrants or for troops to be used for law enforcement duties.

Contributing: The Associated Press; James Lynch, 成人X站 Newsradio; Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest

Seattle鈥檚 minimum wage rose on Jan. 1 from $19.97 per hour to $20.76, . The new hourly wage is $4 higher than the state of Washington’s new 2025 minimum wage of $16.66 per hour.

Previous coverage: New year brings more money as Seattle’s minimum wage rises

As Jason Rantz of KTTH noted in a recent piece, the City of Seattle also ended the tip credit of $2.72. Previously, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour.

The lack of a tip credit has already impacted small businesses as the city of Seattle’s wage hike has led several restaurants to close their doors at the beginning of this year.

in Seattle鈥檚 Central District, West Seattle eateries Bel Gatto and , and in Capitol Hill have all closed with the new minimum wage playing at least some role in the closures.

From Jason Rantz: 2 more Seattle restaurants close over ‘untenable’ minimum wage hike

The Confectional in Pike Place Market will close

The number of shuttering restaurants will climb at least one more after this weekend as Destiny Sund, owner of the Pike Place Market bakery , told 成人X站 Newsradio’s “The Gee and Ursula Show” during an interview Friday that she will close her business after the weekend.

“I wanted my team to have a wonderful holiday season, so I didn’t mention to them that we would be closing until after New Year’s Day,” Sund said. “So this has been a long week for all of us at The Confectional.”

Sund also pointed out it’s not just the higher wage that is sinking her business, citing the end of the tip benefit as well.

“That allowed businesses 50 employees or under to subtract $2.00 from the minimum wage. If they could make it up in tips and or benefits,” Sund said. “And my employees did make that up in tips.”

Sund said she ran the numbers and determined that maintaining the business would not be feasible as yearly costs would be too high.

“And just doing the math with the additional increase and the loss of the tip credit, it would cost my business an additional $18,000,” Sund explained. “And that’s just not sustainable.”

The business owner also stated they tried raising prices, but sales declined.

“I raised my cheesecake prices to $8 each and saw a sharp decline in transactions, so it’s obvious that people can’t pay a higher price or nobody needs a delicious cheesecake,” she said.

Higher Seattle minimum wage was ‘the final straw’

Sund also expressed a desire to be “completely fair” and explained that other factors have hurt business in recent years, including the loss of foot traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, inflation has increased the price of eggs and other ingredients.

“Then, of course, the price of eggs, the price of chocolate, the price of cream cheese — I don’t use the cheapest ingredients to make cream cheese — (played a role),” Sund stated. “So, all the price increases have also been pretty rough, so I cannot fully blame minimum wage increase as the number.”

In the end, however, the wage hike was the drop that spilled the drink, so to speak.

“The minimum wage, yes, I would say that was the final straw, though,” Sund said. “Everything else I was willing to work with or could have worked with. Meeting with additional vendors, doing more advertising, thanking Seattleites when they come down to the market personally …”

As the conversation between host Ursula Reutin, guest host Angela Poe Russell and Sund wrapped up, Sund said she thinks Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle City Council need to “take a hard look” at the small businesses impacted by the raising minimum wages and higher cost of living in Seattle.

“I think the city really needs to have a conversation about all the mom-and-pop stores. And is it worth losing an entire business — many of which have workers making well above minimum wage?” Sund asked. “Is it worth losing all of those jobs for a few?”

or tap on the player to listen to the entire conversation with Seattle business owner Destiny Sund.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on , or email him here.

Heather Bosch is an award-winning anchor and reporter on 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of her stories here. Follow Heather on , or email her here.