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����Xվ host Gee Scott is worried about what closure will mean for local residents.

“There are so many apartments down the street,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on ����Xվ Newsradio. “So that means that people now, instead of being able to walk, when that closes down in September, the closest store will be Winco.”

The closure is part of a larger move by Kroger to shut down about 60 locations nationwide. The company cites declining sales at certain stores, largely due to increased competition from online retailers like Amazon.

In addition to battling the shift toward online shopping, Kroger is focusing on reducing costs and refocusing its efforts on fresh food, pharmacy services, and its digital platform.

Locally, the announcement has stirred frustration and anxiety. Andrea Hogg, Chair of the Neighborhood Council, shared that her phone has been flooded with calls from worried residents. Many of those affected live within walking distance of the store and have relied on its convenience.

As Kroger reshapes its business strategy, Tacoma residents face not only the loss of a store but also a shift in their daily routines and neighborhood dynamics.

����Xվ host Ursula Reutrin added that the trend of declining pharmacies and supermarkets could spell disaster for the community.

“I’m still mourning the loss of our local Rite Aid. I’m not even kidding,” Ursula said. “I was crying in the last days because one of the women who works there pointed out that she remembered developing film for photos.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on ����Xվ Newsradio. 

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Although many are eager for names to be released, MSNBC contributor and professor at Morgan State University, Dr. Jason Johnson, told “The Gee and Ursula Show” on ����Xվ Newsradio that it won’t make a difference.

“It doesn’t matter, because the only value — people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a terrible day for Trump.’ And people are upset, and his own MAGA people — if no one is going to change their vote, and I don’t just mean like regular voters, I mean if members of Congress are going to continue to do whatever it is that Donald Trump wants them to do, who cares about the Epstein list? Who cares? I mean, most of it’s already baked into the cake,” Johnson said.

MSNBC contributor says Trump’s supporters are indifferent to Epstein list

Johnson added that Trump’s voters live in FOX News echo chambers and are not hearing about the Epstein list, or they don’t care and believe it’s AI.

“You could have a video of Donald Trump having an orgy with like underage trans children. And most MAGA people wouldn’t care. They wouldn’t care. They’d say it was fake. You can have all the letters and all the pictures of him and these people that you want,” he remarked.

, a judge rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Epstein in 2005 and 2006, saying the documents did not meet any of the extrinsic exceptions under federal law that would require them to be public.

Epstein, who was a wealthy financier, was on federal sex trafficking charges and a month later was found dead in his jail cell. Maxwell was charged with aiding Epstein’s abuse of teen girls. The case went public due to Epstein and Maxwell’s links to famous people, including President Donald Trump.

Johnson believes the national press is looking for an easy way out.

“They want a salacious story that’s going to, quote, unquote, save us from Donald Trump, but nothing will save us from Donald Trump other than disaster history and possibly voting,” he said.

����Xվ host Gee Scott asked why Trump has such a firm grip on the American people.

“One thing you’ve got to remember, 40-some percent of these people agree with him,” Johnson said. “We keep wanting to turn these folks into victims. We keep wanting to say, ‘Oh, they’re afraid.’ No, they agree with him. They agree with him on most of the things that he’s doing and the things that he does that they don’t like — they just hope that they won’t suffer.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on ����Xվ Newsradio. 

The Pike Place Market Preservation and Public Development Authority cited positive feedback, increased foot traffic, and a need for more research as reasons to continue its car-free pilot program.

“You don’t have to dodge delivery vans anymore while you’re picking out your peaches or your flowers,” ����Xվ host Ursula Reutin said. “And people seem to love this.”

Foot traffic is up more than 7% compared to last year, while multiple vendors stated they have seen improvements both for their business and for overall convenience. Vendors were initially worried that fewer people would shop at the market if they couldn’t drive there, but that hasn’t been the case so far.

“Market leaders are not ready to say this is a forever thing,” Ursula said. “They’re extending this pilot program through next spring to see how it works during the slower winter months, and then they’re hoping to have a full street plan ready before Seattle hosts the FIFA World Cup next June. What do you think?”

“Keep it. Keep it like it is. Keep them cars away,” ����Xվ host Gee Scott answered. “I had a great, great experience going down to Pike Place. It was beautiful. No cars, just people, just moving. All about this is fantastic. Keep it. I know this pilot is going to continue.”

When the car-free pilot program launched, the vehicle restriction was in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. But, according to , the market decided to move the start time back to 10 a.m. The end of the vehicle restriction was also changed from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on ����Xվ Newsradio. 

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Up until now, only solo drivers needed a pass to pay their way into the HOT lane. Carpoolers didn’t need a pass. It was the honor system. Now they do, or they will be tolled.

“I’ve made friends with total strangers just to use that lane, now it’s still going to cost me an additional fee,” ����Xվ host Spike O’Neill said.

“On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ he would pick up a prostitute just to drive in a lane like this,” ����Xվ host Jake Skorheim added.

“Did you know, on the Golden Gate Bridge, people wait by the side of the road just to get a ride across?” Spike asked. “Just jump in a car, get a free shuttle across, and let someone else use that high-capacity occupancy lane.”

Drivers will still be able to carpool toll-free, but they will need to have a set to HOV mode to do so, Lauren McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) toll division, told ����Xվ Newsradio. The flex pass costs $15, plus tax.

The change in policy is directly related to the number of drivers who wouldn’t honor the “honor system” in place when using HOT lanes.

“They’re calling all of you liars and cheats. Yes, they are. They don’t trust you. And I don’t think you should trust them. I’m talking about the government. I don’t think you should trust them,” Jake said. “This is what they’re going to force you to do. You have to buy one of these passes. We’ve all seen them in the window, but it’s not free. It should be free. They’re penalizing you and making you purchase this thing. It’s a $15 fee to buy it. You have to set up the account, which is a headache. It is a headache.”

“I’m looking into ways to subvert the law,’ Spike said jokingly. “With regard to this story in particular, I’m looking for ways to subvert the law. I’m going to reach out to Sheriff Swank because he’s the guy who wants to help the commuter along.”

Drivers without a pass will be charged the toll, plus $2 for pay-by-mail. This should eliminate the rampant cheating that SR 167 sees in the HOT lane today. You will also pay a toll for how long you’re in the lane. The new signs will show segments of the highway. The signs will have toll amounts for three destinations.

You won’t pay three separate tolls — only one toll for your destination. You will also have limited options for entering and exiting the toll lane.

“They’re making you pay for the right to bill you. It feels wrong if you need a mechanism to record my information and subject me to your tolling policies,” Spike said. “I got to pay for the right for you to bill me? If you are requiring me to pay in this lane, you should provide me the equipment with which to bill me.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

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����Xվ host Spike O’Neill commended Shinderuk for her determination.

“She tried every possible way to give them a workable solution to maintain in the department, and they just said ‘No thanks,'” Spike said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on ����Xվ Newsradio. “I don’t know if they were trying to make an example out of her as a supervisor, saying, ‘You’re either going to go by the rules, or you’re gone,’ but I think that has a lot to do with why she won the settlement. She deserves every dollar.”

Fired SPD employee claims she wasn’t given accommodations

The City of Seattle provided accommodations for unvaccinated individuals during that time, including social distancing, masks, and routine testing. Shinderuk claimed that she was not allowed these accommodations, which ultimately led to her termination.

“She’s a single mother with three kids, and COVID rolls around. She applies for and receives a religious exemption, then shortly after, they’re not honoring the exemption,” ����Xվ host Jake Skorheim said. “Unceremoniously, she gets fired, jobs gone after 14 years.”

Shinderuk offered a variety of arrangements she could make for her employer in place of receiving the vaccine, including remote work, relocation, and enhanced safety protocols.

“She was bending over backwards to try and accommodate what she believed was important to her employers,” Jake said. “She wants to keep her job, but also needs to make sure she can support her family. She smartly lawyered up and decided to sue.”

Shinderuk began her career as a telecommunicator and was promoted to police communications supervisor in 2019. She was later terminated from her position in 2021 for her refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“A 14-year veteran who has dedicated her skill sets to making sure this city is a safe place to live,” Spike said. “A poster woman for how you want a civil employee to be and behave.”

Shinderuk’s attorney dubbed the settlement a “big win for the citizens of Washington State,” according to . Her attorney also cited the City of Seattle’s failure to accommodate her religious exemption as grounds for the settlement.

“I wonder how much she was originally suing for. It’s a settlement, and that’s always a business decision. She doesn’t want to keep fighting it,” Jake said. “Maybe she was going for $2 million, but they settled and she got paid, which is great.”

The reported a cumulative total of more than 7 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide, and more than 1.2 million inside the United States as of this reporting.

“This is a mixed bag for me, because I felt that the state had a right to mandate these requirements for employment,” Spike said. “In hindsight, they were trying to make the best of an unknown situation that was evolving in horrific directions. We forget how horrific it was back then, and states were making decisions based on the most informed science at the time.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

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