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‘They need a break’: WA farmers, Spike plead Ferguson to pause CCA amid rising diesel prices

Jim Walsh and Spike spar over Supreme Court late ballots debate'We're losing our agricultural community': Fourth-generation eastern WA family ranch faces $3.7 million battle with state'People are freaked out': WA Policy Center director details unintended consequences of workers bill of rightsJake, Spike echo farmers’ Climate Commitment Act concernsJake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, both agreed with the farmers’

‘I’m cooked’: Aurora business owner’s viral video draws customers to notorious strip

An Aurora Avenue business owner posted a video on social media that has since gone viral, stating people told her not to open her business in the area, and she is now hopeless, or as she described it, “cooked.”Demi, owner of Big Whale Consignment, joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to provide a rundown of what business is like in an area that many Seattleites don’t look fondly upon, and how her business has performed following the viral video.“The

‘$200M gone lickety split’: Federal investigation targets race-based WA housing program

HUD believes this violates the 1968 Fair Housing Law because the money is being distributed to one group, but not another.Carleen Johnson from Center Square joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to explain the reasoning behind the investigation initially highlighted by Corey Orvold, and why there may have been some questionable allocations of funds within the program.“HUD announced yesterday that they’re specifically targeting, through the Washington Housing Fin

Swift and widespread, efforts to rebrand César Chavez Day are fueled by emotion and duty

The movement’s co-founder, Dolores Huerta, also revealed that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s.“It was a personal hurt and a betrayal,” said Jose Luis Chavez, founder and president of the committee that has organized the César Chavez Celebration for Mesa County, Colorado, for the past decade. The committee is made up of people who have worked in the agricultural industry and whose grandparents and parents cut grapes and picked peaches.“I think that’s what my committee was fee

Some familiar names to the Supreme Court in a death row case over racial bias in jury makeup

The state Supreme Court upheld the conviction.Just seven years ago, in a case involving the same district attorney, trial judge and state high court, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and conviction of Curtis Flowers because of what Justice Brett Kavanaugh described as a “relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of Black individuals.”Seven of the current nine justices were on the court then.The Supreme Court has in recent years taken a dim view of defendants’ claims in capital

Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA’s return to the moon

(AP) — NASA’s Apollo moonshots are a tough act to follow, even after all this time.As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable.The world’s first lunar visitors orbited the moon on Apollo 8. The Artemis II crew will play it safe and zip around the moon in an out-and-back slingshot.Another key difference: Artemis reflects more of society, with a woman, person

‘A lot of votes may not count’: Supreme Court appears ready to upend WA mail-in ballot rules for federal races by November 2026

If a ballot arrives after Election Day, McKenna said the likely outcome is that only the federal portion gets thrown out.“Your votes in the non-federal races, including on statewide ballot measures, local offices, and state legislative races, those would be counted,” McKenna said. “But your votes in the races for Congress or Senate races, those would not.”So, in a year when Washington could see a ballot measure on the millionaire income tax alongside congressional races,

A stranded whale in Germany’s Baltic Sea weakens as hopes of its return to the Atlantic fade

BERLIN (AP) — A stranded humpback whale in Germany ’s Baltic Sea looks weaker, and experts fear it won’t be able to find its way back to the Atlantic despite several attempts at its rescue this week.A 500-meter (yards) restricted area was enforced around the whale so it could get some rest and hopefully free itself, officials said Sunday in a news conference in the eastern German coastal town of Wismar, near where the giant cetacean has been stuck.“He would be able to do so if he regains his str

Electric bikes can be fast and dangerous. Here’s how to stay safe

Force equals mass times acceleration, and also kinetic energy is mass times velocity squared,” Maa said.Learn where you can and can’t rideSpeed limits, helmet requirements and other rules for e-bikes are changing rapidly, and what’s legal in one city or state might be illegal in the next.New York City imposed a speed limit of 15 mph on all electric bikes in October, and Florida lawmakers recently sent the governor a bill limiting e-bike speeds to 10 mph within 50 feet of pedestrians. In Co

Replacement officials, kickoffs and other rule changes will be discussed at NFL’s annual meeting

<block>Replacement officials, potential rule changes, artificial intelligence, health and safety issues, international growth and flag football will be among many topics discussed when NFL owners, executives and coaches gather for their annual meeting this week in Arizona.One topic that dominated the conversation this time last year — the tush push — isn’t on the agenda because there is no proposal to eliminate the play even though it was nearly banned in a close vote in 2025.NFC coaches will speak to reporters on Monday, AFC coaches will do so on Tuesday and Commissioner Roger Goodell closes it out.Here’s a look at the several topics:<hl2>Replacement officials</hl2>The biggest proposal released by the NFL competition committee is a contingency if the league chooses to use replacement officials in case of a work stoppage as it did to start the 2012 season. The current collective bargaining agreement with the NFL and the NFL Referees Association expires on May 31.The proposal would allow the replay center in New York to advise the on-field officials on any missed roughing the passer or intentional grounding penalty, as well as any act that would have led to an ejection had a penalty been called.The NFL’s used of replacement officials for the first three weeks of the 2012 season resulted in several mistakes and wrong calls, including the disputed TD catch known as the “Fail Mary.”“The negotiations with the officials have not gone as quickly as we would have wanted,” NFL executive Jeff Miller said. “We’ve made a number of proposals. We’re looking to improve the accountability and performance of the officials, and we just haven’t gotten to where we need to go. So, we’re going to play football this fall, and we’re going to need officials to do it. So, this is part of the preparation, and we felt compelled to make these sorts of decisions in anticipation of playing football in a different environment.”<hl2>Dynamic kickoff changes</hl2>There are several minor tweaks being proposed for the dynamic kickoff rule that is entering its third season.“In 2024, we had 920 returns, and we had 25,000 return yards. In 2025, we had 2,076 returns, and we had 53,869 yards,” said Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons CEO and Competition Committee Chair. “So that’s just a crazy change in the game, one that we’ve worked on for a long time. It’s a credit to the special teams coaches who’ve gotten together and really helped influence where we are on that play. It’s a credit to our head coaches for being able to be flexible enough to adopt and adapt, I should say, to the play. So, it’s a really good story.“But we won’t just leave it alone. This year, we’re going to propose that we allow the 5-4-2 alignment. … That really was the original alignment the special teams coaches wanted, but we were just taking our time and kind of being a little conservative, if you will, in how we allowed the alignment change. So, that’s kind of our process and how we got to where we are.”<hl2>Technology and AI</hl2>The league has embraced advances in technology and artificial intelligence, including putting chips in footballs and using virtual measurements to determine first downs.“The ability to use any modern technologies in media to advance the game on the field or with our fans, especially internationally, is coming at a really important time for the league’s growth,” Miller said. <hl2>International growth</hl2>The NFL is playing nine international games this season, including the first regular-season games in France and Australia. The goal is to eventually play 16 games abroad.“It’s an incredibly important area of our business and growth and takes up a good amount of time during these meetings,” Miller said.<hl2>Concussions</hl2>There were 35 concussions on kickoffs in 2025 compared to eight in 2024 mainly because moving the touchback to the 35-yard line resulted in 1,157 more returns. The kick return rate jumped to 74% from 33% last season, and it was the highest return rate in 15 years. Still, the overall injury rate is lower than previous kickoffs, when the coverage team had a running start compared to the standing start of the new rule.“The goal was to have a fewer, lower injury rate on that play, and to make it seem more like a play from scrimmage, which has been accomplished by and large,” Miller said. “But we always knew that we were going to revisit this play as soon as we had more data on it, and with an almost 75% return rate this year, we have a whole lot of plays that we’ve been working through and a lot of people and we’ve been working really diligently on this because we think the results are heading into a really good direction. But we do need to address the injuries that we saw to the returner and to the tackler this year.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL</block>

The Latest: Regional powers to meet in Pakistan to discuss how to end Mideast fighting

condemned what it called “despicable terrorist attacks” by Iran’s militant groups, saying the strikes on Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence in Irbil earlier that day were “a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and unity.” The attack caused material damage but no casualties, and the residence was empty at the time.Israeli strikes kill 17 in southern LebanonThe Lebanese health ministry said a strike Saturday evening on Hanniyeh town in Tyre province killed six Syr

Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on

and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest.Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields and tanker terminals threaten to the prolong the global economic pain for months, even years.“A week ago or certainly two weeks ago, I would have said: If the war stopped that day, the lo

Hacked hospitals, hidden spyware: Iran conflict shows how digital fight is ingrained in warfare

Many of those records appeared to be more than a decade old.It’s similar to a lot of the cyberattacks linked to pro-Iran hackers: splashy and designed to boost morale among supporters, while undermining the confidence of the opponent but without much impact to the war effort.Smith said these high-volume, low-impact attacks are “a way of telling people in other countries that you can still reach out and touch them even though they’re on a different continent. That makes them more of a

Actor James Tolkan of ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Back to the Future’ fame dies at 94

<block>James Tolkan, known for his roles as authoritarian figures in the “Back to the Future” and “Top Gun” films, has died. He was 94.Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, said Saturday. A brief obituary published on the “Back to the Future” website said Tolkan died “peacefully,” but no cause of death was given. In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed the bow tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland, who eyeballed students for trouble in the halls of the fictitious Hill Valley High School — in particular Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox.“You got a real attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character says in the 1985 film. “You’re a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too.”Tolkan also appeared in “Top Gun” as commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, about his choice for future duty, Mitchell replies that he wants to be a Top Gun instructor.“God help us,” Tolkan’s character replies, laughing.Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan served in the Navy during the Korean War and eventually made his way to New York, where he spent a quarter century acting in theater roles. He was a member of the original ensemble cast of “Glengarry Glen Ross.”Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.</block>

Navy shipyard workers approve a contract deal with Bath Iron Works, ending weeklong strike

Navy’s biggest shipbuilding contractors voted Saturday to approve a deal with Bath Iron Works, ending a weeklong strike.Members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that goes into effect immediately, the shipyard said. Approval followed an hourslong union meeting at a local high school.The Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association is affiliated with the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, which is co

“No Kings” protests held to rally against Trump administration, in photos

<block>ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The third round of “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration is happening Saturday across the U.S., with Minnesota hosting the flagship rally in St. Paul. Demonstrations are also taking place in Europe.</block>

A Houthi missile attack on Israel stokes fears of renewed Red Sea shipping strikes

<block>CAIRO (AP) — A missile attack on Israel by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday raises concern that Tehran’s proxies may again try to block Red Sea shipping routes, as Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz keeps another key global trade passage virtually closed. The Houthis said they fired a barrage of missiles at “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel, their first since the start of the war in the Middle East a month ago. The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen.When asked about the Houthis, Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin replied: “We are preparing for a multifront war.”<hl2>The Houthis are a key Iranian ally</hl2>The Houthis are a crucial part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which includes militant groups in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. They control the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and much of the country’s north, and since 2014 have fought a civil war against the internationally recognized government that is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Unlike Lebanon’s Hezbollah and militant groups in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen had held back for a month since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. <hl2>Red Sea shipping attacks would further disrupt the global economy</hl2>Now that they have entered the war with a missile attack on Israel, there are growing concerns that they could start attacking shipping in the Red Sea. Such a move would further disrupt the maritime industry and the global economy since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and energy prices. The rebels also have the capability of striking oil facilities in the Persian Gulf as they did previously during the Yemen civil war.The Houthis said they won’t allow the U.S. and Israel to use the Red Sea for attacks on Iran. “Our fingers are on the trigger,” Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement Friday. The Houthi attacks on vessels would not only further push up oil prices but destabilize “all of maritime security,” said Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group. “The impact would not be limited to the energy market.”Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been sending millions of barrels of crude oil a day through Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The 32-kilometer (20-mile)-wide strait is one of the busiest for global oil trade. A fourth of global container trade also transits through the strait on its way to and from the Suez Canal. Disrupting transit through Bab al-Madab forces shipping firms to route their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, as they did in 2024 and 2025, significantly increasing costs.About 12% of the world’s trade typically passes through Suez, including oil, natural gas, grain and everything from toys to electronics.“It would be devastating for so many countries,” Nagi said. “If we see more pressure on the Iranians, or there’s any escalation, the Houthis will jump in harshly.”<hl2>Red Sea is a critical corridor for Europe’s natural gas</hl2>Such attacks will add more pressure on energy supplies for the 27-nation European Union, which relies on imported natural gas to power factories, generate electricity and heat homes. Tankers carrying liquefied natural gas — which is supercooled to travel by ship instead of pipeline — routinely pass through the Red Sea.The Houthis attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January 2025, and also launched projectiles at Israel. They said their attacks were in support of Hamas during the war in Gaza.The U.S. and Israel responded with a punishing air campaign across the Houthi-held areas in Yemen, which killed many people, including most of the Houthi-allied Cabinet in Sanaa. President Donald Trump halted U.S. strikes on the Houthis after a deal that saw the rebels stopping their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.___Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Beirut contributed to this report.</block>

Iranian attack on Saudi base causes American casualties. More US forces arrive in the Middle East

<block>WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans wounded in the Iran war has grown beyond 300, with more than two dozen troops injured this week from attacks on a Saudi air base.Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in an attack Friday that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to two people briefed on the matter.. U.S. officials initially reported that at least 10 U.S. troops were injured, including two who were seriously wounded.More American forces are reaching the Middle East, with a Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines having now arrived in the region, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday. The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, as well as the elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit that are aboard, are based in Japan. They were conducting exercises in the area around Taiwan when the order came to deploy to the Middle East almost two weeks ago.Central Command said that in addition to the Marines, the Tripoli also brings transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets to the region. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, have also been ordered to the region from San Diego.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States can meet its objectives “without any ground troops.” But he also said Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies” and that American forces are available “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum, opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”The Saudi base had come under come attack twice earlier in week, including an incident that injured 14 U.S. troops, according to the people, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.The base, which is about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force, but also used by U.S. troops. The installation has been targeted almost since the beginning of the war, which on Saturday reached the one-month mark. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was wounded during a March 1 attack on the base and died days later. He is one of the 13 service members who have been killed in the war.The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday regarding the American casualties at the Saudi base. Central Command said Friday that more than 300 service members have been wounded in the war. Most have returned to duty, while 30 remained out of action and 10 were considered seriously wounded.Iran has responded to attacks by the United States and Israel with strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. The war has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports and caused fuel prices to soar. Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, has exacerbated the economic fallout.With the economic repercussions extending far beyond the Middle East, President Donald Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait. The latest attacks on the Saudi air base happened after Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going “very well.” Trump said he had given Tehran until April 6 to reopen the strait. Iran says it has not engaged in any negotiations.____Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report. </block>

What to know about Trump’s order to pay TSA officers and its impact on airport security lines

Others at some of the busiest airports wrote on social media that security lines were growing exponentially longer by the hour.“We have not previously experienced checkpoint wait times similar to what we are seeing this morning,” Baltimore-Washington International Airport said in a post Saturday on the social platform X. BWI officials recommended travelers arrive four hours before their scheduled departure time. When will TSA employees be paid?Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said TS

CPAC activists embrace Paxton as MAGA’s choice for Texas Senate over Cornyn

<block>GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — It was Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s show at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where hundreds of right-wing activists from around the country hailed him as Republicans’ clear choice for U.S. Senate.After meeting with supporters behind closed doors, Paxton crowned the day by standing before thousands as the keynote speaker at the Ronald Reagan dinner.Paxton thanked them for sticking by his side after he was impeached — but acquitted — for corruption charges by the Legislature four years ago.“I want you to know, there’s only one reason I got through all that, and it’s by the grace of God,” he said Friday night as a wave of applause rolled through the hall. “He absolutely delivered me, and he used to people of Texas to deliver me.”If Paxton is going to win the Republican nomination, it will be because of support in rooms like this one. He is in a bitter runoff with Sen. John Cornyn after neither won enough votes in the March 3 primary. Although Cornyn has raised far more money and is backed by the party establishment in Washington, Paxton’s well-honed survival skills and rock-solid foundation with the local Republican base could see him through the May 26 election. President Donald Trump promised that he would endorse either Paxton or Cornyn weeks ago, but no announcement ever came. Paxton, however, has had no trouble proving his bona fides with the party’s right wing. While Cornyn did not attend CPAC, which was held at a resort and convention center near Dallas, Paxton was extolled by speakers throughout the day. “Ken Paxton is emblematic of the grassroots of the MAGA movement across the nation,” Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser who hosts the “War Room” podcast, said referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan that originated in his 2016 campaign.Earlier Friday, CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp polled the crowd. Asking for a show of support for Paxton, there was a roar of cheers. When she asked about Cornyn, there was a light ripple of boos. Cornyn finished first in the primary, which also featured U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt. There were briefly concerns among Paxton’s supporters that Trump would back the incumbent. That would have come as a relief to party leaders, who view Cornyn as stronger candidate against Democratic nominee James Talarico.But Paxton appealed to Trump by embracing legislation known as the SAVE Act, which would mean new, strict proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting. The proposal is a priority for Trump, but it has stalled in the Senate because Republican leaders do not want to lift the filibuster. Joe Ropar, a 72-year-old defense contractor who attended CPAC, said Paxton’s move was “brilliant.” Although Cornyn later said he was willing to change filibuster rules, Ropar believed Paxton had demonstrated stronger loyalty to Trump. “Cornyn’s trying to change his stripes now,” Ropar said. “It’s too little too late.”Paxton has another political connection with Trump: They both have portrayed themselves as the victims of political persecution. While Paxton was impeached and acquitted once, Trump went through the process twice during his first term. James Schaare, a 61-year-old church music leader from Euless, Texas, said that perseverance shows Paxton is the right choice. “In Paxton’s career, he’s been faithful to what he’s said he’s going to do,” he said. Some conservative Republicans hold other grudges against Cornyn. They remember his early criticism of Trump’s proposal for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016, his co-sponsoring of gun control legislation after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, and his dismissive remarks about Trump’s comeback campaign in 2024. Retired music teacher Valerie Burge, 58, said she voted for Cornyn in the primary because of his long service.“But I’m not sure about the runoff,” she said. “It might be time for something new.” Barbara Palmer, a 65-year-old lawyer, said Cornyn had simply been in office for too long. He has been a judge, state supreme court justice and state attorney general, and now he wants a fifth term as senator. “It’s just time for a change,” Palmer said.</block>