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Spinouts, collisions shut down EB I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass

Travelers heading east on I- 90 near Snoqualmie Pass will face delays after the highway was closed due to several spinouts and collisions on Friday morning.The closure is in effect from milepost 34 to milepost 70, about 20 miles west of the summit near North Bend, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).RELATED STORIESAll lanes reopen along eastbound I-90 near Cle Elum after debris cleared from roadway'We're projecting 50,000 riders a day': Council member defends I

‘Creating more problems’: Snow causing new power outages in WA as crews work to restore service

The Friday morning snow in Washington is creating issues for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) crews trying to restore customers’ power after Wednesday’s windstorms.There are currently more than 15,000 customers without power, mostly on the east side and near Snoqualmie Pass, according to PSE. As of 6 a.m. Friday, PSE had restored power to more than 95% of customers.PSE spokesperson Andrew Padula confirmed the severity of the outages and that Friday morning snowfall has caused outage numbers

Lakewood parents face murder charges after death of infant

The child was taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, where he died about five days later.RELATED STORIESCurley: Washington House candidate's 'free' child care plan will end up costing you moreSpokane Valley votes to ban unregulated drug kratom, citing child safety concerns5 arrested after children were found in unsafe conditions during search warrant near HobartInvestigators detail injuries and parents’ statementsMedical examiners found the infan

Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war, with attacks by both sides on its soil

Disruptions to Gulf shipping and strikes on oil fields and infrastructure have all but halted exports, jeopardizing a state that relies on such trade for the bulk of its revenue.If the shutdown continues, Baghdad could be unable to meet its oversized public‑sector payroll as soon as next month, risking widespread unrest, two Iraqi Kurdish officials said.The federal government has appealed to northern Kurdish leaders to resume exports via a pipeline to Turkey, but talks remain deadlocked over lon

Louisiana’s alligator farms raise the reptiles for meat, skins — and conservation

Not all conservationists think that’s a good thing, but for the farmers and luxury brands seeking to market their products as sustainable, it’s made sense to tie conservation to capitalism.Some of the scientists who study them agree.“These wetlands, these alligators … it has to have some kind of monetary value,” said George Melancon, alligator research biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Otherwise, people just forget about them.”How alligator farm

Light snow in WA lowlands creates slushy Friday morning commute

Some Seattle residents woke up to light snowfall and slushy road conditions on Friday morning.A round of wintry weather moved through western Washington early Friday, bringing brief snowfall to some lowland areas before slightly warmer temperatures began turning most of the precipitation back to rain, according to KIRO 7.Forecasters said the difference between seeing snow or just rain largely came down to small changes in temperature. Morning readings across much of the region hovered between ab

US economy expanded at sluggish 0.7% in fourth quarter, government says, downgrading first estimate

And the fourth-quarter number was half the government’s first estimate of 1.4%; economists had expected the revision to go the other way — and show stronger growth.Federal government spending and investment, clobbered by the shutdown, plunged at a 16.7% rate, hacking 1.16 percentage points off fourth-quarter growth.For all of 2025, GDP grew 2.1%, solid but down from an initial estimate of 2.2% from 2024 and 2023.In the fourth quarter, consumer spending grew at a 2% clip, down from 3.5% in the th

Key inflation gauge worsened in January, before Iran war lifted gas prices

On a monthly basis, prices jumped 0.3% in January, while core prices jumped 0.4% for the second straight month, a pace that if sustained would lift inflation far above the 2% annual target set by the Fed.The data has since been overtaken by the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28 and has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Oil prices have soared more than 40% since the war began and gas prices have jumped to $3.60 a gallon from just under $3 a month ea

Residents of Tehran tell AP of rising fear and isolation as bombs strike without warning

Residents described a heightened presence of security forces and Basij on the streets One resident sent the AP video she took of a procession of Basij on motorcycles and cars waving flags on her street in a northern Tehran neighborhood. Mosques blared pro-government slogans, she said. On state TV Monday night, Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republic’s security forces, warned that anyone taking to the streets in protests will be seen “as enemies, and we will deal with the

New 2-story Alaska Airlines lounge at SEA to be largest in the country

A new Alaska Airlines lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will soon become the largest lounge for any airline in the U.S.The two-story, 40,000-square-foot lounge will be a part of SEA’s expanded C Concourse, with each story measuring roughly 20,000 square feet, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.The new lounge will surpass the Delta One Lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, which is 39,000 square feet and opened in 2024.RELATED STORIE

Low and slow meets forever: US postage stamps honor lowrider car culture

For him, the stamp project has special meaning — his father worked as a mail carrier for more than 20 years and it marks another corner turned as lowrider culture gains new fans and more respect.Cruising aheadIn the 1980s, some cities imposed anti-cruising laws and height restrictions, often seen as targeting Chicano youth and associating lowriders with gangs despite the community’s emphasis on artistry and family. But with the Hispanic U.S. population increasing and lowriding becoming mor

Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba

to aggressively oppose the Caribbean nation’s leadership.Rubio told senators earlier this year that the Trump administration would “love” to see a Cuban regime change, but cautioned that “does not mean we are going to provoke it directly.” Republicans in Congress have mostly stood behind the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policyHowever, Democrats have turned repeatedly to war powers resolutions in order to force debates over how Trump can use military force in foreig

Old Dominion shooter convicted of Islamic State ties released from prison just 2 years before attack

<block>Court documents show less than two years after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was released from prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, he opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him.The shooting that left one person dead and another two injured has raised questions about why Jalloh, who the FBI identified as the gunman, was imprisoned and the conditions of his release — with some elected officials questioning how someone with known ties to the Islamic State was able to carry out such an attack. “The horrific tragedy that occurred today on ODU’s campus never should have happened,” U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, who represents the congressional district neighboring the university, wrote on Facebook.After Jalloh pleaded guilty in October 2016 to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization — the Islamic State group — a federal judge sentenced him in 2017 to an 11-year prison term with credit for time served retroactive to his July 2016 arrest. Jalloh was released from federal custody Dec. 23, 2024. It wasn’t immediately clear why his release from prison was moved up. Inmates can get time off of their sentences for a variety of reasons, but it isn’t known if that happened in this case.He was on supervised release, which is comparable to probation, when he carried out the attack on Thursday. Based on his release date, that would’ve run into 2029.<hl2>Confessions to undercover agents</hl2>Jalloh’s October 2016 plea came after a three-month sting operation in which he, then 26, confessed to an undercover FBI agent that he was thinking about carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, which left 13 people dead. Authorities launched the 2016 operation after Jalloh made contact with Islamic State members in Africa earlier that year.Jalloh later told the informant that the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an attack. He tried to donate $500 to the group, but the money actually went to an account controlled by the FBI, according to court documents.Jalloh then tried to buy an AR-15 assault rifle from a Virginia gun store but was turned away because he lacked the proper paperwork. The affidavit says he returned the next day and bought a different assault rifle. Prosecutors said the rifle was rendered inoperable before Jalloh left the store, unbeknownst to Jalloh. He was arrested the following day.<hl2>Debate over sentencing </hl2>The Justice Department in 2017 requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh, noting that he had made multiple attempts to join the Islamic State and had attempted to acquire a gun to carry out a murder plot.“The defendant was fully aware of what he was doing, and the consequences of those actions. His only misgivings seemed to be a fear that he would waver at the critical moment,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.They added: “By putting the idea of this murder plot into religious terms, and by suggesting that murdering members of the US military would be a path to heaven, the defendant showed how strongly committed he was to the deadly ideology” of the Islamic State.Jalloh’s lawyers asked for a sentence of 6½ years in prison and requested that he be placed in a facility that provides residential drug treatment for inmates with addiction and substance abuse issues.U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, sentenced him instead to 11 years in prison.The judge also ordered Jalloh to participate in a program for substance abuse testing and treatment and mental health treatment, and requested that he be evaluated for the federal prison system’s residential drug program.Completing the Residential Drug Abuse Program can reduce an inmate’s prison sentence by up to a year, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. It wasn’t immediately clear if Jalloh qualified for the program. Normally, inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses aren’t eligible.In addition, some inmates who stay out of trouble in prison can reduce their sentence by earning up to 54 days of good conduct time credit for each year of their sentence. However, under the 2018 prison reform law known as the First Step Act, inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses are not eligible for such credit.<hl2>Troubled shooter lured by radical cleric</hl2>Little is publicly known about Jalloh, who was a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone. But court documents depict him as a troubled man who was radicalized by Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known American imam who became an al-Qaida propagandist.The Virginia Army National Guard confirmed he served as a specialist from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged. Jalloh told a government informant he quit the National Guard after hearing lectures from al-Awlaki, according to a 2016 FBI affidavit filed in his criminal case.In a letter to the federal judge that presided over his sentencing, Jalloh wrote: “I feel deep regret in having been driven by my emotions rather than my intellect and becoming involved with such an evil organization. … I reject and deplore terrorism and any groups associated with it, especially ISIL.”He wrote that he started using drugs after his girlfriend ended their six-year relationship.“The pain I felt internally was unbearable, and drugs and alcohol were the only things that took that pain away,” Jalloh wrote. “I started doing marijuana, coke and mushrooms using one of them at least on a daily basis in order to kill the pain I was in and to fill in the void I felt internally.”The letter itself remains under seal, but his lawyer included excerpts of it in his sentencing memorandum.</block>

The Latest: US hits Iran with intense strikes as Iranian air campaign drives oil prices higher

Bystanders gathered to watch the smoke from the blaze.Police stopped an AP journalist from going closer to the site of the blaze, which was in a cul de sac.The Dubai Media Office, which issues statements for its government, said “debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai.” It said there had been no injuries, though the black smoke curled over the skyline as far as the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab luxury hotel.Israeli strikes hit new ar

Asia shares mostly lower and oil hovers around $100 a barrel over Iran war worries

HONG KONG (AP) — Asia shares were mostly lower Friday, tracking Wall Street losses, while oil prices hovered around $100 per barrel as anxiety remained over the Iran war and its impact on supplies of crude oil and gas. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 1.1% to 53,857.89. Technology-related stocks saw some of the bigger losses, with SoftBank Group falling 4.3%.South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.3% to 5,509.22.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.5% to 25,594.25, while the Shanghai Composite index edged down 0.2%

Curley: Washington House candidate’s ‘free’ child care plan will end up costing you more

Now, do you think that is going to reduce the cost of anything?You’re going to get this politically motivated board that’s going to be powered by a bunch of people who are appointed into the marketplace of child care, so regulations will fill up faster than diapers at a baby taco bar eating contest.Expect a 20% increase once the new board takes overThe costs are going to skyrocket. Expenses are going to go up. And then you’re going to expect to see fewer and fewer choices.I&#82

King County Metro to expand bus service starting March 28

King County Metro is expanding bus service starting March 28, adding earlier morning trips, later night service, and more runs on weekends.The expansion will focus on the Eastside and South King County.Metro is also launching system-wide all-door boarding, aimed at speeding up trips and reducing delays.County officials said the improvements will strengthen connections to Sound Transit’s Link light rail, including the new 2 Line Crosslake Connection between Seattle and the Eastside, which also go

‘We want to deliver for you’: Bellevue police light rail unit gears up for Crosslake Connection opening

The unit consists of six officers and a sergeant to ensure rider safety and to offer help and information on board trains and at Bellevue light rail stations.“Because we know there is going to be a high volume of traffic along the 2-Line, we’re going to have a high volume of our officers along the 2-Line as well, to provide that kind of visibility that we know community members want to see,” Bellevue Police Department spokesman Drew Anderson said.RELATED STORIESLight rail acros

Former Tacoma shelter worker charged with sexually assaulting 6-month-old

She’s charged with first-degree rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor after allegedly assaulting the infant in her care.RELATED STORIESMan convicted of 2021 killing at Kent gas station, dumped victim's body in gutterFederal Way man on FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted captured in Mexico, returned to SeattleHarger: The courts knew him, the police knew him, Western State Hospital knew him, now a woman is deadPolice receive tip from FBIPolice got a tip from the FBI’s Missing and Exp

Snowy conditions could snarl morning commute in western WA

The snow isn’t expected to pile up significantly, with accumulations of less than half an inch forecast, but slick spots could develop on roads.A mix of rain and snow is expected Friday morning, tapering to just rain by 2 p.m., with a high of 41 degrees.A slushy inch of snow could accumulate around the eastern side of the Seattle metro area, according to KIRO 7 Chief Meteorologist Morgan Palmer. Other areas include Bothell to Issaquah, and Auburn, Tacoma, Maple Valley, and into Thurston Co