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Craft beer, cute dogs collide in Everett Animal Shelter’s ‘Paws & Pints’ photo contest

A Scuttlebutt beer named after the winning dog, unveiled at a celebration party at the brewery’s taproom in Everett.RELATED STORIESBeloved country-themed bar to close after 11 years in BallardMolly Moon’s ice cream now available at select Taco Time locationsQueen Anne cocktail bar earns national recognition as 5th best bar in U.S.Grand prize includes custom beer name, brewery celebration eventThe top five vote-getters will all take home prizes, but only one pooch earns immortality on a tap

SBA brings Grocery Guarantee loans to Washington farmers as state costs pile up

And there’s a lot of positive news.”That cost burden in Washington state is real and burdensome. Washington ranks fifth nationally for the cost of doing business, and Olympia Democrats have spent the last legislative session making it worse with billions in new taxes piled on top of an already brutal B&O tax and minimum wage structure.Tariff pressures and the SBA’s onshoring alternativeSmall food businesses caught in the middle of the current tariff environment are also on Briggs’ radar.Inpu

The US is short 10 million houses. A new White House report lays out a blueprint to fix that

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House economists estimate the United States has a shortage of 10 million houses, according to a new report out Monday — and say regulatory cuts could lead to more construction to stabilize prices, increase home ownership and fuel faster economic growth.The analysis, part of the Economic Report of the President, outlines both a political risk and a messaging opportunity for President Donald Trump, whose public approval has slumped because of concerns about his tariffs, the

Minnesota county is investigating potential kidnapping and false imprisonment by federal officers

citizens in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.The news conference announcement did not specify which incident is being investigated, but the county’s chief prosecutor and sheriff said they would ask the public for information about this and other incidents.The state and the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, sued the Trump administration last month to gain access to evidence they say they need to independently investigat

Iran war has some US water utilities facing a fluoride shortage

water utilities are reporting the Middle East war is disrupting their ability to maintain recommended fluoride levels in the drinking water.Over the past few weeks, a few water utilities have said their supply had been disrupted, according to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. Fluoride is used in water systems as a public health measure to prevent tooth decay.Here’s what to know.What’s driving the fluoride shortage?Israel is one of the world’s top exporters of fluorosili

‘Didn’t deserve this’: Father fatally shot in Puyallup, suspect at large

A 37-year-old man died Sunday after he was found with multiple gunshot wounds in Pierce County.At approximately 4:19 a.m., Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies found the victim near the 12200 block of Canyon Road E., PCSO announced.Medical aid was administered, but despite life-saving efforts, the man died at the scene.The victim’s family told KIRO 7 that the “world lost an amazing father, who didn’t deserve this.”“This was a working man who worked h

Monster typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is bearing down on group of remote US islands

Coast Guard issued flood and high wind warnings over the weekend.The tropical typhoon — the strongest on Earth so far this year — was producing sustained winds of 173 mph (278 kph) on Monday as it neared the islands of Rota, Tinian and Saipan, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.While it’s expected to weaken slightly over the next few days, Sinlaku should cross near the islands as a Category 4 or 5 typhoon. In Guam, where Typhoon Mawar knocked out power for days in 2023, U.S. mil

Bremerton Police use former car thief to ‘steal’ vehicle, arrest suspect ‘harvesting moss’ in tree

Bremerton Police Department (BPD) officers recently deployed a unique maneuver to move a car blocking the roadway and arrested a suspect “harvesting moss” while hiding in a tree.This past week, BPD responded to a report of a suspicious, abandoned vehicle blocking the roadway near Pendergast Park, BPD announced.As Officer Corn arrived, she found a 1994 Honda Accord parked in the road with “no driver, no explanation, and no quick way around it.”Suspect claiming to harvest m

Judge dismisses Trump’s $10B lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over reporting on ties to Epstein

<block>WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch on Monday over a story on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida wrote in the order that Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious, but gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint.</block>

Tacoma refugee agency sues Trump administration over Afrikaner refugee admissions

A Tacoma-based group is suing the Trump administration for “discriminatory” refugee policies.The refugee resettlement agency Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) filed an amended complaint claiming the federal government is admitting too many white Afrikaners from South Africa, per the Seattle Times.As part of his campaign promise to curb immigration, President Trump set a limit of 7,500 refugees, which is the lowest number since the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was instituted in 198

Trump family deal spree could open door for future presidents to profit from office

“Do you want future presidents to be open to the highest bidder?”Trump thinks people don’t careAsked to comment for this story, the White House said Trump acts in an “ethically-sound manner” and that any suggestion to the contrary is either “ill-informed or malicious.” It reiterated that his assets are in a trust managed by his children and stated he has “no involvement” in family business deals.“There are no conflicts of interest,” said spokesperson Anna Kelly.In a separate statement, the Trump

Following an election earthquake, Hungary ponders life after Orbán

“Lets hope that it’s going to be a promising four years.”Magyar accuses Orbán and his government of mismanaging Hungary’s economy and social services, and overseeing unchecked corruption he says has led to the accumulation of extreme wealth within a small circle of well-connected insiders while leaving ordinary Hungarians behind.He’s vowed to hold such abuses to account, and plans to create an Office for the Recovery of National Assets to reclaim what he says are Orbán’s allies’ ill-gotten

The Latest: Ship traffic appears to halt in Strait of Hormuz after Trump’s blockade announcement

Central Command later said the blockade would involve all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, and that it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president’s earlier threat to blockade the entire strait.Trump confirmed the timing and some details of the CENTCOM statement in a post on his social media site early Monday.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the strait remained under Iran’s “full control” and was o

Already under financial pressure, Midwest soybean farmers are squeezed further by tariffs, Iran war

Sweeping tariffs levied by President Donald Trump in April 2025 exacerbated a trade war with China, the cutting off a major export market for Midwest farmers and driving the price of soybeans even lower.“When that was announced and soybean prices basically collapsed, if you could afford to hold on to your beans and wait for better times, you were OK,” said Mike Cerny, a soybean, and winter wheat corn farmer in Sharon, Wisconsin. “If you had a mortgage due or payments due or cash flow needs and y

Swalwell exits California governor’s race after assault allegations as rivals seek his supporters

<block>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s abrupt exit from the race for California governor left his rivals scrambling to lock down his former supporters in a crowded contest with no clear leader, injecting more turmoil into the campaign to lead the nation’s most populous state.Swalwell’s decision to suspend his campaign Sunday followed allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him, that were published Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN. While pulling out of the race he remained defiant in a post on the social platform X, saying, “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”For rival candidates in a wide-open race, the key issue is where Swalwell’s supporters will go. He was among the most prominent Democrats in the contest, with mail ballots scheduled to go to voters in early May in advance of the June 2 primary election.Katie Porter, one of the leading Democrats, posted a line from a San Francisco Chronicle column on X, “Democrats can pull victory from the jaws of defeat by coalescing around Porter.” Billionaire hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist Tom Steyer said he secured the support of Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat from the San Francisco Bay Area. With seven established Democrats and two leading Republicans on a primary ballot with more than 50 candidates, the race remains fluid. While Swalwell has suspended his campaign, his name cannot be removed from the ballot.“Nobody has really caught fire,” said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta, who is not involved in the campaign. Swalwell’s supporters “will scatter out to other candidates.”<hl2>Many voters remain distant from governor’s race</hl2>Swalwell is perhaps best known nationally as a House manager in President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://swalwell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/swalwell-named-impeachment-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second impeachment trial</a> during his first term in early 2021. But in a media environment dominated by Trump, the race remains distant from many California voters.After the publicity about sexual misconduct allegations, “I think there are probably more people who know who Eric Swalwell is than can articulate a Tom Steyer position paper,” Acosta added. Swalwell was considered a leading contender along with fellow Democrats Steyer and Porter and two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton.The 48-hour period marked a rapid reversal for a candidate who appeared to be gaining momentum in the packed field to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred by law from seeking a third term.Though Swalwell has denied the allegations, he has appeared to reference infidelity in multiple statements.“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he wrote. That followed a video post on Friday where he apologized to his wife.<hl2>Swalwell’s exit shakes up campaign</hl2>The accusations reordered a wide-open gubernatorial race that had Democrats fretting the party’s large number of candidates could lead to them getting shut out of the general election in November. That’s because California has a top-two primary system in which two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party.Swalwell had become a clear target for his Democratic rivals as he began to lock up institutional support. Some had seized on rumors of sexual misconduct that circulated on social media for weeks before the Chronicle’s report.The San Francisco Chronicle spoke to a woman who alleged Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019, when she worked for him, and again in 2024. The woman said she did not go to police at the time of the assaults because she was afraid she would not be believed. In both cases the woman said she was too intoxicated to consent to sex. CNN reported on allegations that appeared to come from the same woman, and spoke to several other women who accused Swalwell of other sexual misconduct.Neither outlet named the woman, and The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify her account and identity. Her lawyer declined to comment.The alleged 2024 incident occurred in New York, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it’s investigating. That office urged anyone with knowledge to contact its special victims division.<hl2>House colleagues call for Swalwell to resign</hl2>As Swalwell’s campaign flailed over the weekend, fellow California Reps. Jared Huffman, Ro Khanna and Sam Liccardo said Swalwell should resign, as did Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state. “This is not a partisan issue,” Jayapal said Sunday. “This cuts across party lines. And it is depravity of the way that women have been treated.” Some representatives said they would support the rare step of expelling him from the U.S. House should he refuse to step aside.It all added to the mounting political pressure on Swalwell, which began with allies like Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jimmy Gomez cutting their support. Gomez had helped run Swalwell’s campaign and said he was immediately ending his role.With the House returning to session Tuesday, the question of whether to expel Swalwell could come to a head quickly. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said Saturday that she would be filing a motion to start the process. Expulsion votes in the House are rare and require a two-thirds majority, but there is recent precedent for taking the step. Republican George Santos of New York in 2023 became just the his conduct. Huffman, Jayapal and Leger Fernández said they would vote to expel Swalwell from the House, though they said they also support expelling Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. Swalwell, who is originally from Iowa, was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco. He launched a presidential run in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters. ___Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report. </block>

As AI use increases at work, many employees still choose not to use it: Gallup poll

About 2 in 10 are infrequent users, using AI tools at work a few times a month or a few times a year.The Gallup poll found that about 4 in 10 workers say their organization has adopted AI tools or technology to improve organizational practices. About two-thirds of those workers say AI has had an “extremely” or “somewhat” positive impact on their individual productivity and efficiency at work.Workers using AI in management roles are more likely to say the technology has been at least “somewhat&#8

Election loss for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has ripple effects for Trump, US conservatives

They restructured the judiciary to funnel appointments to the bench through party loyalists, redrew legislative districts to make it much harder for Fidesz members to lose elections and helped push Hungary’s media companies to be sold to tycoons allied with Orban.The European Union has declared Hungary an “electoral autocracy.”Orbán backers have scoffed at suggestions that the Hungarian leader is an enemy of democracy, and on Sunday he quickly conceded his loss. Democrats have worried that

The church where MLK gave his final speech is getting a $1.2 million renovation

<block>MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Mason Temple, a church in Memphis where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech, will be upgraded with a $1.2 million federal grant to preserve a treasured piece of the Civil Rights Movement, officials are expected to announce Monday.It’s part of a nearly $18 million package for Memphis projects included in the annual congressional appropriations process. The package also includes $3.1 million for the restoration of historic Clayborn Temple, the staging area for the 1968 sanitation workers strike that brought King to Memphis. It was heavily damaged by a fire investigators say was intentionally set in April 2025. The grant for Mason Temple is for long-term facility improvements and technology infrastructure upgrades, with more details set to come at a Monday afternoon news conference by Church Of God in Christ leaders and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis who first announced the grant in February. The two churches being renovated are located near the former Lorraine Motel, where King was fatally shot on the evening of April 4, 1968. Fighting an illness, King visited Mason Temple the night before and made what was his last speech, the stirring “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address.King, 39, gave an impassioned account of his life experiences and seemed to foretell his own death.“I’ve seen the Promised Land. … I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land,” King said.In a 2018 Associated Press story about the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, witnesses described how King captivated the audience in the packed church during a thunderstorm.“It’s a tin roof, so that’s banging. There’s rafters up there above us, and the rafters are blowing with the wind and hitting each other and hitting the walls from the fierceness of the wind and the rain,” said the Rev. James Lawson, a prominent civil rights activist.When he finished, King slumped into a chair. To Mike Cody, one of King’s lawyers, he looked like a “toy that had the air taken out of it.”“Ministers, men were crying,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson told the AP in the 2018 story.The Mason Temple was completed in 1945 following the destruction of the original church by fire. It serves as the world headquarters for the Church Of God in Christ.It was also the site of a January 2023 memorial service for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after he was brutally beaten by Memphis police officers after he fled a traffic stop.</block>

Oil prices resume their climb and Asian markets decline as US prepares for blockade of strait

<block>TOKYO (AP) — Oil prices resumed their climb and Asian markets mostly declined Monday as the U.S. military prepared to blockade ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, where most shipping has been stalled by Iran since the start of the war.U.S. President Donald Trump announced the planned blockade after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, and the U.S. military said the blockade involving all Iranian ports would begin Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran.Oil prices have been rising as shipping through the strait has essentially stalled since late February. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times. On Monday, benchmark U.S. crude jumped $8.38 or 8.7% to $104.95 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose $7.00, or 7.4%, to $102.23 a barrel. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.0% in morning trading to 56,357.40. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,913.50. South Korea’s Kospi dipped 1.1% to 5,795.15. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped nearly 1.5% to 25,513.42, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,976.57. Analysts said global trading was expected to remain turbulent for some time. “The outcome of the talks was not really what people were hoping for, that’s for certain,” Neil Newman, Managing Director, Head of Strategy at Astris Advisory Japan, said in Hong Kong. “As we stand here at the moment, it doesn’t look very nice. Certainly, the oil prices are a big concern.” Wall Street ended last week with a second weekly gain in a row. The S&P 500 inched 0.1% lower Friday after a day of choppy trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. But those gains came amid optimism over the weekend peace talks in Pakistan that was shattered by the later developments.The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.32% last Friday from 4.29% late Thursday.All told, the S&P 500 fell 7.77 points to 6,816.89. The Dow dropped 269.23 points to 47,916.57, and the Nasdaq gained 80.48 points to close at 22,902.89.In currency trading, the U.S. dollar gained to 159.74 Japanese yen from 159.25 yen. The euro cost $1.1687, down from $1.1729. ___Associated Press journalists Mayuko Ono, Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga contributed to this report. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: <a href="https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama</a></block>

Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media on Sunday, saying the first American pope should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”It was an extraordinary broadside against the global leader of the Catholic Church, exacerbating a feud that began over the war in Iran.“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote on social media.Soon afterward, he spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he landed on Air Force One.“I don’t