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North Cascades Highway clear of snow, but won’t open until road repairs are complete

Crews working to clear snow and ice from North Cascades Highway say they’re getting closer to reopening the roadway.Snow plows working to clear the east and west sides of the highway have now met in the middle, at Milepost 157 of SR 20.That’s the good news.But the bad news is, there’s still a large rockslide at milepost 134, and washouts between mileposts 142 and 146.Even though the snow machines have cleared the highway, this rockslide on Highway 20 still has to be cleared bef

Businesses can claim refunds for Trump tariffs ruled unconstitutional starting Monday

“So we continue to ask everyone to be patient, because we think that patience will pay off.”Nghi Huynh, the partner-in-charge of transfer pricing at accounting and consulting firm Armanino, said most companies claiming refunds will have imported a mix of items, and not all will qualify right away.“It’s about having a clear process in place and keeping track of what’s been submitted and what’s been paid, so nothing falls through the cracks,” she said. “Each file can include thousands of entries,

Fire crews rescue two people and a dog from 3rd-floor window after apartment goes up in flames in Mountlake Terrace

W.Crews from South Snohomish County Fire arrived shortly after the flames swept through several floors of the apartment complex.When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke and fire shooting from the three-story building.Firefighters used a ladder to reach the victims trapped by flames from a window on the top floor.Medics transported the man and woman rescued to Swedish Edmonds Hospital.Authorities say both victims were in their 20s.Officials reported both were in stable condition and doctors rel

Republicans plan big spending to keep Ohio’s Senate seat. A bribery scandal adds to their challenges

Evidence presented in various cases showed Jones and Dowling discussing a push by Husted for additional subsidies in the legislation.Husted has consistently denied that he played a role in creating the legislation as well as having any knowledge of criminal activity surrounding the bill.In an NBC4 interview in January, Husted said, “My role was very clear. I wanted the nuclear power plants to remain operational.” He said it was “about keeping those plants open and keeping the lights on for milli

WA sheriff ‘loyalty oath’ law challenge moved to Thurston County ahead of key May hearing

“In this situation, that an abridgment of a First Amendment right, even for minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes an irreparable injury.”That date comes just days before the May 4–8 candidate filing window, when sheriff candidates must submit the required sworn statements under the new law, setting up a fast-moving legal battle with potential statewide impact.State attorneys, led by Solicitor General Noah Purcell, counter that sheriff candidates already certify similar

UW drug use survey shows drop in injection use, sparks debate over housing-first approach in Seattle

Supporters said those approaches save lives and connect people to care, while critics argued they do not consistently lead to long-term recovery.As Seattle and other communities continue to invest in housing and services, the survey highlights both evolving drug use patterns and the ongoing uncertainty over what solutions will have the greatest impact.As for Ryan, he said he sees people inject and smoke drugs every day. And he said he sees more people arrive in Seattle every day for cheap drugs

Resignations and firings have depleted the FBI and Justice Department. They’re scrambling to rebuild

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards.The FBI has turned to social media campaigns to attract applicants, offered abbreviated training for candidates from other federal agencies and relaxed requirements for support staff seeking to be

Trump wants to stop states from regulating AI. This Utah Republican isn’t listening

“What I realized is Big Tech cares about their bottom line, and they were worried about making money, not doing right for the human race,” said Fiefia, who now works at a Utah-based cloud computing and AI company.Fiefia’s legislation was unanimously passed by a House committee this year, but the Trump administration sent a letter to the Senate saying that the measure was “unfixable.” The measure quickly died. Daniel McCay, the state senator who Fiefia is challenging in the primary, said he

Small plane lands on Vancouver, WA freeway, blocking traffic

A small plane made an emergency landing on a Vancouver, Washington, freeway Saturday afternoon, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).Around noon, the plane landed on eastbound SR‑14 at milepost 2. It did not hit any vehicles, and no one on board was hurt, WSP said.The plane was moved to Pearson Field Airport in Vancouver, and the freeway reopened at approximately 2 p.m.FINAL: All lanes of EB SR 14 are now OPEN✈️Around noon, a small plane made an emergency landing on EB SR 14 at MP 2.4

Pope Leo XIV heads to Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade

It was where enslaved Africans were gathered to be baptized by Portuguese priests before being forced to walk to the port of Luanda to be put on ships to the Americas.While it’s a popular Catholic shrine today, its history is emblematic of the Catholic Church’s role in the slave trade hundreds of years ago, the forced baptisms of enslaved people and what some scholars say is the Holy See’s continued refusal to fully acknowledge it and atone for it.The visit is particularly significant beca

BP Cherry Point refinery ‘incident’ leaves three hurt in Blaine

Three people were hurt at the BP Cherry Point refinery in Blaine Saturday morning.A BP spokesperson said there was an “incident” but did not provide details.According to Cascadia Daily News, people at the refinery and in Birch Bay heard an explosion around 10:20 am.“These individuals have now been treated and released. All other staff are accounted for,” BP said in a statement Saturday evening. “Our primary concern remains the well-being of these individuals, along with the safety of

3 killed in Monroe head-on crash

Both were identified as a man and a woman from Gold Bar, both 33 years old.Seatbelts were worn by all, according to WSP.“With something to this extent, it takes longer because we have to make sure everything is captured so we can do a thorough investigation of such a devastating accident where three lives were taken,” said Trooper Kelsey Harding.WSP is investigating the cause and whether drugs or alcohol were involved.Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO 7In February, three peop

Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race

Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact show Steyer has spent or booked over $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio — nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival.If he makes it through the June 2 primary election, Steyer could easily eclipse the 2010 record set by Republican Meg Whitman, who spent $178.5 million in a losing bid for governor, much of it her own money. At the time, it was the costliest campaign for statewide office in the nation’s history.Even w

The US backs a South Africa project to extract rare earths despite a diplomatic clash

“Even the capital requirement is not very high … which is a good sign.”Mukherjee added that the project is important because “we do not have enough projects to meet the entire demand outside of China.”US is ‘trying to catch up’Rainbow Rare Earths says mineral extraction from the dunes will use up to 90% renewable energy and be significantly less expensive than typical rare earth mining.Bennett said Phalaborwa would be a low-cost producer comparable to Chinese producers.“(Former owners) cru

Small plane makes emergency landing in Auburn, pilot hurt

A small plane made an emergency landing in Auburn on Saturday, police said.According to a post on the Auburn Police Facebook page, the small aircraft took off from California and experienced engine trouble. The pilot tried to land in Renton but decided it would be safer to land in Auburn, the post said.“While approaching the area, the plane lost its second engine, forcing an emergency landing,” according to the post. “The female pilot successfully landed the aircraft in a field at a GSA construc

Obama meets Mamdani in New York City before reading to preschoolers

Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong.The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump. The meeting comes just over a week after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office.Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the children and

What consumers can do as the Iran war impacts the cost and availability of flights

airlines introduced recently, including Delta, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue.If packing light is not an option, plan ahead because airlines typically charge more to add bags closer to departure, especially within 24 hours of a flight.Redeem your pointsWhile fares are going up, the number of airline points needed for many flights has not increased at the same pace, said Adam Morvitz, CEO of points.me, a loyalty rewards redemption search platform.Airlines still need to fill seats, Morvit

California bear-suit luxury car scam ends in insurance fraud sentences for 3

The California Insurance Department said the three used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking nearly $142,000 in payouts from insurance companies. The department called it “Operation Bear Claw.”Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to a weekend jail program, followed by probation, the department said in a news release Thursday. Two off the

Trump signs order to speed review of psychedelics, including the controversial drug ibogaine

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks.Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential

Iran says it has closed Strait of Hormuz again over US blockade

Trump imposed the blockade, halting all shipping to and from Iranian ports as the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S was announced last week to keep pressure on Iran to make a deal in Pakistan-brokered talks to end almost seven weeks of war.His comments triggered immediate outcry from Iranian officials, calling the blockade a violation that would prompt a re-closure of the strait.“Americans are risking the international community, risking the global economy through these, I can say, miscalculati