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Seattle Schools roll out new student cell phone restrictions starting Monday

New restrictions on student cell phone usage go into effect in Seattle Public Schools (SPS) on Monday.District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner announced the policy Wednesday evening.For K–8 students, cell phones will need to be turned off and put away all day. For high school students, phones will be banned during class time but allowed during lunch periods and passing times.School board vice president Evan Briggs believes the complete ban should also apply to high school students. She wants that t

Exonerees struggle to rebuild their lives and gain lasting employment, even if elected to office

“I was turned down by many prisoner reentry organizations because they said, ‘Look, you’re not on parole, you’re not on probation,’” said Jeffrey Deskovic, who was wrongly convicted of rape and murder in Peekskill, New York, and spent 16 years in prison before being freed in 2006.Thirty-eight states have laws that compensate wrongfully convicted people. But it can be years before they receive that money.After Innocence works to connect exonerees with organizations that help with job traini

‘Mormon Wives’ star Taylor Frankie Paul and ex-partner push for protective orders against each other

If both parents have protective orders against each other, the court relies heavily on the recommendations of an attorney appointed to investigate the child’s best interests.Paul and Mortensen’s son, Ever, will have a court-appointed attorney present at Thursday’s hearing to help the commissioner determine the safest arrangement for the boy.The lawyer, Michael McDonald, said during the April 7 hearing that he had concerns about Paul’s tendency to fight with Mortensen in front of thei

A North Texas man faces execution as his cousin claims he was the shooter in fatal robbery

and Killer Mike, had filed briefs at the Supreme Court in support of Broadnax’s appeal.But the high court rejected that appeal as well as another that focused on how forensic evidence was presented at his trial.The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday denied Broadnax’s request for a 180-day reprieve or to commute his death sentence.The Texas Attorney General’s Office has described Cummings’ confession as the shooter as “questionable new evidence.” It also said in court documents that Br

Hegseth faces a second day of Democrats grilling him over the Iran war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face a second day of grilling from Democrats on Capitol Hill, with senators getting their first opportunity on Thursday to confront or praise the Pentagon chief over his handling of the Iran war.Hegseth battled with Democrats — and some Republicans — a day earlier during a nearly six-hour House Armed Services Committee hearing, where he faced sharp questioning over the war’s costs in dollars, lives and the diminishing stockpiles of crit

The Black Caucus is the ‘conscience of Congress.’ Supreme Court ruling has it bracing for a big hit

Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, told reporters that its members and Democrats would fight the effects of the ruling.“The Supreme Court has opened the door to a coordinated attack on Black voters across the country,” Clarke said. “This is an outright power grab.”Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, voters could challenge electoral maps that appeared to dilute the ability of minority communities to elect representatives of their choosing. The expected wave of congressi

Man guilty of killing his 13-year-old step-niece is set to be Florida’s 6th execution of 2026

Hitchcock said his brother took the girl outside and began beating and choking the girl in a fit of rage, and she was already dead by the time Hitchcock pulled his brother off the girl.Hitchcock said he had initially taken the blame to protect his brother.The Florida Supreme Court denied an appeal last week to halt Hitchcock’s execution. His attorneys had argued that he was innocent and that the state had illegally refused to grant him access to public records related to the death penalty.

Head of organization overseeing nuclear test ban treaty issues warning to US and Russia

correspondents.Late last year, both the United States and Russia, which have the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, threatened to resume nuclear testing, setting off global alarm bells.When the treaty known as the CTBT opened for signatures 30 years ago, Floyd said over 2,000 nuclear tests had taken place, but since then there have been fewer than a dozen, including six by North Korea. Floyd issued his warning as the United Nations this week began its review of a separate treaty meant to prevent

Man charged in connection with kidnapping of 8-year-old girl in West Seattle

When police arrived, the girl was unharmed but reportedly “terrified.”RELATED STORIESArea outside Capitol State Forest evacuated for possible pipe bomb'Modern-day slavery': Seattle gang leader, co-conspirator indicted for sex traffickingShooter of Stevens County deputy wanted to 'go out in a blaze of glory,' family warnedMan armed with knife tried to grab 8-year-old from West Seattle sidewalk, police sayBugge-Marcum allegedly tried to grab and drag the 8-year-old girl from the sidewalk, accordin

Washington sheriff standards law partially blocked by judge

It also raises the minimum age for candidates from 18 to 25, requires at least five years of full-time law enforcement experience, mandates background checks, and bars candidates with disqualifying criminal histories.While the new ruling blocks those provisions as they apply to elected sheriffs, it does not block them for appointed sheriffs, according to The Washington State Standard. The ruling also does not block a separate provision restricting the use of police volunteers, which is set to ta

Walmart breaks its no-frills mold with in-store beauty experts and personalized advice

operations.Target began launching a “baby boutique” experience last month in nearly 200 stores where a concierge helps shoppers find products registries created by expectant parents.Advice that’s in demandWhile artificial intelligence threatens to eliminate jobs across industries, online job postings for beauty experts and beauty advisers remained fairly stable between February 2020 and this month, according to Cory Stahle, an economist with the research arm of jobs site Indeed. Online pos

Area outside Capitol State Forest evacuated for possible pipe bomb

An area outside the Capitol State Forest, in Thurston County, was evacuated for a potentially explosive device.Authorities believe the device could be a pipe bomb, according to KIRO 7.The device was discovered in the 8800 block of Waddell Creek Road Southwest near Lake Lucinda, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).Law enforcement cleared buildings in the surrounding area.“We urge the public to stay clear of the area,” WSP Trooper Kameron Watts stated on X around 5 p.m. Tues

3 family members indicted after protest clash with Turning Point USA journalist in Minnesota

She wrote that she was talking with police about pressing charges.James Cook, an attorney representing the family, said the videos that have circulated don’t show everything, and he believes the family will be able to provide a “vigorous defense.”“We think that there’s a lot of things in the videos that provide a means to exonerate,” he said.The family was regular protesters at the Whipple building to provide “a voice and a demonstration against Metro Surge,” Cook said. He adde

Trump says that he’s is weighing reducing American troop presence in Germany after Iran fued

in its two-month-old war.“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said in a social media post.Merz had said earlier Wednesday that his personal relationship with Trump remained “as good as ever,” but he had “had doubts from the very beginning about what was started there with the war in Iran.”During his first term in the White House, Trump also moved to cut U.S. troops in G

‘Modern-day slavery’: Seattle gang leader, co-conspirator indicted for sex trafficking

Palmer also engaged in a conspiracy to transport the victims in Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Massachusetts, Montana, Minnesota, Texas, as well as foreign countries to engage in commercial sex acts.The nine-count indictment also charges Palmer with conspiracy to commit money laundering for his use of the proceeds gained from his sex trafficking scheme.Barnett is charged in a six-count indictment with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, t

Romanian man sentenced to 4 years in prison for swatting spree targeting dozens of US officials

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Romanian man was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in prison for organizing a wave of swatting calls and bomb threats against dozens of U.S. government targets, including members of Congress, cabinet-level officials, federal judges and the heads of federal law-enforcement agencies, according to prosecutors.Thomasz Szabo, 27, was a prolific participant in a dangerous form of online harassment that has become an increasingly common occupational hazard for public officials ac

New Orleans sheriff indicted after investigation into brazen jailbreak and escape of 10 inmates

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A grand jury on Wednesday indicted a Louisiana sheriff whose office came under investigation after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail in an audacious escape that happened on her watch.Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson is not accused of helping the inmates pull off the brazen jailbreak through a hole behind a toilet, setting off a monthslong search before all the escapees were eventually captured. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said a state probe instead found

USS Ford aircraft carrier will be heading home after record-breaking deployment

Then it would see more battle, heading toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalated.The carrier took part in the opening days of the Iran war from the Mediterranean Sea before going through the Suez Canal and heading into the Red Sea in early March.However, a fire in one of its laundry spaces forced the carrier to turn around and return to the Mediterranean Sea for repairs, leaving hundreds of sailors without places to sleep.The Ford’s 295-day deployment falls short of the longest depl

Researchers point out ‘alarmingly high’ number of gray whale strandings in WA

An “alarmingly high” number of gray whale strandings in Washington state has continued throughout April, according to the Cacadia Research Collective.As of April 28, a total of 16 dead gray whales have been stranded along the state’s coast this year.Thirteen whales were recorded as stranded in April alone.Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO 7Researchers say that the common finding among examined whales is malnutrition.At the beginning of April, KIRO 7 spoke to experts who monit

US infant formula supply is ‘safe,’ FDA says after looking for potential contaminants

for the first time in decades.It built on previous FDA efforts to review substances like heavy metals in infant foods, which can cause problems with brain development, learning and behavior in children, Abrams said.To date, the FDA does not have enforceable limits for heavy metals in infant formulas, unlike the European Union, Canada and Australia.Some consumer advocacy groups have called on the FDA for years to establish firm limits for contaminants. Last year, Consumer Reports published an ana