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Thousands suffer nausea, delirium and other health issues from toxins in the Tijuana River

The river’s foam can now be seen from space.Hydrogen sulfide levels stun researchersIn September 2024, Kimberly Prather, a chemistry professor at the University of California, San Diego, and a team of researchers installed air monitors in the neighborhood where Egger lives.What they found stunned them: The hydrogen sulfide concentrations were 4,500 times higher than typical urban levels and 150 times higher than California’s air standards when river flows peaked at night.Many residents, like Egg

Sound Transit’s ‘Sophie’s Choice’: Bleed to death or start requiring fares from riders

Maybe it’s time to start collecting that money.And to Sound Transit’s credit, it is considering a pilot project that would install fare gates, or turnstiles as the rest of the world calls them, at several stations to make sure riders are paying.“What I care about the most is encouraging people to pay the fares and making sure that they do,” Sound Transit Board member Claudia Balducci told me at the opening of the 2-Line last month.She and several other board members belie

Joel Connelly, beloved P-I columnist, dies at 78

“But it can’t weave together the story or our region with the context of our social conscience like Connelly could.”Once in 2007, when a P-I co-worker asked him about a parks department leader he’d written about in the 1970s, Connelly recalled the date, section, page, and specific paragraphs of a feature story that would have helpful info.“Joel Connelly dying is like Seattle’s version of the Smithsonian closing for good,” friend and former Seattle Weekly Editor in Chief M

Indonesia reviews US proposal for airspace overflight access

<block>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia is reviewing a U.S. proposal on overflight access to its airspace, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.The proposal surfaced in local media after Indonesia and the U.S established the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, which was announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday at the Pentagon. “It is still under internal consideration by the government and the regulatory mechanism continues to be examined carefully. And of course taking into account … Indonesia’s national interests, airspace sovereignty and our independent and active foreign policy,” Yvonne Mewengkang, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters. The Indonesian Defense Ministry this week confirmed the U.S. had asked for overflight clearance and that it was still under discussion. “During the deliberation process, Indonesia made several important adjustments and emphasized that the document is non-binding and does not automatically take effect, and that it still requires further discussion through applicable technical mechanisms and national procedures,” the ministry said in a statement.</block>

Best food at T-Mobile Park: What to eat at the next Mariners game

The light rail has expanded, and sunny weather is here, which means it’s officially baseball season, and watching the Mariners is a sight that is best paired with good food.After attending the Mariners media event and tasting the selection from each vendor, here is my inside scoop on which available restaurant you must try at the next Mariners game.Nakagawa SushiIchiro Suzuki just had his statue unveiled, so let’s celebrate that honor with the most famous Japanese dish served at T-Mo

Hood Canal Bridge inspections bring scheduled closures over next 2 weeks

Crews will combine closures for inspections and marine traffic as schedules allow.RELATED STORIESI-90 closed in both directions at Snoqualmie Pass after multiple crashesWSDOT clears Bellingham landslide debris, reopens northbound I-5 ahead of scheduleState Route 302 to be closed between 8-10 hours near Vaughn after car hits power poleReminder for potential delaysWinds and strong tides can close the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge to all traffic. Check weather forecasts before you go. Be prepared to wai

What to know about Pakistan’s army chief and his role as mediator between Iran and the US

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A 15-second video put Pakistan’s powerful army chief back in the global spotlight.Posted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the video shows Field Marshal Asim Munir descending from a plane in military uniform and receiving a fraternal hug from him. The Pakistani official traveled to the epicenter of the conflict to try to ease tensions and arrange a second round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington.Pakistan has been acting as the main mediator between Iran and

Trump’s plan to build a Triumphal Arch gets a hearing before a key federal agency

Commission of Fine Arts, whose seven members were appointed by the Republican president, is his plan to paint the gray granite exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House white.A third White House-related project, construction of an underground center to conduct security screenings of tourists and other guests, is also up for consideration. Commissioners are scheduled to review design plans for all three projects. They will be reviewing the arch and the paint job

House moving ahead on bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in slap back to Trump administration

The Trump administration filed emergency appeals after lower courts stopped the immediate end of the program for 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,000 people from Syria.It’s part of the administration’s efforts to strip certain immigrant groups of legal status as the White House works to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of conducting the largest mass deportation operation in history. Some 1.3 million people fleeing countries around the world have been granted temporary protected

Killing of Iranian activist in Canada exposes increasingly bitter divisions within the diaspora

Iran’s government also has a long history of targeting dissidents abroad.Anti-war activists and those who oppose Pahlavi describe a climate of fear that has led some to notify police and change their routines.Nik Kowsar, one of those tagged in the post, said he had long received negative messages on social media, blocking accounts to prevent intimidation.“But this one gave me chills,” said Kowsar, who was jailed in Iran in 2000 over a cartoon satirizing a leading cleric and now lives in Washingt

Asian stocks mostly higher after Wall Street hits record and oil steadies

<block>HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks mostly gained while oil prices steadied Thursday over expectations of an extension of a ceasefire in the Iran war and hopes for more talks between the U.S. and Iran.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4% to 59,549.59. South Korea’s Kospi climbed 2% to 6,215.38.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.2% to 26,269.99, while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.6% to 4,050.42. China on Thursday reported 5% economic growth for the January-March quarter, an acceleration from the previous quarter. While economists say China has largely shrugged off the initial impacts from the Iran war, some are warning its massive export engine could be hit more significantly in the coming months on slower global economic growth.Taiwan’s Taiex was trading 0.9% higher, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.1%.On Wednesday, regional officials told The Associated Press that the U.S. and Iran had an “in principle agreement” to extend a two-week ceasefire deal that is expiring next week and were making progress toward another round of talks.U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also warned that Washington was preparing to apply secondary sanctions on those doing business with Iran – including potentially those from China that’s buying Iranian oil – in order to step up economic pressure on the country.Oil steadied early Thursday. Brent crude, the international standard, edged up less than 0.1% to $94.94 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude, meanwhile, was up 0.4% to $91.66 a barrel.Oil prices have surged since the Iran war began in late February. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes through normally, has remained largely closed. The U.S. has imposed a sea blockade on Iranian ports this week to force Tehran to reopen the strait and to accept a deal.“The key upside risk for the market is that peace talks between the US and Iran break down,” ING Bank strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note Thursday. “This isn’t an unrealistic scenario, given that US and Iranian demands remain fairly wide apart.”On Wednesday, Wall Street hit a record on optimism over progress on a longer term ceasefire of the Iran war. The benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,022.95, eclipsing its prior all-time high set in January.The Nasdaq composite gained 1.6% to 24,016.02, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.2% to 48,463.72.Shares of Bank of America were 1.8% higher after the bank announced better-than-expected quarterly results and its CEO Brian Moynihan saw signs of a “resilient American economy” including solid spending by consumers. Shares of Morgan Stanley gained 4.5% also following better-than-expected quarterly results.San Francisco-based shoe brand Allbirds’ share price ballooned 582% to nearly $17, after saying it’s shifting into artificial intelligence and would be changing its name to NewBird AI.In other dealings, gold and silver prices were higher. Gold’s price climbed 0.5% on Thursday to $4,846.40 an ounce, while silver prices climbed 1.3% to $80.62 per ounce.The U.S. dollar fell to 158.58 Japanese yen from 159 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1814, up from $1.1799.___AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed to this report.</block>

Democrats crow about fundraising in competitive Senate races

<block>Democrats are boasting of eye-popping fundraising hauls in some of this year’s top Senate contests, a potential sign of voter enthusiasm in what remains an uphill quest to win the Senate majority. In the first three months of the year, Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign said he brought in $27 million, while vulnerable incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said he raised $14 million. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s campaign said he’ll report $13.8 million and former Sen. Sherrod Brown will report $12.5 million in his comeback bid in Ohio. The money will help Democrats make their case to voters and counter Republican attacks, but it doesn’t change the fundamental fact that control of the Senate will be decided in territory that favors Republicans. Except for Maine, where Democrats Graham Platner and Janet Mills are still battling for the party’s nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, all of the top battleground races are in states President Donald Trump won in 2024. While Democrats touted their totals, they offer only a snapshot of overall fundraising, as campaigns had until the end of the day Wednesday to file with the Federal Election Commission. <hl2>Republicans lagged</hl2>In races where Republicans had reported their fundraising by Tuesday evening, Democrats were far outpacing them. In Texas, incumbent Sen. Jon Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton — who are locked in a bitter runoff for the GOP nomination — raised $2.5 million combined, less than 10% of Talarico’s revenue for the quarter. Two of the three main Republicans in Georgia — Derek Dooley and Buddy Carter — combined for about $1.1 million. The third, Mike Collins, had not yet reported his fundraising as of Wednesday evening. Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley raised $2.1 million in North Carolina and Sen. Jon Husted raised $2.9 million in Ohio.Collins, a top target for Democrats, raised $3.1 million in Maine. Mills, the governor who is preferred by much of the Democratic establishment, said she’ll report raising $2.6 million, while Platner, an oyster farmer backed by progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders, said he raised $4 million. In Alaska, Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola said she’ll report raising $8.9 million, compared with $1.7 million for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.<hl2>Money isn’t everything</hl2>Republicans said flush coffers don’t guarantee victory. Retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina pointed out that his opponent in 2020 also celebrated successful fundraising quarters but didn’t win. Democrats Beto O’Rourke in 2018 in Texas and Jaime Harrison in 2020 in South Carolina shattered fundraising records and still lost to their Republican rivals. “We don’t have to outraise them,” Tillis said. “We just got to out run them.”There’s an imbalance in Republicans’ favor at the national committee level. The Republican National Committee reported roughly $109 million cash on hand in its most recent FEC filing, compared with roughly $16 million for their Democratic counterpart, plus Democrats are carrying about $17 million in debt. Waiting in the wings for Republicans is a super political action committee tied to Trump — MAGA Inc. — which has more than $300 million cash on hand, according to the FEC. The rosy first-quarter contributions carry some advantages for Democrats, namely the ability to buy limited advertising slots ahead of the election to get on the air early and make an impression with voters. Candidates also get favorable rates for television ads so their money goes further than independent expenditures by outside groups, though that advantage is eroding as ad spending increasingly shifts toward digital streaming. “Winning in Texas will require unprecedented resources,” Talarico campaign manager Seth Krasne said in a statement. “This grassroots fundraising haul puts our movement in a strong position to spread our message in some of the most expensive media markets in the country.”Talarico will face the winner of the GOP runoff on May 26 between Cornyn and Paxton.___Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.</block>

Trump to promote tax breaks in Las Vegas, where residents feel the pinch of high gas prices

The Bank of America Institute looked at its deposit and spending data and in a Tuesday analysis concluded that “the average increase in tax refunds could cover the average increase in gasoline spending for at least five months.”Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide, the insurance and financial services company, said last week in an analysis that “the steep rise in gasoline prices looks likely to completely offset the increased tax funds windfall with households,” stressing that the mon

‘Out of many, one,’ says a US national motto. What does that push for unity mean today?

It quickly became clear that having such a weak central government — i.e., less unity — wasn’t effective for the new country, leading to the Constitution.For some countries, like many in Europe, those negotiations have taken place under the weight of centuries of history and geography, and other established backdrops like the existing form of government, which impacted the direction they decided to go. The U.S., from the founders’ perspective, was a new entity.“What it is to be of th

Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway compete for suburban New Jersey House seat

<block>DENVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Analilia Mejia will try to expand Democratic momentum in New Jersey as she and Republican Joe Hathaway compete in Thursday’s special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill when she was elected governor last year. Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who has support from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, emerged from a crowded Democratic primary in February, while Hathaway, a council member in suburban Randolph, was unchallenged. The contest will decide which party controls the seat in the closely divided House, with the midterms of President Donald Trump’s second term on the horizon. The winner will serve out the final months of Sherrill’s term, and the two could meet again in November. Mejia has cast the race as a fight for democracy and criticized the president over pardoning Jan. 6 insurrection participants and freezing funding Congress has authorized. “The people here are ready to do something about it,” she said recently. “We’re not here to write strongly worded letters. Congress has real power.”Hathaway has seized on Mejia’s progressive credentials, and national Republicans cast her as a socialist. “I’m running to bring common-sense leadership to D.C & deliver results for our families, not push a far-left agenda,” Hathaway said in a recent social media post. The 11th District, which covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey’s wealthy suburbs, was long a Republican stronghold but has become increasingly Democratic since Trump’s first term. Sherrill won the seat in 2018’s midterm elections, when Democrats flipped dozens of seats to take control of Congress. And in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by nearly 9 points. Saran Cunningham, an 86-year-old retired special educator, said she was initially reluctant to support Mejia, worried that her views were too far to the left. She backed another candidate in the primary. But recently, outside the Morristown early polling location, she said she would now vote for Mejia. “I think we’ve been tilting a little bit more to the right lately, which worries me,” Cunningham said. “I think that we need people in Congress who will fight for things that will help people as opposed to hurting them.”Rob Berkowitz, 62, cast his early vote for Hathaway at the Denville polling station. Describing himself as a conservative, Berkowitz gave Trump high marks on immigration, the economy and the war in Iran, comparing him to Winston Churchill. He criticized the Democratic Party for moving away from leaders in the style of Harry Truman, whom he praised. “They want borders wide open. They don’t want to enforce existing immigration laws,” Berkowitz said. “It’s an extraordinary thing to watch.”The February Democratic primary pitted Mejia against former Rep. Tom Malinowski and others in a race where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was a key player. The group’s affiliated super PAC tried to thwart Malinowski after he questioned unconditional aid to the Israeli government. That effort appeared to backfire as Mejia, who said she agreed that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, came out on top. Mejia campaigned on populist economic policies and pushing to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Over the years she has been a regular presence in the state Capitol, advocating for progressive causes, and was Sanders’ political director during his 2020 presidential run. During the Biden administration, she was deputy director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau. In addition to winning Sanders’ endorsement, she was backed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.Hathaway, a former Yale University football player, has worked in health care and finance as well as in politics as an aide for former GOP Gov. Chris Christie. The winner will serve until the term ends in January. Both Mejia and Hathaway are also running for the next two-year term, which begins that month. </block>

Could more cattle cause record beef prices to drop? Ranchers say it’s not that simple

Even if ranchers opted to raise more cattle, it takes 15 to 24 months for a calf to mature before it can be slaughtered.Role of meat processors in beef pricesRanchers often blame the concentrated meat processing systems — primarily driven by four companies — for high beef prices, but the picture is complicated.In a statement and market updates, the Meat Institute, a meat processors trade group, noted that retailers and food service companies, not packers, set prices for consumers. And the organi

Australian judge rejects US Marine pilot’s appeal against extradition to US

<block>MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan to avoid extradition to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese military aviators more than a decade ago.Duggan is accused of training Chinese military pilots while working as an instructor for the Test Flying Academy of South Africa. Duggan has denied the allegations, contending they were political posturing and that the U.S. was unfairly singling him out. Federal Court Justice James Stellios ruled in dismissing the appeal that no jurisdiction error was made in 2024 by the then Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus in ordering Duggan’s extradition.Duggan’s wife and mother of his six children, Saffrine Duggan, told reporters outside the court in Canberra that his lawyers would consider a further appeal. Lawyers are also asking Dreyfus’s successor as attorney-general, Michelle Rowland, to reverse the extradition order.“We are very disappointed by this ruling and we will consider our options carefully. But make no mistake, we will not give up,” Saffrine Duggan said. “Today does not end our search for justice.” Rowland’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.A 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, which was unsealed in late 2022, alleges Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly other times, without applying for an appropriate license.Prosecutors allege Duggan received about nine payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) from another conspirator as well as travel to the U.S., South Africa and China for what was sometimes described as “personal development training.”Duggan, who is 57 and was born in Boston, has been held in maximum security prisons since he was arrested in 2022 at a supermarket near his family home in New South Wales.</block>

I-90 closed in both directions at Snoqualmie Pass after multiple crashes

Multiple crashes have caused I-90 to be shut down in both directions west of the Snoqualmie Pass summit.According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), multiple car crashes are blocking the highway. The closure spans from milepost 47 to milepost 71 near Easton.“Winter decided to show up a little later than expected,” WSDOT posted on X. “Unfortunately, that may have caught drivers off guard.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Winter decided to show up a little later than expected. Unfortunately, that may have caught drivers off guard. We have I-90 closed in both directions due to multiple blocking collisions from just west of the summit at MP 47 to Easton at MP 71. No estimate yet on a reopening. <a href="https://t.co/3xADm8XsRz">pic.twitter.com/3xADm8XsRz</a>— Snoqualmie Pass (@SnoqualmiePass) <a href="https://twitter.com/SnoqualmiePass/status/2044568041741316112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>There is no estimate yet of when I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass will reopen, as of this reporting.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClosureAlert?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#ClosureAlert</a> Snoqualmie Pass is closed due to multiple semis that are stuck. Working to get them cleared. <a href="https://t.co/WkioZHP2tQ">pic.twitter.com/WkioZHP2tQ</a>— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) <a href="https://twitter.com/wspd2pio/status/2044574291086504007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>This is a developing story, check back for updates Follow Frank Sumrall <a href="https://x.com/FMSumrall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on X</a>. Send <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/contact-us">news tips here.</a>

Snow, hail and waterspout hit Seattle in rare April weather event

https://t.co/8mCdhkgjM8pic.twitter.com/14Elv4h8RM— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) April 15, 2026RELATED STORIESConvergence Zone weather pattern brings showers to Puget Sound this weekCliff Mass: It’s too early to predict a 'super El Niño' this yearWestern WA’s spring sunshine ends this weekend as showers returnWaterspout forms over Puget SoundAdditionally, a waterspout was spotted forming over the Puget Sound near downtown Seattle.Waterspout spotted over Puget Sound near downtown Seattle rare funnel

Little Red Hen eviction fight in Seattle pushed to September trial

The landlord claimed the bar was allowed to stay on a month-to-month basis in good faith, but The Little Red Hen’s manager disputed that claim, arguing that the new property owners tried to raise the rent.Dominic Shim, the owner of Little Red Hen, claimed his bar has a lease through 2030, established with the prior building owner.Little Red Hen is a country-themed bar that has been in operation since 1933 and has been nestled within Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood since 1968.RELATED STORIESWSD