All articles tagged with #seattle
A patient at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle damaged a trauma room, broke an oxygen line, and attempted to light items on fire, causing more than $100,000 in damages. He was restrained, sedated, and charged with arson, malicious mischief, and assault. A judge set bail at $250,000, citing safety concerns given the suspect's history and impact on the hospital's emergency department.
Live updates from Seattle’s Lumen Field show Haiden Deegan leading 250SX qualifying with a 49.414-second lap (fastest in the first session and overall), while Jorge Prado paces 450SX qualifying in combined times (50.600) with Eli Tomac fastest in the second session (51.032); Hunter Lawrence remains the 450 points leader, RJ Hampshire is out due to illness/foot injury, and the track—built in about 30 hours after stadium scheduling—is fast with some wet low spots, setting the stage for a competitive night of racing and more qualifying results.
Seattle police identified the second victim in last Friday's Rainier Beach double homicide as 18-year-old Tyjon Malik Stewart; the other victim was 17-year-old Traveiah Houfmuse. Both were Rainier Beach High School students. No arrests have been made, and authorities are increasing patrols in the area. The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Seattle’s technology scene shows signs of strain as major employers cut thousands of jobs (Amazon cutting 16,000 more roles for a total of 30,000 since October and closing Fresh/Go, Meta reducing Reality Labs staff, and Expedia laying off about 160 roles), fueling discussions of a regional tech recession. KUOW notes a net loss of jobs in the Seattle area last year and persistent gaps in pre-pandemic hiring levels, though local officials say Seattle’s long-term fundamentals and talent pool remain strong despite the near-term gloom.
Amazon says it will cut 16,000 corporate jobs to streamline operations and free funds for AI investments, even after reporting strong earnings. The layoffs follow the closure of Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores nationwide, affecting about 401 Western Washington positions, and sparking concern about the local economic impact in Seattle.
Amazon disclosed about 16,000 corporate layoffs, roughly 10% of its corporate staff, following a prior round of 14,000 jobs; the cuts, driven by AI adoption and a push to streamline, are expected to ripple through Seattle’s economy and local businesses that rely on Amazon workers, with U.S.-based employees given 90 days to find new roles or receive severance and limited benefits.
Sound Transit says the Crosslake Connection of the 2 Line will open March 28, linking South Bellevue and International District/Chinatown across Lake Washington and expanding Seattle–Bellevue light-rail coverage to 63 miles with 50 stations; after years of delays due to I-90 floating-bridge plinth issues and a partial starter line that opened in 2024, officials still aim to beat a May 31 target and support World Cup travel in mid-2026.
Six Seattle Public Schools briefly sheltered in place after unconfirmed reports of ICE activity in the city’s South End. The schools—Mercer International Middle, Cleveland STEM High, Maple Elementary, Dearborn Park International Elementary, Beacon Hill International Elementary, and Aki Kurose Middle—took precautionary shelter-in-place steps (exterior doors locked, movement allowed inside) with SPS Safety and Security on site; no confirmed ICE presence was reported as of the update, and officials continued to verify details. Some shelters may have ended by day’s end while others remained, underscoring a push for clearer protocols and careful information sharing amid uncertainty.
Seattle engineers gathered to explore Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI coding tool that acts like an autonomous pair‑programmer, able to self‑correct, manage longer workflows, and even fix frontend bugs by controlling a browser. The tool and related Claude Cowork expansion are fueling rapid adoption and shifting developers’ mindsets toward architectural/product-management roles, while industry observers debate the sustainability of AI‑coded software moats amid concerns about job displacement and competitive barriers.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced two executive orders aimed at accelerating shelter and housing options for people experiencing homelessness and improving bus reliability along Denny Way. The shelter-focused order directs city departments to identify barriers and fast-track expansion, prioritizing city-owned land and coordination with regional partners, while the transit-focused order tasks SDOT with delivering a detailed plan and timeline for at least one transit-priority improvement on Denny Way by April 17. More housing and transit actions are expected in coming months.
Sen. Maria Cantwell criticized the Trump administration for rising prices after the latest CPI data showed a 2.7% year-over-year increase, with groceries up 2.4% and electricity up 6.7%; Seattle rose 3.1%. She argues tariff and energy policies are driving inflation, while Trump has floated cost-cutting ideas such as mortgage bonds, portable loans, and capping credit-card interest as consumer confidence remains weak ahead of the midterms.
Three aging Washington State Ferries are out of service for urgent repairs, causing reduced service on routes serving Seattle, including one-boat operations and delays, with some vessels expected to return to service by mid-January or early March.
Seattle police are investigating three separate shootings that injured three people early this morning across different locations in the city, with no arrests made so far and the cases still active.
A man in Seattle was arrested during a New Year’s Eve celebration after flashing a loaded shotgun in a crowded area near the Space Needle, leading to gun charges as police suspect he planned to use the weapon. He was found with additional ammunition and hearing protection, and authorities believe he intended to threaten or harm others amid nationwide threats around the holiday.
During Seattle's New Year's Eve celebration, police arrested a 21-year-old man near the Space Needle who was armed with a shotgun, pistol, and multiple rounds of ammunition. The man, wearing all black and a red hat with 'WAR', cooperated with police after being found sitting with a concealed shotgun, causing alarm among spectators. He was booked into jail for unlawful weapons use, and the investigation is ongoing.