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A Seattle history teacher who was pepper sprayed during a peaceful Martin Luther King Day Jr. rally is suing the cops who allegedly attacked him. Newly released video showed a Seattle police officer pepper spraying Jesse Hagopian as he walked home from the Jan. 19 rally, his lawyer said. Hagopian, who teaches history at Seattle's Garfield High School, spoke at the event and was on the phone with his mom when the spray hit his eyes. He was on his way to his 2-year-old son's birthday party, he said.

William Wingate had been standing on a busy Seattle street corner in July, leaning on a golf club he uses as a cane, when a police cruiser pulled up and the officer inside yelled at Wingate to “put that down.” The resulting exchange — in which the officer claims that Wingate swung the club at her after she asked him to “shut it down” before she arrested him – was captured on the cruiser’s dashboard camera, the footage of which Seattle Police released this week as it apologized for the 2014 incident. The response to that video prompted Seattle Police...

Exploiting loopholes in the rulebook helped launch Seattle's budding dynasty There's a team in Super Bowl XLIX that, for years, has created a major competitive advantage by blatantly disregarding NFL rules. I'm talking about the Seattle Seahawks, of course. Focused on 24 PSIs of missing hot air and hype in New England, we've all missed an actual rules revolution going on in Seattle that, with one more win on Sunday in Arizona, could fundamentally change the NFL -- forever. Over the past three years the Seahawks have done something no one in the white-socks-and-black-shoes, stuck-in-the-1950s NFL ever dreamed possible, or...

Seattle to Fine Residents for Throwing Food in the Garbage In an attempt to shame residents of their city, a new Seattle law will levy a fine on homes that do not properly sort food out of their garbage. Emblazoned with a red citation tag, violators will start to be fined anywhere from $1-$50 in July. For now, Seattle residents will be publicly shamed by the ‘Scarlet Letter’-like tags. US Food Waste Food waste is a big, and still growing, problem. (Charles Krupa/AP Photo) "I'm sure neighbors are going to see these on their other neighbors' cans," says Rodney Watkins,...

In Seattle, wasting food will now earn you a scarlet letter — well, a scarlet tag, to be more accurate. The bright red tag, posted on a garbage bin, tells everyone who sees it that you've violated a new city law that makes it illegal to put food into trash cans. "I'm sure neighbors are going to see these on their other neighbors' cans," says Rodney Watkins, a lead driver for Recology CleanScapes, a waste contractor for the city. He's on the front lines of enforcing these rules. Seattle is the first city in the nation to fine homeowners for...

PHOENIX — The New England Patriots owner and Seattle Seahawks cornerback were trading insults while the NFL was reportedly reviewing video of a Patriots employee going into the bathroom with a bag of footballs. Just when you thought Super Bowl Media Day couldn’t get any more bizarre... Thanks to DeflateGate, though, there seems to be no limit to this theater of the absurd, which took yet another twist as the Patriots and Seahawks met a mass of reporters at the U.S. Airways Center on Tuesday. The backdrop was a report that the NFL had video of a Patriots locker room...

Sure, the incentive to compost is the putative reason for this regulation, but exactly how is it enforced? In order for city officials and trash collectors to know you have committed the civic sin of disposing of leftover food in your trashcan, they have to examine the contents of your trashcan. Let’s hope the citizens of Seattle and trash collectors can come to some kind of silent truce over this. Do they collectors really want to examine every load they dump into the truck for transgressions? (Lord help us, the city probably offers a bonus of taxpayer money for tagging...

SEATTLE (AP) — A 32-foot gray whale that turned up dead under the Washington state ferry terminal in downtown Seattle died earlier this week because it was struck by the propeller of a large vessel, according to the initial results of a necropsy completed Saturday. The necropsy found large, deep gashes on the whale's right side and back, indicating the cause of death. The gashes extended into the whale's body cavity and the propeller's force had sheared off one of its ribs.

SEATTLE - An Eastside couple was stuck right in the middle of Wednesday night’s shootout at Third Avenue and Pine Street. Jennifer Bowman and her boyfriend Aaron Gazes left an event nearby and were headed home when the light turned red. All of sudden -- they heard gunfire. “We watched a gunfight go down. It was the scariest thing I’ve seen in my life,” said Bowman, who showed KIRO-7 how she tried to put her seat back to hide. Gazes considered running the red light, but was afraid he’d draw the attention of the gunmen -- 5 or 6 men...

A week ago, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, a Democrat, called homelessness in his city and the rest of King County a "full-blown crisis." Based on the numbers presented in coverage of the area's situation, we can certainly add the Emerald City to the list of areas where homelessness has been on the rise. Odds are that many readers here didn't know that, because the national press hardly ever pays attention to homelessness when a Democrat occupies the White House. Now imagine the firestorm which would erupt if a Republican or conservative proposed the "solution," however allegedly temporary, Murray is advancing...

A 30-foot gray whale has turned up dead under the Washington state ferry terminal in downtown Seattle, where its stench is wafting into the noses of thousands of daily commuters...officials believe the whale may have been there for about a week. [Photo in Comments].

Never doubt the resilience of the Seattle Seahawks. Plagued by turnovers and outplayed much of Sunday by Green Bay, the Seahawks staged an improbable comeback and beat the Packers 28-22 in overtime. Russell Wilson, who struggled until the final minutes, hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown 3:19 into the extra period on the only possession. The Seahawks became the first defending champion to make the Super Bowl in 10 years, and will play the winner of the AFC title game between Indianapolis and New England. How they got there was stunning.

**SNIP** The Seattle City Council member, a member of the Socialist Alternative movement, has been collaborating with ex-Stranger writer and blogger (Horsesass.org) David Goldstein, often in the past a defender and advocate for the Democratic Party. The Stranger has been a non-stop advocate for Sawant. It promoted her as a challenger to House Speaker Frank Chopp in 2012. It boosted her 2013 City Council race with a Madonna like cover photo, and Dominic Holden’s acid attacks on her opponent, Seattle City Council incumbent Richard Conlin. If it keeps to the schedule listed on Amazon, “The Most Dangerous Woman in America”...

Federal prosecutors have charged a Kirkland man with making interstate threats against the life of the former Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson and his family.

A caffeinated gang of annoying white hipsters in Seattle did their level best to ruin Christmas this year by surrounding the city’s annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, chanting and making a bunch of little kids cry. The young, well-heeled, largely white crowd of demonstrators was protesting in response to Monday’s announcement that a grand jury in Missouri had refused to indict white police officer Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male, on Aug. 9. Friday’s incident in Seattle occurred at Westlake Mall, according to local NBC affiliate KING-TV. Westlake Mall is some 2,119 miles away from Ferguson, Mo.,...

Among the feats many Michael Brown protesters pulled off as they stormed Seattle’s Westlake Mall on Black Friday was targeting a children’s choir set to sing Christmas carols, KING-TV reported as part of a video segment. A journalist with KING, Mark Wright, wrote this on his Facebook page: Some of you may know that tonight’s tree lighting at Westlake Center was cut short by protesters. I feel really bad for a group of children from the 5th Avenue Theater. They came tonight, excited to sing. When the protesters overtook the balcony, the children were absolutely terrified. I helped usher them...

Bellingham Boy Fighting Flesh-Eating Bacteria SEATTLE, Wash. -- What started as a 'fat lip' from a fall, now has a local 6 year old Jake Finkbonner fighting to survive. The boy has necrotizing faciitis, a bacteria that is attacking his face. His family says the bacteria was consuming him before their eyes. The infection is so aggressive, antibiotics aren't enough. He’s had three surgeries so far to try to save his life. Jake’s father, Donny, (says)......all of us are praying for him, and we’re just in God’s hands.” Jake’s mother, Elsa says, “he didn’t have any facial features that were...

Chanting “hands up, don’t shoot,” marchers walked under a police escort, pausing in intersections for bullhorn-amplified speeches as they wound their way through Capitol Hill and into downtown Seattle, ending at the U.S. District Courthouse at Seventh Avenue and Stewart Street. Organizers, including representatives of the Seattle King County NAACP and United Black Christian Clergy, said the march was to demand a federal criminal indictment of Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. While the march was peaceful, the rhetoric was fiery, as demonstrators carried signs declaring “Jail Killer Cops” and “America Hates...

Seattle, Washington, one of the strongest remaining bastions of liberal philosophy left in the country, passed a phased-in $15 minimum wage law earlier this year. The highest minimum wage in the country. The vote was unanimous and the throng outside cheered, but for many this is a loss from which they will never recover. It is a blow to the profitability of business that they just can't take.

SEATTLE -- Try as we might, we simply just can't outdo Seattle Police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee's apt description of what happened Wednesday in Leschi Park, when officer Vanessa Flick, "was forced to put herself between a crowd of bystanders and the razor-sharp talons of two erotically-entwined eagles... after the birds crash-landed in a park." (snip) A witness told Flick the birds "appeared to spiral in mid air" together before falling to the ground. Flick said the birds weren't fighting and didn't have any signs of trauma. The plot thickened. Police say a second man, who told Flick he was knowledgeable...

Often it seems as though there is no end to the left’s hypocrisy. And, the farther the left, the more apparent the hypocrisy. Such is the case with the Freedom Socialist Party, a national party. The Freedom Socialist Party has strong ties to Seattle. According to the party’s website, it actively campaigned for Kshama Sawant in her race for Seattle City Council. It “helped secure union endorsements and donations, and near support from the King County Labor Council…” The Freedom Socialist Party does differ from Sawant in one respect. You see, for this particular socialist party, a $15 minimum wage...

A student with a "blank stare" opened fire in the cafeteria of a high school north of Seattle on Friday, killing one person and wounding at least three others before fatally shooting himself, police and witnesses said. A hospital official said three patients were in "very critical condition" after the 10:30 a.m. PDT shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. A 14-year-old boy was in serious condition at another hospital with a jaw wound.

Apparently asking $15 an hour for fast food workers isn’t enough so unappreciated socialists in Seattle are demanding the minimum wage be raised to a “paltry” $20 an hour. There are skilled and educated professionals who don’t command such a wage, not to mention soldiers facing death daily on the front lines of tyranny, but these hypocrites who religiously shell out $5 for a cup of Joe are demanding social justice because they feel slighted by more accomplished Americans? If radical leftists ever succeed in enacting such a law, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before they...

A socialist party that wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $20 per hour is currently advertising a job for an experienced web developer paying $13 per

It's sometimes said that if some people didn't have double standards, they'd have no standards at all. That applies to the Freedom Socialist Party. In 2012, their official website was pushing for a drastic increase in the minimum wage. In fact, they pushed for a full $20 per hour minimum wage, even for the most basic jobs: Well, if you are a socialist, I have good news: the Freedom Socialist Party is hiring! They must have competitive wages for a web developer, right? Not exactly. The people who want people who flip hamburgers for a living to earn $20 an...

Less than a year ago, Mark Driscoll, an evangelical pastor, was flying high. His hometown Seattle Seahawks were in the Super Bowl, and the brash pastor scored a big, faith-fueled interview with five of the team's top players, including quarterback Russell Wilson. But in a remarkably fast fall from grace, Driscoll resigned Tuesday as pastor of Mars Hill Church, a congregation he founded 18 years ago and turned into a force in the mostly secular Pacific Northwest. In a statement, Mars Hills' board of overseers said Driscoll hadn't committed any acts of "immorality, illegality or heresy" -- sins that have...

<p>Going to school these days isn’t what it used to be. Kids are marched through metal detectors on the way to a disappointing lunch of arugula with a side of alfalfa sprouts. Now they’re ruining recess. Swings in Seattle are now forbidden.</p>

If the people of Seattle hate Christopher Columbus so much, they should take steps to reverse his “crimes,” starting with their own city. Last Monday the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring the second Monday of October Indigenous People’s Day.... Socialist councilmember Kshama Sawant, indigenous to Pune, India, was more forthcoming about the measure’s explicitly anti-Columbus content. She said they pressed for having Indigenous People’s Day on the same day as Columbus Day to draw attention to the fact that the Genoan explorer “played such a pivotal role in the worst genocide humankind has ever known.” She scoffed...

The Seattle City Council has voted unanimously to celebrate “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” on the same day as Columbus Day, the federally recognized holiday, reports the Associated Press (AP). According to the AP report, the resolution that passed on Monday declares “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” the second Monday of October and intends to honor the contributions and culture of Native Americans and the indigenous community in Seattle. Supporters of the action said it will recognize the rich history of people who have inhabited the area for hundreds of years. "This action will allow us to bring into current present day our valuable...

Tomorrow used to be called Columbus Day, but no more. Thanks to Seattle, it’s now “Indigenous Peoples’ Day!” Sound stupid? That’s only because it is. This week the city council of Seattle voted unanimously to rename the day—within the city only; Columbus Day as we know it is a federal holiday—because, like with everything these days, some whiny people found a way to be offended by something that doesn’t really affect them at all and demand their grievance be addressed. Progressive governments such as Seattle’s eagerly cave if the crying crowd has a non-white face in front of it. In...

Airmen from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., are among the U.S. service members joining efforts to stem the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Air Force said Wednesday. Aircrew and maintenance personnel from JBLM’s 62nd Airlift Wing have been involved with the humanitarian assistance mission, said a spokesman for the active-duty wing. They are not in direct contact with Ebola patients, but they have been delivering supplies and troops to support the humanitarian mission in Liberia and Senegal. At this stage, military personnel in Liberia are building 18 Ebola treatment facilities and preparing infrastructure for the arrival of American troops and...

SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a resolution to change the name of Columbus to "Indigenous People's Day." "It's really irritating to me, because of what Columbus stands for. He represents what many of our Native Americans believe when the genocide started," says Millie Kennedy, who identifies herself as a member of the Raven Clan in the Tsimshian tribe. However, not all people feel the same way, including Seattleites who share Italian heritage with Christopher Columbus. "It's become a symbol of honoring Italian Americans and the legacy that our parents and grandparents left us...

Columbus Day will now be known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Seattle. The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously approved the re-designation, which acknowledges that Native Americans were living in North America well before Christopher Columbus “discovered America” in the 15th century, Reuters reports. The change, which will go into effect before the Oct. 13 holiday this year, marks the second major city in the U.S. to officially re-designate the day, after Minneapolis’ vote in April.

The City of Seattle just passed a new trash ordinance that would fine residents and businesses for throwing away too much food.

The Seattle City Council passed a new ordinance Monday that could mean $1 fines for people who toss too many table scraps into the trash. Under current Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) rules, people living in single-family homes are encouraged but not required to dispose of food waste and compostable paper products in compost bins. Apartment buildings must have compost bins available, but residents of apartment buildings aren’t required to use them. And businesses aren’t subject to any composting requirements. Under the new rules, collectors can take a cursory look each time they dump trash into a garbage truck. If they...

A Seattle woman is accused of raping her neighbor as he slept after a party. The victim shoved the 240-pound woman, later identified as 26-year-old Chantae Gilman, off of him when he woke up to her having sex with him, according to the Seattle P-I. She apparently broke into the 31-year-old's apartment on June 16, 2013 after a birthday party. It wasn’t until recently that a sample of DNA taken from the victim was analyzed.

For two bloody months, an armed jihadist serial killer ran loose across the country. At least four innocent men died this spring and summer as acts of "vengeance" on behalf of aggrieved Muslims, the self-confessed murderer has now proclaimed. Have you heard about this horror? Probably not. The usual suspects who decry hate crimes and gun violence haven't uttered a peep. Why? Like O.J.'s glove: If the narrative don't fit, you must acquit. The admitted killer will be cast as just another "lone wolf" whose familiar grievances and bloodthirsty Islamic invocations mean nothing. I say: Enough with the whitewashing. Meet...

ABOUT RED BULL SOAPBOX RACE Not to be confused with the youth soapbox derby, Red Bull Soapbox Race is a national race for amateur drivers, which is fueled by creativity and competitive fun – not to mention the need for speed. This unique non-motorized racing event challenges both experienced racers and amateurs alike to design and build outrageous, human-powered soapbox dream machines and compete against the clock in a downhill race. Teams are judged on three criteria: speed, creativity and showmanship. This criteria has inspired a piano, a baby carriage, a rodeo clown, a massive cob of corn, a jail...

Between 1989 and 2010, Congress rejected nearly 700 cap-tax-and-trade and similar bills that their proponents claimed would control Earth’s perpetually fickle climate and weather. So even as real world crises erupt, President Obama is using executive fiats and regulations to impose his anti-hydrocarbon agenda, slash America’s fossil fuel use, bankrupt coal and utility companies, make electricity prices skyrocket, and “fundamentally transform” our economic, social, legal and constitutional system. Citing climate concerns, he has refused to permit construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and blocked or delayed Alaskan, western state and offshore oil and gas leasing and drilling. He’s proud that...

ooks by megachurch Pastor Mark Driscoll have been pulled from 180 Christian stores. LifeWay stores have temporarily suspended sales of his books, including "A Call to Resurgence" and "Real Marriage." "LifeWay Stores and LifeWay.com are not selling Mark Driscoll's books while we assess the situation regarding his ministry," the company said in a statement. lRelated Lauren Bacall on writing: The most complete experience I've ever had Jacket Copy Lauren Bacall on writing: The most complete experience I've ever had See all related 8 Driscoll founded Seattle's Mars Hill Church in 1996; it has grown to a reported 13,000 attendees and...

Socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant drafted a letter this week calling for an immediate end to all U.S. government military aid for Israel.

To understand the current unrest at Mars Hill Church, you have to go back to 2007. In the autumn of that year, Mars Hill was an emerging evangelical powerhouse, attracting national attention for its combination of ultraconservative theology and rock ’n’ roll posturing. It had grown over the previous decade from a Bible group in pastor Mark Driscoll’s living room to a multi-campus institution drawing 4,000 attendees to services every week. Paul Petry, Mars Hill’s pastor of families and member care at the time, says that roughly 1,600 of those 4,000 people had joined the church as full-fledged members—they’d taken...

After touching down around 3:15 p.m. at Boeing Field, Obama's first stop will be to a mansion in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood where 250 people will attend a fundraiser. From there, he'll head to former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal's Eastside home at Hunt's Point for a fundraiser there.

Man sets house afire trying to kill spider with lighter, spray paint SEATTLE -- Fire officials say a West Seattle man was using a lighter and a can of spray paint to kill a spider in his laundry room when the house went up in flames. Fire crews were called to a home in the 10200 block of 34th Avenue SW just before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Firefighters originally battled the blaze from a distance after learning there may be ammunition inside. Crews were eventually able to extinguish the fire, but not before it did significant damage to the structure....

When Seattle passed their new city council ordinance mandating a staged increase in the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour, many local businesses – as well as observers across the nation – were left shaking their heads. The rules seemed to be unevenly applied, with some businesses having to comply but not others, as well has having a complete disregard for whether or not the job providing entities would be able to remain competitive and survive under the new rules. As Reuters reports, a coalition of business owners are now moving to exercise the power of public support to...

Ali Muhammad Brown was charged with executing two gay men in Seattle. Brown was previously prosecuted federally following an FBI probe into an Islamic group suspected of supporting jihadists overseas. This devout Muslim is also a registered sex offender for crimes against a 6-year-old girl, the same age as Aisha when Muhammad married her. He was previously prosecuted as part of a federal investigation into a sleeper cell thought by investigators to be linked to a terrorism funding organization. “One prominent member of the group is thought to have been killed waging jihad in Somalia after fleeing prosecution in the...

For LGBTQ couples who met that special someone over Pride weekend — or who already have but just haven’t set the date — Seattle’s tourism agency will be awarding four free wedding trips to LGBTQ couples in a sweepstakes that starts July 1. Sponsored by Visit Seattle, the hosted trips include the opportunity to be married by Seattle’s first openly gay mayor, Ed Murray, along with air transportation provided by Alaska Airlines, a four-night stay at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, a wedding ceremony at Canlis restaurant, DJ and music, wedding photography, sparkling wine courtesy of Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, beer...

Thieves attempt carjacking, but can’t get away in a stick shift SEATTLE – A 70 year old woman is stopped by three young men with a gun right outside her Seattle home. They got her keys, but they didn’t get away with her car. That’s because when the would-be thieves got in Nancy Fredrickson’s car, they discovered it was a stick shift. None of them knew how to drive a manual, so they ended up ditching the car and running away. Nancy Fredrickson had just returned home yesterday afternoon, after buying some things at a garage sale. She was getting...

Seattle recently raised the minimum hourly wage that employers in the city must pay to $15. That puts Seattle out in front in America’s Living Wage Derby – hooray! Mayor Ed Murray boasts that the high minimum wage makes his city “the model for the nation.” Not only that, but the big increase, over Washington state’s minimum wage of $9.32 per hour will, he says, enable the city to “regain economic strength.” Great objectives, Mr. Mayor, but I don’t know why you’re being so stingy. You have at best taken a baby step towards fairness for workers and economic vitality....