Police said the investigation began last week when a woman called 911 to report that her boyfriend had stolen her vehicle. Officers determined the man had recently been served with an order prohibiting him from contacting the woman.

The woman told police the two had argued the previous day and that the man took her phone and car keys and grabbed her around the neck to the point she could not breathe. Police said the woman had injuries that corroborated her account.

Officers searched for the man and the vehicle but could not find either that night.

On Tuesday, officers on patrol located the woman’s vehicle back in the area where police said the assaults occurred. The woman told officers the man was inside her apartment with one of her children.

Police removed the woman and her other child from the apartment and began seeking a warrant to enter and search for the man.

Officers attempted to communicate with the man using PA announcements but became concerned about the child still inside the apartment and called in a hostage negotiator, according to police.

After about two hours of negotiations, the child came out of the apartment unharmed. Police said the man eventually came out on his own and was arrested without further incident.

Police said his alleged offenses include second-degree assault, residential burglary involving domestic violence, felony violation of a court order, and second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Oak Harbor police said officers were called around 7:28 a.m. to the 31000 block of State Route 20, where they found a 40-year-old California woman with apparent injuries to her face and upper body.

Police said the woman initially told officers she had been in an argument with another person before becoming unresponsive.

Whidbey Health paramedics and Oak Harbor firefighters treated her at the scene before flying her to a regional trauma center.

Investigators said evidence showed the woman was in an intimate relationship with a 32-year-old man and that there had been physical altercations between the two over several days.

Police contacted the man at the Acorn Motor Inn around 7:03 p.m. Officers said they took him into custody following a brief standoff.

The man was booked into the Island County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, second-degree assault by strangulation, and violating a domestic violence protection order.

Police said he was expected to remain in custody for a preliminary arraignment in Island County Courts.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Oak Harbor police at 360-279-4600 or ICOM Dispatch at 911.

But that is not all.

According to a presentation by Carla Reyes, assistant secretary at the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, 126,000 people could lose access to the food assistance program if they fail to meet the new work requirements.

According to state data, roughly a third of people who use SNAP benefits are children.

The state has also predicted that most households that use SNAP will see a reduction in their benefits, even if they are allowed to keep some form of aid.

Under the bill, the ages at which people must keep working to maintain access to SNAP and other programs were raised by a decade to 64. Before the bill took effect, the upper limit for work requirements was 54.

The bill also requires parents with children older than 14 to return to work. Prior to the bill, exceptions for work requirements existed for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and those 24 years old or younger. Now, those exceptions are gone.

State estimates that 3,000 or more adults in King County alone may lose access to SNAP or other food assistance benefits they relied on before the bill took effect.

One of the communities most impacted by the bill is immigrants. Under HR 1, SNAP benefits for immigrants are essentially ended for refugees, immigrants from certain countries, and people seeking asylum.

In a statement published this summer, King County noted that Non-citizen adults 19 years and older were disqualified from Apple Health, Washington State’s healthcare system, and Medicaid on Friday.

By October 8, the county said Medicaid recipients can expect to start paying a $35 copay for many services; the county said this would not apply to services from the Public Health Center or community health centers.

Looking ahead to the new year, the county says that by January 1, Medicaid recipients should expect their eligibility to be checked every 6 months, and retroactive coverage periods for children and pregnant people will be reduced to two months.

The victims told KIRO 7 the break-in turned into a chaotic group fight.

Authorities arrested one suspect shortly after the break-in; they caught the other later that day, just up the street.

It was a wild morning Friday along Lilly Road NE.

“I was in fight or flight,” Daniel Bonds, one of the victims, said. “It was just like, we have got to get these guys out of here. We did our best to do that and boy, they know not to come back here.”

Bonds and his roommate, Joshua Rush, told KIRO 7 they woke up to intruders in their apartment, then sprang into action and started fighting them.

“Right here is where it all was happening,” Rush said. “He was down on the ground, and I was on the ground.”

Rush and Bonds said they won the fight.

The sheriff’s office said the intruders were armed with an “edged weapon,” but Rush and Bonds told KIRO 7 they never had a chance to use it because one of their girlfriends bashed an intruder over the head with a statue of Buddha.

“This is it right here, the symbol of peace,” Bonds said, holding up the heavily damaged statue. “The peacemaker.”

They said one of the intruders was arrested while hiding in the bushes nearby.

Dash cam footage shared by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office shows officers arresting the second suspect at a nearby gas station. He is seen trying to get away on his bicycle before multiple squad cars chase him.

Bonds and Rush said one of their friends was hit several times but will be okay.

There is no word yet on charges for the suspects.

According to the proposal, if passed, students would have to store their phones while in school, with exceptions for students with individualized education plans or medical accommodations.

“The research is clear — School-day phone use has a negative impact on student learning, ability to focus, attendance and mental and emotional health,” said Governor Ferguson. “We don’t allow smoking on planes anymore — I’m confident that in a few years, allowing cell phones in schools will feel just as wrong. Phone-free schools will improve academic performance, the classroom environment, and the school environment. My mission as governor is to get this legislation across the finish line and sign it into law.”

According to a statement from his office, Governor Ferguson plans to prefile the Governor Request Bill the day prefiling opens on Dec. 7.

You can read the full text of the proposal here.

The gathering started near the Puyallup Tribal Administration area and included a walk toward the casino.

Individual tribal members organized the event as a grassroots effort and did not host, sponsor, or organize it.

It was not immediately known how many people participated.

KIRO 7 sent a photographer to the scene and will update this story when more information is available.

The sheriff’s office said a local resident received a call from someone claiming to work for the county jail. The caller asked for $600 for ankle monitoring and classes for an incarcerated family member and told the resident to send the money through Apple Pay.

According to the sheriff’s office, the caller had information that made the request appear legitimate. The call came shortly after the resident had deposited money into an inmate’s account.

Jail staff said they are aware of fraudulent calls associated with the ACCESS inmate payment system.

The sheriff’s office urges people who receive suspicious calls about inmate accounts or alleged fees to hang up and contact the agency directly using an official phone number before sending any money.

According to the association, the deal would allow employees in some departments to work online while others return in person to the mill.

The announcement comes after an explosion at the mill killed 11 of the company’s employees.

Bill Sauters, the union’s Washington area representative, said he hopes the plan will help the mill retain experienced workers and protect employees’ financial security.

“This is an important step forward for our members and the Longview community,” Tift said. “We carry the loss of our coworkers with us. Protecting the people who work here and securing the future of these jobs must go hand in hand.”

Bob Trapp’s Tacoma property along the creek used to have acres of lush grass where his dogs could run around off-leash. Now, for much of the year, he says it’s a swamp.

“This whole thing is covered with water,” he said.

When the water recedes in the summer, the land is dry and cracked.

Trapp says it started about six or seven years ago. His parents bought the property nearly 50 years ago, and he’s never seen anything like it. He says the flooding has turned the water in his shallow well brown.

“We have to boil our water, because we don’t know; it stinks like swamp,” he said.

When Trapp started investigating, he says he found tall grass and vegetation, along with beaver dams, choking the creek. He found some of those dams on property for a new development site, but he says most of the issues were on Pierce County-owned land downstream from where he lives. The County owns two parcels along the creek between 20th Avenue East and 25th Avenue East.

Randy Grams, who lives on the other side of the County properties, told KIRO 7 he was dealing with the opposite problem: the creek where he lives has dried up.

“A lot of the trees are drying out and dying,” he said.

Grams is part of the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance, trying to clean things up.

“It’s an uphill battle,” he said. “We’ve tried to get access to some of the properties to go in and clean them up where the creek is degraded and overgrown and has invasive species growing, and they don’t want to see them cooperate.”

KIRO 7 took these concerns to Pierce County.

A spokesperson for the County’s Planning & Public Works Department confirmed beaver dams on their property, but said they suspected additional dams on private properties both upstream and downstream.

“This reach of Clover Creek is very flat, and both high surface water and high groundwater levels are common,” Public Information Specialist Amanda Smith wrote in an email. “The area is designated as a regulated floodplain and a wetland. Elevated water levels can result from multiple factors and are not solely attributable to beaver activity.”

Smith said the County continued to monitor the area and was actively managing it to ensure it supported public benefit, protected natural resources, and appropriately considered local flooding concerns.

“These county-owned properties are allowed to function in a natural state to provide water quality and ecological benefits to the stream,” Smith wrote, adding that shrubs and tall grass help keep water clean and downed trees can help reduce downstream flooding.

According to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook, South County deputies say the crash happened around 9:30 a.m., Oct. 2, in Everett near Silver Lake.

Deputies say the driver told them that he had some sort of medical issue and lost control of the truck.

Neither the man, nor his dog were hurt in the crash.

According to the Renton Police Department, the attempted robbery occurred Sept. 24, close to 5:50 p.m.

Renton police say that the suspect tried to steal a purse from a woman who was walking back home near the 1300 block of Union Avenue Northeast.

As the victim was on her walk, the suspect came up to her.

Instead of handing over the person, the victim held on, pulled it away from the suspect, and “ran toward a woman on the sidewalk walking her dog,” according to the Renton Police Department.

Once officers showed up to the scene, Renton police “immediately” arrested the suspect, based off his description.

The victim then identified the suspected, according to the Renton Police Department.

“This is a great reminder to always be aware of your surroundings!” the Renton Police Department wrote on Facebook. “If you’re walking alone, walk in a well-lit area. Secure your belongings and seek out someone nearby for help.”

The man was booked for second degree attempted robbery, according to the Renton Police Department.

Ferguson visited Lewis and Clark High School on Friday to promote his “Away for the Day” proposal. The plan would require students to put away phones and smartwatches from the first bell to the last.

“They’re not in your backpack. They’re not with you between classes,” Ferguson said.

School districts would have some flexibility in how devices are stored and how the policy is enforced. Ferguson said students would not be suspended for violating the policy during its first year.

Spokane Public Schools already restricts cell phone use during class, but high school students can still use phones between classes and at lunch.

Spokane students weigh connection and convenience in school phone debate

Lewis and Clark junior Eli Wissing said putting phones away has changed how students interact.

“Most days last year at lunch, my friends and I would spend time on our phones, playing games, and maybe talk a little bit,” Wissing said. “And then during springtime, we started going out to the courtyard and hanging out, playing hacky sack and just really connecting.”

Senior Grace Parker said phones can be distracting, but they also help students communicate with their families, organize schedules, and stay connected.

“So I think this conversation is ultimately about finding the right balance,” Parker said.

Concerns about all-day restrictions include how parents would reach their children during an emergency. Ferguson addressed that Friday, saying parents could contact schools and that students should be following staff instructions during a serious emergency.

Ferguson first announced the plan in June and has been taking it around the state, meeting with students, teachers and school officials.

He plans to ask lawmakers to approve the statewide policy when they return to Olympia in January. If approved, it would take effect in September 2027.

Read more of Tim Hohl’s stories here.

According to The Oregonian, the lawsuit alleged that products including chocolate, cashews, and shrimp are sourced from exploited workers. According to the lawsuit, the chocolate was illegally farmed by children in West Africa, the cashews were harvested by underage and forced laborers in Brazil, Vietnam, and Guinea-Bissau, and the shrimp was processed by exploited workers in India.

“The economics are straightforward: Producers that use child and forced labor can reduce their costs,” the 95-page lawsuit stated, according to The Oregonian. “Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly prefer not to buy products they know are tainted by child labor and are willing to pay a premium for products they trust to be ethically sourced.”

The suit seeks class-action status and $200 for each eligible Oregon Costco member. Additionally, the lawsuit asks a judge to stop Costco from continuing its “unlawful” business practices.

“To capitalize on this demand, defendant Costco Wholesale Corporation brands itself as a retailer of ‘ethically sourced’ and ‘sustainable’ products and makes broad, categorical promises to shoppers about its ability to prohibit child and forced labor in the supply chains behind the products it sells,” the lawsuit read.

Costco has not yet responded to the allegations.

Costco receives $184M in tariff refunds, plans to pass savings to shoppers

Last week, Costco said it received $184 million in tariff refunds from the federal government, with more expected.

According to The Seattle Times, the Issaquah-based retailer said it’s putting the refunds toward lower prices on everyday products and nonfood items.

Costco reported nearly $96 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, up 11% from a year ago. Net income rose 15%.

Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.

The park turns 58.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation creating North Cascades National Park on Oct. 2, 1968. The same law created Ross Lake and Lake Chelan national recreation areas.

Law creating North Cascades National Park also expanded wilderness protections

Congress said the goal was to preserve the region’s mountain scenery, snowfields, glaciers, alpine meadows, and other unique natural features of the North Cascades.

The legislation reached well beyond the boundaries of the new park.

It designated about 500,000 acres east of Ross Lake as the Pasayten Wilderness. It also added about 10,000 acres along the Suiattle and White Chuck River corridors to the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

Ross Lake National Recreation Area takes in portions of the Skagit River and Ross, Diablo, and Gorge lakes. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area includes portions of Lake Chelan and the Stehekin River.

Together, the park and the two recreation areas make up the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.

More information about North Cascades National Park, including current conditions and trip planning, is available from the National Park Service.

Read more of Tim Hohl’s stories here.

I-5 express lanes closed in Seattle all weekend

The I-5 express lanes in Seattle will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday as the Revive I-5: Ship Canal Bridge Preservation project moves into its next phase.

Crews are installing permanent drainage pipes and access hatches beneath the upper bridge deck. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close the express lanes to keep crews and drivers safe.

Drivers should expect increased congestion and longer travel times throughout downtown Seattle. Two right lanes also remain closed on northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge for the Revive I-5 project.

The closures will have a ripple effect, with heavy traffic on surrounding surface streets, highways, and I-405. Anyone heading into Seattle for Sunday’s Seahawks game should plan well ahead to arrive on time.

SR 520 eastbound closure

Drivers traveling between Seattle and Bellevue will face another closure this weekend, with eastbound SR 520 closed between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, until 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Crews will continue removing sections of the old eastbound off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard and remove the old barrier on the existing SR 520 mainline. The work will prepare the highway for an upcoming traffic shift in both directions in 2027.

Eastbound SR 520 will remain open across Lake Washington, and drivers will still be able to enter from the Montlake Boulevard on-ramp. Only the section between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard will close.

Westbound SR 520 will remain open.

West Seattle access to South Columbian Way closed overnight

Drivers traveling between West Seattle and Beacon Hill won’t be able to access South Columbian Way from eastbound South Spokane Street late Friday into early Saturday.

The on-ramp from eastbound South Spokane Street to eastbound South Columbian Way will close from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, until 5 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, while maintenance crews make ramp repairs.

The work may also require an overnight closure Saturday, Oct. 3.

SR 99 lane reductions on Aurora Bridge

Drivers crossing the Aurora Bridge should expect delays Saturday and Sunday mornings as crews conduct routine bridge inspections.

The two right lanes of southbound SR 99 across the bridge will close from 5:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. The two right lanes of northbound SR 99 across the bridge will close during the same hours Sunday, Oct. 4.

SR 99 tunnel overnight closure Friday

WSDOT will close both directions of Seattle’s downtown tunnel overnight Friday for regular maintenance, including fire systems testing, light repairs, road sweeping and drain cleaning.

The closure runs from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, until 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and covers both directions of SR 99 from north of South Spokane Street to south of Raye Street.

The Royal Brougham Way/Colorado Avenue South on-ramp to the northbound tunnel and the Sixth Avenue North on-ramp to the southbound tunnel will also close.

Lanes will begin closing at 8:30 p.m. Southbound drivers will exit at Harrison Street, while northbound drivers will exit at Alaskan Way South.

I-405/Northeast 85th Street interchange closures in Kirkland

In Kirkland, WSDOT crews will pave a section of Northeast 85th Street, requiring closures of the on- and off-ramps connecting the street to both directions of I-405.

The ramp closures run from 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, until 5 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and again from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, until 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Northeast 85th Street will also close between Sixth Street and 120th Avenue Northeast during those times. Detours will be in place.

Southbound I-405 lane reductions and ramp closure in Tukwila

Anyone heading to SEA Airport on I-405 this weekend should plan for major delays approaching Southcenter between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

WSDOT will take advantage of the sunny weekend to continue paving as part of the I-405/Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project.

Up to two southbound I-405 lanes in Tukwila will close from 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, until 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. The southbound I-405 HOV off-ramp to northbound I-405 will also close.

Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.