The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan unveils her 2020 budget at Fire Station 10, September 24, 2018. 207886 — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan unveils her budget Monday at Fire Station 10 in Seattle. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)

Local Politics

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan unveils $5.9 billion budget proposal

The plan would boost spending by the city, allocating more money for transit, transportation, police officers and firefighters. Updated 8:39 pm

‘The Property’: A family’s getaway cabin defined its dreams, until a tragic Sunday morning VIEW
Seattle City Council approves $700 million renovation of KeyArena
Trump leads aggressive, all-out GOP drive to save Kavanaugh WATCH Updated 9:42 pm
Yakima police review officer’s actions after video shows use of force against teenager at state fair WATCH
GOP Rep. Manweller says he will stay in race but not serve another term
Starbucks plans corporate shake-up and layoffs, starting with senior execs
Seattle students plan walkout Tuesday in response to teacher transfers
Peter McLoughlin out as Seahawks president and CEO in organizational restructuring

University of Washington campus plan

Local Politics

Seattle City Council gives preliminary approval for University of Washington’s massive growth plan

The proposal will return to the council for a final vote after the UW's Board of Regents and some other parties review the plan. Updated 8:07 pm

In this Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, Southern Resident killer whale J50 and her mother, J16, swim off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew, B.C. J50 is the sick whale that a team of experts are hoping to save by giving her antibiotics or feeding her live salmon at sea. The experts now have authorization to intervene with medical treatment in both U.S. and Canadian waters once the critically endangered orca shows up again in the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest. (Brian Gisborne/Fisheries and Oceans Canada via AP)

Environment

Gov. Jay Inslee’s orca task force draft report out for public comment

The 53-page report is a kitchen sink of possible fixes, touching on everything from dam removal on the Lower Snake River to changes in hatchery policy, habitat spending and environmental cleanup actions. The task force will take public comment until midnight Oct. 7. Updated 8:54 pm

Traffic Lab

A reader asks: Why do Metro buses sometimes run one right behind the other?

Questions continue to roll into the Traffic Lab inbox about buses. In this week's Q&A, Traffic Lab reached out to Scott Gutierrez, a spokesman for King County Metro, for more answers. Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity. Q: I find there are often two buses running one right behind the other. Why doesn’t...

Don't Miss

7:10 p.m. | Mariners vs. A's

Mariners Game Day: M’s, James Paxton host Oakland to begin final homestand of 2018

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is sworn in as a US citizen at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Field office in Tukwila. Felix is a native of Venezuela.
Photographed on September 24, 2018. 207884

Mariners

Mariners’ Felix Hernandez ‘so proud to be an American’ after becoming a U.S. citizen VIEW

FILE – In this file photo taken April 29, 2008, a woman shops for produce in a Maumelle, Ark., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Supercenter store. The nation’s largest grocer and retailer announced steps Monday, June 3, 2013, to improve the quality of its fresh fruits and vegetables. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Retail

Walmart tells leafy-green suppliers to start using blockchain

Editorial

State Sen. Doug Ericksen out of order to approve of a sham foreign election

Local News

Sunday lives up to its name, casting a strong shadow of a strong young climber descending the south rock wall at The Mountaineers headquarters in Magnuson Park, Sept. 23, 2018, in Seattle. The Everett branch of The Mountaineers were conducting a self-rescue course for intermediate and advanced climbers. 207902

Meteorologists predict warmer weather this fall

Featured Columnist

No longer hiding in plain sight: An undocumented writer couldn’t live a lie, so why should we?

Education Lab

For 40,000 homeless students, it’s back-to-school season in Washington

Durkan makes pitch for free community college plan ahead of vote on $637.8 million levy

Q & A | How will new Washington state teacher contracts affect school-district finances?

12.5 percent of Seattle students are English learners. Why are their test scores worse than 4 years ago?

Robert Terry, first black man to teach in Seattle public schools, dies at 91

Business & Tech

FILE – This Dec. 20, 2010 file photo shows signage at a Starbucks store in New York. Starbucks plans to start testing concoctions that mix coffee and ice cream. The Seattle chain said it will serve “affogato” varieties of hot or cold coffee over ice cream at 100 stores in Orange County, California, starting Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, with pricier versions sold at 10 locations with its “reserve” bars. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) NYJK304 NYJK304

Starbucks plans corporate shake-up and layoffs, starting with senior execs

Featured Columnist

Ten years ago, WaMu’s failure crushed Seattle’s last banking giant

PRODUCED BY ADVERTISING PUBLICATIONS

Explore

Outdoor Living

Cocktails, anyone? Host one more outdoor party before the rain VIEW

Produced by Advertising Publications

Environment

Little changes can make a big difference in climate change

Provided by The Nature Conservancy

Home Improvement

Utility sink doubles your options in the kitchen

Produced by Advertising Publications

Health

Proton beams destroy brain tumors and give kids a chance

Provided by SCCA Proton Therapy Center

(Thinkstock)

Career Advice

Over 50, out of work and in despair

Produced by Advertising Publications

Nation & World

A television reporter goes on the air outside the White House in Washington, Sept. 24, 2018. President Donald Trump will meet with Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, on Thursday to discuss reports that Rosenstein talked about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, Sarah Sanders, the press secretary, said on Monday. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times)

White House grapples with dual crises over Kavanaugh and Rosenstein

Photography

Stella Champion watches as Steve Meyer works the handle on the apple press at Tonnemaker Farm’s annual apple cider press day Sunday, September 23, 2018. Sunday was the last day of Sammamish Valley’s Fall Harvest Celebration. 207882

Gallery

Families get sweet taste of fall at Sammamish Valley festival VIEW

Seahawks wide receiver Brandon Marshall warms up before the Seattle Seahawks take on the Dallas Cowboys for their home opener at CenturyLink Field in Seattle Sunday September 23, 2018.
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Gallery

Photos: Seahawks take on the Cowboys in home opener VIEW

That’s one, big competitive pumpkin where even the stem is larger than the exploring hand of a child at the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse in Mount Vernon on Saturday. It’s Jim Sherwood’s of Mulino, OR weighing 1285 1/2 and good for 2nd place.
This is the eight year for the weigh-off during the Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival.

The winner of the was Team Gadberry from Battle Ground, WA with 1322 1/2 pounds.

The club sponsor is the Pacific Northwest Giant Pumpkin Growers

( during the Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival)

ref to more photos online

LO giant pumpkins

Photography

Check out giant pumpkins in Skagit Valley VIEW

On 2nd and 6 on the Sun Devil 29 yard line, with 4:50 in the 2nd quarter remaining, Washington’s Ben Burr-Kirven (25) and Benning Potoa’e (8) hold ASU’s Emo Benjamin to a 3 yard gain.

Arizona State University played the 10th-ranked University of Washington Saturday, September 22, 2018 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. 207899

Huskies

Photos: Washington Huskies beat Arizona State 27-20 VIEW

Entertainment

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancers Seth Orza and Noelani Pantastico in Jerome Robbins? Other Dances, which PNB is presenting as part of a two-part Robbins Festival to kick off its 2018-2019 season, September 21 ? 29, 2018.

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Jerome Robbins Festival is an exquisite immersion into Robbins’ world

Featured Columnist

New book tells of journey across the ‘other border’ — the 4,000-mile line between the U.S. and Canada

Editorials & Opinion

Too many children failing statewide tests | Editorial

Featured Columnist

What in the world was Sen. Ericksen doing in Cambodia?

This week in cartoons

Kavanaugh accusations, Sesame Street controversy and Jeff Sessions loyalty

Sports

(Logos by Rich Boudet / The Seattle Times)

Announcing the Final Four of our (unofficial) tournament to name Seattle’s future NHL team

Featured Columnist

Injury updates from Pete Carroll’s Monday press conference: Justin Britt should be back but Seahawks uncertain on Mychal Kendricks

Featured Video Stories

Chisato DuBose, 54, and her daughter Sachie DuBose, 18, are world-champion power lifters and competitive bodybuilding athletes. As the women train and compete together, they build each other up. (Erika Schultz and Corinne Chin / The Seattle Times)

Mother-daughter powerlifters 'don't care what people have to say' (5:12)

Experience the sights and sounds of the parade and victory rally for the Seattle Storm, winners of the 2018 WNBA Championship, at Seattle Center on Sunday September 16, 2018. (Corinne Chin, Ramon Dompor and Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times)

Seattle Storm: WNBA Champions 2018 (2:23)

Sabrina Tate died in her RV at the age of 27. Five months later, her parents, Tommi Tate and Kellie Sevier of Spokane, continue to grieve. (Corinne Chin / The Seattle Times)

A leaf of remembrance for Sabrina Tate (2:15)

After Juan Lopez arrived in the United States, he wasn’t thinking about the future. Now he has a wife and children. “To see them crying… it just hurts me now.” (Corinne Chin, Ramon Dompor & Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)

'It's going to be hard to leave': The Lopez family's tough... (8:41)

Recent Chief Sealth graduate Juan Old Chief Betancourt has learned a lot from his great grandmother. He wanted to honor her the best way he knew how, by taking her to his high school prom. (Lauren Frohne & Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)

Family always comes first: A prom story (5:09)

Stand up paddle boarding is making its Special Olympics USA Games debut, and 21-year-old Devon Adelman is up for the challenge of this new sport. (Lauren Frohne, Bettina Hansen & Emily M. Eng / The Seattle Times)

Paddling for Special Olympics gold (5:01)

"History matters because it shows our values," says Jeffrey Coopersmith, a Seattle attorney who has collected historical artifacts for the past four decades. (Corinne Chin / The Seattle Times)

Artifacts of Injustice (2:38)

South Park has seen a recent escalation in youth violence, but programs like the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps work to keep kids active, safe and engaged with the community. (Lauren Frohne & Ramon Dompor / The Seattle Times)

Nurture with nature (5:35)

Life

Helen Smith, left wearing zebra stripes, attends Aqua Aerobics at Horizon House Friday, August 10, 2018.

Retirement center residents get a great workout in the pool | Fit for Life

Featured Columnist

Want to end homelessness? Start with getting people into recovery

Pacific NW Magazine

Ubah Warsame, a health coach/medical interpreter and Somali-American mother of three, is photographed in Seattle. Within her job and advocacy work in the East African community, Warsame says she?s seen an increase in depression, anxiety and uncertainty about what the future holds due to the political climate.
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Seattle-area women of color share how they navigate the workplace

Travel

Seattle, Wa – 143066 – gg – 11/11/2014 – LO LO LO – The Victoria Clipper IV prepares to dock at Pier 69 in downtown Seattle, with a backdrop of the Olympic Mountains at sunset.

Bad Travelers: A harrowing boat crossing to Victoria leads to a lesson — trust the professionals