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Results of a pilot program will be presented to the school board early next year. SEATTLE — As students return to Seattle Public Schools on Wednesday, the district is weighing changes to its cell phone policy while also grappling with an $80 million budget shortfall, declining enrollment and a search for a permanent superintendent. Some schools are piloting a program that requires students to lock their phones away during the day. Results will be presented to the school board early next year, said Carlos Del Valle, the district’s chief information officer and superintendent for technology and optimization. RELATED: Seattle Public Schools are fully funded - for now Alongside potential policy changes, the district is investing in school safety. Voter-approved levies have funded new buildings, redesigned entryways and upgraded monitoring and visitor management systems. “We have made big investments in our buildings, redesigned entryways, better monitoring systems, better security systems, visitor management system,” Interim Superintendent Fred Podesta said. At Kimball Elementary, Principal Angela Sheffey-Bogan said students and staff already feel the difference. “All the exterior gates are locked during school hours and the only way to enter the building is the front door,” she said. “You have to be buzzed in and there is a camera there, so feeling very secure in this building.” The new year begins amid financial challenges. The $80 million gap is part of the district’s $1.3 billion budget, which Podesta said underscores the difficulty of staffing and funding schools. “While it’s not a trivial problem, it’s one that we think can be addressed by continuing to look for efficiencies in central office, looking to operate our school buildings more efficiently,” he said. “Seventy-eight percent of our costs are labor, so we’re going to have to continue to look at how we staff classrooms.” Podesta added that the district’s reliance on state funding is a major concern. “The revenue received from the state is not nearly enough to cover the expenses, especially for legally mandated programs,” he said. Enrollment has dropped from more than 52,000 students five years ago to just over 49,000 this year, with kindergarten numbers continuing to shrink. The district’s superintendent search remains ongoing. Applications are open until Sept. 15, with finalists expected later in the fall.

After the mandate was announced in August 2021, nearly a quarter of the agency’s 192 firefighters requested exemptions. SEATTLE — A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling against Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue employees who sued over Washington’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In a decision released Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s finding that the agency could not reasonably accommodate eight firefighters who sought religious exemptions without creating an undue hardship during the pandemic. The firefighters alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Washington’s anti-discrimination law after Snohomish Fire required vaccination under then-Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamation. After the mandate was announced in August 2021, nearly a quarter of the agency’s 192 firefighters requested exemptions. Officials cited risks of staffing shortages, service disruptions, liability exposure and potential loss of contracts if unvaccinated employees remained in frontline roles.  Medical evidence also showed that masking, testing and distancing could not adequately prevent the spread of COVID-19 in firefighting and emergency medical work. The court referenced the high volume of medical emergencies that involve firefighters and EMTs. In 2021 alone, SRFR responded to 18,000 emergency calls, 85% of which were calls for emergency medical services. During that year, SRFR transported 6,866 persons to area hospitals. Snohomish Fire later negotiated an agreement with the firefighters’ union that allowed employees to use accrued paid leave, take up to a year of unpaid leave, and remain on a priority rehire list. The requirement was lifted in May 2022, and at least four of the plaintiffs returned to work, according to court documents. The lawsuit, filed later that year, argued unpaid leave was not a lawful accommodation. But the appeals court sided with Snohomish Fire, concluding that any alternative arrangement would have imposed a substantial burden on its operations.

According to the complaint, Disney failed to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as “Made for Kids.” WASHINGTON — The Walt Disney Co. will pay a $10 million fine to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging it allowed personal data to be collected on kids under 13, violating federal law. The FTC said Tuesday Disney violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parents’ consent before collecting personal information of children under 13. According to the complaint, Disney failed to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as “Made for Kids.” The mislabeling allowed Disney, through YouTube, to collect personal data from children under 13 viewing child-directed videos and use that data for targeted advertising to children, the FTC said. That's because, since the videos weren't labeled as being for kids, they included targeted advertising. Representatives for Disney did not immediately return a message for comment. Google, the parent company of YouTube, agreed to pay $170 million in a similar settlement in 2019. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

The past of one of the Oregon firefighters detained while fighting the Bear Gulch Fire makes his situation more complicated, his brother acknowledged. INDEPENDENCE, Oregon — Oscar Cruz Estrada says he’s struggling to understand why his older brother, who was fighting the Bear Gulch Fire in Washington, is now sitting in federal custody. Jose Bertin Cruz Estrada was among two firefighters arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents Wednesday during an identity check requested by the Bureau of Land Management. Jose, who works for ASI Arden Solutions, had been called up a week earlier to help on the fire lines as a sawyer, cutting through logs and clearing brush. Oscar said he got the call around 2 p.m. that his brother had been detained.  “They just showed up, demanded papers,” he said he was told. Jose’s past complicates his case. He was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. in 2003. In 2013, he was arrested and charged with racketeering, delivery of methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit a felony. He was deported to Mexico, tried to return through Texas, and after being detained for 7 months, was deported again.  Oscar said his brother stayed in Mexico until 2019, when he returned to Oregon. Since then, he said Jose has turned his life around, starting a lawn maintenance business in Independence, raising his son and working steady jobs. “I’m not going to sit here and defend and say my brother was perfect. No, he wasn’t. He got in trouble. He paid his dues. He had a sentence. I feel like he suffered two different jails: being locked up and essentially being locked out from his own family,” Oscar said. He said Jose’s most recent arrest has shaken both their family and the firefighting community.  “I’ve been firefighting since I got out of high school; I’ve never heard of anything like that happening at all. To me, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. RELATED: Keizer firefighter arrested by Border Patrol while fighting wildfire had been waiting 7 years for legal status Oscar said he fears his brother could be deported again, leaving behind his son and his business in Oregon.  “For me personally, my biggest fear is my brother going back and not having any of us there,” he said. As of this week, Oscar said the family hasn’t been given answers: “I guess we’re all just waiting to see what happens next. He hasn’t really heard much; we haven’t really heard much other than they’re just holding him there.” The family says it is trying to raise enough money to hire a lawyer to get to Tacoma to help Jose.

The man is accused of driving 135 mph in the wrong direction on I-5. OLYMPIA, Wash. — When authorities from several counties arrested a driver who they said didn't want to stop for them, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said the state's "most dangerous driver" was off the streets. "This is not someone who is safe to be on our roadways," Sanders said of the suspect's driving behavior. Saturday morning's high-speed chase, that included a driver headed the wrong direction on Interstate 5, spanned over 30 miles from Lacey to Federal Way, according to Sanders. Andrey Lupulyak, who prosecutors say has been arrested dozens of times, led police on the pursuit that began early Saturday morning. Sanders attempted to stop him for car prowling.  Sanders said he stopped chasing after Lupulyak when the 33-year-old drove north in the southbound lanes of I-5. "I'm not chasing him down the highway. I don't have a death wish," the sheriff explained. He relied on neighboring agencies and a Washington State Patrol's airplane to track the driver until he stopped and got out on foot in Federal Way about an hour later. Court records reveal Lupulyak's extensive criminal background, including 14 prior felony convictions. Three of those convictions resulted in state prison sentences: vehicular assault in 2015, auto theft and attempting to elude in 2017, and a felony DUI charge earlier this year where he served less than a month. Lupulyak had been released on probation in February but failed to check in with his probation officer, resulting in an outstanding warrant.  During Saturday's court appearance, the judge highlighted the severity of his actions. "You repeatedly drove over 100 miles per hour on I-5, going the wrong direction," Judge Allyson Zipp said before setting bail at $100,000.  She said if Lupulyak posts bail, he cannot drive until the case is resolved. Investigators said the vehicle he was driving had been stolen, equipped with stolen license plates from another car, and that Lupulyak possessed drugs and was believed to be under the influence during the incident. Sheriff Sanders emphasized the potential catastrophic consequences of the wrong-way driving. "That's a scenario where no one survives that car crash. When you're going 60 mph and somebody hits you at 120 mph? Everyone dies in that." No injuries were reported during the multi-agency pursuit.

The civil lawsuit demands the company change its popular handgun design to make it less susceptible to illegal modification. SEATTLE — Seattle is taking legal aim at one of the most recognizable names in firearms: Glock. City Attorney Ann Davison has filed a civil lawsuit against the gun manufacturer, accusing it of knowingly producing handguns that can be easily and illegally modified into machine guns. The lawsuit centers on the use of a device known as a “Glock switch,” which converts a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. According to the city, a converted Glock can fire 30 rounds in just two seconds. The lawsuit demands that Glock redesign its popular handgun to make it more resistant to modification, arguing that the current design violates Washington’s public nuisance laws. Davison said the legal action was prompted by a request from Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes shortly after he assumed his role. “Glock chooses to leave its handguns in this uniquely susceptible design, where they can be easily converted,” Davison said. “They’re choosing profits over public safety. It’s important to hold corporations accountable when they put the public at risk—just like we hold criminals accountable when they violate city and state laws.” The lawsuit also names three Glock-authorized retailers in the Seattle area: Pantel Tactical, Bulls Eye Indoor Range LLC, and Rainier Arms LLC. “Police have traced guns recovered at crime scenes, converted with switches, back to those retailers,” Davison said. Joshua Pantel, owner of Pantel Tactical, dismissed the lawsuit as “virtue signaling” and a “waste of time.” Bulls Eye Indoor Range and Rainier Arms declined to comment. Lawsuits against gun manufacturers are rarely successful due to federal protections under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, passed in 2005. The law generally shields gun makers from liability when their products are used in crimes. However, Davison argues that this case is different. “That’s a traditional defense,” she said. “I’m not suing any other gun manufacturers. This is specific to Glock’s design, which makes it uniquely susceptible to being converted within minutes from a semi-automatic to a fully automatic weapon.” Modified handguns are becoming a growing concern nationwide. In Seattle, police reported 38 incidents involving Glock switches in 2024—nearly double the number from the previous year. Seattle’s lawsuit joins a wave of similar legal actions across the country. Minnesota and New Jersey have also filed lawsuits against Glock, alleging the company’s design facilitates illegal modifications and contributes to rising gun violence. Both states argue that Glock should be held accountable for failing to adopt safer manufacturing standards used by competitors. These cases are testing the limits of the federal liability shield and could set new legal precedents for how gun manufacturers are held responsible for public safety risks.

Officers first stopped the 27-year-old around 3 a.m. Aug. 17 in North Bend after spotting erratic driving, and again seven days later, police said. SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — A Snoqualmie man was arrested twice in the same week on suspicion of driving under the influence, in nearly the same spot, according to police. Officers first stopped the 27-year-old around 3 a.m. Aug. 17 in North Bend after spotting erratic driving, police said. He was allegedly impaired and driving without a license and was booked into the Issaquah Jail. Seven days later, Snoqualmie police said they pulled the same man over less than a mile from the initial arrest site. Tests showed his blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit. He was booked into jail a second time, now facing another DUI charge. “It’s just shocking,” Snoqualmie police spokesperson Melinda Black said. “We haven’t seen anything like this, at least that I can recall … the same town, the same driver, nearly the same spot.” Black said Snoqualmie and North Bend police average about 50 DUI arrests a year. Over Labor Day weekend, only one DUI was reported citywide — none during the same weekend last year. “We don’t need a holiday to be looking for DUIs. It’s something we are constantly monitoring for,” Black said. “As a law enforcement agency, one of the greatest impacts we can have on public safety is removing impaired drivers from the road and potentially saving lives.” As of Tuesday afternoon, it was unclear why the man was released after his first arrest. He remains in custody facing two DUI charges. No injuries were reported in either incident. “I hope that he’s learned from these experiences and that he can understand that he’s not only putting himself in danger but he’s putting others at risk too,” Black said. “Hopefully this will help him to not do it anymore.”

Firefighters upgraded the response to two alarms after flames extended from the initial home to an adjacent structure. SEATAC, Wash. — Puget Sound Fire crews responded Tuesday evening to a two-alarm residential fire in SeaTac that spread to a neighboring home. The fire was reported around 5 p.m. at 21246 33rd Ave. S, according to Puget Sound Fire spokesperson Pat Pawlak. Firefighters upgraded the response to two alarms after flames extended from the initial home to an adjacent structure. No information on injuries or the cause of the fire was immediately available. Pawlak said a public information officer was headed to the scene to provide updates. This is a breaking news report. Check back for updates. 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose, California, has claimed the title of America's safest big city in a new nationwide study that looked at crime, overdose deaths and other public health risks in the country's 50 largest cities. The 2025 analysis by financial technology company SmartAsset ranked cities based on violent and property crime rates, fatal traffic accidents, drug overdose deaths and excessive drinking.  San Jose, home to about 1 million people, landed in the top 10 across every category. The Silicon Valley city reported 5,185 violent crimes last year — the third-lowest rate per capita among major cities. Property crime was also well below average, with 25,715 reported incidents. San Jose posted one of the nation's lowest overdose death rates at just 17 per 100,000 residents, along with fewer than seven traffic deaths per 100,000 people. Three Texas cities cracked the top 10: Fort Worth at No. 3, Arlington at No. 7 and El Paso at No. 8. Each reported moderate crime rates while keeping overdose deaths relatively low. El Paso stood out for combining safety with affordability — average housing costs run about $1,044 a month. Rounding out the top 10: Los Angeles (No. 2), Omaha, Nebraska (No. 4), Virginia Beach, Virginia (No. 5), Las Vegas (No. 6), Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 9) and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 10). Political backdrop The rankings come as public safety dominates political conversations nationwide. Last month, the Trump administration declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., and deployed more than 2,000 National Guard members to the capital. Washington ranked 40th overall in the study, weighed down by the overdose death rate — 64.5 per 100,000 residents. While property crime rates were middle-of-the-pack, the city did report fewer traffic deaths than most large cities. President Trump has also announced plans to direct federal law enforcement intervention to Baltimore and Chicago, which ranked 33rd and 38th respectively. Behind the numbers SmartAsset researchers used federal and local data, including the FBI's 2023 Uniform Crime Reporting database and 2025 County Health Rankings. They measured crime rates against each city's adult population and examined county-level health data including overdose deaths and alcohol use patterns. While housing costs and income levels were included for context, they didn't factor into the safety scores themselves. The company says the rankings help families, workers and retirees weigh the tradeoffs when deciding where to live. "Safety data alone doesn't tell the whole story," researchers noted. "But comparing these measures side by side helps show how different risks affect quality of life across major cities." Full list SmartAsset ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities from safest to least safe: San Jose, CALos Angeles, CAFort Worth, TXOmaha, NEVirginia Beach, VALas Vegas, NVArlington, TXEl Paso, TXCharlotte, NCRaleigh, NCLong Beach, CAMiami, FLSan Diego, CAPhoenix, AZSacramento, CAAtlanta, GAOklahoma City, OKDallas, TXBoston, MATucson, AZMesa, AZSeattle, WATulsa, OKHouston, TXNew York, NYFresno, CAJacksonville, FLAustin, TXSan Antonio, TXTampa, FLLouisville, KYColorado Springs, COBaltimore, MDColumbus, OHMinneapolis, MNSan Francisco, CAOakland, CAChicago, ILIndianapolis, INWashington, DCBakersfield, CANashville, TNPortland, ORMilwaukee, WIKansas City, MOPhiladelphia, PADenver, CODetroit, MIAlbuquerque, NMMemphis, TN

The Justice Department released the files to the committee in response to a subpoena, but the files mostly contain information that was already publicly known. WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday publicly posted the files it has received from the Justice Department on the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The folders contained hundreds of image files of years-old court filings related to Epstein and Maxwell. They also contained video files appearing to be body cam footage from police searches, as well as law enforcement interviews with victims with their faces obscured. The Justice Department released the files to the committee in response to a subpoena, but the files mostly contain information that was already publicly known. Still, pressure is growing in Congress for lawmakers to act to force greater disclosure in the case. House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to quell an effort by Democrats and some Republicans to force a vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to release all the information in the so-called Epstein files, with the exception of the victims' personal information of the victims. Acting quickly, lawmakers pressing for the full release of the so-called Epstein files launched a campaign for the House to take up their bill. Meanwhile, Johnson and a bipartisan group of lawmakers met with survivors of abuse by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. “The objective here is not just to uncover, investigate the Epstein evils, but also to ensure that this never happens again and ultimately to find out why justice has been delayed for these ladies for so very long,” said Johnson, R-La., after he emerged from a two-hour meeting with six of the survivors. “It is inexcusable. And it will stop now because the Congress is dialed in on this,” he added. But there are still intense disagreements on how lawmakers should proceed. Johnson is pressing for the inquiry to be handled by the House Oversight Committee and putting forward a resolution that directs the committee to publicly release its findings. The files released Tuesday included audio of an Epstein employee describing to a law enforcement official how “there were a lot of girls that were very, very young” visiting the home but couldn’t say for sure if they were minors. Over the course of Epstein’s visits to the home, the man said more than a dozen girls might visit, and that he was charged with cleaning the room where Epstein had massages, twice daily. Some of the interviews with officers from the Palm Beach Police Department date to 2005, according to timestamps read out by officials at the beginning of the files. Most, if not all, of the text documents posted Tuesday had already been public. Notably, the probable cause affidavit and other records from the 2005 investigation into Epstein contained a notation indicating that they’d been previously released in a 2017 public records request. An internet search showed those files were posted to the website of the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office in July 2017. If the purpose of the release was to provide answers to a public still curious over the long-concluded cases, the raw mechanics of the clunky rollout made that a challenge. Lawmakers at 6 p.m. released thousands of pages and videos via a cumbersome Google Drive, leaving it to readers and viewers to decipher new and interesting tidbits on their own. The disclosure also left open the question of why the Justice Department did not release the material directly to the public instead of operating through Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Democrats and some Republicans are trying to maneuver around Johnson’s control of the House floor to hold a vote on a separate bill that would require the Justice Department to publicly release the files, with the exception of names and personal information of the victims. The clash suggests little has changed in Congress since late July, when Johnson sent lawmakers home early in hopes of cooling the political battle over the Epstein case. Members of both parties remain dissatisfied and are demanding more details on the years-old investigation into Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier whose 2019 death in a New York jail cell while he faced sex trafficking charges has sparked wide-ranging conspiracy theories and speculation. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.