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Family raising money to bring father home to Kenya after his body was pulled from Green Lake

KIRO 7 reached out to Seattle police for details, and is still waiting for a response.Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO 7Loved ones of Wanyoike, known to many as “Kamaa,” are now raising money to bring his body home to Kenya.“He was very loved,” Malika Simon, Kamaa’s sister, said.“He was honestly one of the funniest people I ever met,” Mary Ndugo, his sister-in-law, said.Friends described him as “generous” and a “hard work

Woman arrested for reckless DUI driving with 4-year-old child inside car, hits whippet during arrest

A woman was arrested after driving under the influence while a 4-year-old child was in the car with her, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) confirmed.According to WSP troopers, the driver had multiple near-collisions and conducted multiple illegal passings on SR 12 near Oakville before pulling into a private driveway.Showing signs of impairment after she stopped driving, troopers intervened to arrest her. She struggled against initial arrest attempts, creating a small scuffle and taking a hit fro

Now that is officially spring, when is the last frost in Western WA?

The warm sunny Easter weekend had many gardeners itching to get into their yards and begin putting seasonal plants outside in pots and flower beds. Many stores are offering seasonals right now, a great temptation to buy and put them in the ground. But is the threat of frost gone? In short, not yet.Any clear skies this month also means nights can dip to freezing, as it did on this past weekend’s Saturday morning in the South Sound, some areas in Southwest Washington, and in parts of the North Sound.Looking at local historical weather records for Western Washington, the odds of freezing weather diminish around the last week of April in more urban areas like Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Everett.In more outlying areas like Monroe, Bellingham, Bremerton, Centralia, and Mt. Vernon, May 1 is a good bet. For the usual coldest spots like Olympia, Shelton, and Arlington, they will be garden-ready just a week later. These differences reflect the local climates throughout the region.<div class="related alignright"><div class="col_label"><h2>RELATED STORIES</h2></div><ul><li><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/national/southern-california-wildfire/4224663"><img decoding="async" width="719" height="404" src="https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Southern-California-fire-420x236.jpg" class="sub_art" alt="A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations" loading="lazy"></a><div class="sub_story"><h3><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/national/southern-california-wildfire/4224663">A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations</a></h3></div></li><li><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/spring-delivers-just-in-time-sunshine-and-60s-ahead-for-easter-weekend/4224349"><img decoding="async" width="719" height="404" src="https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Easter-1-420x236.jpg" class="sub_art" alt="Spring delivers just in time: Sunshine and 60s ahead for Easter weekend" loading="lazy"></a><div class="sub_story"><h3><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/spring-delivers-just-in-time-sunshine-and-60s-ahead-for-easter-weekend/4224349">Spring delivers just in time: Sunshine and 60s ahead for Easter weekend</a></h3></div></li><li><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/wsdot-i-90-sr-18/4223749"><img decoding="async" width="719" height="404" src="https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-01T151711.469-420x236.jpg" class="sub_art" alt="WSDOT waits on weather to finish key I-90, SR 18 project" loading="lazy"></a><div class="sub_story"><h3><a class="related-link" href="https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/wsdot-i-90-sr-18/4223749">WSDOT waits on weather to finish key I-90, SR 18 project</a></h3></div></li></ul></div><h2>Safest time to start gardening</h2>For most, it is around May 1 that seasonal plants can be safely planted in the ground. Just monitor the weather forecast as the end of April approaches. In addition, keep in mind that with longer springtime days, soil temperatures will gradually warm, which will help with root growth.This end-of-frost-season guidance works for much of Western Washington. Just keep an eye on the upcoming weather forecast before planting or moving plants outside.The recent warmer, sunny spring weather offered a real temptation to plant seasonals in the yard. Keep any recently purchased seasonals indoors for now. Just hang in there a bit longer before the threat of frost is minimal.Best wishes for a brilliant garden this year!Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/tornadoted6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tornadoted.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bluesky</a>. Read more of his stories <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/author/tbuehner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

How a blind man made it possible for others with low vision to build Lego sets

They can either print the step-by-step instructions in braille, use braille computers or turn to screen readers, which are software applications that convert the text into speech.The instructions allow a blind person to build on their own, but Shifrin’s website also says a sighted person might be needed to sort Lego bricks. Otherwise, the blind builder could turn to one of several apps that identify bricks using artificial intelligence.So far, the nonprofit has created instructions for mor

Ethan Stowell announces 2 new Seattle-area restaurants opening this summer

A longtime restaurateur in Seattle, Ethan Stowell, has announced the opening of two new Seattle-area restaurants following his departure from Ethan Stowell Restaurants (ESR) last year.Stowell’s new restaurants are both slated to open this summer: Cut Club, a steakhouse in downtown Seattle’s Hotel Max, and Lime Social, a Mexican restaurant in Kirkland’s Village at Totem Lake, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.Stowell will remain as a shareholder and board member of E

Seattle police arrest 2 men accused of carjacking a 65-year-old woman at gunpoint

Wednesday, police responded to a report of a carjacking in the 3400 block of Rainier Avenue South, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).They spoke with a 65-year-old woman who told them she was meeting up with an acquaintance to exchange some property when the person she met up with yanked her out of her sedan.She said the acquaintance, who was with another man, pushed her to the ground before they took off in her white Nissan.While responding to the carjacking, officers got a report

Low-voltage utility elections face surge of attention as electricity bills rise

<block>TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Rising household electricity prices and controversy over data centers are reshaping low-profile elections for control over utilities that build power plants and power lines — and then bill people for the cost.The tensions played a prominent role during last year’s elections in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia, and now they’re sweeping through Arizona and Alabama, where once-sleepy contests are becoming political brawls. Even national groups like Turning Point Action — better known for its role mobilizing young conservatives behind President Donald Trump — are getting involved by knocking on doors and texting campaign messages. The organization wants to curb environmentalists’ influence over the Phoenix-area Salt River Project, the largest public utility in the country, in a Tuesday election.The skirmishes are a preview for more campaigns later this year, when at least a half-dozen states will hold elections for utility regulators. That includes Georgia, where a second-straight hotly contested campaign is anticipated. The burst of attention is dragging the behind-the-scenes politics of elected utility commissioners — long dominated by power brokers or monopolistic companies, critics say — into an intensely national debate over how to power artificial intelligence without driving up electricity costs. “And that means suddenly there’s all this pressure,” said Dave Pomerantz of the Energy and Policy Institute, which pushes utilities to keep rates low and use renewable energy sources.<hl2>Arizona race draws massive players </hl2>In Tuesday’s election that will determine control of Salt River Project, more than three times as many people requested early ballots than two years ago. Yard signs pepper street corners and ratepayers — they must own land to vote — are getting text messages, fliers and door-knockers.The utility has already been under pressure to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas that emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. But now campaign organizations are converging on the race as the fast-growing Phoenix area becomes a destination for data centers and semiconductor factories. The utility projects that it will need to double its power capacity within a decade.Two rival slates are vying for the board’s majority. One is backed by Turning Point Action, which wants to stop “radical environmentalists.” The other is supported by the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, which is opposing “oil-loving candidates.” Also involved are local chapters of progressive groups, energy interests, construction firms and data center developers. “If they want to just overnight switch us to solar, there’s a reliability issue, there’s a cost issue there, and we just can’t keep up,” said Jimmy Lindblom, a construction executive who formed the business-backed Arizonans for Responsible Growth. “We’d have blackouts. And so these things are really important to the growth of Arizona.”Turning Point Action is putting its muscle behind the Arizonans for Responsible Growth slate. They’re also using the election to build momentum ahead of this year’s midterms in the battleground state. The slate running as the “clean energy” team said Salt River Project’s current majority is too eager to hook up to natural gas, raise rates and embrace data centers. They also said the board is too dismissive of clean energy technologies to meet spiking demand and offers no incentives to install solar panels.“It’s insane, especially now,” said Randy Miller, a clean energy advocate on SRP’s board.About a dozen supporters gathered around picnic tables last week at a park in Tempe, arriving as the sun set to canvass for voters who had requested ballots but not returned them. After a brief pep talk, they fanned out. Some voters were bothered by Turning Point’s involvement.“Very, very, very troublesome,” said Laura Kajfez, a 66-year-old retiree from Tempe. “We don’t need that intervention in our local politics. We have enough problems as it is.”In the last two elections, an average of 7,500 ballots were turned in. As of Thursday, with five days of voting remaining, turnout had already topped 22,000, according to SRP.Campaigning for the Salt River Project board is a complex puzzle. The utility has more than 2 million power and water customers and is governed by byzantine rules. Votes for most positions are weighted by acreage, so large landowners carry outsized sway. <hl2>Rising bills fuels push to reshape Alabama commission </hl2>In the heavily Republican state of Alabama, anxiety over rising power bills is spilling into the statehouse and onto the campaign trail, fueling a push to reshape the Alabama Public Service Commission. Alabama has some of the highest power rates in the South, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. State lawmakers this week voted to overhaul the commission, effectively shifting more authority to the governor. Supporters described it as a way to address affordability. But it comes ahead of this year’s elections, which some candidates are seeking to make a referendum on electricity prices — similar to how Georgia Democrats won blowout victories in two races for their state’s commission in 2025. Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who is a Democratic candidate for Alabama governor, called the bill a “first-rate con job” on voters. “Republicans in the Alabama Legislature want to completely revamp the PSC because all of the sudden after two wins in Georgia, they realize that maybe the people don’t like what’s going on with the PSC,” Jones said on social media. The legislation, which was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, will expand the three-member commission to seven elected members. The four new members will be initially appointed by the governor. In addition, utilities will be forbidden from raising retail base rates until 2029. Republican legislative leaders said the bill was a significant step forward for consumer protection.“The Alabama Legislature passed HB475 to put a freeze on electric rates and to give the people of Alabama broader representation on the Public Service Commission,” Ivey said. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger said in a joint statement that lawmakers “stood united to reform how utilities are regulated and demand an unprecedented amount of accountability for consumers across the state.”Two of the current three seats on the commission are up for election this year, and Republican incumbents face both primary challengers and Democratic opponents running on the message of affordability. Democrats are pointing to Georgia’s election as a model for how the party can be successful, even in a GOP-dominated state like Alabama.“What happened in Georgia could happen in Alabama,” said Tabitha Isner, vice chair of the Alabama Democratic Party. “That’s why the alarm bells are going off and so much money is being poured into maintaining the status quo.”___Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pa., and Chandler from Montgomery, Ala.</block>

A Russian attack kills 3 in Odesa while Ukraine targets Russian oil infrastructure, officials say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa killed two women and a toddler, authorities said Monday, while Ukrainian long-range drones targeted Russia’s key Black Sea port for oil exports.The nighttime attack on Odesa heavily damaged an apartment block, killing the women and a 2-year-old child, officials said. Rescuers working under floodlights pulled four people from the rubble.Eleven people were hospitalized, including a pregnant woman and two children

The Latest: Airstrikes kill more than 25 people in Iranian cities as Trump’s deadline looms

It is unclear if all the reported hits were caused by shrapnel from interception or direct hits.Video footage provided by Magen David Adom of the affected sites show active fire and bombed cars in what appears to be a residential area.The missile strikes come a day after another attack from Iran also hit a Haifa residential area, killing two people and injuring others. Two other people remain missing under the rubble caused by Sunday’s strike and their fate is still unknown.1 person wounde

Skilled sewers in demand as tailors and dressmakers age out, in photos

Industry experts say younger shoppers are turning to these professionals to tailor ready-made clothing, refresh thrifted pieces and get more longevity out of their wardrobes.Kil Bae, a longtime tailor in New York, notes that the rise of weight-loss medications such as Zepbound and Wegovy has led more people to seek alterations as their bodies change. At the same time, the pool of skilled workers is shrinking as experienced sewers retire. In response, the Fashion Institute of Technology has partn

Menopause products are having a hot minute. But doctors urge women to be wary of the marketing surge

Santoro said her advice to patients is to “balance what you’re going to spend over whether this might help you.” “If it’s a bracelet that’s going to cost you $20, it’s not a big expenditure. It might provide some improvement,” Santoro said. “Things that are not well tested might still work but if you want something that works — come back, I’m not going anywhere and I’ll give you evidence based treatment.”Santoro said dietary supplements have not been proven in multiple, well-done stu

Tailors and dressmakers retire their pincushions as US demand for skilled sewers grows

Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated almost two years ago there were fewer than 17,000 tailors, custom sewers and dressmakers working in business establishments nationwide, a 30% decline from a decade earlier. Including self-employed individuals and people working in private households, the median age for all sewers, dressmakers and tailors was 54 last year, 12 years older than the median for the entire employed population, according to the bureau. The income that a proficiency with needle and t

Savannah Guthrie returns to ‘Today’ for the first time since her mother’s disappearance

NEW YORK (AP) — Savannah Guthrie is coming back to NBC’s “Today” show Monday for the first time in more than two months since her mother’s disappearance, returning to a job she loves but is unsure how she’ll manage.Guthrie acknowledged that she’s a changed person and that it’s hard to go forward not knowing what happened to Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken against her will from her Arizona home.Despite an intense search involving thousands of federal and local o

Asian shares mostly rise while oil prices keep rising

<block>TOKYO (AP) — Asian markets that were open for trading mostly rose Monday, as investors continued to closely watch the war in Iran, soaring oil prices and what President Donald Trump might say next. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose nearly 1.1% to 53,692.42 in morning trading. South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.5% to 5,460.24. Trading was closed in Australia for Easter, and in Hong Kong and Shanghai for a traditional Chinese holiday.The Tuesday deadline Trump has given for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz is looming. Some analyst fear the war may escalate after that. Over the weekend Trump made more threats against Iran, even as the bombing continued in the region. The United States rescued two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran. The key market focus continues to be on oil prices. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 38 cents to $111.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.71 to $110.74 a barrel. Energy markets were closed Friday, but the prices have been surging lately on fears that the Iran war will drag on longer than expected. The U.S. relies on the Persian Gulf for only a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market. Some nations, like resource-poor Japan, import a large portion of their energy needs and rely heavily on access to the Strait of Hormuz. “As we kick off the first full trading week of April, the word uncertainty is paramount. Last year it was centered on the impact of ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, this year it’s uncertainty surrounding the ongoing Iranian War,” said Jay Woods, analyst at Freedom Capital Markets in New York. U.S. markets were closed for Good Friday and will reopen Monday. Some markets in Europe also did not trade on Friday.In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched up to 159.65 Japanese yen Monday from 159.63. The euro cost $1.1509, down from $1.1517.___AP Business Writer Matt Ott in Washington contributed.Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: <a href="https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama</a></block>

Dazzling outfits and colorful hats shine at New York Easter parade, in photos

<block>NEW YORK (AP) — People wearing decorated hats and costumes participated in an Easter parade on Fifth Avenue in New York on Sunday.___This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.</block>

A gray whale that swam 20 miles up a Washington state river is found dead

A number of gray whales are currently in the bay on their 5,000 mile (8,000 kilometer) spring migration from birthing rounds in Baja California, Mexico, north to feeding grounds in Alaska.The larger issue that the population of gray whales in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean has been facing since 2019 is reduced food availability in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska’s coast, John Calambokidis, a research biologist with the Cascadia Research Collective, told The Associated Pres

Trump issues fiery new threat against Iran as details of US aviator’s rescue emerge

They also put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity.In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a fire at one of the national oil company’s storage facilities and a state-run petrochemical plant, the kingdom’s official news agency said.In the United Arab Emirates, authorities responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais that they said were caused by intercepted debris, halting operations.The strikes came a day after Israel struck a major petrochemic

It’s-a-hit: ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ box office blasts off with $372.5 million globally

Last year, the first weekend in April hosted the launch of another video game blockbuster, “A Minecraft Movie,” which had a bigger three-day debut ($162.8 million) but didn’t have a “Project Hail Mary” in a strong second place, meaning the weekend overall is still up around 5%.As expected, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ended the two-week reign of the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi hit “Project Hail Mary,” which landed in second its third weekend in theaters where it added $29.8 million, bringing its d

‘It feels a little hypocritical’: Jake calls out Ferguson’s toll camera exemption in new bill

Ferguson apply license plate law to tolls'Your dealer is your neighbor': We Heart Seattle activist exposes drug use in taxpayer-funded tiny house villages'The city may use that appeal as leverage': Attorney warns Seattle could drag out $30.5M CHOP shooting caseWA’s toll cameras run by Texas company excluded from privacy protectionsJake likened the cameras included in the bill to the toll cameras that were excluded, noting they pose the same threat to Washingtonians’ privacy, but are

‘Profits more important than citizenry’: Spike challenges millionaires fleeing WA’s income tax

I think that’s a problem, too.”The debate intensified as Jake argued that the state’s budget deficit drives these tax policies, and that the income tax wouldn’t even have been on the ballot if Washington were efficient at managing its finances.“Until you’re running a tight ship, the only way to keep paying for [social programs] is to start taking money from more people,” Jake said. “And if you’re taking money from the very people who give you