When I was a kid in the ’70s and early ’80s, Halloween costumes were … simpler. By “simpler,” I mean problematic.

We didn’t buy them at Target or Spirit Halloween. We raided Dad’s closet, stole Mom’s eyeliner, and hoped for the best.

One year, I went as a “hobo.” Twice, actually. I didn’t even know what that word meant. I just knew it involved rumpled old dirty clothes, charcoal smudged on my cheeks, and a stick with a red handkerchief on the end.

That was just what kids did back then. You dressed as a train-hopping drifter and went door-to-door asking for candy.

Another year, I went as a ghost. White sheet. Two holes for eyes.

Today? Yeah, that’s a hard no.

More than a few kids had paper feather headbands and plastic tomahawks. Bows and arrows. Can you imagine that today?

And every year, someone’s dad showed up in a giant sombrero and a fake mustache with a plastic six-shooter on their hip. Back then, it got laughs. Today, it would get a meeting with HR.

It was a different time.

For us kids, we didn’t think in terms of “problematic.” We thought in terms of “cheap.”

What are the costumes today that, 40 years from now, will make people cringe?

Maybe the kid dressed as a “social media influencer” who carries a selfie ring light and a fake sponsorship deal.

Or the “AI robot” costume, which will seem really offensive once the machines are running the planet.

Or the “tech billionaire” outfit: hoodie, sneakers, emotional detachment. An easy costume now, a scandal later.

Still, I love Halloween. I love that for one night, everyone steps outside themselves. Just some more literally than others.

And I especially love seeing the kids who come to our door.

We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but I made myself a promise back then: When it was my turn to hand out candy, I’d do it right. No fun-size nonsense. Full-size bars.

And tonight, I’m keeping that promise. We’ve got the big Snickers. The big M&M’s. The full-size 100 Grand bars.

So have fun tonight, get a designated driver, and may your costume, whatever it is, still be socially acceptable in 40 years.

That’s the commentary for Oct. 31. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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Five trillion. That’s more than the GDP of Japan. More than the entire economy of the United Kingdom. One company, making computer chips that power artificial intelligence, is now worth more than nations that have existed for centuries.

Let’s give credit where it’s due. Nvidia didn’t stumble into this. They saw the AI revolution coming and built the shovels for the gold rush. Every ChatGPT query, every AI image generator, every machine learning model runs on their hardware. They bet everything on a future where computers would need to think, and they were right.

Wall Street is throwing a party. The stock split. The records broken. The analysts are upgrading their price targets. Five trillion dollars! American innovation at its finest.

Meanwhile, Amazon announced 14,000 job cuts this week. Many right here in our backyard. Fourteen thousand people are wondering if their jobs are gone. And those are just the ones we know about. More cuts are coming.

You see the disconnect? We’re celebrating the company that builds the AI hardware while the people whose jobs AI will replace are updating their resumes. We built the machines that think, and we’re cheering the stock price while they learn to do our jobs.

We used to think automation would take factory jobs and leave the office workers alone. Wrong. AI is coming for the spreadsheet jockeys, the middle managers, the analysts, the writers. If your job involves sitting at a computer and thinking, well, computers can think now. And they don’t need health insurance.

I’m not anti-profit. I’m not even anti-Nvidia. They took risks, they innovated, and they deserve rewards. But when one company controls all the computer chips that make AI work, we should probably pay attention. This is like if one company owned all the railroads during the Industrial Revolution. Or all the oil wells. Or all the phone lines. Oh, wait.

Actually, we’ve been here before

Remember when Boeing was Seattle’s crown jewel? When Microsoft could do no wrong? The concentration of power feels great when the stock is rising. It feels different when that single point of failure actually fails.

We keep hearing AI will make life easier, more productive, more efficient. So far, it’s mostly made a handful of people beyond wealthy, while everyone else worries about their mortgage. Nvidia’s CEO is worth over $100 billion. The software engineer in Redmond is wondering if AI can code better than she can. The customer service rep in Bellevue knows AI can already do his job.

I’ve been a tech worker. Many of my friends are in the industry. Tech workers with families, mortgages, and kids in school. They’re watching Nvidia’s valuation climb and their own job security crumble. They’re not celebrating the five trillion. They’re wondering what happens when the AI they helped build no longer needs them.

The irony is perfect. We created machines that can think, so we wouldn’t have to work as hard. Now those machines are making a handful of people unimaginably rich while the rest of us work harder just to stay relevant.

We built thinking machines to solve our problems. Instead, they’re solving us right out of our jobs.

Five trillion dollars says this is just the beginning, 14,000 pink slips agree.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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This time, it was westbound I-90 near Cle Elum. An oversized load slammed into the bridge, shut down the highway for hours, and forced backups through the mountains for days. It was the third bridge strike in recent months. State Route 167. Highway 410. At this point, you wonder if our bridges are shrinking or if truck drivers just stopped looking up.

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn has had enough. He’s proposing what he calls the Stupid Motorist Law. Over-height drivers would face bigger fines and pay for the damage they cause, plus the economic ripple effects. We’re talking millions in repairs annually, not to mention the thousands of people stuck in traffic, wondering why they’re not moving.

Hard to argue with the logic. If your truck won’t fit under a bridge, maybe check before you leave. Revolutionary concept, I know. But it got me thinking: If we’re going to legislate stupidity on the roads, why stop at trucks?

How about the Stupid Merging Law? For the driver who speeds up to block someone from merging, then slams the brakes 10 seconds later. Or the person who merges onto I-5 doing 40 mph like they’re joining a funeral procession.

The Stupid Rain Law

Every October, the first drizzle hits and half of Seattle drives like water is a new invention. “Rain? Seattle? I’ve never seen such a thing. Better speed up and follow the car in front of me closely.”

The Stupid Roundabout Law

Apparently, we still need this one. You yield BEFORE entering, not after. And if you stop in the middle to think about it, you’ve already failed.

The Stupid Pedestrian Law

Let’s go multimodal. The Stupid Pedestrian Law covers anyone crossing mid-block at night, wearing all black, staring at their phone like cars don’t exist if you don’t look at them.

The Stupid Cyclist Law

The Stupid Cyclist Law is for riders who treat red lights as suggestions and bike lanes as optional. Nothing says “share the road” like ignoring every rule that makes sharing possible.

The truth is, we would all qualify for at least one of these. Everyone has done something careless, impatient, or just plain dumb that made someone else’s drive or ride worse. The difference is that when you do it behind the wheel of a truck taller than a bridge, it costs real money and sometimes real safety.

And maybe that’s the real point here. Not punishment, but a reminder that our decisions behind the wheel have consequences. Your impatience becomes someone’s three-hour delay. Your inattention becomes damaged roadways. Your “I thought it would fit” becomes another I-90 closure.

Reagan Dunn’s proposal makes sense because some mistakes are too expensive to keep making. But honestly? If we all just paid a little more attention and were a little less stupid about how we get around, we wouldn’t need a law at all.

Until then, maybe check if your truck fits under the bridge. Just a thought.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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We’ve had Katie on the show. She’s thoughtful, and she genuinely cares about people getting priced out of Seattle. I get the appeal. The housing math in this city is brutal: the median home price is $885,000, you need a down payment of $175,000, about $5,000 a month, and an income of around $200,000 to qualify.

How many young couples have that? Right. So when Wilson says there’s another way, people listen.

Katie Wilson’s proposed solutions to Seattle’s problems

Her answer? Social housing, rent control, using public land for affordable development, redirecting money toward getting people housed now instead of waiting years for new construction.

Young voters heard someone who gets their urgency. Older voters heard ideas that haven’t worked before and worry about what comes next.

Let’s talk experience. Wilson runs the Transit Riders Union. No paid employees, an approximate $200,000 budget, and they’ve lost money three years running. She doesn’t draw a salary.

When I see Wilson running for mayor, I think of Loren Culp running for governor. Remember him? A conservative small-town police chief, managed one officer, cared about his community. But we knew the jump to running a state government was too big. Now progressives are making a similar leap with Wilson.

She’s equally passionate, but a job managing a staff of volunteers isn’t preparation for running Seattle either. Different sides of the political spectrum, same question about readiness. Just because you agree with someone’s political leanings doesn’t mean they’re qualified to do the job. Experience matters, even when the person shares your values.

Wilson is 43 years old and has never held a steady-paying job for more than a couple of years. Most people her age have decades of work history, meeting deadlines, and dealing with difficult bosses. That experience matters when you’re asking to be everyone else’s boss.

Her husband doesn’t have a job. Her parents are helping pay for daycare while Wilson campaigns for mayor. Look, that’s real life for a lot of people, and it explains why she connects with struggling voters. But running a major American city with a $9 billion budget and 41 departments?  The skill gap here is enormous. We’re talking about two completely different worlds.

Here’s the thing about being mayor: it’s not just about identifying problems. It’s about fixing them. Every day. Police, fire, utilities, transportation, housing, and human services. Union contracts. Federal requirements. Dozens of decisions that affect real people in real time. It’s a lot, and it could be overwhelming for someone with such little experience. Good intentions don’t balance budgets or keep streets safe.

If she wins, I hope her first call is to someone who knows how to balance a budget. Her second call should be to someone who’s managed a large group of paid employees. Her third should probably be to someone who’s actually worked in government.

Because it looks increasingly likely Seattle’s about to elect someone whose management experience is with a staff of volunteers and a budget smaller than what the city spends on coffee.

That’s the commentary for October 28, 2025. Text us at 888-973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.com.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t do endorsements. Even if I did, I don’t live in Seattle, so I don’t get a vote. But I work here, and like hundreds of thousands of others who commute into this city every day, I have to deal with the consequences of its leadership.

Bruce Harrell ran as the moderate choice. The pragmatist who would restore some common sense after years of battles at City Hall. Nearly four years in, let’s look at what he’s actually delivered.

Seattle’s crime improvements fall short of expectations

Crime is down. That’s real. Homicides fell 41%. Shootings dropped 29%. The city finally hired more than a hundred officers after years of hemorrhaging police.

But context matters too. Crime fell from crisis levels. It’s better, but “better than terrible” isn’t exactly a campaign slogan. Property crime is still near record highs. Businesses are still dealing with break-ins. Progress? Yes. Problem solved? Not even close.

Harrell championed a billion dollars for affordable housing. Sounds impressive until you realize Seattle’s been throwing money at housing for decades. What’s different now? The median home price is $885,000. Rents that were supposed to stabilize are climbing again. A billion dollars bought us… more of the same.

The homelessness response has been particularly frustrating. The city conducted hundreds of encampment sweeps. The camps come back within weeks. It feels as though we’re not solving homelessness; we’re just moving it around, and spending $125 million a year to do it.

The political numbers tell their own story. Harrell’s approval ratings are underwater. His primary showing was weak for an incumbent. Seattle hasn’t reelected a mayor in twenty years. The iPhone didn’t even exist yet. This is a city that keeps hoping the next mayor will finally fix things, then realizes they can’t or won’t.

Keep in mind, Harrell has enjoyed advantages that previous mayors didn’t. The economy recovered. Federal money poured in. The most extreme voices on the council lost their seats. If there was ever a moment for a moderate mayor to show that pragmatic governance works, this was it.

Instead, we got incremental improvements that don’t match the scale of the problems. Yes, crime is down from pandemic peaks. Yes, some housing is being built. Yes, the city is functioning. But “functioning” isn’t enough when people are looking for tangible change.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at Katie Wilson and her very different vision for Seattle. To be clear, different doesn’t mean better. But when the current approach isn’t connecting, voters often decide that different is worth the risk. And that’s Harrell’s real problem.

Seattle hasn’t reelected a mayor in twenty years. At some point, you have to wonder if the problem isn’t the mayors. It’s that voters keep asking for miracles from mortals. I wonder if Bruce Harrell will be the latest to learn that lesson.

That’s the commentary for October 27, 2025. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie

The answer, we discovered, was yes. Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus had indeed supported Joshua Obadiah Headley.

Nancy Backus’ email to defense attorney.

But what we uncovered was a story far more complex than a single letter. It is a story of questionable judgment, apparently coordinated narratives, and a network of civic leaders who appeared to look the other way, allowing Headley to be celebrated by organizations like the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce before he went to prison, and then again almost immediately after his release as he operated under a new identity.

The investigation itself raised troubling questions about potential coordination. At 4 p.m. on Friday, October 3, KIRO Newsradio sent a confidential list of questions to Backus, and only Backus. The same day, a public records request was filed with the city. Just 29 hours later, at 9:53 p.m. on Saturday, Joshua Headley sent an unsolicited email to this reporter, writing, “I understand there may be a news story coming out.”

When asked to explain this timeline, Backus adamantly denied any contact. “I did not contact Mr. Headley – I do not have his contact information, nor did I ask anyone else to contact him in either my personal or official capacity,” she stated, adding that “Neither the City nor I have had official contact with him since his release.” She said she only spoke with the City Attorney and Communications Manager.

The mayor offered no alternative explanation for the timeline or who could have notified Headley about the confidential media inquiry that was sent to the mayor alone.

Two Auburn pastors who have been tracking this case for years spoke to KIRO Newsradio about their growing alarm at how their community’s leadership handled Headley.

“I have a lot of friends, but no rapist friends,” Pastor LaShund Lambert of Resurrection Church said. “I was blown away that they felt there was so little accountability that they could go on as if it never happened.”

The crime and the community response

To understand the weight of the mayor’s intervention, one must understand the crime. According to the probable cause statement filed by prosecutors, Joshua Headley, then a 27-year-old pastor at Auburn’s Northwest Family Church, groomed and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl he was mentoring. Soon after the crime took place, Headley left Northwest Family Church.

The rape was reported to the Auburn Police Department in 2018. But Headley did not lie low. While under active investigation, his audacity peaked: he applied to be a chaplain for the very same police department investigating him. In January 2020, he was formally charged with Rape of a Child in the Third Degree.

Yet even after being charged, his public ascent continued. That same month, January 2020, he filmed the Miss Auburn and Miss Auburn Teen pageants for the Auburn Examiner.

In November 2020, while awaiting trial, the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce presented his organization, REVIVE Church, with its “Nonprofit of the Year” award.

Auburn Area Connect Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook post.

By May 2022, with Headley’s guilty plea just weeks away, Pastor Lambert called Backus directly with an explicit warning.

“I told her, ‘I’ve read the police report. It is horrible. It is sickening,'” Lambert recalled.

He explained to the mayor that this was why other ministers refused to participate in city events alongside Headley.

“She assured me that was not her. She had no knowledge of it… Like, full stop, ‘We’re going to make sure that we’re not affiliated.’ And later on, we find out that’s not the case,” Lambert said.

Just one month later, that assurance would prove hollow.

A plea for leniency, a plea for justice

On June 22, 2022, the same day he admitted his guilt, Joshua Headley emailed Backus asking for her personal email for a “more personal” matter. The mayor quickly provided her personal email address.

Josh Headley before sentencing.

Pastor Cheryl Olson of Crossway Church, who obtained the email through a public records request, immediately recognized the calculation behind it.

“When I first read the email … ‘Hey, can we talk about something personal? Can I have your private email?’ And I thought, man, you understand how to play the game. There’s some level of calculation there,” Olson said.

Four months later, Backus sent a declaration to Headley’s attorney. When asked about this, the mayor explained that the draft email KIRO Newsradio obtained “does not appear to have been sent to the court directly,” but rather a “declaration that I completed on my individual behalf that was sent to Mr. Headley’s attorney.”

She stated the declaration was “similar to the letter, but not identical.”

However, the draft email represents the mayor’s initial thinking and her own words at the time. In it, she praised his community work extensively:

“I have known Joshua Headley for the past six plus years in his role as a pastor and community partner. Josh has always enthusiastically looked for ways to help his community and make it a better place … During COVID, Josh and REVIVE worked tirelessly to ensure that healthy food was available for residents that were struggling to make ends meet,” Backus said.

The mayor then made her plea: “While I realize that Josh has pled guilty to the charges that were filed against him, I am asking the court for treatment for Josh vs. jail/prison time. I truly believe that our community would be best served by the treatment option. I do not take my comments and request lightly, as I am responsible for the safety of our City.”

The court heard a starkly different perspective. In her victim impact statement, the young woman wrote, “This case has impacted me by showing me that abusers have more rights than the victims … I hope Joshua Headley understands the damage he has caused me and my loved ones for life.”

“I was unsurprised that she (the mayor) would write a letter,” Olson said. “But to ask for no jail time, that really shocked me. That part was shocking.”

The judge sentenced Headley to 13 months.

A new name, a familiar network

Headley served only six months. His return to public life was immediate and apparently with open arms from the chamber and the political community. Just two months after his May 2023 release, a new business, Seeley Media, was formed. His name appears nowhere on the state license.

The Seeley Media post, which is now deleted.

He rebranded himself professionally as “J. Seeley.”

Under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 9A.44.130), registered sex offenders are legally required to report any aliases to law enforcement within three business days of use. Failure to comply is a felony.

It appears there were nearly two years between when Headley began using the “Seeley” alias and when it was added to the registry. According to an email from Brandyn Hull with the King County Sheriff’s Office, the “Seeley” and “J. Seeley” aliases were not added to the sex offender registry until March 17, 2025, after a tip was received.

“They were no longer going by their name that was on the registered sex offender registry,” Olson observed. “And so that part for me was just like, how does no one have a problem with this?”

Under this new identity, he immediately began monetizing his old connections. Public Disclosure Commission filings confirm Seeley Media received payments from more than a dozen political campaigns and committees.

The Seeley Media client list from seeleymedia.com, which is now deleted.

Perhaps most concerning, his work brought him back into proximity with children. Seeley Media was hired to record videos and handle social media for the “Yes 4 Yelm Schools” levy campaign, which included producing videos with teenage students. In social media posts, he appeared on school grounds near school buses, despite his sentence explicitly barring him from unsupervised contact with minors.

Seeley Media’s Instagram post.

By May 2024, Seeley Media was a celebrated nominee and sponsor at the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spotlight Awards. This decision was made while it appears his wife was serving as a member of the Chamber’s board of directors.

Information for the Auburn Area Connect Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Awards.

The idea that the Chamber’s leadership was unaware that “J. Seeley” was actually Joshua Headley strains credibility. This was the same organization that had awarded him “Nonprofit of the Year” while he awaited trial. The same civic network. The same small city. Did the Chamber know that this media company, run by a familiar face just back from prison, was their former award recipient operating under a different name? If they knew, why did they platform him again? If they didn’t know, what does that say about their vetting process? For the political clients who may not have known his true identity, the Chamber’s endorsement provided a veneer of legitimacy.

KIRO Newsradio reached out to Chamber CEO Kacie Bray via email, asking whether the Chamber knew “J. Seeley” was Joshua Headley when nominating Seeley Media for the 2024 award, what vetting process exists for sponsors and nominees, and whether members were ever informed of his identity and criminal history. Bray did not respond by our publication deadline. She did reach out with a limited response, which is noted at the end of this story.

“One of the things about platforms, right, is that they legitimize somebody,” Olson explained, referring to how organizations like the Chamber elevate people. “If I have somebody come and speak at my church, for instance, I am saying, I support this person enough to give them a platform.”

Lambert was more direct in his assessment of the city leaders, politicians, and Chamber: “We’re not dealing with someone that cusses every now and then. We’re dealing with a child rapist. For our city not to say ‘absolutely not, this will not be tolerated here’… Apparently it’s inclusive if you are productive in a way that I want.”

The restorative justice question

When asked by KIRO Newsradio to explain her intervention on behalf of a man who had pleaded guilty to raping a child, Backus repeatedly cited her belief in “restorative justice.”

At a June 4, 2025, meeting of the 30th District Democrats, audio obtained by KIRO Newsradio captured her defending her actions, saying she was “a firm believer in restorative justice.” She repeated this claim in her initial written statement to KIRO Newsradio.

Notably, Headley himself used the same terminology when he reached out to this reporter, mentioning his “journey in restorative justice.”

But “restorative justice” has a specific meaning in Washington’s legal system, referring to formal programs that facilitate victim-centered healing and accountability. KIRO Newsradio asked the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office whether any such process was used in Headley’s case.

The answer was unequivocal. “No restorative justice on this one — that doesn’t typically happen on sex assault cases,” Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said. “This was a traditional prosecution.”

When pressed on this, Backus clarified her meaning.

“I’m familiar with the KC Restorative Community Pathways program, so I would have called it out specifically if I was referring to it,” the mayor wrote. “I’m using restorative justice as a general term.”

This clarification revealed that the mayor was using the term in a personal, philosophical sense rather than referring to any formal restorative justice process. The use of this specific legal terminology, when no such process existed, may have created confusion about what actually occurred in this case.

Lambert, who has spent 29 years in ministry working with survivors of sexual assault, offered his perspective.

“A restoration requires restitution. You have to make it right … We can’t just restore the perpetrators. We must restore the community and the individuals,” he said.

A mayor’s regret, a community’s reckoning

When asked about this timeline, Backus expressed regret.

“I would not write the letter today, if asked, because of my present awareness of the facts of the case,” she stated, admitting she was unaware he would have to register as a sex offender.

The mayor remains adamant she has not spoken to Headley in years, stating “Neither the City nor I have had official contact with him since his release.”

In her response to KIRO Newsradio, the mayor finally acknowledged someone her 2022 letter never mentioned: the victim. “My heart goes out to the survivor and to everyone impacted by this case,” she wrote.

Headley, for his part, initially reached out to KIRO Newsradio, offering to “share information about my journey in restorative justice, treatment completion, and work in DOC.” But when asked for specifics about his restorative justice process and DOC work, along with a request for a brief recorded interview, Headley promised to send additional information “this evening.”

He never followed through. Despite providing contact information for his DOC officer and treatment provider, Headley himself went silent when pressed for details about his claims.

Lambert, who had warned the mayor about Headley in May 2022, was direct in his assessment:

“I was blown away that they felt there was so little accountability that they could go on as if it never happened,” Lambert said, his frustration evident. “That this young lady’s pain had just been dismissed because it was more convenient than saying ‘I was a bad judge of character, and I’m walking away and I will not help this person be in a place to do it again.'”

Olson offered a path forward for the mayor.

“Acknowledging that you made a mistake is a really powerful tool for healing in the community,” she said. “Being willing to own a mistake, call it a mistake, and offer an apology to people who are hurting, I mean, really hurting and wounded in our community.”

For the victim, now in her mid-twenties, both pastors offered words of support.

“There are people that will stand up and make sure that what was done to her is not considered to be a small or an insignificant thing,” Lambert said. “I would want her to know that there are people that are pursuing righteousness in our community and that we will defend her right to be safe.”

Olson added, “That she matters, that her life matters … There’s a lot of people that care about her and hate that this happened to her.”

Website taken down

Within the past 45 days, Joshua Headley’s public business, Seeley Media, has been scrubbed from the internet, but public records show political campaigns are still paying him.

The Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce has not responded to questions about its vetting process or whether it informed members about his identity and criminal history.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Kacie Bray responded at 5:59 PM on October 22, 2025, after KIRO promoted on-air and online that this story would run the morning of October 23rd , citing recent PTO and illness with MRSA for the delay in responding to our October 7, 2025 inquiry.

Bray states the Chamber was not aware of Headley’s criminal investigation when they awarded his organization “Nonprofit of the Year” in November 2020. Headley had been charged with Rape of a Child in January 2020, according to public court records.

When discussing Seeley Media, Bray identifies Marissa Flannery as the Chamber’s primary contact, describing her only as “a longtime community member who has and continues to give back to businesses and community members.” Bray’s response fails to acknowledge that Marissa (Mars) Flannery is Joshua Headley’s wife and that she serves on the Chamber’s Board of Directors, as confirmed on the Chamber’s own website. While Bray discusses not knowing about Headley’s criminal investigation, she has not directly answered whether the Chamber knew that J. Seeley was an alias of Joshua Headley.

The Chamber states they “believe in restorative justice” and that they expect members who hire convicted felons to “follow the law provided by the WA State criminal justice system and DOC.”

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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The Republican position? “We’ve passed a clean funding bill 11 times. Democrats keep blocking it because they want healthcare subsidies extended. This is extortion. Open the government first, then we’ll talk healthcare.”

The Democratic position? “Those Affordable Care Act subsidies expire Nov. 1. Twenty-four million people are about to see their premiums double. Also, you cut Medicaid in July. Fix it now, or we don’t budge.”

Both sides are right, both sides are wrong

You know what? They’re both right. And they’re both being ridiculous.

Keep in mind, recent polling shows 77% of all Americans, including 56% of Trump supporters, want these subsidies extended.

Republicans, you control everything. You could include the healthcare stuff and pass it tomorrow. Yes, it would feel like giving in to Democratic demands, but you’re the majority. How about you rename a few provisions, add a requirement to audit the system to find inefficiencies, approve it, and say, “We fixed the Democrats’ mess.” Your base will eat it up.

Democrats, you’re blocking paychecks for 1.4 million workers to protect healthcare subsidies. Yes, healthcare is important. Yes, those premium hikes would hurt people. But you’re literally stopping paychecks today to prevent premium increases next month. How about letting the paychecks flow and making this a campaign issue? “Republicans doubled your premiums” writes itself.

And let’s be real: Both parties are reading from the other side’s old playbook. In the 2018 shutdown, Democrats begged Republicans to think about federal workers. Now Republicans are begging Democrats to think about federal workers. Back then, Republicans said the wall was worth the fight. Now Democrats say healthcare is worth the fight. You’ve all swapped jerseys and pretend we don’t notice.

While Congress debates, workers decide which bill to skip

Healthcare IS important. Keeping the government open IS important. But while you’re having this philosophical debate, 80,000 federal employees in Washington state alone are having a different debate: which bill to skip this month.

And remember, furloughed federal workers will eventually get their back pay. It’s the law. But the contractors, the people who clean the offices, run the cafeterias, and provide security? They’re just out of luck. Those paychecks are gone forever.

To any functional adult remaining in Congress: Turn off the cable news. Meet face to face. Skip the press conference. Do the math. Then keep the government open.

Day 22 and counting.

Fun fact: Members of Congress never miss a paycheck during shutdowns.

Sure makes it easier to take principled stands when the principle doesn’t cost you anything.

That’s the commentary for Oct. 22. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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If you don’t like sports, stick with me, because this is actually a story about what happens when the boss finally invests in the team and you get this close to the promised land.

Sometimes that’s how progress works. It just happens to involve grown men throwing a ball really hard, and one devastating loss last night.

Seattle has never been to a World Series, ever. We’re talking 48 years of “maybe next year.” But last night? Last night we were right there. Game 7 of the ALCS, nine innings away. That’s closer than we’ve ever been.

We’ve been reminded of futility since Griffey left, since A-Rod left, since Randy left, since Felix never got a ring. We’re basically the corporate department that keeps losing its best people to Google because management wouldn’t spring for standing desks and decent coffee.

Except this year, they finally bought the standing desks.

The budget meeting that actually worked

John Stanton is our team owner. Nice guy, local, made his money in wireless communications, genuinely seems to care. For years, he has run the Mariners with a close eye on the bank account.

Jerry Dipoto, our general manager since 2015, is like that middle manager who’s brilliant at making Excel work miracles but keeps getting told there’s no budget for the good printer paper, until this year.

Our catcher, Cal Raleigh, walked into contract negotiations last March and basically said what we’ve all wanted to say. Paraphrasing here: “I’ll stay, but only if you actually invest in making the team, you know, actually competitive.”

Picture the one employee who actually knows how everything works, finally speaking up.

The message was clear: Stop being cheap, stop pretending we’re competing when we’re not. Actually try.

And here’s the beautiful part: They did.

From store-brand to name-brand baseball

Stanton opened the checkbook. It wasn’t Dodgers money, but more like finally upgrading from store-brand to name-brand cereal money, but for Seattle, this was revolutionary.

Dipoto got to shop in the actual store instead of the clearance rack at the Outlet Collection. They brought in Josh Naylor, brought back Eugenio Suárez, and pushed payroll up to $160 million.

It’s like your boss finally gave you that $10 million budget increase you asked for. Your PowerPoints have animations now, and your spreadsheets don’t crash. The TPS reports are printed on actual paper instead of recycled napkins. You didn’t win the contract this quarter, but for the first time, you were actually in the room when they made the decision. That’s progress.

Most of us are told to “be creative with resources,” which is corporate for “figure it out.” But this year, Cal Raleigh asked for actual rocket parts and got them. The rocket flew higher than it ever has. It just didn’t quite reach orbit. Yet.

John and Jerry, this is working. You got us to Game 7 of the ALCS, one game from the World Series. That’s not failure; that’s foundation. Keep listening and investing. Cal was right, we were right, and you were right to trust us.

The Seattle Mariners are going to the World Series. Maybe not this year. But if you keep this up? Soon.

Time to rub a little dirt into the wound us fans got last night. We have more baseball to play.

That’s the commentary for Oct. 21. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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We’ve been talking for years about the sex trade on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle. Women being trafficked. Women being kept drugged and dependent. Pimps fighting over territory with actual shootouts. And the neighbors? They’re fed up.

These aren’t statistics. These are families trying to live their lives while women stumble through traffic at all hours. Johns picking up sex workers and pulling into residential side streets. Parents have told me they’ve had to explain to their young children why there are naked people in the car outside their driveway.

Think about that. Your kid is asking what those people are doing — in front of your house.

For years, almost nothing has been done. Police cite one john, maybe two. But the operation continues. The violence continues. The exploitation continues.

Time for SPD to try something different

But now, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is trying something different. And I’m here for it.

KOMO reported that detectives are sending warning letters to the registered owners of vehicles they observe picking up sex workers. The letter is blunt: “A vehicle registered to your name was observed by detectives with the Seattle Police Department Human Trafficking Unit on Aurora Avenue N. engaged in suspected illegal sexual exploitation activity.”

They include photos. Details. Time and location. No arrest, no criminal charge. Just a, “We saw you. We know what you were doing. And now everyone at your address will know too.”

That’s why women need to check the mail. Because often the family has no idea. The husband who says he’s working late. The boyfriend who’s “running errands.” The dad who’s supposedly at the gym. This letter shows up, and suddenly, there are questions to answer.

Good. There should be questions.

Look, I get that some people will say this is overreach. That it’s an accusation without due process. Fair point. But here’s what else is true: traditional enforcement hasn’t worked. The arrests don’t stick. The fines don’t deter. The problem gets worse.

Meanwhile, real people are suffering. The women being trafficked aren’t choosing this life. They’re victims. Studies show most were first trafficked as teenagers. Many suffer from PTSD as severely as combat veterans. The pimps keep them dependent on drugs, move them city to city, and control every aspect of their lives.

And the neighborhoods? They’ve become open-air markets for human misery. Kids can’t play outside. Residents find needles and condoms in their yards. They hear gunshots as pimps fight over territory.

So yes, I support these letters. Name them. Shame them. Make them explain to their wives, their girlfriends, their families what they were doing on Aurora at midnight.

To the men getting these letters: This isn’t “Pretty Woman.” This is real exploitation. Real violence. Real victims. You’re not customers. You’re predators enabling a cycle of abuse.

And to everyone else: Check your mail. Because sunlight is the best disinfectant, and it’s time to shine a light on Aurora.

Is public shaming the answer? Maybe not. But after years of looking the other way, at least it’s something.

That’s the commentary for Oct. 14. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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It’s a small example of an issue we need to have an adult conversation about.

Last week, Steve spoke to Tony’s mom, Diane, outside the municipal courthouse in Everett. She had just spoken to a judge after Tony was released from jail again because he wasn’t mentally competent to stand trial. Diane said Tony caused several disturbances that week:

“Tuesday, he went to Glenwood Elementary School. He pressed the button, they let him in. They saw that he wasn’t all there, and they escorted him out with no problem. Then they had a lockdown. Then, about 3:15 in the afternoon, he went back to the school at the door, and they called the police. The police put handcuffs on him, and they let him go. Yesterday, he went to the Navy base, telling them that he was with the CIA and FBI and all that good stuff. They arrested Tony,” she said.

Tony’s mom begged the judge to send her son to somewhere like Fairfax Hospital, where he can get intensive treatment. She told the judge she worries he might hurt someone. The judge said his hands were tied, and they were. The judge released him. No bail. No mandated follow-up.

Tony’s previous crimes

Steve reported that Tony was convicted of first-degree robbery in 2008. The judge told him that he’s now a felon who can’t ever have a gun after he gets out of prison.

In 2015, The Everett Herald reported Tony used a 40-caliber Smith and Wesson to blow out a window at Everett Community College while high on meth. Got two and a half years for that.

And Tony’s case isn’t an outlier. Not even close.

There was that guy last year who stabbed 10 people over two days in the International District. His attorney called him “fully delusional.” A judge ordered a mental health evaluation.

There’s the man who killed 80-year-old Ruth Dalton in Madison Valley. Dragged her with her own car. He was found mentally unfit to stand trial.

Think about that list. Stabbings. A homicide. We’re not even talking about the recent transit and hatchet attacks and transit violence. The system is struggling to deal with this.

The cops think their hands are tied. The judges think their hands are tied. They’re probably right. In Washington, if someone is found incompetent, judges often must release them unless the state can quickly place them. And we don’t have enough secure treatment beds.

Something needs to change

I don’t have all the answers. But what we’re doing isn’t working. I want to have a conversation, and I’m willing to acknowledge I could be dead wrong.

But should Washington build more humane, secure medical settings where people in crisis go before they hurt someone? Not jail, but not optional. A therapeutic place with locked doors, licensed staff, and clear rules.

This is a question for our conversation. What if release wasn’t automatic? Release could come after stability is demonstrated. With supervised follow-through. Medications. Appointments. Case managers who actually show up. If someone stops treatment and the risk returns, they go back to the facility quickly. Not optional.

I get it. Forced care is serious. The guardrails would have to be incredibly tight. Lawyers. Independent reviews. A clear path out when someone proves they can stay well.

Yes, it will be expensive. Maybe the idea is flawed. But what is the cost of doing nothing?

We can be compassionate and careful at the same time. But if my idea isn’t right, let’s hear yours. Because what we’re doing now isn’t working. It’s time for an adult conversation.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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But then I got to thinking about arenas. The biggest arenas. The best arenas. And who better knows arenas, or stadiums, in this awkward metaphor, than Seattle Mariner superstar Cal Raleigh? After all, he’s the one literally calling the shots, every pitch, every play, the brain behind the mask. He knows what it takes to win when it feels like the whole city is about to lose its mind.

And that’s why I’m turning my back on that whole “not endorsing” thing. Sorry, Bruce. Sorry, Katie. I know you’re the actual candidates for mayor of Seattle, but I am officially endorsing Cal Raleigh for the mayor of Seattle.

He’ll protect home plate. He’ll lift the city on his shoulders and bring us all to victory. A vote for Cal Raleigh is a home run for civic pride.

And yes, I know some of you are thinking, “You’re just jumping on the Big Dumper bandwagon.” Yes. Yes, I am. Because if anyone can clean up this town, it’s the Big Dumper.

Now, I realize he has no desire to be mayor. And frankly, it would probably be bad, really bad, for the Mariners if he took the job, but I can’t help but think he’d make the good calls. The tough calls. Like knowing when it’s time to pull a pitcher or a department head.

So, how about this? Cal could do both. He could be the mayor of the 18th-largest city in the country in his spare time. Call the balls and strikes within city policy, then make the lineup card.

Let’s talk logistics regarding Cal Raleigh’s tenure as Seattle mayor

When he’s off on a road trip or catching a 99-mile-an-hour fastball somewhere in Texas, the team’s beloved mascot, Mortimer “Mariner” Moose, can run things. The moose doesn’t travel, has a great smile for ribbon cuttings, and can’t possibly make things worse. If that’s somehow unconstitutional, we can all just promise to be really cool until Mayor Cal gets back.

I know, this whole mayor idea has no chance of happening. But neither did that 15-inning miracle on Friday night, and look how that turned out. If the Mariners can pull that off, maybe Seattle can too.

Maybe, with Cal Raleigh at the helm, we can get through our extra innings as a city, together, one exhausted, but hopeful fan base at a time.

So let’s get the bumper stickers ready: “Finally, a Mayor Who Can Handle the Heat.” “No Errors. No Excuses. No graffiti on I-5.” “Make Seattle Safe at Home.” “Big Dumper, Bigger Dreams.”

Because at this point, if anyone deserves to call the shots around here, it’s the guy who’s been calling them from behind the plate all season long.

And next time, I’ll give you my full endorsement of Jorge Polanco for city attorney.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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That could go either way, politically. Far right-wing rage or extreme left-wing destruction.

Let me be clear. I didn’t need to know which side to know how I felt. It’s all beyond the pale. Violence is violence. Wrong is wrong. But my brain immediately went to politics. To teams. To scorekeeping. That’s sick. That’s what this moment has done to us.

Someone knocked over statues. Burned flags. Torched a priceless rug. And my first instinct was to figure out the political angle.

The lieutenant governor immediately condemned it as part of the “significant escalation in violence-tinged political rhetoric.” Everyone assumed it was political violence. Then the Washington State Patrol released their findings: a mental health crisis. Not political.

But here’s what tells you everything about 2025. We all assumed it was political. Someone attacks a government building, and we don’t think “troubled person needs help.” We think “which side was he on?”

What was your initial reaction to the news?

And I’m a mild case. I watch maybe 45 minutes of cable news a week. I can’t imagine what it’s like for people mainlining Fox News or MSNBC every night. If my brain is this trained to see everything through a political lens, what’s happening to theirs?

Here’s the thing. We’re usually right to assume it’s political because, look around. Political assassinations. Targeted arsons. Church shootings. This year keeps erupting.

The big violence makes headlines. But watch how we treat the small stuff.

When did we decide the rules don’t apply to people we disagree with? A signature gatherer gets shoved. A pride flag gets stolen. Someone’s Tesla gets keyed because Elon. The car with the Black Lives Matter bumper sticker gets flipped off. And what’s the response?

“Oh, well, violence is never the answer. I condemn it completely.”

Then comes the ‘but’

But those initiatives are hateful. But that candidate is dangerous. But they’re destroying democracy. Always a “but” that really means: different rules for different teams.

I’ve covered news for decades. This year feels different. Like we’re unraveling. Each unpleasant or violent act justifying the next. Each side convinced they’re just defending themselves. Leaders say turn down the temperature. How, when everyone thinks they’re the victim? When everyone thinks their violence is justified?

Meanwhile, those of us outside the extremes go to work. Raise our kids. Try to pretend things are normal. But that knot in your stomach? That dread? We all feel it.

Here’s what I keep telling myself. The fact that I’m embarrassed by my first thought means I’m not completely lost. The fact that it bothers me means I can still see what’s wrong with this picture.

The extremes want us to pick a side in their war. To accept that violence is inevitable. To stop being shocked.

No.

This is still our beautiful and flawed country, where we can all get along. The center holds when we hold it. One conversation at a time. One refusal to hate the other side at a time.

Even when our first thought is tribal. Especially then.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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Leesa Manion is a Democrat. She’s not a law-and-order, hang-’em-high crusader looking for headlines. She’s the elected prosecutor in one of the most progressive counties in the country. And even she’s saying that the system is broken.

She explicitly said she’s not calling for cuts to public defense. She just wants parity. Equal resources to protect victims’ constitutional rights. That’s not happening.

Her anger is expressed in a letter she sent to the King County Council regarding next year’s budget proposal. Despite documenting crisis-level caseloads, her office receives zero new prosecutors, while public defense receives 17.

In that letter, Manion said one of her deputy prosecutors is handling 136 cases involving adults accused of targeting and grooming children online. One person, 136 predators.

Meanwhile, under new statewide standards taking effect in 2026, public defenders handling similar cases will be limited to approximately 10 cases per year.

One prosecutor has 136. Public defenders get 10.

Those are real children being groomed. Real families waiting for justice. One exhausted prosecutor standing between 136 predators and their next victim.

It’s not just child predators. Elder abuse. Wage theft. Small businesses getting vandalized repeatedly with no consequences. These aren’t statistics, they’re your neighbors.

In her budget request earlier this year, Manion laid out exactly what her office needs: 21 prosecutors, 21 paralegals, and 16 victim advocates. The interim executive reviewed that request and said no — zero new prosecutors. Somehow, there was money for 17 new public defenders.

So the defense side grows again, while those handling the most serious crimes are told to do more with the same resources.

Everyone deserves a fair and adequate defense

That is part of justice. But fairness does not mean forgetting the victims.

When the county council approved a sales tax increase in July, Manion supported it because they had promised balanced funding for prosecutors, police, and defenders. Now look what they’re doing with it. That revenue is being routed mostly to public defense and public health programs, while the prosecutor’s office gets told to maintain, not expand.

So the side already better staffed and carrying lighter caseloads gets more help. The office handling the worst crimes gets told to make do.

How does that make sense?

Families of murder victims are still waiting for their day in court. Survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence are trapped in a system that keeps reopening old wounds. Victims of robbery and assault see their cases delayed again and again until they stop believing anyone cares.

They don’t see justice. They see a government that has moved on.

Public comment is set for Nov. 12. Things can still change before the final vote on Nov. 18.

If the County Council wants voters to believe it cares about public safety, this is where it proves it.

Here’s what bothers me. We’re so focused on protecting defendants’ rights, which we absolutely should, that we’ve forgotten victims have rights too. Constitutional rights. To timely justice. To have their cases heard. When child predator cases stack up 136 to one prosecutor, that’s not balance. It’s telling victims they matter less.

And it’s telling criminals something too: The system is too overwhelmed to hold you accountable.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, just told MarketWatch that 22 states are already in recession. Not heading toward one. Not at risk of one. Already there. And Washington made the list. He believes Washington is currently in a recession.

Now, economists have conflicting opinions about where we’re headed. But nobody’s saying our economy is great. And when a prominent voice like Zandi says we’re already in recession, that’s worth taking seriously.

A recession means more people lose jobs, fewer people shop and eat out, and businesses pull back on everything. When families stop spending, tax revenue falls. And it is falling. State economists just told us we’re looking at nearly a billion dollars less than expected over four years.

For a state that just maxed out its credit card on new programs, that means the money we’re counting on to pay for schools, roads, and public safety starts drying up fast.

Layoffs from local companies

The warning signs are everywhere. Microsoft has had this constant drip of layoffs for months. Last week, Starbucks Corporate cut hundreds of jobs at its Seattle headquarters. When companies that anchored our boom times start trimming, that’s mortgage payments and grocery bills for thousands of local families.

Let’s be clear about something. State spending has more than doubled in just over a decade, not because of inflation or population growth, but because we keep adding new programs. We just passed a $9 billion tax increase, and revenues are still coming up short. Why? Because no matter how much money comes in, we’re spending it even faster.

That tax package that’s kicking in? Lawmakers rushed it through in just nine days earlier this year, hitting 90,000 businesses. Nine days. Small IT companies saw their prices jump 10 percent overnight. The whole thing was so rushed that businesses didn’t even know which customers they were supposed to tax. Now, those same businesses, which are being hit with new taxes, are also dealing with falling demand.

This is bad news for lawmakers who return to Olympia in three months. They’re still talking about maintaining all the new programs as if nothing has changed. But if Zandi’s right, everything has changed. If we’re already in recession, that spending habit is about to hit reality like a brick wall.

The smart move? Prepare for anything. Be honest about what we can actually afford. Make sure the basics are covered before adding anything new. Because if you’re in a recession and don’t realize it, you’re making spending decisions based on revenue that won’t materialize.

Maybe Zandi’s wrong. Maybe we dodge this bullet. But wouldn’t it be better to prepare for tough times and be pleasantly surprised than to keep spending and get caught flat-footed?

We started with a warning light for the economy, now we’re on the shoulder with steam pouring out. We can keep debating whether that’s really steam coming from the engine, or lawmakers can grab the toolbox and get to work.

That’s the commentary for Oct. 6. How’s your corner of the economy doing? Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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Saturday, the ALDS returns to T-Mobile Park, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve already warned your family that you’ll be emotionally unavailable for the next week. This city’s ready for playoff baseball again after missing out in 2023 and 2024, and I mean ready in that uniquely Seattle way where we’re simultaneously confident and terrified because, well, we’re Mariners fans.

Quick primer for the uninitiated: the ALDS is the second round of the MLB playoffs, it’s best of five games, and the winner moves on to the Championship Series. The Mariners are back after a two-year absence, which felt like another eternity from the 21-year drought between 2001 and 2022. Yes, you read that right. Twenty-one years. Some of you weren’t even born when we last made the playoffs before that.

If you love the Mariners like I do (and my wife says that’s “concerning”), you carry a whole soundtrack of moments in your head. These are my five legendary Mariners moments, the ones that shaped what baseball means in this corner of America. Your list might be different, and you’d be wrong, but that’s okay.

The Griffeys make history: September 14, 1990

Father and son, same uniform, same inning, consecutive at-bats, both going yard. September 14, 1990, against the California Angels. Ken Griffey Senior connects. Junior steps up and matches him. It’s the only time in MLB history that this has happened, and of course, it happened here, because Seattle baseball has always been about the impossible mixed with the improbable, served with a side of “wait, what?”

This is the moment that launched a thousand father-son catches in backyards across America, most ending with dad pulling a hamstring and son discovering video games.

Ichiro rewrites the record books: October 1, 2004

When Ichiro Suzuki broke George Sisler’s 84-year-old single-season hits record with No. 258 on October 1, 2004, Seattle had officially become the home of the coolest player in baseball.

Ichiro made beating out infield singles look like performance art. He turned baseball into something elegant, precise, and borderline supernatural. The man stretched in the on-deck circle like he was auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. We weren’t just watching baseball; we were watching someone reinvent it, one perfectly placed ground ball at a time.

King Félix’s perfect crown: August 15, 2012

Twenty-seven up, twenty-seven down. When Félix Hernández threw his perfect game on that Wednesday afternoon in August 2012, T-Mobile Park became a cathedral of nervous energy. The King’s Court was in full session, and by the seventh inning, nobody dared to mention what was happening. Baseball superstition is real, folks.

I was standing outside the stadium at the end of the game. When Félix got that final out, the explosion of joy probably set off car alarms in Ballard. Our homegrown ace had achieved perfection. In Seattle. Where perfection usually means the construction on your street is only supposed to last another three months.

Cal Raleigh ends the drought: September 30, 2022

Two strikes. Bottom of the ninth. Cal Raleigh at the plate as a pinch hitter. Twenty-one years of playoff drought hanging over everything like perpetual November drizzle.

Then the Big Dumper launched one into the Seattle night. The drought was over. Grown adults lost their minds. Strangers hugged strangers. Dogs and cats, living together. Mass hysteria. Beautiful, beautiful hysteria.

That swing turned “maybe next year” from a depressing annual tradition into actual optimism. Then we missed the playoffs two straight years because, you know. But hey, we’re back!

The Double that saved baseball: October 8, 1995

But nothing, and I mean nothing, tops The Double. October 8, 1995. Edgar Martinez. Two runners on. Yankees in town. Bottom of the 11th in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Edgar rips one down the line. Ken Griffey Jr. comes flying around third base like he’s being chased by the ghost of Yankees past. The slide, the call, the dogpile, the Yankees going home, and Baseball staying in Seattle.

Without that swing, there’s no Safeco Field, no T-Mobile Park, no tomorrow. Every Mariners fan of a certain age can close their eyes and hear Dave Niehaus’s call. If you can’t, are you really even from here?

Honorable mentions

Look, I only included The Double from 1995 because I didn’t want this to become a love letter to that single season. But for those of us who were here, 1995 was the year that turned us into forever fans, no matter how much pain that would eventually bring.

Everybody scores: October 2, 1995

Luis Sojo hits a ground ball to second base. Simple enough, right? Wrong. This is 1995 Mariners baseball. The ball hits something (the bag? divine intervention? the hopes and dreams of California fans?) and bounces over the second baseman’s head. By the time the Angels figure out what’s happening, Sojo is rounding third and sliding home for an inside-the-park grand slam.

“Everybody scores!” Rick Rizzs screamed, and suddenly the Kingdome sounded like a jet engine. That tiebreaker game sent us to the playoffs for the first time in history. I still get chills thinking about 57,000 people refusing to leave, demanding a curtain call from a team that had just given us our first taste of October baseball.

Edgar’s grand slam saves the season: October 7, 1995

Game 4 of the ALDS, tied 6-6 to the Yankees in the eighth inning. Season on the line, facing elimination. Edgar Martinez said, “Not this time.” Bases loaded, Edgar connects, and I swear the Kingdome actually lifted off its foundation for a second.

I was there for this one, and I’ve never heard anything louder in my life. My ears rang for three days. Worth it. That grand slam didn’t just break the tie (which we’d go on to win 11-8); it sent a message that this team didn’t know how to quit. Still gives me goosebumps, and still the greatest live sports moment of my life.

Chris Bosio’s no-hitter: April 22, 1993

Before perfect games and playoff runs, before we knew what hope felt like, Chris Bosio threw the franchise’s first no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox on April 22, 1993. We weren’t great that year (finished 82-80, which felt like a miracle), but for one night, we were perfect.

A guy who threw 87-mph fastballs shut down a Red Sox lineup through sheer willpower and location. It was the most Seattle thing ever: unexpected, improbable, and absolutely perfect.

Griffey hits the warehouse: July 12, 1993

The 1993 All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Ken Griffey Jr. didn’t just win it; he turned it into his personal art exhibition. But the moment everyone remembers? When Junior became the first player to hit the B&O Warehouse beyond right field.

That ball traveled 465 feet on a rope, hitting a building that sat there untouched since 1905. They marked the spot with a plaque because that’s what you do when someone rewrites the laws of physics. Griffey made the rest of baseball realize what Seattle already knew: we had the coolest player on the planet, and he was just getting started. Every kid in Seattle spent that summer trying to hit their garage. Results varied.

The eagle has landed: April 5, 2018

Because this is Seattle and normal things don’t happen here, a bald eagle named Challenger decided to land on James Paxton during the national anthem in spring training. On March 24, 2018, in Minnesota. Paxton, to his credit, barely flinched, which is more than I can say for anyone watching.

This wasn’t technically a great baseball moment, but it was the most Seattle Mariners thing to ever Seattle Mariner. Nature literally chose us. If that’s not a sign from the baseball gods (or at least the bird gods), I don’t know what is. Paxton threw a no-hitter in Toronto a month later, so maybe the eagle knew something.

From the Kingdome to Safeco to T-Mobile Park, this team’s DNA is equal parts triumph and “well, there’s always next year,” but that’s what makes it ours. We’ve lived through the lean years (okay, decades), which makes these moments even sweeter.

Tomorrow, we get to add another chapter. Will it join this list? Will it end in heartbreak? Both? Nah. This is our year. That’s Mariners baseball, baby.

Can’t wait. Go Mariners.

What are your favorite Seattle Mariners moments? Did I miss any that should have made the list? Share your memories in the comments below!

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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That’s right. Drop the ban. The new Washington State University (WSU) report is clear. Bring back thin plastic bags. Charge a small fee, but end the ban.

Why? We’re using more plastic by weight. Creating more emissions. Paying eight cents for bags that used to be free. Next year, 12 cents.

Those thicker, “reusable” plastic bags only beat the thin ones if you reuse them multiple times; most people don’t. Most people I know use them once. I use them maybe twice, if you count my Great Dane Juno’s contribution.

How many people do you see at the grocery store reusing the thick bags at checkout?

I know what you’re thinking. “But Charlie, I bring a cloth bag all the time.” Good for you, but you’re the exception.

California has had this ban since 2016. Researchers watched shoppers. At a regular grocery store? Only 24% brought reusable bags. The rest bought new ones. Even at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, the eco-conscious stores, only about half of the customers brought their own bags.

Half. At the stores where people care most about this stuff. And in California.

The plastic bag ban is simply not working

So yes, some people are great about this. But most aren’t, and policies have to work for most people, not just the dedicated few.

By one estimate, before the ban, our annual pile of grocery bags would fill a single football field about 22 feet high. That’s it. Every bag. Every store. The whole state. Now with thick bags? That same single football field is 38 feet high. We nearly doubled it.

And Washington is big enough for more than 34 million football fields.

We’re going through all this hassle for one football field of plastic. And our solution made it worse.

State law is scheduled to push the minimum thickness to 4 mil. The study says don’t: Thicker means more plastic, more trucks, more pollution.

But here’s what gets me. The state agencies commissioned this study, got the results, and then attacked their own report. The agencies essentially stated that the data was too thin. The researcher shot back that they trashed it without offering any proof.

The Commerce and Ecology Departments got the science. They didn’t like it.

The researchers say bring back thin bags, charge a smaller fee, and skip the ban. That works.

Nobody’s against clean water and clean air. Nobody wants plastic in the ocean. My kids live here too, but this policy isn’t delivering that. It’s delivering the opposite. If you won’t listen to your own science, why commission it?

Follow the science was the rule. Until the science said they were wrong. Now it’s follow the science, asterisk, unless it contradicts our goals.

And that’s the commentary for Oct. 2. You can always weigh in. Shoot us a note on the text line (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment on MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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But let’s also stop pretending the small subset of violent protesters out there night after night are somehow the good guys. They’re not.

I’ve watched them up close in Seattle. They show up with recording equipment, even a smartphone, and they swarm you with umbrellas blocking your lens.

Multiple people, coordinated, aggressive. They grab your equipment, scream you’re “platforming fascism.” For what? Recording on a public street. They make sure you know you’re outnumbered. That you should leave. That documenting what they do won’t be tolerated.

The Pacific Northwest brings all types of journalists to these confrontations. Mainstream TV, radio, newspapers, and even reporters who are provocateurs and people trying to build an online brand. Antifa attacks them all.

But here’s what I’ve noticed. They claim to fight fascism. Watch who they target. Conservative journalists get swarmed. Women get cornered. Look at what they do to Brandi Kruse and Katie Daviscourt. Smaller people get shoved. Older reporters have 20-somethings screaming in their faces.

They know exactly who to surround. Who to intimidate. For people claiming to fight bullies, they sure act like them.

What about the local residents of Portland?

And then there are the neighbors. The people who actually live there. Most of them likely agree with the protesters’ politics. This is Portland, after all.

But tear gas drifts through their windows. Pepper spray burns their eyes while they’re trying to watch TV. Lasers and strobe lights flash into bedrooms. Kids can’t sleep. Parents wake up exhausted the next day.

Low-income residents, the elderly, and those with no means to relocate elsewhere. They’re trapped in nightly chaos they didn’t sign up for.

“You’re worse than ICE,” one resident told protesters.

Think about that. People who oppose ICE, who support immigrant rights, who should be your natural allies, are begging you to stop. Not because they disagree with the cause. Because they need to sleep. Because their kids have school. Because they have jobs in the morning.

Now, free speech doesn’t have a bedtime, I get that. But here’s reality: Nobody lying awake at 3 a.m. listening to your drums and air horns is thinking, “They’ve converted me.” You’re not building a movement. You’re building resentment.

Night after night. A hundred days and counting. The neighborhood has become their stage, and everyone living there is a captive audience who never bought a ticket.

Portland doesn’t need federal troops. Local police said they can handle this. Good. Handle it. Show us. Because right now, it looks like they are afraid to enforce even a noise ordinance because of the politics. Cracking down on demonstrators who are violent and intimidating doesn’t somehow mean you are in favor of President Trump’s immigration policies.

I will say again: protect speech. Stop violence. Let journalists work. Even the reporters with views you don’t like. Let the neighbors sleep at night.

That’s not too much to ask. It’s what we used to call … normal.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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We paid out $72 million in 2018. This year? More than half a billion, and now the state wants a $570 million bailout to keep the settlement fund afloat.

Before we go further, let’s be clear. A lot of these cases involve abuse of vulnerable kids and state caseworkers looking the other way. When the state fails a child in foster care, that child deserves compensation. When someone suffers because a state agency messed up, we owe them. No question.

Can we keep writing these checks without going broke?

Washington has some of the most generous liability laws in America. No caps on damages. Statutes of limitations that keep getting longer, or disappearing entirely. Courts keep expanding what the state’s responsible for.

The result? We’re staring at $2.5 billion in pending claims.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families alone has paid out $370 million in two years. Many cases date back to the 50s, 60s, and 70s. How do you defend against something that happened when Kennedy was president? The records are gone, and the witnesses are dead.

Meanwhile, we’re facing a budget deficit of about $240 million a year for the next four years. That’s roughly a billion dollars total. Let me say it another way: we’re paying out over $500 million a year in lawsuits. The lawsuit payouts are twice as big as the budget hole we’re trying to fill.

We’re collecting more taxes than ever, spending more than ever, and the math still doesn’t add up.

Here’s what other states do. They have damage caps, reasonable time limits for filing claims, and they compensate victims fairly without letting the costs destroy everything else.

I realize how this sounds. These are children who were abused. People whose lives were shattered by state negligence. They deserve justice. Absolutely.

But every dollar that goes to a lawsuit is a dollar that doesn’t go to protecting kids, schools, or mental health programs today. The very services meant to prevent future tragedies.

We’re paying so much for past failures, we can’t afford to prevent future ones.

That’s not justice, that’s a spiral

Washington needs reasonable reform. And let me be really clear here. I’m not saying don’t pay victims, I’m saying let’s find a reasonable cap. Something substantial enough that victims get what they deserve, but not so excessive that it bankrupts our ability to help people going forward.

Maybe that’s $1 million, $5 million, or even $10 million. Other states have figured out numbers that work. Numbers that say to victims, “We recognize the harm, we’re making it right,” without saying “the sky’s the limit.”

Some will say any limit on lawsuits hurts victims. I understand that view, but when the lawsuits bankrupt the programs that protect people, who does that help?

Let’s be reasonable. Pay what is right, not what is limitless. That is how we protect both justice and the budget.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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Look, we can argue. We can organize. We can vote. But hitting people with cars? Ripping up petitions? Defacing signatures? That’s not democracy. That’s vandalism dressed up as virtue.

Let’s Go Washington is operating within the legal framework of our politics. You might love their initiatives. You might hate them. Either way, the campaign and the ballot box are how you defeat them, not this.

We’re still waiting on details, but here’s what the initiative sponsor said is happening.

Federal Way

A car pulls up, someone throws red liquid all over the signature pages, a guy gets out and starts a physical altercation with the gatherer, then flees. Police have surveillance footage.

Yakima

A man threatens to go home and get a gun, repeating it again inside the store.

Spokane

A guy pretends he’s going to sign, then scribbles a big X across the whole petition page and walks off proud of himself. Tacoma: There’s video of a woman sobbing, begging an officer not to arrest her after she threw petitions in the trash. And get this: that officer was already there taking a report about somebody else stealing petitions. Another one in Tacoma: they say a woman ripped signature sheets from a gatherer’s hands, stole petitions, and hit an innocent bystander with her car as she fled the scene.

Bonney Lake earlier this month

A woman claiming to be a priest harasses a signature gatherer for minutes. Another day, the same gatherer has petitions stolen.

This isn’t spirited debate. It’s intimidation.

Here’s the thing. Under Washington law, signature gathering is protected speech. You interfere with it? That’s theft, malicious mischief, assault, maybe even hit and run. You disagree with what they’re doing? Fine. Refuse to sign. Say no, I think what you’re doing is wrong, and move along. But you don’t attack signature gatherers. You don’t steal their petitions.

Now imagine this scenario. Someone’s gathering signatures to support trans rights, and a conservative group attacks them or steals their signatures. We’d all be outraged, right? And we should be. It would be the top story on every news site in the state. The rule doesn’t change depending on whose team you’re on. Free speech means you’re going to hear things you don’t like in places you consider your community’s backyard.

These initiatives? You can argue whether they’re good or bad. You should argue. But argue. Don’t suppress. Don’t destroy.

You think these ideas are wrong for Washington? Then work your behind off to campaign against them. Talk to your neighbors. Donate. Volunteer. Beat them at the ballot box. That’s how you win and still keep faith with the system that lets all of us be heard.

I’m worried about where discourse is headed in this country. When every disagreement becomes some existential battle where winning is everything, that’s when norms collapse. That’s when people get hurt.

This ain’t the way to do it.

We can say no without turning it into a fight. And if we can’t? I dread to think where this goes next. So let’s protect the process. And let the voters decide.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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For me, that’s Rick Rizzs and Steve Raible.

I’m 50 now, but as a teenager, I can still remember Rick as the young sidekick to Dave Niehaus. I’d be in my room with the radio on, listening as Dave and Rick made the Griffey’s sound larger than life.

Then, over on Sundays, there was Steve Raible learning the ropes next to Pete Gross, losing his mind in the best way when Curt Warner found the end zone.

The difference between local and national broadcasting

That’s the thing about local sports play-by-play guys. National broadcasters are supposed to sound detached, impartial. That’s fine if you want neutrality, but local radio is different. Our guys don’t pretend. They’re allowed to cheer, shout, and cry. They feel the heartbreak, too. And they let us feel it with them.

That’s why, even now, I’ll go out of my way to make sure I hear them. Much to my wife’s dismay, I’ve been known to rig up all kinds of janky wiring in the living room so I can sync the TV picture with the radio call. Cords running everywhere, little speakers perched on the shelf. It looks ridiculous. I don’t do it all the time, but when I do, Ingrid just shakes her head. But I’ll take Raible or Rizzs every time over Aikman and Buck pretending to be objective about the Seattle Seahawks.

Radio is different, more personal, and more intimate. Rick and Steve don’t just describe games. They accompany us through life, and after forty years of broadcasting Seattle sports, these voices are more than just broadcasters; they’re family.

Think about it, you don’t invite Al Michaels or Tony Romo into your car every afternoon. You don’t let Greg Olsen sit next to you on a long drive or fill the kitchen while you’re grilling burgers in the backyard. But Rizzs and Raible? They’ve been right there, every summer night, every Sunday afternoon, every playoff run.

Raible got his moment

I was so happy when Steve Raible got his moment. Three Super Bowls, and the joy of calling a Seahawks championship. That will live forever.

And now? Maybe this is Rick’s year. The Mariners are red hot, October baseball is happening in Seattle, and you can feel that same energy we felt back in ’95. Rick’s been here through the highs and the heartbreaks. He’s given his life and his heart to this city, to this team, and to all of us who’ve listened along the way.

Maybe that’s why this feels so important, because if Rick finally gets his moment, it won’t just belong to him. It’ll belong to everyone who grew up with a radio under the pillow, or a car stereo crackling on late drives home. If October magic happens, his calls on those games will be stitched into Seattle’s history forever.

I hope he gets to call something unforgettable this fall. He deserves that. We deserve that.

Because voices like his don’t just narrate the games, they narrate our memories.

And this October, I’d like nothing more than for Rick Rizzs to call the game of his life.

And that’s the commentary for Sept. 26. You can always weigh in. Shoot us a note on the text line (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment on MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie