While KIRO host Ursula Reutin noted the letters could potentially be sent to people’s workplaces, KIRO host Gee Scott thinks that’s taking it too far, but would rather have the cars posted in the newspaper.

“Sending it to your job —I think that’s a bit too far. However, if you guys want to do, like back in Craigslist days, like if we missed each other, or help want it, and all that kind of stuff, just do something in The Seattle Times and put a section, post these cars right there so we can all see it,” Gee shared on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “I’d like that better than posting it and sending it to your job.”

“Whoa, wait, what — you want the ‘Dear John’ letter posted in the classifieds?” Ursula questioned.

“Oh yeah, have a link that we could go to so we can see all the people,” Gee replied.

“You think it’s going too far to go to the workplace, but you would put it out there for even more people to see than just your workplace?” Ursula asked again.

“Yeah,” Gee responded.

‘John Letters’ to ‘John of the month’?

His idea, instead of displaying a “student of the month,” is to have a “John of the month.”

“So every November 1, or every first of the month, we have a time where we talk about the ‘John of the month.’ Hey, this week’s ‘John of the month’ is Billy. Oh, Billy looks like he works at Boeing. And then, you know, we talk about it,” Gee quipped.

So far this month, the city has sent out at least 21 letters to drivers.

Seattle Police Department (SPD) Detective Maurice Washington explained that sex trafficking relies on demand.

“It’s a billion-dollar industry, it’s a $56 billion industry in the U.S. alone,” Washington told KIRO 7.

Ursula agreed that action needs to be taken.

“I think it is an awful problem. I think that there are these young girls who are being taken advantage of on Aurora. And it’s just sickening,” she said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.

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. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie

SPD hiring back on track

SPD Chief Shon Barnes said the department is on pace to hire its 150th officer in the next couple of days.

“The people want to come here and work. They want to come here and be a part of what we have going on in the Seattle Police Department,” Barnes told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

He added that the department is not losing as many officers to other agencies, but instead, officers are retiring.

“We’re not seeing as many. I think we’ll definitely see a higher net. My goal is a net of 100 for this year. Last year, we had a net of one. So if you do the percentage markup, that’s better,” Barnes shared.

Police drones in Seattle next?

Moving on to the topic of drones, as the Redmond Police Department currently uses the technology to nab suspects, Barnes sees the need for the crafty devices in Seattle.

“With FIFA coming up, we’ll have drone detection systems up, obviously, and some of our partners, especially those that are assigned to FIFA, federal partners, will have drones that are up,” he explained. “And it’s just about keeping people safe, being able to see what that call is or what it is not.”

However, he did acknowledge that residents could have privacy concerns.

“Every city has a different tolerance for technology, and so we have to see what the tolerance for technology here is in Seattle,” he said.

Seattle police chief makes case for CARE team

As for responding to a crime, Seattle is expanding its Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) team. The CARE Department is Seattle’s third branch of public safety and operates the 911 Communications Center and the Community Crisis Responder (CCR) Team, according to the city’s website.

However, critics worry the CARE team may be ill-equipped to handle dangerous 911 calls.

Barnes noted that when someone calls the 911 center, which is no longer operated by police, the responders go through a list of questions to assess the situation. One of those questions is if there are any dangerous weapons involved. If the answer is no, then the CARE team will be dispatched.

“For most calls, you go to them, it could be nothing, and then you’re like, ‘Why am I here?’, CARE team could help. Or you could go to calls and it comes out as nothing, and then it turns quickly, but they all have the capability to give us a call, or get on the radio, or not intervene at all if they think it’s going to be dangerous,” Barnes explained.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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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SPD currently has 1,200 sworn officers and 631 civilian employees, according to the city’s website. That’s up from only having 424 active officers, the lowest staffing levels since at least 1957, in April 2024.

“Numbers are up. It’s a good thing. It’s amazing what a contract can do,” Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the City of Seattle reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the SPOG, which represents all Seattle police officers.

Under the agreement, police officers will receive a retroactive pay increase of 6% for 2024 and 4.1% for 2025. Officers will get an additional 2.7% increase in 2026, and the 2027 increase will range from 3% to 4%, depending on the Consumer Price Index.

Solan told KIRO host John Curley the two typically go without a contract for around three years, but this time it was over 12 years before a deal was made.

“To me, it’s unacceptable. But I credit the Harrell administration for recognizing that we’re in a public safety quagmire, as I usually refer to it, and they thought outside the box, and they got serious at the table. And we did as well, our contract team, and we put a deal together that I think the constituents across the city will want to have more cops,” he said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above. 

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jcurleyshow

Topics ranged from Harrell’s plans for the city and his campaign against Katie Wilson to a more personal look into why he’s running for re-election.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell addresses public safety comment

Gee brought up a comment from Harrell that caught national attention regarding his stance on repeat offenders.

In a previous debate, Harrell was asked whether, if someone offended six, seven, or eight times, at what point should they take accountability. He responded that when someone is committing that many crimes, he wants to find out their story and that he had “no desire to put them in jail.”

To answer Gee, Harrell said he was excluding felony crimes in his response.

“When I’m hearing six or seven offenses, I’m thinking petty offenses, at which point I said that we, as a city, need to understand why this person is committing that offense,” Harrell said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Police officers in schools could be an opportunity

Another controversial topic in Seattle has been the presence of police officers in schools. Harrell sees it as an opportunity for kids to have mentors and, therefore, prevent crime.

“One reason why I’m pushing for that is that a lot of these kids are experiencing trauma, and maybe they’ll bring a gun to school and put it in a locker because they’re walking around with untreated trauma,” he said. “Maybe they could look at an officer, someone that’s in safety, and that officer could have the skill set to come to develop that trusting relationship.”

A faith-based approach to cleaning up the streets

As for cleaning up the streets, the mayor is looking at a faith-based approach.

“We invested in a pilot downtown where a lot of people who are destroying themselves with fentanyl, and I said, ‘Let’s try a faith-based approach,’ because they might be able to get sheltered, they might be able to be kind, but they look in the mirror and they don’t see someone worthy of love. So that’s another strategy that we’ve employed,” he explained.

Harrell noted that he has spoken with mayors in other cities about what they’re doing to address the drug crisis.

“We are leading the way in our approaches, not following other cities,” Harrell shared. “You’ve been to other cities — you see how devastating some of their downtowns are. So we’ll try faith-based mentoring, everything that can help.”

‘A recipe for disaster’: Harrell comments on Wilson’s approach

Looking at challenger Katie Wilson’s approach, Harrell said there is nothing to get excited about.

“When my opponent talked about building 4,000 shelters, through the city, for emergency shelter for people to live in, her proposal is to take the very same money that we achieve through a $970 million levy for people, for teachers, for social workers, for baristas — that affordable housing chunk that we’re spending a billion dollars for — she’s talking about taking that and putting homeless people in those units that are earmarked, in the vacancies for those folks, without wraparound services — that is a recipe for disaster — and that is playing a short game with long term potential to be devastating,” he remarked.

Harrell said he has worked with other cities in King County to address homelessness, but will not shy away from ending the current funding model.

“What I’m doing right now, I have a motion that I’ve submitted to that board to say, ‘You have to become a regional approach. You have to put in resources, and it could be land, not just money, and if you don’t, we could terminate this deal,'” he explained. “So I’m prepared next year to either terminate their relationship or make sure that it’s regionalized, but this prolonged, ineffective model is unsatisfactory.”

Who is Bruce Harrell?

But beyond policy decisions, Baldwin asked who Bruce Harrell is as a person and what drives his decisions.

“Quite candidly, I’ll own it, but I think I’ve been scrutinized probably more than any mayor in recent history,” Harrell responded.

For example, Harrell said, a person on the far right called him lazy.

“He doesn’t have a clue as to how hard I work,” he expressed. “Everyone around me knows that, because I love it, it’s not even work when you love it.”

However, Harrell’s closing message targeted what he sees as Seattle’s missing middle.

“I have learned that there’s that missing swath of people, that middle swath of people, that need to be heard, they needed to be felt like they’re heard, and that, yes, I’ve been in a position of power, but they have to be convinced that not only am I the right person for the job, but I’m the right person for them,” he said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.

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. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie

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

“It’s incredibly damaging to public safety,” Attorney General Brown. “It’s creating a lot of fear… and I think we need to do more to keep people safe.” 

Brown expressed deep concern about the tactics used in the arrest during a segment on the “Gee and Urusla Show” on KIRO Newsradio. 

Brown went on to explain that while immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, the manner in which it’s being carried out matters deeply. His office is now pushing for stronger protections for immigrant families and workers across Washington.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.

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

“Give them the dang money,” Gee said. “I’m not against the police. And we’re talking about the city of Seattle. I’d argue that when it comes to activity, the city of Seattle has a lot of activity.”

During a segment on The Gee and Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio, co-host Gee Scott emphasized his support for the deal.

The contract also includes retroactive raises for 2024 and additional increases through 2027. Once the agreement is fully implemented, a rookie with about a year and a half on the job could earn around $132,000 annually, not including overtime or bonuses.

In addition to salary increases, the agreement expands the city’s care team—civilian crisis responders who handle certain 911 calls that do not require police officers. Supporters argue that the raises will help Seattle attract and retain officers in one of the country’s most expensive cities.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

After the Mariners fell to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Kiro Radio Reporter Luke Duecy paid tribute to an unforgettable season with a special feature shared on social media.

“I’m proud of how far we got…there’s still a lot of promise for the M’s, and win or lose, always be a fan, and someday it will be our turn,” Duecy said.

As fans look forward, one thing is clear. The Mariners are not just a team; they are a community, a promise, and a source of joy that transcends the scoreboard. Win or lose, this season reaffirmed that Seattle will continue to dream, cheer, and rally behind the M’s. And someday, that long-awaited World Series celebration will come.

Watch the full feature video above.

According to StubHub, a few premium seats are currently priced at $1 million each. 

During a segment on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, co-host Gee Scott said that he was shocked by the prices.  

“The most I have heard about someone paying for a ticket was a little over $25,000,” Gee said. “These prices for the World Cup, oh, my goodness, four left at $1 million each!”

While most locals agree that the World Cup will bring a major economic boost, these early resale prices raise real concerns about accessibility.

Many Seattle sports fans who were just gearing up to pay four figures for Mariners playoff tickets are now wondering whether they’ll be able to experience one of the biggest events in their own city.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Chris-King Sidney will be part of a group of 60 others running more than 3,675 feet below sea level — more than twice the length of the Empire State Building —  in the Garpenberg Zinc Mine in Sweden on October 25.

The underground challenge will be Chris’ first marathon, begging the question: why this one?

“Well, I’ve never done one before. I’ve done a half before. I used to run cross country when I was in high school, and I figured, kind of bit of a bucket list thing. Why not?” Chris shared on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Do one, and this will be one and done. I don’t plan on doing another one. And if I’m going to do one, I might as well do something that’s a little bit crazy.”

He added that a large part of the event is to raise money for charity and spread awareness around mine safety. Chris said while mining has gotten a bad safety reputation, it’s actually an “incredibly safe profession.”

“A bit of what we’re trying to do here is to raise awareness around the safety of mining and the importance of mining for just our global economy and energy transition, and where it’s going,” he shared.

During the record attempt, the group will face temperatures of up to 86 degrees, will be in total silence, and will only have their head torch for light.

“We have headlamps that are affixed to the top of our helmets. We have high viz reflective shirts and socks, and everything so that we can be seen. We have transponders on our helmets, should something ever happen. And at the beginning of the run, there will be a sort of a staging area where there will be some lamps that are set up so that you can see. And there’s a turnaround point, because it’s not that we’re doing 26 miles all in one direction. It’s about a four-kilometer loop,” Chris explained.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

The staggering future deficit mainly stems from setbacks in student learning. The study revealed a significant global learning shortfall from the pandemic that needs to be addressed.

Researchers explained a combination of masks, testing, social distancing, and targeted shutdowns could have cut the pandemic’s cost from $4.6 trillion to $1.9 trillion.

KIRO Newsradio spoke with one of the authors of that study, Adrian E. Raftery, a Professor Emeritus of Statistics and Sociology at the UW.

Raftery said that during the pandemic, the data on the number of infections and the systems in place to track it were not good in the United States. He hopes that leaders invest in ways to improve health data collection, so we are ready for the next pandemic.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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“For me, success looks like consistency. If you want to be successful, you have to do what it takes to be successful every day, the things you don’t want to do… showing up for people, empowering the people who are actually doing the work out there,” Barnes explains.

Barnes appeared on the “Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio to discuss what future policing in Seattle will look like.

In Barnes’ vision, success goes beyond numbers or statistics. It means a city where officers and community members collaborate, trust grows every day, and public safety is built through steady effort, careful planning, and strong partnerships.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

KIRO host Jake Skorheim shared his own experience with a food vendor outside the stadium.

“My son and I went to a Mariners game, like, a month and a half ago, and we walked right by one, and I see this guy, he’s like, flinging up hot dogs. He’s pulling hot dogs out of a backpack, shoving them on the grill. And I’m thinking to myself, there’s just no way that this is a safe way to store food,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

According to KING 5, there has been a surge in illegal food carts, with King County shutting down 27 carts in 2023, but then shutting down 111 in 2024 — a 300% spike.

“They’re not licensed, they’re not legal, they’re not healthy,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill remarked.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

After taking the lead in a poll over Mayor Bruce Harrell, Katie Wilson started laying the groundwork for her potential administration.

“We’ve been doing a lot of serious work to make sure that I’m going to be ready to step into office and lead from day one,” Wilson told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday.

Harrell recently claimed Wilson lacks the experience to become mayor, saying she has “zero housing experience” and has “done no work in the sector.”

Meanwhile, Wilson sees the homelessness crisis as a housing issue.

“There’s lots of homeless people in Seattle who work full-time jobs, and they might live in their vehicle, or they might even live in a tent, but housing is so expensive that it’s just really hard to afford that. That’s more of an issue here,” Wilson shared.

And really, if we look at it, we’ve had this tech boom for the last 10, 20 years, we’ve had population growth, and our housing stock hasn’t grown to match, and that’s really driven up rents. It’s really driven up home prices, and so we have a much worse homelessness crisis here as a result,” she continued.

Wilson said building more housing comes down to Seattle’s land use and zoning laws.

“One of the things that we can do, that I’m interested in, is expanding the number of neighborhood centers around the city, and so those are areas where, kind of like neighborhood business districts — you’re allowed to build higher, you’re allowed to build more multi-family housing. There’s a lot of things we can do in our land use and zoning laws to make it possible for the private market to build more housing in the great neighborhoods all over the city. And we absolutely need to do that,” she explained.

When asked about deterring homeless people from other cities from coming to Seattle, Wilson said she doesn’t think that’s the right approach.

“Certainly within King County, it’s true that a lot of people who become homeless in other cities end up coming to Seattle because that is where lots of the services are. That is where a lot of the shelter is — and so we do need those other cities to step up — but I don’t think that trying to take a hard line here in Seattle on not helping people who become homeless somewhere else is the right way to do that,” she said.

Watch the full discussion in the conversation above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jcurleyshow

Legendary Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs recapped how proud he is of the team, his favorite moment throughout the season, and what’s on deck for next year on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio.

“Oh, what a year. It was the best year on the field in the history of the franchise. But it came to a disappointing end a few nights ago in Toronto,” Rizzs said. “They were just so close they could touch it, and that’s the hard part to deal with. They were just one win away from playing in the World Series.”

Mariners finish among the top teams in the league

As Rizzs looked back on the Mariners’ journey towards the postseason and deep, hard-fought battle through it, he couldn’t help but take a moment to recognize the Mariners as one of the premier teams in baseball.

“At the very end of the year, the last few days of the season, there are only three teams left standing. The Mariners were one of those three teams, and I think we have to take a lot of pride in that,” Rizzs said. “It was a remarkable season by this baseball team, and one that I’ll never forget. A tremendous year by this baseball team.”

The Mariners’ 2025 season was filled with favorable moments, including Catcher Cal Raleigh’s record-breaking home run totals and Home Run Derby crown, and Gold Glove nominee Julio Rodriguez’s fourth straight 20 home run, 20 stolen base season, but one shining moment stood alone for Rizzs.

“Jorge Polanco’s base hit in the bottom of the 15th inning to win the Division Series and send the Mariners to the American League Championship was, in my mind, the biggest moment. It kept the season alive, you know?” Rizzs said. “47,000 fans going crazy in T-Mobile Park was so much fun. There were so many great moments this year, but that stands out.”

While the team heads toward a brief off-season and prepares to report for Spring Training in February, co-host Charlie Harger asked Rizzs if we will hear him back in the broadcast booth for the Mariners’ highly anticipated 2026 campaign.

“Oh yeah, oh yeah, I’m coming back. It’s been a great run, and the best thing that has ever happened to me was Dave Niehaus,” Rizzs said. “I got here in 1983 as a young broadcaster. David liked my tape, and it was the greatest thing in the world that happened to me. I got a chance to raise my family and grandkids here because of David,

“I’ve had an incredible run. I love this organization and the fans. The fans have been so great to meet,” Rizzs continued. “You’re talking to a 71-year-old guy who’s living his dream, and I hope everybody has a chance to say that someday about what they do for a living. I love this game, and yeah, I’ll be back.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “Seattle’s Morning News” with Charlie Harger and Manda Factor weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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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