There are many ways to celebrate the summer solstice

Friday in Gig Harbor is the fourth annual Gig Harbor Make Music celebration. This summer solstice celebration will have concerts all over the place, on the streets, sidewalks and parks. The event is free and kicks off with a parade at noon. Get more details on Make Music Day’s website.

The Fremont Fair is back on Saturday and Sunday. This summer kick-off party will have a craft market, lots of local food, live music and of course the Fremont Solstice Parade. The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and according to the event website, the parade will have over 60 community-based ensembles. More information and the parade route is available on Fremont Fair’s website.

Celebration awaits: Sunshine, warm temps for Seattle’s summer solstice

This weekend is one of only two times a year the Pacific Bonsai Museum stays open past 4 p.m. The Summer Bonsai Solistace celebration will feature group Taichi & Qigong demonstrations, food trucks, a sound bath and breathing demos and of course Bonsai. The event goes from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is free, but a donation to the museum is encouraged.

Best women golfers are in Washington this weekend

The best women’s golfers in the world are here in Washington this weekend. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is underway and if you want to see some of the best in the world compete on the links, head to the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish. The opening rounds have already happened but you can get details and tickets on KPMG Women’s PGA Championship’s website.

At Lakewold Gardens in Lakewood, it is Fairy Fest. Explore the gardens while taking part in fairy-themed family activities, art projects, live music and dancing, storytelling and lots more. Fairy Fest runs all Saturday and Sunday, you can get tickets and more details on Lakewold Gardens’ website.

The Festal program continues at the Seattle Center. This weekend, it is the Seattle Iranian Festival, celebrating Iranian culture and more with dances, a vocal performance from the Seattle Iranian Choir and other musical performances, a cooking demo and more. This is another free event and you can visit Seattle Center’s website for more details.

‘A necessary tool for community survival:’ Buskarama brings joyful melodies to Seattle

Capitol Hill hosts Pride March and Rally

Pride celebrations are continuing, and at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, there is the Pride March and Rally. This march is done in remembrance of Stonewall and in addition to the march, the event will have guest speakers, live music and the doggie drag costume contest. Things get started at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with the march starting at noon. More information is available on Capitol Hill Pride Festival’s website.

Saturday at the Rainer Beach Community Center it is the 23rd Annual Atlantic Street Center’s Juneteenth celebration. There will be resources to learn more about Juneteenth and the various local organizations. There will also be live music, a wide variety of performances, vendors and free food, while supplies last. The fun starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Rainer Beach Community Center.

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.

Kiefer Sutherland, the actor’s son, confirmed his father’s death Thursday. No further details were immediately available.

“I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film,” Kiefer Sutherland said on X. “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that.”

The tall and gaunt Canadian actor with a grin that could be sweet or diabolical was known for offbeat characters like Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s “M.A.S.H.,” the hippie tank commander in “Kelly’s Heroes” and the stoned professor in “Animal House.”

With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more… pic.twitter.com/3EdJB03KKT

— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 20, 2024

Before transitioning into a long career as a respected character actor, Sutherland epitomized the unpredictable, antiestablishment cinema of the 1970s .

Over the decades, Sutherland showed his range in more buttoned-down — but still eccentric — parts in Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” and Oliver Stone’s “JFK.” More, recently, he starred in the “Hunger Games” films. He never retired, working regularly up until his death. A memoir, “Made Up, But Still True,” was due out in November.

“I love to work. I passionately love to work,” Sutherland told Charlie Rose in 1998. “I love to feel my hand fit into the glove of some other character. I feel a huge freedom — time stops for me. I’m not as crazy as I used to be, but I’m still a little crazy.”

Born in St. John, New Brunswick, Donald McNichol Sutherland was the son of a salesman and a mathematics teacher. Raised in Nova Scotia, he was a disc jockey with his own radio station at the age of 14.

“When I was 13 or 14, I really thought everything I felt was wrong and dangerous, and that God was going to kill me for it,” Sutherland told The New York Times in 1981. “My father always said, ‘Keep your mouth shut, Donnie, and maybe people will think you have character.'”

Sutherland began as an engineering student at the University of Toronto but switched to English and started acting in school theatrical productions. While studying in Toronto, he met Lois Hardwick, an aspiring actress. They married in 1959, but divorced seven years later.

After graduating in 1956, Sutherland attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts to study acting. Sutherland began appearing in West End plays and British television. After a move to Los Angeles, he continued to bounce around until a series of war films changed his trajectory.

His first American film was “The Dirty Dozen” (1967), in which he played Vernon Pinkley, the officer-impersonating psychopathic. 1970 saw the release of both the World War II yarn “Kelly’s Heroes” and “M.A.S.H.,” an acclaimed smash hit that catapulted Sutherland to stardom.

“There is more challenge in character roles,” Sutherland told The Washington Post in 1970. “There’s longevity. A good character actor can show a different face in every film and not bore the public.”

If Sutherland had had his way, Altman would have been fired from “M.A.S.H.” He and co-star Elliott Gould were unhappy with the director’s unorthodox, improvisational style and fought to have him replaced. But the film caught on beyond anyone’s expectations and Sutherland identified personally with its anti-war message. Outspoken against the Vietnam War, Sutherland, actress Jane Fonda and others founded the Free Theater Associates in 1971. Banned by the Army because of their political views, they performed in venues near military bases in Southeast Asia in 1973.

Sutherland career as a leading man peaked in the 1970s, when he starred in films by the era’s top directors — even if they didn’t always do their best work with him. Sutherland, who frequently said he considered himself at the service of a director’s vision, worked with Federico Fellini (1976’s “Fellini’s Casanova”), Bernardo Bertolucci (1976’s “1900”), Claude Chabrol (1978’s “Blood Relatives”) and John Schlesinger (1975’s “The Day of the Locust”).

One of his finest performances came as a detective in Alan Pakula’s “Klute” (1971). It was during filming on “Klute” that he met Fonda, with whom he had a three-year-long relationship that began at the end of his second marriage to actor Shirley Douglas. Having been married in 1966, he and Douglas divorced in 1971.

Sutherland had twins with Douglas in 1966: Rachel and Kiefer, who was named after Warren Kiefer, the writer of Sutherland’s first film, “Castle of the Living Dead.”

In 1974, the actor began living with actress Francine Racette, with whom he remained ever after. They had three children: Roeg, born in 1974 and named after the director Nicolas Roeg (“Don’t Look Now”); Rossif, born in 1978 and named after the director Frederick Rossif; and Angus Redford, born in 1979 and named after Robert Redford.

It was Redford who, to the surprise of some, cast Sutherland as the father in his directorial debut, 1980’s “Ordinary People.” Redford’s drama about a handsome suburban family destroyed by tragedy won four Oscars, including best picture.

Sutherland was overlooked by the academy throughout most of his career. He was never nominated but was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2017. He did, though, win an Emmy in 1995 for the TV film “Citizen X” and was nominated for seven Golden Globes (including for his performances in “M.A.S.H.” and “Ordinary People”), winning two — again for “Citizen X” and for the 2003 TV film “Path to War.”

“Ordinary People” also presaged a shift in Sutherland’s career toward more mature and sometimes less offbeat characters.

His New York stage debut in 1981, though, went terribly. He played Humbert Humbert in Edward Albee’s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” and the reviews were merciless; it closed after a dozen performances.

A down period in the ’80s followed, thanks to failures like the 1981 satire “Gas” and the 1984 comedy “Crackers.”

But Sutherland continued to work steadily. He had a brief but memorable role in Oliver Stone’s “JFK” (1991). He again played a patriarch for Redford in his 1993 movie “Six Degrees of Separation.” He played track coach Bill Bowerman in 1998’s “Without Limits.”

In the last decade, Sutherland increasingly worked in television, most memorably in HBO’s “Path to War,” in which he played President Lyndon Johnson’s Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford. For a career launched by “M.A.S.H.” it was a fitting, if ironic bookend.

The summer solstice is also the beginning of astronomical summer, more commonly called the start of the summer. After June 20, days will gradually get shorter heading to the autumn equinox in late September.

Previous coverage: Rain Monday, Summer solstice season in Seattle to follow

Throughout human history, many have observed the summer solstice with celebrations and rituals. For instance, ancient Greeks marked the solstice as the start of the New Year and started the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic Games, true to this day.

Ancient European pagans welcomed the solstice with bonfires amid hopes of a good fall harvest. Bonfires were also associated with magic, banishing evil spirits and often led maidens to future husbands.

Stonehenge in the south of England is aligned with the direction of sunrise on the summer solstice – one of many theories about the purpose of this megalith monument where thousands gather each year to commemorate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Many Native Americans participated in solstice rituals still practiced today. For example, The Sioux perform a ceremonial Sundance while wearing symbolic colors.

Many still celebrate the summer solstice. Parades and festivals are the most common. In Northern Europe, bonfires are lit and homes are decorated with garlands. In parts of Scandinavia, people dance around Maypoles.

Seattle has one of the more free-spirited summer solstice parades in the country – the Fremont Solstice Parade. The 33rd annual parade is Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. More than 60 community-based ensembles are expected to be part of the parade starting from 3rd and Leary Way and finishing on North 35th Avenue near the Seattle Art Cars. In addition to the parade, two music stages of live local bands will be a part of the festivities, along with many booths with handmade goods and art, fair food and more.

From 2023: Will summer solstice feel like summer in Seattle?

The weather expected for Saturday’s parade will offer plenty of warm sunshine with high temperatures cracking the 80-degree mark. Sunscreen and other sun protective wear will be needed including wide-brimmed hats.

On Thursday’s summer solstice, all can celebrate the start of summer with the summer weather outlook offering a good chance of warmer and drier conditions into September – something many can also celebrate following a cool damp Father’s Day weekend.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.

AP also reports that since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.

With the day off, many people may decide to do some shopping. But what’s open during the holiday?

Banks, post offices closed

According to USA Today, banks and post offices will be closed, along with the stock market.

Major companies still open

However, companies such as Target, Walmart, Starbucks and Costco are still open.

• Walmart is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Costco is open 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Target is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Starbucks is open 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Safeway is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Trader Joe’s is open 9 a.m. t o 9 p.m
• QFC is open 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Pharmacies, clinics

Most pharmacies are still open.

• Walgreens is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Rite Aid is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

However, all University of Washington primary care clinics are closed.

Eating out?

Mostly all Seattle-area restaurants are open at their normal hours, as are clothing stores.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email her here.

Davin Steadman, co-founder of Buskarama, said it’s an opportunity for the community.

“My favorite thing about Buskarama was I saw the opportunities with my fellow craft people and fellow musicians and saw how the stories of how great the busking scene was at its peak in the 90s, the energy, and because of certain economic situations, the change from cash to credit, we’re not seeing the same level of participation,” he told KIRO Newsradio.

“I love the idea that we’re starting something new, that its past present, future and we’re honoring the past,” he added.

Weekend revelry roundup: Father’s Day, skating, yoga and more!

Jim Page is an icon in the busking community. He is someone who has spent his life not only telling his stories through song but fighting to give opportunities for those to do the same. He said events like Buskarama help spread the word.

“It’s the visibility and opens doors to possibilities to everybody, everybody from the 10-year-old drummer to someone my age who’s been doing it for a long time,” Page told KIRO Newsradio.

Busking is a thousand-year-old craft

He added that busking has been around for thousands of years.

“You come from the community, you perform to the community, for the good of the community and then you go back into the community,” Page said. “It’s a necessary tool for community survival.”

While busking is allowed at the market, there are still some factors those looking to perform need to consider, such as getting a license.

However, Stedman said once through the process, the market is a great place for artists to thrive.

“The Pike Place Market has been a musical opportunity for hundreds of musicians to hone their skills and be heard,” he said

Buskers navigate a cashless world

One thing buskers are figuring out? Navigating an increasingly cash-free world.

“I think people need to understand the buskers that are there next to you at Starbucks are there providing a service and they’re not necessarily associated with some of the struggles were trying to fix in our city,” Stedman said.

However, he also noted that a lot of buskers are “in a situation of desperation.”

“So how do we make it so regular people can go show up and be seen as artists and creators and find a way for people to feel comfortable giving their cards,” he added.

Page said lately they have been using a QR code for cashless payments.

‘Part of our legacy’: ‘Boys in the Boat’ rower’s family yearns to bring gold medal home

Busking comes down to ‘connection’

However, singer Hannah Rames worries about the barriers that phones create between the artist and the audience because the connection is key.

“That busking experience is so much connection. It is being in the moment with somebody it is saying what is on the mind in that moment, it’s reacting to what’s happening in that moment,” she told KIRO Newsradio.

If you are looking to try out busking, you can get more information on the license process at Pike Place Market’s website and once you do decide to get out and play?

“Don’t quit. Start learning the ropes,” Page said.

Find your next favorite artist this weekend at Buskarama, Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pike Place Market and don’t miss the busker showcase at the Rabbit Box at 7:30 p.m.

Contributing: Julia Dallas and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.

The buskers will be back and out on Saturday at Pike Place Market for Buskarama. It runs all day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there will be 15 spots around the market where people will be telling their stories and singing their songs. There’s also a busker showcase at the Rabbit Box at 7:30 p.m., you’ll need a ticket for that.  To learn more, visit Veterans of the Arts’ website.

Other news: Trader Joe’s to open new location in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood

If you love Meryl Streep, then you will want to head to the Grand Cinema in Tacoma this weekend. Starting Friday and going through Sunday it is Meryalthon! This fundraising event will feature a new film each night, as well as receptions, Q+As, costume contests, a pun slam and plenty more. According to the event website, “It is part of the cinema’s broader ‘Save the Grand’ fundraising campaign, which seeks to raise enough money to purchase ownership of the building.” Get showtimes and more details on all the fun on Save the Grand’s website.

At Judkins Park on Saturday, it is the Northwest African American Museum’s Annual Skate Party. This year will be a Juneteenth celebration with music and food, plus, if you need some wheels, skates will be available to rent. The museum will be open all day for visitors as well! The skate party runs from noon until 5 p.m. at Judkins Park. More details are available on the Northwest African American Museum’s website.

Take some time for yourself and focus on finding your balance at the 10th International Day of Yoga celebration. This takes place on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. There will be a guided yoga session and a chance to meet fellow yoga enthusiasts. All skill levels are welcome and you can find details on the Seattle Art Museum’s website.

Celebrating Father’s Day in Western Washington

This weekend is the Edmonds Art Festival, just in time for Father’s Day on Sunday. Over 200 artists will be showing off their creations and those are just the booth artists, hundreds more artists will be showcased in galleries at the festival, including student work. There will also be live music and food. You can find out more on the Edmonds Arts Festival’s website.

‘Part of our legacy’: ‘Boys in the Boat’ rower’s family yearns to bring gold medal home

In Western Washington, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the fathers or father figures in your life. There are brunches, tennis tournaments, BBQs and more. I’d recommend just doing a quick search online of Father’s Day events in my area. I bet you will find plenty.

The first-place Mariners are also in town this weekend, taking on the Texas Rangers in a big-time divisional matchup. Friday is fireworks night at T-Mobile Park and on Sunday they will be giving away special Cal Raleigh seat cushions, as well as celebrating youth softball and fastpitch! Get all your information on the Seattle Mariners’ website.

Get out and enjoy yourselves this weekend and as always if you know of even more cool things going on in the area, Let me know at PaulH@kiroradio.com.

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.

John White died in March 1997, according to Olympedia. His Olympic memorabilia was passed down to his family and his gold medal was subsequently displayed in the UW boathouse next to rower Joe Rantz’s medal. The university currently gives guided tours so that the public can revel in the accomplishments of a local team.

But then one day, at the beginning of the year, John White’s medal was pulled from its case, and with it, a part of the inspiration was snuffed out of the boathouse.

Rower John White’s gold medal goes up for auction

John White’s medal wound up in the hands of his grandson, Collin White, and in April, he put the medal up for auction. The medal was listed at a starting bid of $10,000 with Grey Flannel Auctions. From there, a press release from the company landed in the inbox of MyNorthwest, detailing that the medal was being auctioned with a “letter of provenance” from the White family.

In May, shortly after MyNorthwest published a story on the medal being auctioned, Colby White, Collin White’s brother and the first grandson of John G. White, and his wife Lorry White, reached out to MyNorthwest. In an abrupt email, they each relayed the medal was being auctioned without the consent of the family.

Colby White told MyNorthwest he found out about the auction through other family members who saw the story on KIRO 7. Initially, he thought it was a scam. How could their family keepsake be auctioned without them knowing?

“Everybody was shocked that he would do something like that,” Lorry White said.

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Colby White shared the medal is a historic family heirloom that keeps them close to his late grandfather. They said the thought of it being stored away with a stranger as a mere collectible was devastating.

“Never has my husband talked about ownership. It’s about having management of it so it’s not stuck in one person’s hands for 20 years and nobody can see it. It’s about sharing and letting the family enjoy that history,” Lorry White said.

Colby White said he believes his grandfather would share the same sentiment.

“I think he would be mortified that some private owner would just have the medal somewhere,” he said.

Family members work tirelessly to stop auction

The pair immediately got to work to stop the auction, partnering with a pro-bono attorney who was a former rower at the UW.

Shortly before he found out, Colby White was hosting a screening of “The Boys in the Boat” on Lopez Island, in April, with a display of John White’s Olympic memorabilia.

Rower John White’s Olympic memorabilia displayed at a screening of “Boys in the Boat” on Lopez Island. (Photo courtesy of Lorry White, wife of Colby White)

“While we’re doing all this, anyway, so we found out and then it came to OK how are we going to stop this?” Colby White said.

Colby White said the decision to auction the medal was made by Collin White, their aunt and their father.

“The aunt wanted to sell at one time and everybody put up a stink. And then it was decided that Collin could be the keeper of it, and it wasn’t going to be sold because it meant so much to the family,” Lorry White said.

Colby White said he contacted his brother who said he would “check into it” but then as time went on, bids came in and the medal was still live on Grey Flannel Auctions’ website. Eventually, the company responded but told Colby White it couldn’t simply stop the auction.

After a grueling negotiation process — where at one point the family thought the only thing they could do was let it go to auction and make the highest bid — the auction house came to the conclusion that it would be $18,750 to stop the auction, explained Lorry White. She said Collin White eventually paid the money to stop the medal from being sold.

“The decision to remove John White’s gold medal from auction was due to a family dispute. At Grey Flannel Auctions, we prioritize respect and empathy above all else, and we stand by the White family during this challenging time,” Grey Flannel Auctions Director of Operations Michael Russek told MyNortwest in a statement.

We were happy to assist where we could, and we are pleased that the medal will be staying with the family. As a family-run business ourselves, we understand the multitude of emotions involved in auctioning off a piece of this magnitude,” he continued.

‘It’s part of our White family legacy’ historic medal coming home

However, even though the auction was halted and the medal returned to Collin White, it has yet to come home. As of Thursday, the medal is still in Arizona but Lorry White said the heirloom is making its way back to its Washington roots.

When it does return, Colby White said he’ll get the family together to approach his brother who according to Lorry White, has changed his mind multiple times on returning the medal. But in the hopeful event that he does return it, Lorry White said the family will have 90 days with the medal before loaning it back to the UW where it will be displayed next to Joe Rantz’s medal.

“I even think about being able to show it to our friends and show it to the grandkids, I mean, all of it. But to have it on display at the UW right now would be so … it’s just right. It just would be the right thing to do,” Lorry White said.

One can think of Indiana Jones’ famous line “It belongs in a museum.” And Lorry White said that’s what John White would have wanted.

“I think for him to have it on display at the UW, for the younger rowers, the alumni, rowers, and people who were thinking about rowing. I think he’d be thrilled,” she said.

Colby White added the story of triumph is part of what makes the memorabilia so special.

One of the suits worn by rower John White at the 1936 Olympics. (Photo courtesy of Lorry White, Colby White’s wife)

“It’s a part of our White family legacy. It’s our claim to fame. You tell the story to anyone and they just light up like ‘Wow, really? Jeez, that’s amazing,” he said.

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Lorry White then turned the camera, during the interview with MyNorthwest, to show John White’s oar hanging up in their house as a shining reminder of their family’s legacy.

“What an incredible feat, what an incredible man, any of those rowers to, to have done, back then, even to do what they did. And we live here, We live here with the Olympic oar right there on the wall. I mean, it is inspiring. It’s inspiring. And it’s really cool for me to know he came from that stock. It’s important. It’s important for the whole family,” she said.

Rower John White’s oar hangs in his grandson’s home. (Photo courtesy of Lorry White, wife of Colby White)

White family ‘exhausted’ but not ready to give up

Even though Colby White is afraid he might never get his grandfather’s medal back, he and his wife aren’t ready to give up.

“We were both really let down knowing that he changed his mind again, but we’re also exhausted, and the timeline to try to get a court injunction with the auction company just wasn’t gonna work. And so the only way I think that we’re going to be able to get it back is legally and I think it’s going to take an attorney,” Lorry White said.

“I don’t feel done,” she added.

MyNorthwest reached out to Collin White, who responded and then said he wanted to keep all communications off the record.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email her here.

The Seattle-based company said the new sum would go on top of the $2.2 billion it had already invested to help create or preserve 21,000 affordable housing units in three areas: the Puget Sound; Arlington, Virginia; and Nashville, Tennessee. When it launched its Housing Equity Fund in January 2021, Amazon said it aimed to fund 20,000 units over five years.

The additional money will go to the same regions with a goal of building or maintaining 14,000 more homes through grants and below-market-rate loans. To date, most of the funding went to non-profit and for-profit developers in the form of loans that allow Amazon to earn revenue through interest payments. Amazon said 80% of the units also benefited from government funding.

Like other tech companies that have made similar investments, Amazon launched its affordable housing fund following years of complaints that well-paid tech workers helped drive up housing costs in regions where their employers had set up major hubs.

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Housing advocates in cities like Seattle and San Francisco have long blamed an influx of corporate workers for driving up the demand for housing and pricing out long-time residents.

Alice Shobe, the global director of Amazon Community Impact division, said 59% of the units Amazon supported so far have been preservation projects that make use of existing housing. They include donations and loans to nonprofits and local government agencies that can purchase buildings and stabilize rents, or otherwise maintain naturally occurring affordable housing.

In addition to maintaining housing stock, such projects prevent private developers from remodeling apartment buildings and putting the units on the market at much higher prices, Shobe said in an interview.

“We’ve made a big difference in both the amount and quality of affordable housing in these three communities,” she said.

Amazon targets its investments to provide housing for individuals with low-to-moderate incomes, which the company defines as those earning 30% to 80% of a given region’s “area median income.” The company has said it wants to focus on what it calls the “missing middle,” a demographic that includes professionals like nursing assistants and teachers who don’t qualify for government subsidies but still struggle to pay rent.

In September, Amazon made a $40 million investment to drive home ownership in the three regions. But the rest of the money so far has gone toward apartment buildings.

The company previously received some criticism in Northern Virginia for neglecting the housing needs of people on the lower end of the income spectrum. Projects designed for such individuals are likely to require more government subsidies and take longer to complete, said Derek Hyra, a professor at American University and a founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Center.

Shobe said Amazon has worked to maintain a “mixed portfolio” without losing its focus on the missing middle. Currently, the company said most of the units it has supported serve households earning less than 60% of the area median income, which goes up to $82,200 for a family of four in Washington state’s King County, where Seattle is located.

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Companies like Amazon can help with the supply of affordable housing, but their money alone won’t do much to move the needle without significant investments from the federal government, according to Hyra.

“They have a good amount of money, but not enough money to solve the problem,” he said.

An internal Amazon memo that was leaked last year to the nonprofit labor organization Warehouse Worker Resource Center and posted online shows the company sees its philanthropy as a tool that can help it burnish its reputation.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the housing fund previously sat under Amazon’s government and corporate affairs division. However, it was moved to the company’s public relations arm when Jay Carney, Amazon’s former public policy and communications chief, left in 2022, the person said.

The store will be on the base floor of a six-story apartment building, occupying 13,486 square feet.

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Greenwood will be home to the company’s sixth Seattle location, with the others located in Capitol Hill, Ballard, Queen Anne, West Seattle and U-District. Trader Joe’s has previously attempted to build a grocery store in South Lake Union, but that project has since been delayed.

According to the public relations team at Trader Joe’s, there’s no official timeline for when it will be open to the public.

The project’s total cost is estimated at $1.75 million, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

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To see all the Trader Joe’s locations opening soon, visit their store tracker.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

Rare 7-foot fish washes ashore on the Oregon coast garners worldwide attention

A massive rare fish thought to only live in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere has washed up on Oregon’s northern coast, drawing crowds of curious onlookers intrigued by the unusual sight.

As The Associated Press explained, the 7.3-foot hoodwinker sunfish first appeared on the beach in Gearhart on Monday, the Seaside Aquarium said in a media release. It was still on the beach on Friday and may remain there for weeks, the aquarium said, as it is difficult for scavengers to puncture its tough skin.

Photos provided by the aquarium showed a flat, round, gray fish lying on its side in the sand. Photos of a person kneeling next to it, and another of a pickup truck parked next to it, gave a sense of its large scale and size.

The stir it has created on social media prompted a New Zealand-based researcher who has studied sunfish to contact the aquarium. After looking at photographs of the fish, Marianne Nyegaard was able to confirm that it was indeed a hoodwinker sunfish — rarer than the more common ocean sunfish — and said she believed it may be the largest such fish ever sampled, according to the aquarium.

Louisiana police officer wrangles python, alligator in the same week

One Louisiana police officer may not be a full-time reptile handler, but he certainly looked like one during two incidents late last month, as People explained.

On May 29, Officer Donald Aubrey of the Houma Police Department (HPD) successfully removed a small alligator that wandered into a school.

Thanks to Aubrey’s response, no people or the animal were harmed. The alligator was safely released back into the wild.

Just a few days earlier, on May 26, Aubrey responded to a call about a large snake on someone’s property. Aubrey was able to safely detain what was believed to be a python without harm. HPD suspects the snake may have escaped from a local owner. According to one local report, the snake was more than 12 feet long.

No one was injured during the wrangling and HPD turned over the snake to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for scientific study.

Both captures were posted on video and posted on the Houma Police Department Facebook page.

Aubrey says his fellow HPD officers gave him a new nickname, “reptile wrangler.” He has gladly accepted the name.

Bear interrupts a California man washing his dishes

As UPI explained in a story this week, a West Coast man completing a typical chore in the kitchen of his home was interrupted by a bear who not only was trespassing, but probably could have been charged with breaking and entering as well.

Jason Wightman said he was washing dishes at home in Sierra Madre, California, when he looked to the side and saw a bear in his doorway.

The home owner posted a video he captured to Facebook showing what was happening while also trying to shoo the bear out of his house and off his property.

“Hello, are you nice?” Wightman said in the video. “You’re in my house. Get out of my house.”

Wightman said bears are common in his area, but he was stunned to see one inside his home.

Quicksand doesn’t just happen in Hollywood. It happened in Maine

A Maine woman enjoying a walk on a popular beach learned that quicksand doesn’t just happen in Hollywood movies in jungles or rainforests, according to The Associated Press.

Jamie Acord was walking at the water’s edge at Popham Beach State Park over the weekend when she sunk to her hips in a split second, letting out a stunned scream. She told her husband, “I can’t get out!”

“I couldn’t feel the bottom,” she said. “I couldn’t find my footing.”

Within seconds, her husband had pulled her from the sand trap, the sand filled in, and the stunned couple wondered: What just happened?

It turns out that quicksand, known as supersaturated sand, is a real thing around the world, even in Maine, far from the jungle locations where Hollywood has used it to add drama by ensnaring actors.

Ohio arcade owner has world’s largest collection of pinball machines

The owner of an Ohio arcade recently was surprised to learn he is now a Guinness World Record holder after his daughter secretly counted his collection of 1,041 pinball machines and submitted the paperwork, according to stories from WKBN-TV and UPI.

Rob Berk, owner of Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio, earned a spot in the “Guinness World Records” book for owning the most pinball machines. The previous record was 1,000.

The process of confirming the record was intense and time consuming, with Rob Berk’s daughter, Reilly Berk, leading the charge.

Every machine needed to be photographed, videotaped, numbered and identified, Reilly Berk told WKBN-TV. Plus, no duplicates were allowed to be counted toward the record and Rob Berk has 400 duplicates.

In addition, they needed to be upright and operable. Not all of the machines were, so the staff at Past Times helped.

“But they basically built this contraption where they would open up the game, slide these four legs on it, take the picture, and take them off,” Reilly Berk said.

After waiting for months to get confirmation of the record, Reilly Berk and the Past Times staff surprised Rob Berk at a party marking the arcade’s first anniversary.

“I can’t hardly believe this. This is a great honor, Rob Berk said, according to WKBN-TV.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

‘Get Outside’ Day

Let’s start with an easy way to enjoy the great outdoors. Washington State Parks are celebrating National Get Outside Day and Go Fishing Day this weekend. Entrance fees to Washington State Parks have been waived Saturday and Sunday for everyone to enjoy all the natural beauty free of charge. Not bad when we are going to be flirting with 80 degrees this weekend.

More Seattle events: Celebrate Seattle’s 50th Pride anniversary!

The Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show

One of my favorite events of the year is back at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center all weekend long — it’s the 2024 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show in Tacoma!

Not only will there be high-stake pinball competitions, there will also be more than 400 games for folks to play as well as a showcase of the new John Wick-themed pinball machines. The event is run by volunteers who do an amazing job. Get details and tickets at its website here.

Seattle Pride Classic

At the Kraken Community Iceplex, it is the Seattle Pride Hockey Association’s 2024 Seattle Pride Classic. This 20-team tournament is free to spectate and will feature other events like a chance to skate with the Kraken’s Mascot Buoy as well as the “Pride Tape With A Pro,” a one-on-one NHL player, fan experience where they tape up your stick with pride-themed tape. Make sure to bring your tape!

Festivals and carnivals galore

Seattle’s International Dance Festival begins this weekend, running until June 16. There will be a different show each day with 20 various dance companies performing dances from across the world. This weekend’s performances will be focused on international dances as well as the new up-and-coming education series that is happening on Sunday. This series will have four Seattle dance studios highlighting their skills and competing for prizes.

On Saturday at the Seattle Center, it is the Indigenous People Festival as part of the Center’s Festal Program. This free event showcases dances, music, interviews and, of course, tasty food. The festival starts at 10 a.m. Saturday.

KIRO Newsradio opinion: Are you being asked to tip too much?

It’s going to be a perfect weekend to be out on the water, so why not check out the Seattle Dragon Boat Festival? Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at South Lake Union Park, there will be dragon boat races, lion dances, live drum performances and even an Elvis Presley tribute band. This event has free admission as well as food trucks.

On Airport Way in Georgetown, there will be a carnival — the Georgetown Carnival to be exact. There will be multiple stages of art projects, tarot card readings, vendors, art galleries, you name it! And it can’t be a carnival without fun games and a tribute to legendary local icon — J.P. Patches. Don’t miss out on all the fun in Georgetown from noon until 10 p.m.

More on JP Patches: J.P. Patches’ legacy lives on in the Pacific Northwest

Pride events throughout June

Pride celebrations continue this weekend! At the Beacon Hill Street Fair on Saturday, there will be the usual live music, vendors and art market, but there will also be Pride-themed programming like a pride flag installation ceremony, poetry workshops and a Make-Your-Own-Flag class! Get more details here.

Get outside and soak up that summer sun and if you know of even more cool things going on in the area, Let me know at PaulH@kiroradio.com

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.

“People are annoyed about tipping,” Bankrate Senior Analyst Ted Rossman told KIRO Newsradio.

The online financial service is out with a new survey on tipping. It found that about 6 in 10 Americans have a negative view about tipping and it’s getting worse.

“Thirty-five percent say tipping culture has gotten out of control. That’s up from 30%, last year,” Rossman said.

The survey found that Americans are feeling inundated with “tip creep-” or the increasing number of businesses now asking for tips.

“I was asked to tip at a self-checkout machine at Newark Airport. I’ve been asked to tip at a pick-your-own strawberry farm. I mean, some of this does feel like it’s gone too far,” he said.

There’s particular angst about the proliferation of tipping screens that pop up after you’ve handed someone your credit card or cash.

“Those tip prompt screens do annoy a lot of people, 34% say they’re annoyed about these pre-entered tip screens,” Rossman said.

He added the choices you’re offered often appear to be random. Customers may wonder why they’re being asked to choose between a 15%, 20% or 25% tip … and whether there will be any repercussions for opting not to pay a tip to the person handing them a pre-made sandwich at a gas station.

Interestingly, Rossman said, there ARE people who have no qualms about skipping tips. The difference is generational, with older Americans and women tending to tip the most.

“Young adults are the worst tippers, by far,” Rossman said. “In fact, two-thirds of GenZers fail to tip at least some of the time at a sit-down restaurant.”

He said it’s not just that younger people tend to have less money.

“A lot of young adults seem to have this kind of social justice view of tipping, as in, it’s not fair, so let’s not do it. And it’s true that tipping can be sexist or racist, unfortunately at times,” Rossman said.

However, Rossman believes you should tip for services where they are traditionally expected, including sit-down dining, taxis and hair services. Those tips are usually counted as part of the worker’s pay.

“If you’re failing to tip, you’re really hurting that worker much more than the business,” he said.

Nevertheless, people are tipping less often than they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During and immediately after the pandemic, there was this kind of groundswell of support for service industry workers, and people were tipping more generously,” he said. “I feel like that groundswell of support, though, has long faded.”

Heather Bosch is an award-winning anchor and reporter on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of her stories here. Follow Heather on X, formerly known as Twitter, or email her here.

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Pride kicked off with Seattle Pride in the Park, a free LGBTQIA+ festival, on June 1. LIVt headlined the mainstage, along with performances from Sera Cahoone, La Fonda, Day Soul Exquisite and more. Families could also participate in Drag Queen Storytime and fairy-wing decorating. GenPride also hosted an area designated for LGBTQIA+ seniors.

According to Why For Good, a marketing agency that partners with nonprofits, around 12,000 people came to celebrate throughout the day.

Seattle Pride in the Park at Volunteer Park on June 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Why For Good)

But Pride in the Park isn’t the only event happening this month. Seattle Pride Art Walk is happening in Pioneer Square at the RailSpur Building on June 5 from 5 to 10 p.m. The event is free and all ages.

Other news: Melinda French Gates to donate $1 billion over next 2 years in support of women’s rights

On June 7, the Seattle Symphony is playing Pride anthems at Benaroya Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.

Also happening this month is the Studio 54 Ball.

“Strike A Pose and Seattle Pride are joining forces to bring the community a PRIDE ball like never before. By celebrating 50 years of PRIDE, Strike a Pose and Seattle Pride welcomes the community to celebrate lived experiences, access community resources, and opportunity to uplift the SeaTac Ballroom community,” stated Seattle Pride’s website.

The ball is June 8 at the River Event Space with doors opening at 8 p.m. Ages allowed are 16 and up with ID. Ticket prices are $18 to $35 with proceeds going to support ballroom education and activities in the community.

Then to end the month, locals can watch the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30 in Westlake Park along 4th Avenue. The preshow starts at 10 a.m. to the parade steps off at 11 a.m.

However, new this year is the Official Seattle Pride Parade Drag Brunch and Viewing Party. The brunch will take place on the rooftop patio of Seattle’s Frolik Kitchen above the parade line from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be performances by Amora Namor, Brandi Marx and more. Tickets start at $80.

Elysian Brewing in Capitol Hill will also be hosting an event from June 29 to June 30. Those 21 and up can grab a drink at the Pride Beer Garden Oasis. The celebration will also offer free permanent tattoos and music from local DJs from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Local sports teams are also recognizing Pride. The Seattle Mariners are celebrating on June 1 and 13. The Seattle Reign FC is celebrating on June 23 and the Seattle Storm on June 29.

This year’s Seattle Pride theme reflects the city’s first Pride in 1974

As 2024 marks the 50th anniversary since people gathered publicly in Seattle “as an act of collective resistance” the theme of the parade is “Now!” according to Seattle Pride’s website.

“Their purpose was clear: to expel shame and to stand in defiance of those who wished to keep us hidden and disempowered. They were no longer willing to wait, no longer willing to hide, no longer willing to be denied the right to exist,” the website states.

“This anniversary is a powerful opportunity to reflect on the unwavering resilience of our community, both living and ancestral. Our theme for 2024 is an embodiment of our 1974’s community echoing cry: NOW! This word transcends time, encompassing our past, grounding us in the present, and propelling us into the future,” it continues.

Last year: Seattle Pride says 2023 theme celebrates community as ‘one big, beautiful, extravagant galaxy’

Mayor Bruce Harrell talked about his excitement in a letter published in Seattle Pride’s magazine. He also noted the “enduring struggle for justice, freedom and equal rights.”

“The hateful rhetoric and legislation that we’ve seen too often in too many parts of the country stands in direct opposition to this vision. My administration will continue to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community,” Harrell stated.

The Pride Parade, Pride in the Park and other pride events are produced by the Seattle Out and Proud Foundation (Seattle Pride) nonprofit.

“We are excited to have you join us in a year dedicated to exploring, celebrating, and remembering our cultural history and stewarding the legacy of the trailblazers who demanded our rights, then and now,” wrote Seattle Pride on its website.

Pride events in other Washington cities

However, Pride is also being celebrated in other Washington cities.

Events include: Burien Pride from June 7 to 9, the Spokane Pride Parade and Festival on June 8, the Yakima Pride Festival and Parade on June 8, Chelan Pride on June 8, the Carnation Pride Picnic on June 9, the Mercer Island Family Pride in the Park on June 15, Wenatchee Pride Festival on June 22 and the Tacoma Pride Festival on July 13.

Visit Seattle Pride’s website to learn more about Pride and find more events going on this month.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email her here.

As the Washington Department of Ecology illustrates on its website, EPS foam items are not allowed to be sold in any stores or given out by restaurants. That means portable coolers and food service products like containers, plates, bowls, clam shells, trays, and cups will be banned.

The state agency also stated the ban prohibits the sale and distribution of these materials, “even if businesses or entities have previously purchased stocks of those products.” That means they can’t use up existing inventory now that the ban’s effective date has arrived.

Violators could be fined up to $250 for a first offense and a $1,000 fine for repeat violations thereafter.

There are some exemptions to the ban as well, including egg cartons, trays and packaging for raw, uncooked or butchered meat, fish, poultry or seafood, vegetables and fruit. EPS containers for drugs, medical devices, and biological materials or shipping perishable commodities from a wholesale or retail establishment also are exempt, the agency states on its website.

This latest ban comes after the state outlawed packing peanuts last year.

This is an illustration of an EPS cooler and food service products like containers, plates, bowls, clam shells, trays, and cups that are now restricted under Washington law. (Images courtesy of the Washington Department of Ecology)

It should be noted the ban won’t make much of a difference for Seattle residents, as the city has already had Styrofoam products banned for over a decade, according to Ocean Conservancy’s Associate Director of U.S. Plastics Policy, Anja Brandon.

But, overall, the Ocean Conservancy estimates 5.6 billion pieces of plastic foam are used by Americans each year and more than 2.4 billion pieces of plastic foam foodware contaminate American recycling systems.

The problems with expanded polystyrene

As the Department of Ecology explains, EPS foam is a lightweight cellular plastic material consisting of small hollow spherical balls that are expanded and processed through a variety of techniques.

EPS materials are difficult to recycle, and it’s expensive, the agency said.

“They aren’t accepted in most of Washington’s residential recycling programs and are treated instead as a contaminant. Because they are not readily recyclable, the materials end up in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, or the environment,” the website states.

Those materials are extremely brittle and break easily into tiny pieces. These small pieces scatter in the wind and contaminate the environment.

Brandon also explained how toxic the materials are and how they cause pollution.

“Plastic foam and polystyrene. It’s highly polluting in the environment, it’s highly polluting in our recycling stream, it’s made out of a toxic, it contains a bunch of toxics,” Brandon told MyNorthwest. “So really getting rid of it, getting it off our shelves, is good for people, the planet and for our ocean.”

The Ocean Conservancy reports plastic foam has been ranked one of the top five most common items found polluting beaches and waterways in Washington.

Why is the Washington Styrofoam ban needed?

“If you’ve ever had a cup or a takeout container, and you crunch it or break it apart, you can see that it’s made up of these tiny little beads of this foam. And it’s pretty brittle. So if it gets out into the environment, gets hit by a rock, or a wave, or an animal, it really easily breaks and sheds thousands and thousands and thousands of those microplastics,” Brandon said.

And once it’s a microplastic, it’s all but impossible to clean up. So that’s why this material has such a disproportionate impact, especially in the marine environment, which is why it’s so important to kind of get it off the shelves to begin with,” she continued.

Oceana, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C., reached out to MyNorthwest via email with a similar response. They also noted foam products are among the most common pollutants.

“Unfortunately, plastic foam products like foam coolers and foam foodware are among the most common single-use plastics found on beaches around the world. To make matters worse, plastic foam easily breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces, making it extremely difficult to clean up, polluting the environment for decades,” Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, stated.

“Styrene, the chemical building block of plastic foam is considered ‘probably carcinogenic’ by the World Health Organization. Washington residents can now avoid a lot of the unnecessary single-use plastic foam that used to come with their meals,” she continued.

Brandon also stated she hopes the state of Washington’s action in this area leads to further change.

“Washington has been working for years now to kind of try to bring about that much larger system change. And we’re hoping that bills like these that become law can kind of help continuing to push forward and keep the momentum up,” Brandon explained.

Benefits of the ban on EPS products

Brandon told MyNorthwest that while Washington consumers won’t be able to buy foam products anymore, over time they will see less pollution. Brandon said when a similar ban was passed in Maryland, the amount of plastic foam foodware collected by International Coastal Cleanup volunteers in Maryland declined by 65%.

“That’s less pollution on the beach, that’s, you know, better ability to enjoy our beaches and our coast,” she told MyNorthwest.

Brandon brought up another point, that the ban will save taxpayers’ money.

“Ratepayers and taxpayers end up paying for a lot of litter removal, especially in big popular beaches when you know, it impacts tourism. And the other thing we end up paying for is recycling and waste management,” she said. “And these materials often end up mistakenly in the recycling bin, which increases the cost for everyone for having to go back, sort those materials out, get them out of the system. So long term this should really help save Washingtonians a lot of money.”

Looking at alternatives to EPS products

Brandon stated her organization’s ideal shift would be to containers that can be used over and over. She is in Portland, Oregon, and said some of those options are available.

“Our best case scenario is that as a restaurant, or a store, you move to reusable containers,” she said. “So containers that repeat customers can bring back or are part of a larger shared infrastructure.”

Brandon also spoke of different types of plastic containers that are more recyclable.

“So, polypropylene, or high-density polyethylene, things like that. So you know, other containers, especially for takeout that are more recyclable, or fiber-based with containers that can actually be composted,” she explained.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, or email her here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

June is Pride Month and celebrations are getting started this weekend for a milestone moment.

Seattle is celebrating 50 years of Pride Month celebrations and it all starts at Pride in the Park. On Saturday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Volunteer Park, there will be live music, food trucks, vendors, informative booths and more. There will also be programming for kids and families, and the event is free so no tickets are needed.

This isn’t the only Pride-related event this weekend. There’s a street festival in White Center on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

More on Pride Month in Washington: Lake Stevens mayor defends decision to not declare June as Pride Month

If you are looking to give back this weekend, there’s a community cleanup happening in Capitol Hill. It’s called Taking Pride in Capitol Hill and lasts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free, but t-shirts and food are first-come, first-served.

Paw-Fest returns to Kent

Paw-Fest is back this weekend! What’s Paw-Fest? It is a pet adoption event that features a pet parade, costume contest, agility shows, training tips and more. Pup cups will be served of course. Come meet your next furry friend or family member from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Kent Station.

Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival

The Festál celebrations continue this weekend at the Seattle Center. This weekend it is the Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival. The festival commemorates the anniversary of Philippine Independence. Held on the first or second week of June at the Seattle Center since 1987, the event has grown into the largest festival of Filipino arts and culture in the Pacific Northwest.

The event starts Saturday with a grand opening ceremony followed by dances, folk songs, food and a fashion extravaganza. The celebration goes from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Plant Sale Fundraiser at UW

If you are looking for some new houseplants and a way to support the University of Washington (UW), you are in luck. The annual Plant Sale Fundraiser kicks off Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You’ll be able to walk through the UW farm and can pick up tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, summer squash, pollinators, herbs and more, all being organic.

More from Paul Holden: Washington has the right idea when it comes to sports betting

Lumen Field hosts Bacon, Eggs and Kegs Festival

Who doesn’t love a little kegs and eggs?! The Bacon, Eggs and Kegs Festival is this weekend at Lumen Field. You’ll be able to enjoy beers, ciders, mimosas, Blood Mary’s and more while dining on brunch bites from Seattle area restaurants, chefs and food trucks. There will be live music as well as plenty of life-size yard games.

HONK! Fest in Georgetown, Columbia City, Pratt Park

Get ready for HONK! Fest West this weekend. HONK! Fest West’s mission statement is simple: Activate public spaces through energetic musical performances. You can find the tunes in three locations, Friday in Georgetown, Saturday in Columbia City and Sunday at Pratt Park.

All these cool things and more are going down this weekend. Know of something going on? Let me know at PaulH@kiroradio.com

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.

It’s the second billion-dollar commitment French Gates has personally made in the past five years. In 2019, she pledged over ten years to expand women’s power and influence.

Earlier this month, French Gates announced she would step down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and vowed to focus on women and families. As a part of leaving the Gates Foundation, French Gates received $12 billion from Bill Gates for her philanthropy going forward.

French Gates, one of the biggest philanthropic supporters of gender equity in the U.S., said Tuesday in a guest essay for The New York Times that she’s been frustrated over the years by people who said it’s not the right time to talk about gender equality.

“Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone,” she wrote.

French Gates said over the last few weeks she’s started directing what will total $200 million in new grants through her organization, Pivotal Ventures, to groups working in the U.S. to protect women’s rights and advance their power and influence. The grants are for general operating support, meaning they are not earmarked for specific projects. The groups include the National Women’s Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Teresa Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, who also received a grant, has long called on donors to give unrestricted, multi-year funding to organizations. She praised French Gates’ new commitment as a part of a larger trend of major women donors giving generously to nonprofits.

“If philanthropy took lessons from the way that women are moving money, we would see more money in the field having greater impact,” Younger said.

Her organization learned of the grant, which is the first they’ve received from Pivotal Ventures within the last week, and Younger said there was no application process. She declined to disclose the amount of the grant but said it would help expand their work with organizations in the South and Midwest.

The nonprofit MomsRising Education Fund also received a grant that will extend to the end of 2026, with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, its executive director and CEO, saying, “We’re deeply honored and enormously grateful that Melinda French Gates is stepping up for women and families in a time when the rights of our daughters may be significantly less than of ourselves or our own mothers.”

French Gates also pledged to give 12 individuals $20 million each to distribute to nonprofit organizations of their choice before the end of 2026. Those funds will be managed by the National Philanthropic Trust, one of the largest public charities that offers donor-advised funds, a spokesperson for Pivotal Ventures said.

In total, French Gates announced $690 million in commitments out of the promised $1 billion, which also includes an “open call” for applications that the organization Lever for Change will administer this fall. French Gates said $250 million will be awarded to fund organizations working to improve women’s mental and physical health globally.

French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures is a limited liability company that also manages investments in for-profit ventures, so there is little public information about its grantmaking or the assets it manages. Pivotal Ventures has focused on a number of avenues to increase women’s economic and political participation and power, like closing the wage gap, compensating care work often done by women, and encouraging women to run for political office.

Pivotal Ventures said it has committed $875 million of the $1 billion that French Gates pledged in 2019 to a mixture of venture and philanthropic funding. Additionally, the Gates Foundation has funded research and interventions to improve maternal mortality and women’s health more broadly for years. In 2020, it hired its first president for its gender quality division and in 2021, the foundation pledged $2.1 billion to gender equity efforts convened by UN Women.

In her essay Tuesday, French Gates touched upon the high maternal mortality rates in the U.S., noting that Black and Native American mothers are at the highest risk.

“Women in 14 states have lost the right to terminate a pregnancy under almost any circumstances. We remain the only advanced economy without any form of national paid family leave. And the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade high,” she said.

French Gates will be leaving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation next week. She helped co-found the organization nearly 25 years ago.

The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce and state governments from Pivotal Ventures.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will change its name to the Gates Foundation. It is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world. As of December 2023, its endowment was $75.2 billion, thanks to donations from Gates and the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. While it works across many issues, global health remains its largest area of work, and most of its funding is meant to address issues internationally rather than in the U.S.

“Confronting Hate Together,” an exhibit that explores anti-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander hate, Black hate and anti-Jewish hate, according to the museum’s website, was supposed to run from Wednesday through June 30. (A PDF of a press release providing information about the exhibit can be found here.)

“Confronting Hate” is a collaboration between The Black Heritage Society of Washington State, The Washington State Jewish Historical Society, and the Wing Luke Museum, which focuses on the culture, art and history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, its website states.

Looking at the Wing Luke employees’ demands

But, as The Seattle Times noted in its coverage, the Wing Luke staff members walked out in protest of the exhibit, saying in a social media post that a portion of the exhibit “shares perspectives from the The Washington State Jewish Historical Society that conflate anti-Zionism as antisemitism.” That same slide in the post added, “Despite making a revision after learning of the staff’s concerns (after the May 14 media preview of the exhibit), the edits made still conveyed Zionist perspectives.”

One of the post’s slides clearly outlines the staff members’ four demands:

• “Remove any language in any Wing Luke Museum publication and question any partnerships that attempt to frame Palestinian liberation and anti-Zionism as antisemitism.”
• “Acknowledge the limited perspectives presented in this exhibition. Missing perspectives include those of namely those of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslim communities …”
• Engage in a “community review” of the exhibit.
• “Center voices and perspectives that align with the museum’s mission & values by platforming community stories within an anti-colonial, anti-white supremacist framework.”

The social media posts state 26 members of the Wing Luke staff signed a letter outlining their demands to leadership. But the posts did not confirm all 26 people walked off the job, noting that “a collective” of staff walked out in protest of the exhibit’s unchanged text.

Response to the Wing Luke Museum walkout

The number of employees was still high enough to cause the closure of the museum and the website’s homepage confirms it is currently not open as a statement popups explaining its side of the situation.

“On Wednesday, May 22, members of Wing Luke Museum’s staff held a respectful walk-out in protest of content on display in a new exhibit,” the statement begins.

It goes on to say it supports the rights of its staff “to express their beliefs and personal truths” and that it sought to engage in dialogue with its staff.

As an organization rooted in dialogue, we acknowledge and support the right of our staff to express their beliefs and personal truths and to this end, we are holding space for a careful and thoughtful process of listening with intent to hear multiple perspectives in pursuit of a mutual way forward.

After closing the Museum this week to listen and earnestly engage in dialog with our staff, the Museum looks forward to opening our doors at a future date so that we can continue serving our community in other needed capacities during this time. Please look for updates from us.”

The statement was also posted on its Facebook and Instagram pages Friday. A reopening date has not yet been set.

Steve McLean, director of communications for the museum, told the Times it has been working with its staff  “to address their calls to action” and their four demands. He added that programs were and are being developed so other communities, including Arab American communities, are represented.

The press statement about the exhibit earlier this month states that this “Confronting Hate” exhibit is inspired by the 2022 exhibit Confronting Hate 1937-1952, which was curated by the New-York Historical Society. But this Pacific Northwest exhibition “portrays a searing contemporary portrayal of racism, antisemitism, hate and bigotry through a local lens,” the statement reads.

“Emphasis will be on the distinct stories, perspective and history of this region – driven by a singular objective to educate communities and empower them to combat the rising tide of hate and racial violence in our communities today,” the statement adds.

Lisa Kranseler, executive director of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, also spoke to the Times and explained the intention of this version of the exhibit was to show how Black, Jewish and Asian American communities came together around redlining.

“It never was intended to exclude anyone,” she told the Seattle outlet. “It was always intended as a beginning conversation and to inspire all groups to put on exhibits and have dialogues and conversations.”

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

The man, killed Sunday, May 19, was identified as Dale Chorman of Homer, Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said, according to The Associated Press (AP).

The female moose had recently given birth to the calves in Homer.

“As they were walking through the brush looking for the moose, that’s when the cow moose attacked Dale,” McDaniel said, according to the AP.

The attack happened as the two were running away, he said. The second man, who has not been publicly identified, was uninjured.

That person did not witness the attack, so authorities cannot say if the moose killed Chorman by kicking or stomping him, or a combination.

Medics pronounced Chorman dead at the scene. The cow moose left the area, Alaska State Troopers said in an online post.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game normally receives reports of aggressive or unusual moose behavior, said Cyndi Wardlow, a regional supervisor in the Department of Wildlife Conservation told the AP in a later story about Chorman’s death.

“In this case, we’re obviously very concerned about public safety,” she said. “If there was an animal that was behaving in a way that continued to present a public safety threat, then we could possibly put that animal down but we’re not specifically pursuing that course.”

How many moose are in Washington?

Staci Lehman, the communications manager for Region 1 of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) told MyNorthwest in an email that moose in this state are Shiras moose, which are a little smaller than those located in Alaska.

As of 2015, there were approximately 5,000 moose estimated to live in the state of Washington, the WDFW website states.

It goes on to say “the majority are in the Selkirk Mountains (Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Spokane counties) with smaller populations in the north Cascades, Okanogan, and Blue Mountains.”

Meanwhile, there are up to 200,000 moose in Alaska, a state with a human population of about 737,000, the AP explained.

More U.S. moose news: Wandering bull moose is captured in Santa Fe, moved to habitat in northern New Mexico

Do moose pose a danger to people in Washington?

People and moose generally live in harmony in Washington and other places. In fact, there has been an increased number of sightings of moose entering areas where larger populations of people reside.

“An even greater testimony to the parallel growth of both human and moose populations in Washington is the increased incidence of moose wandering into the suburban and urban areas of Spokane. Moose sometimes take up residency where water and succulent vegetation is more readily available. By 2015, almost daily reports of problem or ‘nuisance’ moose were received by the (WDFW),” the state agency’s website states.

The incident in Homer, Alaska, is just the second fatal moose attack in Alaska in the last three decades with the last coming after students in Anchorage harassed one in 1995, the AP reported. The WDFW stated Moose attacks on humans are considered “very rare.”

“If you encounter a moose in Washington, it’s a really cool thing,” Staci Lehman wrote in her email to MyNorthwest. “We have them in yards and parks and even business parking lots often in the Spokane area but that doesn’t happen in most of the state.”

Animal searches for a snack: Moose feasts on lobby plants in Alaska hospital building

Be cautious: Moose are still considered ‘dangerous wildlife’

But the WDFW website also states it is important to remember that anything as large as a moose can be dangerous; this is why these animals are classified as “Dangerous Wildlife.”

Moose are not normally aggressive, they can become so if they’re provoked, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website.

Also, while the Shiras moose may be a bit smaller, they’re still large animals. as adults measure nearly six feet at the shoulder. The adult male moose (bulls) weigh between 850 and 1,100 pounds and adult females (cows) weigh between 600 and 800 pounds, the WDFW says.

While Lehman may have praised a moose encounter as something cool, she also cautioned what people should do if they discover one while out.

“If you see one in the woods, it is best to give it plenty of space, don’t approach it, and back up and leave the way you came into the area,” she said.

Also, as the WDFW website explains, “moose consider dogs, which are close relatives of wolves, to be a direct threat.”

They’ve been known to go out of their way to kick at a dog, even one on a leash or in a fenced yard. Therefore, those people who do have a dog where they live should bring their dogs inside. In addition, they shouldn’t be loud if they’re out with their owners in the woods.

“If you are hiking with a dog, keep it on a leash and try to keep it quiet,” Lehman said in her email to MyNorthwest.

Colorado incident: Moose charges, headbutts and stomps on woman who was walking her dog on wooded trail

The WDFW also stated that moose can be aggressive at any time of the year, but this time of year — May through June — is when cows give birth to calves and can feel provoked.

“Cow moose with calves are going to be some of the more aggressive moose you’re going to come in contact with, McDaniel told the AP.

For those who see a calf in the area, be extremely careful, because the cow probably is close by.

“Moose can get defensive during the mating season or when a female moose has young with her so the main thing is to give them lots of space,” Lehman said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

More than 18,000 fans were in attendance to watch the Storm take on the Fever, including the 12-year-old girls’ Seattle Rotary Lady Style Basketball team.

More on the Seattle Storm: Caitlin Clark brings record crowd to game with Storm

“I am here to see Caitlin Clark, Jewell Loyd and Nika Muhl,” 12-year-old Alliyah, a guard for the Rotary basketball team, said. “It’s crazy because I’ve never seen a girls’ basketball game sold out!”

After she said that, she walked to meet her friends beaming from ear to ear.

“Watching the game tonight and the fans gives me hope for when I make it to the WNBA!” Alliyah’s teammate, GG, told KIRO Newsradio. “I want to be the next Caitlin Clark or a guard in my own right.”

The other young women in attendance said they were in awe of the sold-out game and couldn’t believe so many people were there to cheer on women’s basketball.

“My favorite part of the whole night is just being here,” Nyla, another girl on the rotary basketball team said.

“The support people are giving Caitlin Clark is pretty cool,” her teammate Khloe said. “The energy was like, wow, I don’t know how to describe it.”

Among the record-breaking crowd were local celebrity athletes including former Seattle SuperSonics player and University of Washington Huskies star Detlef Schrempf, former NBA star Isaiah Tomas, former Storm forward Gabby Williams and a few current and former Seattle Seahawks, including wide receiver Tyler Lockett. A few members of the Seahawks even went onto the court during a timeout to throw shirts into the crowd.

Tasha Burns, director and head coach of the Seattle Rotary Lady Style basketball team said she felt a great deal of satisfaction watching the Storm and watching her team of players watch the Storm.

“As a coach committed to inspiring young talent in basketball, witnessing the Seattle Storm make history was an incredible experience,” Burns said. “There was a lot of pride as I watched my players’ excitement. The Storm’s achievements serve as a powerful reminder that dreams are attainable with hard work, dedication and teamwork. It’s not just about winning games, it’s about breaking barriers and setting new standards.”

Nika Muhl of the Seattle Storm, left, and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever watch the action while a player shoots a free throw during their matchup at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Photo: Steph Chambers, Getty Images)

No surprise, the crowd erupted when Seattle Storm rookie Nika Mühl was called to the court to make her professional debut, recording two rebounds in two minutes in the third quarter while also being used as the primary defender on Clark.

Mühl, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, couldn’t join the Storm for its first four games due to complications converting her student visa into a P1A work visa. Mühl is a Croatian citizen who used a student visa during her four-year tenure at the University of Connecticut.

Rookie love 💚 pic.twitter.com/DoEkF7YC9a

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 23, 2024

More on local women’s basketball: UW star basketball player is living her dream, looking toward the future

Storm fans got to go home happy as Seattle won a tension-filled game 85-83 after a nail-biting ending. For those who missed this matchup, Clark and the Fever return to Climate Pledge Arena June 27.

You can read more of Micki Gamez’s stories here. Follow Micki on X, formerly known as Twitter, or email her here.

Follow @https://twitter.com/onairmichelle

The world’s longest garage sale

It’s the World’s Longest Garage Sale on the Long Beach Peninsula. You’ll want to put on your best walking shoes as you walk along the coast looking for cool trinkets and more. The sale runs all weekend long.

More on Memorial Day: Memorial Day Weekend gearing up to be one of region’s biggest travel days

Concerts galore over Memorial Day weekend

If you are looking to catch some tunes this Memorial Day weekend, the concert slate is loaded. Portugal. The Man is at Remlinger Farms on Friday while Girl and Girl is live at Easy Street Records, Billy Joel is at T-Mobile Park and, if you can find second-hand tickets, the Young Fresh Fellows is at the Tractor Tavern.

Saturday, the White River Amphitheater hosts Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits Tour. All Time Low is also on the bill. Sarah McLachlan is performing at the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery in Woodinville on Saturday and Sunday. There are plenty more bands, so check your favorite local spot to see the latest lineup.

Sunday at the Neptune Theater is Massive Monkees Day. Massive Monkees is “a world-renowned hip-hop crew consisting of DJs, emcees and, most notably, 30 guys and girls dedicated to break dancing. The event will be celebrating 25 years of Massive Monkees with a variety of dancing competitions. There will be breakdance battles, footwork battles, open-style battles and more. Get tickets at the Neptune Theater’s website.

A donut or a beer?

Sometimes you have to ask yourself the tough questions like, what’s a better reward: A donut or a beer? On Saturday in Ballard, it is the Mighty-O Donut’s Tour de Donut. This ride will take you around the city with stops in Ballard, Greenlake, Capitol Hill and Denny Triangle. For each stop you make, you will be rewarded with a free donut and drip coffee (or a mini donut and a kid’s drink if you are a youngin.)

If beer is more your motivator, the Tour De Pints is for you. The ride is approximately 20 miles, starting at Flying Bike Brewery. The rest of the stops are a mystery and revealed as the ride goes along. Helmets are required, so make sure you strap that brain bucket on before you ride.

Seattle Center, Seattle Storm to dominate downtown festivities

The 53rd Annual Northwest Folklife Festival is happening all weekend long at the Seattle Center. You can learn about the heritage and traditions of Pacific Northwest communities, featuring art, music and more. Get more details and a full schedule of events on the Northwest Folklife Festival’s website.

If you are looking to check out some sports this weekend, the Seattle Storm take on the Washington Mystics at Climate Pledge Arena. Tip-Off is at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

Tonight is also the home opener for the two-time USL champion Ballard FC. The match starts tonight at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Tickets are available on the club’s website.

UW survey: 1 in 10 Washington ‘young adults’ use cannabis every day

Memorial Day weekend ceremonies

Monday is Memorial Day and multiple ceremonies will be taking place that day. There will be formal ceremonies honoring U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the country’s armed forces in Arlington, Kent, Lynwood and at the State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake. Look on your community websites for details about events in your area.

Hope you all enjoy the long weekend and as always if you know of stuff going on in your area, let me know at PaulH@kiroradio.com

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio.