That’s apparently what American author Max Ehrmann did when he wrote a poem in 1921. It was distributed in a Christmas card in 1933,

There is no mention of Christmas in the writing, but you’ll understand why I found it appropriate for today when you read it.

So as you get ready for a holiday meal, pause for a moment and look outside. It’s raining in the Seattle area today, but that, of course, IS a Northwest Christmas.

Here is some of Ehrmann’s poem:

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story…

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time…

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Bonneville Seattle and MyNorthwest.

The KIRO Newsradio news department was crowned the 2023 champion. Their unique mix of props and their timely, relevant design of a car crash into Santa’s house put them over the top.

Get in the Christmas spirit: Listen: The perfect Christmas song mix from Spike and family

The Seattle Sports team were rewarded with the ‘Most Classically Beautiful’ design — most of the credit goes to Brock & Salk’s Justin Barnes for his meticulous work.

The Sales, Promotion, and Admin departments won the ‘Best Use of Props’ award for their use of a KIRO-branded truck and the construction of a radio tower.

The Engineering department — our 2022 champion — just narrowly finished under the wire, but put up a valiant effort.

Last but not least, the MyNorthwest digital team teamed up with the Production and Board Operator departments for the ‘Most Creative’ design.

You can scroll through all the designs at the top of the article or you can click here to view.

We will report back in 2024 to see if the KIRO Newsradio team can defend their title.

From 2021: KIRO Radio presents ‘A Christmas Carol’

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest

I’ve always been interested in politics. I was a political science major in college and the executive producer of Inside Politics on CNN.

More on local elections: Don’t know who to vote for? We have an excellent resource 

I sat down with my wife Tuesday night to fill out our election ballots. We had our voter pamphlets and our newspapers and also looked up the League of Women’s Voters Guide on the net.

I was excited to get to vote on Edmonds mayor because I had been seeing signs all over the neighborhood.

But it was not to be. No mayoral race on the ballot.

I thought, “Could this have been a misprint?” Immediately my journalist brain thought this could be a good story for MyNorthwest.

So I went to the Snohomish County Elections Board and emailed them about what gives and gave them my address.

They responded quickly with this note:

Thank you for contacting the Elections Division.  Your address is outside of the city limits.  To be eligible to vote on city candidates including the Mayor, you must live within the city limits. We have a map on our website that will show you the boundaries, here is the link: Snohomish County Elections District Finder (arcgis.com)

So apparently I live in a neighborhood called Esperance that is surrounded by Edmonds on all four sides. I knew I lived in the Esperance neighborhood, but I didn’t know that neighborhood wasn’t part of Edmonds.

More Kaczaraba: MLB All-Star Game a picture-perfect day for Seattle

This isn’t unprecedented in Washington.

• Beaux Arts Village, Washington, is surrounded by Bellevue; though also has a coast on Lake Washington
• Ruston, Washington, is surrounded by Tacoma; though also has a coast on Commencement Bay

According to the internet: “Esperance is a census-designated place (CDP) in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Esperance is an enclave of the city of Edmonds, Washington.”

Wikipedia added:

Five times in the last 50 years, the City of Edmonds has looked at annexing Esperance into the city. In each case, voters in the enclave have rejected the annexation. Issues for annexation include a desire for a contiguous City of Edmonds, continuity of services and a belief that services will be easier to provide. Arguments against annexation include desire to remain part of unincorporated area of Snohomish County, an expectation that taxes may rise with annexation, and the desire to take part in activities that are possible in the county that would not be permitted under city regulations. The latter includes less regulation for building certain structures and the ability to keep animals.

Who knew? The next thing I’ll try to figure out is why I have an Edmonds mailing address. Stay tuned.

Bill Kaczaraba is a Digital Content Editor for MyNorthwest

I am not a big baseball guy myself. But I did really enjoy the Mariners’ playoff run last year.

I am a big event person. I’ve been to a Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, when the SuperSonics faced Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

I also got to go to the 2001 MLB All-Star Game when the ballpark was known as Safeco Field. That was a good time.

But this All-Star Game was special, for many reasons. For me, it started when my wife and I decided to go to Play Ball Park. I just wanted to be around the action.

More on the festivities: MLB All-Star Week is ‘Disneyland for baseball fans,’ Rick Rizzs says

What I didn’t expect was what we saw in SODO. After deciding we were going to head for downtown Seattle a lot less often because of the homeless problem and crime, what we witnessed this week was a spectacular Seattle. The homeless encampments were gone. The sidewalks were power-washed. There were hanging baskets with flowers. Even the businesses’ windows were clean.

New paint was everywhere. The smell was fresh. And Pioneer Square looked the best that I’ve seen in the 40 years I have been here.

All that was reflected in people’s attitudes. The police were kind and welcoming. It was almost as if I had fallen into the colorized version of the Land of Oz.

On the day of the game, I wasn’t planning to go but was tracking the secondary ticket sites. Once a pair of tickets dropped below $300 each, I snagged them. I specifically wanted to take KIRO Newsradio anchor Aaron Granillo, the biggest baseball fan I know.

He had media parking and was planning on doing live reports for the radio station. Getting into the stadium was easy. The garage was very organized.

It was an early-arriving crowd. They all wanted to roam around the park.

I have never been to T-Mobile Park when it was this full. It was wall-to-wall people. Jerseys from all corners of the country could be spotted.

Aaron and I couldn’t believe how easy everything was. While he was doing his live reports, I headed to the Team Store where I purchased a $200 American League jersey. My observation of watching merchandise fly off the shelves was how this event was big money.

Outside, you could see fans jam restaurants and outdoor beer gardens.

After a tour of the store, I headed up to our seats.

More from Bill Kaczaraba: Summer solstice brings season of concerts, hikes

I went up and up. When I got to the last row along the first baseline, I found our seats. The day was gorgeous and the impressive skyline of Seattle was sparkling in the sun.

I got there in time for the red-carpet player introductions. Even though it was a nationwide crowd, Mariners fans held the majority.

It was a great game with terrific defensive plays in the first inning to a chance for 9th-inning heroics by local hero Julio Rodriguez.

It was a night Mayor Bruce Harrell and Chamber of Commerce had hoped for. Whether or not it holds going forward, this was the Seattle most of us love. They proved it could be done.

(My knees, however, aren’t what they used to be.)

Bill Kaczaraba is a digital content editor for MyNorthwest.com.

It was a beautiful afternoon and evening in Seattle, not always the case in a city that knows that summer doesn’t officially begin until July 5. Over my 40 years here, I have often stood in a cold, wet mist watching the fireworks at the Space Needle. I’ve also experienced, like most of us, the most beautiful road trips and hikes on the planet here.

Macklemore hosts free concert at Neumos in Seattle

Being from the East Coast, I am surprised that we didn’t know more about the Northwest and its glorious summers. What a perfect opportunity to get away from the heat and humidity. All we seemed to hear about was spotted owls. I don’t think I’ve seen one since I arrived.

I spent my first day of summer going to a Diana Ross concert at Tulalip Casino. For those of us of a certain age, seeing her in person is a big deal (Some of my younger colleagues said, “Diana who?” when I mentioned the concert.)

We got lucky. It was a perfect night.

Her performance was great and you could tell that people were itching to break out their summer attire. Most of the time before July, I noticed that even if the days were warm, the nights stayed chilly. Not this evening. Perfect.

The only warning I have about summer concerts is: Watch out for the concessions! Last year, I found a drink at Chateau St. Michele for $38 (That’s not a typo). And at Tulalip, be prepared to wait in a 30-minute line for a hot dog.

Remember all the events of Seafair are coming right around the corner.

After San Diego cancels annual hydroplane race, concerns raised for Seattle’s Seafair

I’ve often heard that people feel pressure around here to go outside when the weather is nice. Don’t feel pressure. Just enjoy. Pay attention to the flowers and the birds. Enjoy the sun shining off the water. Make your summer plans because the outdoor concerts are selling out and the ferries are filling up.

Go on your favorite trips, but also look for new discoveries. Go for walks, not just hikes. Listen to the birds. And be thankful you live here. You’ll be cursing the weather in November.

I heard local anchorman Greg Copeland say: “The days are getting shorter,” last night on the 11 o’clock news. Ignore him and put on your shorts, sundresses, and flip-flops. Summer is here!

The team called Seattle home from 1967-2008, and won an NBA championship and three conference titles. The “Reign Man” Shawn Kemp, the “Glove” Gary Peyton, and player/coach Lenny Wilkens are all etched into the city’s memories.

The organization left for Oklahoma City in 2008 to become the Thunder, but their name and history belong to Seattle. Finally, after more than 15 years since they left home, a glimmer of hope.

“We had the Collective Bargaining Agreement to get through,” Silver said. “We have to finalize a media distribution deal. Then we can get to expansion.”

No mention of Seattle by name, no acknowledgment of the history of NBA basketball in Seattle, but a glimmer of hope for basketball to return to the Emerald City.

A new home awaits, Climate Pledge Arena, even built with an NBA locker room.

Mayor Harrell latest to pick up the torch on years-long effort to bring back the Sonics

It seems destined that Seattle and NBA would enter into a second marriage. One in which the bride and groom will be much happier.

“It’s exciting that it’s on the forefront,” Mike Lefko of Seattle Sports Radio said. “They certainly designed Climate Pledge with the NBA in mind.”

It was the lack of a first-class facility that the new owners used to take the Sonics and re-plant them in their hometown of Oklahoma City.

Then-Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz became the villain in the departure story. Many accused him of selling to out-of-town owners because he didn’t get enough help from the powers-that-be in building a new stadium.

They tinkered with a re-design of KeyArena. They had drawings of a new stadium in Renton. None of the plans came together, and it seemed inevitable that the Sonics would be toast.

After they left, the city didn’t want to support the newly re-branded franchise called the Thunder. They also wouldn’t adopt their neighbor and rival to the south, the Portland Trailblazers.

Seattle sports fans are a stubborn bunch. They would rather sit and wait for a new team.

A team that will be called the Sonics and plays in a state-of-the-art facility.

With any luck, they won’t have to wait much longer.

Bill Kaczaraba is a Digital Content Editor at MyNorthwest and a former Sonics season ticket holder.

We had just traded away our beloved quarterback. The man who brought us to two Super Bowls.

Now Russell Wilson was playing for the other guys. We were told that the trade immediately made the Denver Broncos championship contenders.

The 12s were already grumbling. Who is this Geno Smith guy?

QB Geno Smith leads Seahawks to improbable playoff berth

I remember hearing people already calling for a change after the preseason.

Now we were opening against Wilson and the Broncos in a Monday Night Football game.

I have had season tickets for the past 25 years. This year I had made it to the sidelines and a whole new crew.

My wife Cecilia was excited because these people were nicer and we were under the roof.

Still, there was a bit of a cloud hanging over the crowd. We had been told by the prognosticators not to expect much this season. At best, we would win four games and be the cellar-dwellers in the division.

Ah, but this was the opening night, where hope springs eternal.

Everyone was saying the key to this game was not to get behind early.

The other question was how the crowd would greet Russell. When he came out, the reaction was mixed, but I heard mostly cheers. After all, we had backed him for more than a decade.

As soon as the opening kick, the crowd returned to normal. Quiet when the Seahawks were on offense. As loud as any crowd in any NFL stadium when Denver had the ball.

As the Associated Press reported:

Geno Smith threw two first-half touchdown passes as the Seahawks’ offense started brilliantly in the post-Wilson era. Denver had plenty of chances after halftime but fumbled twice at the 1-yard line.”

Twice on the 1-yard line? Sound familiar?

In the end, Wilson wasn’t given the chance for a game-winning drive as his new coach decided to attempt a 64-yard field goal to win the game.

The kick missed left. The Seahawks held on to win 17-16 with the crowd chanting, “Geno!, Geno!”

How quickly things change. There was now more than false optimism. Maybe, just maybe, we were going to be ok.

16 games later and after plenty of ups-and-downs we were 9-8 and with a season-ending Detroit Lions win, we were in the playoffs.

Playoffs? Playoffs! We were just trying to win a game!

Seahawks fans donate to Detroit Lions charities following playoff berth

It was a fun season. There wasn’t much rain at home during the regular season.

Hawks fans had gotten spoiled by years of success under Coach Pete.

It looks like we didn’t have to give up hope after all.

Bill Kaczaraba is a Digital Content Editor for MyNorthwest.com and a 25 year Seahawks season ticket holder.

We lost a good friend and colleague in Dori Monson.

There seemed to be many prominent passings as the year faded away.

The winter rain, sleet, snow, and ice canceled many holiday plans.

But we made it through, and the days are getting longer.

Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
— Maya Angelou

We send you into the new year with the winter lights from the Tulalip Casino in Marysville.

We wish you a very successful 2023.

Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us!

Track Santa on Christmas Eve with the help of NORAD

Thank you for reading, listening, and engaging with us all year long.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest

If you didn’t, relive some of the greatest moments from a night Mariners fans won’t soon forget.

‘The craziest thing ever’: Party is on as M’s end drought

Let’s start with Raleigh (aka ‘The Big Dumper’) and his epic blast.

GOODBYE BASEBALL.

HELLO POSTSEASON. pic.twitter.com/hEL4E46q2U

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 1, 2022

You know this moment was special for legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs.

How sweet it is!

Rick’s call still has us crying 😭 pic.twitter.com/TsMrLUn26g

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 1, 2022

Dave Sims too.

“THE DREAM LIVES! THEY’RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS! THE DROUGHT IS OVER!” @TheDaveSimsShow just doesn’t miss. pic.twitter.com/DmbJRvsbJW

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 1, 2022

How about some fan reactions? Hosts and producers from Seattle Sports were all over the ballpark last night.

The moment. #GOMS

🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾 pic.twitter.com/tME3O0bSda

— Justin (@OnAirJustin) October 1, 2022

The longest drought is over. 21 years. pic.twitter.com/2rlP1qC707

— Stacy Jo Rost (@StacyRost) October 1, 2022

THEY DID IT!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/xvlohrKnHg

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) October 1, 2022

The Mariners found the perfect way to finally end the drought

Let the celebration begin!

WE'RE GOIN' DANCING pic.twitter.com/FHkTjNrUqj

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 1, 2022

🍾🍾🍾

🎥 – @shannondrayer pic.twitter.com/Nz9KzPNuDG

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) October 1, 2022

Jerry Dipoto and Jarred Kelenic exchange champagne sprays in the @Mariners clubhouse.

🎥 – @shannondrayer pic.twitter.com/ZLooUrJhDw

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) October 1, 2022

Seattle sports legends got in on the excitement.

Got chills watching this! So dope @Mariners https://t.co/31Jkk2DP6x

— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) October 1, 2022

🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/O8ngtrINai

— Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz) October 1, 2022

I’m crying!!!!!!! https://t.co/DVZARLwSNf

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) October 1, 2022

There’s no better way to end this than Raleigh’s blast set to the Titanic theme song.

Cal’s homer with the proper dramatic treatment. #Mariners pic.twitter.com/CDZfANnSdl

— Matt Loveless (@MattLoveless) October 1, 2022

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The discussion will feature Black businesses and entrepreneurs taking over their industries, such as: Kutula, Boon Boona Coffee, B. Stuyvesant Champagne, Kelewele, Beyond Bodi, and Ujamaa Lighting.

Draze hosts ‘Building Black Wealth’ forum with Seahawks legends

“The Northwest has in many ways been a leader when it comes to pushing the envelope towards equality,” Draze said. “Building Black Wealth is the next step towards ensuring Black communities are properly supported. Not with handouts, but as entrepreneurs and contributing members of our society.”

For more information about Building Black Wealth, visit www.buildingblackwealth.tv.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest

He served in the Eighth Air Force.

A book was written about him and his squadron, A Dying Breed: The Courage of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, by Neal B. Dillon, was the only way I knew about his service.

He died more than 50 years ago.

As Dillon wrote, “World War II Army Air Corps flyers were an elite group, all young volunteers, specially recruited and trained to perform highly skilled combat jobs.”

Pilots “fought a type of war in the air that the world has never experienced and would likely never see again,” he continued.

Biden marks Memorial Day lauding generations of fallen US troops who ‘dared all and gave all’

My father was born in 1919, the son of Ukrainian parents. He enlisted in 1941.

The 547th Bomb Group, led by dad, had trained with his crew in Moses Lake.

In the war, Lt. William Kaczaraba was based at Grafton-Underwood Air Base in England.

On one mission over Breman, Germany, my father’s squadron was taking flak and his plane was hit three times. Another B-17 was hit and spiraled downward. Four of the crew bailed out. Six others would die. Other B-17s in the squadron were crippled.

The standing order is that no aircraft will leave formation to aid others that can’t keep up. The reason: breaking formation would weaken the squadron as a whole.

As the remaining planes were trying to escape, one crew member radioed to Lt. Kaczaraba, “We must go back and help.”

My dad questions the crew, “Is that what each of you want to do?” All say yes.

Kaczaraba immediately throttles back and banks up to form-up with the crippled aircraft. The squadron is now taking on 25 German fighters.

The air fight lasts more than three hours. They fired 5,000 rounds.

Finally, the Germans give up and begin their return to base.

My dad’s squadron, smaller than when they began, can now see the English Channel. But now fuel is low.

All unnecessary equipment is thrown overboard.

The squadron made it home to base… barely.

However, it was not a warm welcome for dad.

“Lt. Kaczaraba, today you and your crew disobeyed the rule of formation by going to the aid of two crippled bombers. I could, and should, have you court-martialed,” the base commander told him.

“However, in view of the fact that your crew saved the lives of 20 airmen and two aircraft, I am giving you a verbal reprimand only.”

On Tuesday, January 4, 1944 my dad’s plane was shot down over Denmark. He survived the crash, but was captured by the Nazi’s.

He and his crew had flown a dozen successful missions over Germany. This one was not.

Eventually, dad and his crew were taken to Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany, where they were imprisoned until the end of the war 18 months later.

In WWII, American POWs could not be considered passive victims, grounded and inoperative. Every POW was briefed and trained to understand that, if captures, he was to consider himself an active resistor and distract captors through escape efforts.

Dad took this to heart. At Stalag Luft I, digging tunnels was an everyday occurrence.

Dad left the war as a proud war hero but was deeply impacted by life as a POW.

There are some who believe we do too much for our veterans. I am one who believes we cannot do enough.

Bill Kaczaraba is a Digital Content Editor for MyNorthwest.com.

The information, quotes, and photo in this article are from A Dying Breed: The Courage of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, by Neal B. Dillon, published by Hellgate Press.

Sonics’ Lenny Wilkens immortalized in namesake at Climate Pledge Arena

Talk of a potential expansion team in Seattle has come up as recently as 2021, when then-Mayor Jenny Durkan expressed how she was “pretty optimistic” about discussions she’d had with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. That was buoyed by a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stating the conditions appeared to be “favorable” for the return of the Sonics, particularly as the league sought to recoup lost revenue from the pandemic. A year prior, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said that Seattle was also likely to be “first in line” if the NBA did eventually expand past 30 teams in the near future.

In a speech delivered as part of a 60th anniversary celebration for the Seattle Monorail this week, Mayor Bruce Harrell again stoked the flames.

“Some of us remember when we would get on this thing and go to a Sonics game,” he recounted. “I’m not going to start any rumors, but we are working on that.”

Rumors or not, past mentions of efforts to bring the Sonics back home have almost always raised questions, with Harrell’s office clarifying his comment in a subsequent statement to MyNorthwest on Wednesday, pointing out that he “frequently met with leaders and groups committed to the team’s return” during his time on city council.

“Mayor Harrell recognizes the tremendous and lasting impact of the Sonics on building community morale and civic pride across Seattle,” spokesperson Jamie Housen wrote. “He’s continuing those discussions to ensure the Mayor’s Office and City of Seattle are active and engaged in efforts to bring the Sonics back.”

O’Neil: NBA owner makes a Seattle Sonics expansion sound inevitable

It’s been reported that in order to secure an expansion team, an ownership group would need to pay roughly $2.5 billion dollars in addition to having an NBA-caliber arena. With the newly-renovated Climate Pledge Arena opening to the public in October of 2021 — and currently playing host to the Kraken and Storm — the hope is that at least one major piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

Whether that will finally see a years-long wish from Seattle sports fans come to fruition remains to be seen.

Follow @NickNorthwest

Consent decree, homeless response highlights of Mayor Harrell’s ‘State of the City’

Disagreements between Seattle’s previous mayor, Jenny Durkan, and city council began almost the moment she took office. That included a battle over how the city was spending its soda tax revenue in 2018, a stalled nomination for a new Human Services Department director in 2019, and calls for Durkan to resign from at least three councilmembers in the wake 2020’s social justice protests.

The relationship was punctuated by one final clash in the closing weeks of Durkan’s mayoral term in 2021, which saw the mayor and Councilmembers Alex Pedersen and Dan Strauss publicly feud over a long-promised plan from the mayor’s office for stronger tree canopy protections.

In the run-up to the 2021 election, Harrell emphasized the need to reset the mayor/council relationship.

“I do not like settling or resolving conflicts in the newspaper or through press releases, I think that’s ineffective,” Harrell told MyNorthwest last October, citing a strategy that became common over Durkan’s tenure.

“I think that the residents of the city don’t respond well to public disagreements,” he added. “They see the city as one entity and it’s extremely off-putting when they see these internal conflicts, and then everyone loses.”

As part of his State of the City address on Tuesday, Harrell again stressed how he hopes to rebuild the relationship between the mayor’s office and city council.

Can Seattle finally stabilize mayoral role mired in controversy, single-term tenures?

“‘One Seattle’ means a renewed focus on good governance and tangible progress, on nuance and conversation,” he said. “I believe this group, right here, can – and will – set a new tone and a new example for what can be achieved when we hit reset and chart a shared agenda for our City – together.”

He then went on to address each councilmember individually by name, detailing the aspects of their personalities and politics that he admires, ranging from Council President Debora Juarez’s “responsiveness and collaborative nature,” to how District 3 Councilmember Kshama Sawant “cares deeply about addressing inequality.”

Harrell closed his speech by remarking on how “the path forward requires empowering each other — the executive team, our department directors, and you, the City Council,” signaling his hopes for a move away from four years of discord in city hall.

Follow @NickNorthwest

“The Bryan Suits Show” airs weekday mornings from 6–9 a.m.

“When we moved back to Western Washington, the last thing on my mind was radio,” said Bryan Suits, host of The Bryan Suits Show. “After filling in on KTTH mornings, I realized that I was born to do this. This is where I started and found my voice. Someone has to reflect what the sensible people are thinking and thankfully, KTTH is doing that. I’m humbled and grateful to be part of the team that tells the truth every day.”

You may recognize Suits. He is a former evening host on sister-station KIRO Newsradio from 1999-2002. He took his talents to Southern California with hosting duties on KOGO-AM/San Diego and on KFI-AM/Los Angeles. He hosts a popular podcast and is a frequent guest on FOX Business.

Suits is wise, yet self-effacing. He knows how to have fun with snarky wit, but also has deep knowledge on his subject matter. Informing his positions and worldview are his experiences as a military veteran and father. This is a morning show that is fast paced, entertaining, and deeply informative.

Before a career in talk radio, Suits served in Operation Desert Storm as a medic. He returned to service as a California Army National Guardsman and then deployed as a member of the Oregon Army National Guard to Bosnia as part of a NATO mission. As a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, Washington Army National Guard, he deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Suits was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and was wounded in action several times. Subsequently, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

“KTTH is the region’s leading conservative talk station because of our passionate, local hosts. Bryan Suits makes us even stronger,” said Cathy Cangiano, Senior Vice President and Market Manager for Bonneville Seattle. “As we head into the midterm elections, KTTH is poised to make some waves.”

The Bryan Suits Show can be heard live on AM 770 KTTH, or on demand at KTTH.com. Suits joins a lineup of leading conservative voices, including afternoon drive host and frequent FOX News guest Jason Rantz, plus FOX News contributors Dan Bongino and Guy Benson, Daily Wire hosts Ben Shapiro and Michael Knowles, and syndicated hosts Mark Levin and Michael Medved.

The data comes from the residents who applied to license their new pet in 2021. In total, people registered 66,279 dogs and 27,020 cats last year. Sorry cats, you’re still outnumbered in King County.

Top 10 dog names
1) Bella
2) Lucy
3) Max
4) Charlie
5) Buddy
6) Daisy
7) Luna
8) Bailey
9) Cooper
10) Molly

Top 10 cat names
1) Luna
2) Lucy
3) Bella
4) Max
5) Shadow
6) Charlie
7) Kitty
8) Jack
9) Lily
10) Oliver

The county says if a licensed pet, like Shadow or Charlie, are lost, whomever finds these poor cats can call the number on the pet’s tag 24/7 and the pet will be reunited with their owner. And it’s a free ride home (for the first time they’re lost … let’s not make a habit of this)!

You can get a pet license online here. Also, many city halls and QFC stores sell pet licenses.

Gene Mueller, D.V.M., the manager of Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) noted in a news release, “Licensing our pets helps protect them if they ever become lost. You can register your pet’s microchip along with your pet license record so if a pet slips away without a collar, our field officers and the RASKC shelter can quickly reunite you with your pet. It provides great peace of mind.”

Did you hear that, Buddy?

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest

Voices behind Compassion Seattle, ‘Seattle is Dying’ series score new roles in city hall

Leaving office at the start of the new year will be outgoing Mayor Jenny Durkan, Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez, and 12-year incumbent City Attorney Pete Holmes. The people entering into those roles each represent a shift away from their predecessors, starting with the city’s incoming mayor.

Mayor Bruce Harrell

While many of Durkan and Bruce Harrell’s policies regarding key issues like homelessness, policing, and housing bear similarities, Harrell’s own positions align with a push toward more moderate policies.

Harrell has frequently voiced his support for measures laid out in Compassion Seattle’s proposed ballot initiative. Before it was struck down by a judge, the initiative had sought to mandate 2,000 new shelter beds or permanent housing units within a one-year period, while codifying a requirement to keep parks and public spaces clear of homeless encampments.

While Harrell has detailed plans to implement the housing requirements laid out by Compassion Seattle, he has balked at clarifying whether he would support a mandate to keep parks clear of camps.

“I think that it’s an unfair narrative to try and use as a litmus test for one’s compassion towards people who are homeless,” he told MyNorthwest in October. “I believe in a healthy parks system; I believe sidewalks should be used for ingress and egress, and my full devotion will be to housing the homeless. I have decades of work in this area, and I do not subscribe to the narrative that under my administration we will be so heavy-handed that we will criminalize poverty.”

Harrell also appointed former Councilmember Tim Burgess to be his director of strategic initiatives. Burgess was one of the architects of Compassion Seattle’s proposal, leading substantial fundraising efforts for the measure up until it was struck down in court.

The incoming mayor will lead shakeups of other departments as well, after asking incumbent Seattle Department of Transportation Director Sam Zimbabwe to step down in December. Harrell cited a goal to have a more “balanced transportation ecosystem” that recognizes “the role of cars and new electric vehicles” as one of the factors behind his decision. While a search begins for a permanent replacement, former SDOT head Kristen Simpson will serve as interim director.

Harrell will be tasked with leading a nationwide search for a new police chief as well, with Adrian Diaz having served in the role in an interim capacity since September of 2020.

City Attorney Ann Davison

Aside from the fact that Ann Davison will become Seattle’s first Republican city attorney since 1989, her office will feature a sizable amount of turnover in staff to boot.

According to estimates from outgoing City Attorney Pete Holmes, roughly 25% of assistant prosecutor positions were vacant as of early December. This comes amid a backlog of over 3,800 unfiled criminal cases dating back two years, a trend consistent with city attorney offices in other cities across the United States due to pandemic-driven court closures over the last year-plus.

Davison will take office with a notable name serving as her deputy city attorney in Scott Lindsay. Lindsay previously served as a public safety advisor for former Mayor Ed Murray, before mounting an unsuccessful campaign for city attorney in 2017.

More recently, Lindsay authored a now-infamous report on Seattle’s “prolific offenders,” was featured prominently in KOMO-TV’s “Seattle is Dying” feature, and he was credited as a co-producer on the follow-up, titled “Fight for the Soul of Seattle.”

City councilmembers have expressed concerns over Davison’s tough-on-crime promises for the office, having introduced a bill in December that would lay out reporting requirements for her surrounding diversionary justice. Signaling an early power struggle between her and the council, she responded to that bill by implying it was related to the fact that she will be the first woman to serve as Seattle city attorney.

“None of my male predecessors faced a single preemptive move by Council to establish reporting requirements,” she said at the time.

Seattle City Attorney-elect slams council’s ‘rushed’ effort to change diversion rules

Seattle City Council

Seattle City Council won’t be without its own changes in 2022, starting with new at-large Councilmember Sara Nelson.

Nelson operates at a similar end of the political spectrum as Harrell, voicing support for increased police staffing and Compassion Seattle’s homelessness proposals, and issuing criticism for the council’s “far left agenda.”

Sara Nelson: Wins for moderate candidates prove Seattle’s ‘political landscape has shifted’

Her arrival also marks the departure of Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez, who lost to Harrell in the mayoral election. Gonzalez’s policies during her tenure on the dais aligned with her progressive colleagues, with Nelson likely to join Debora Juarez and Alex Pedersen in the more moderate wing of councilmembers.

With Gonzalez leaving, that also leaves a vacancy for council president. Generally, the position — which councilmembers vote on themselves — goes to a longer-tenured member. Bruce Harrell served as council president after eight years on the dais, while Gonzalez was appointed after five. As of now, Kshama Sawant is the longest tenured city councilmember at eight years as of 2022, followed by Lisa Herbold and Debora Juarez at six years each, and Teresa Mosqueda at five years.

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Looking back on mayoral term marked by years of conflict between Durkan, city council

On Tuesday, Councilmembers Dan Strauss and Alex Pedersen put out a joint press release criticizing the mayor for “not complet[ing] promised work on tree protections.”

“I am deeply disappointed that Mayor Durkan has chosen to delay action to protect trees in Seattle once again,” Strauss said.

According to Strauss, Durkan’s office failed to deliver on a proposal for stronger tree protections, which first promised in the form of a resolution signed in October of 2019. More recently, Durkan had told the council that she planned to have the proposal submitted by the end of her term in December.

That proposal was never completed, meaning the task will instead fall to incoming Mayor Bruce Harrell.

“Last week I learned that Mayor Durkan will not make good on these promises, meaning another year will pass before Seattle takes meaningful action to grow and prevent loss of our tree canopy,” Strauss said.

Advocates have pushed for improved tree protections as a means to addressing climate change, with one group calling Durkan’s lack of action on the issue “inexcusable.”

“The Seattle Urban Forestry Commission is extremely disappointed with the Durkan administration’s unwillingness to act to protect and adequately manage our city’s trees and forests,” said Weston Brinkley, the Urban Forestry Commission chair. “Hopefully, with the Harrell Administration, we can finally enact meaningful policy to aid our trees and forests and the support they provide our public health and the environment.”

Durkan responded Tuesday, noting that her focus over the last month was instead on the “surging pandemic,” as well as the city’s recent winter weather emergency.

Jenny Durkan looks back on mayoral term that was ‘defined by COVID’

“While her focus on trees includes those that may fall on wires, people, or traffic, it is surprising these council members believe the most pressing issue is a new tree code that will be proposed, studied, and implemented under Mayor-Elect Harrell,” a spokesperson for Durkan’s office told KIRO Radio. “Instead of publishing a SEPA in the last week of December during a pandemic surge, the Mayor paused it for two weeks so the incoming Mayor and public could actually consider it.”

Durkan further noted that her office had also prioritized “protecting essential worker pay that these council members voted to cut,” referring to the council’s initial decision in mid-December to pass a measure setting an end date for the city’s grocery store ordinance, days before public health officials began sounding the alarm over a rise in COVID cases. Durkan vetoed the bill a week later, with the council later agreeing with her decision to leave the hazard pay ordinance in place.

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Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours from all of us!

Thank you for reading, listening, and engaging with us all year long.

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Most read news on MyNorthwest from 2021

1. Seattle mom says Green Lake bathrooms are reserved for the homeless
A Seattle mom told Dori Monson she was stopped from using the public bathroom at Green Lake because it is reserved for the homeless. While playing at the park with her 18-month-old daughter, Kristen went to use the restroom, but found that they were blocked off with tape. Read more.

2. Jason Rantz: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation bankrolls ‘math is racist’ lunacy
Jason Rantz reported that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is bankrolling a group of activists who believe math is racist. A group of fringe educators have compiled a six-part toolkit offering an “integrated approach” to developing an “anti-racist math practice.” Read more.

3. Mystery photo album discovered at Seattle estate sale
Feliks Banel found a Seattle man who had purchased an old photo album a few years ago at an estate sale on Queen Anne Hill and stashed it away on one of his shelves. Now, local historians are excited about the rare images discovered inside. Read more.

4. Washington property manager says many are choosing to sell due to eviction moratorium
With Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan deciding to extend the eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021, and with the statewide moratorium extended as well, there was even more concern from landlords who were finding themselves in difficult positions. Read more from Jason Rantz.

5. Why increased spending appears not to be helping Seattle homelessness
One of the perceptions has long been that Seattle is spending a great deal of money on homelessness and that residents are not seeing the needle move. Is the public concern about the spending versus the outcome a legitimate one? Read more from Jack Stine.

6. Business owner: Crime, homelessness in downtown Seattle has ‘never been this bad’
After KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show shared their own stories about visiting downtown Seattle, particularly in regards to the homelessness crisis, they heard from a local business owner who said “it’s never been so bad.” Read more.

7. Seattle dad says local park is ‘completely encased with encampments’
After hearing about the homeless encampments that took over fields in Ballard and prevented local Little League teams from being able to play, others spoke up about similar problems in different neighborhoods of Seattle. A listener named Erick shared his story with Dori Monson. Read more.

8. John Curley commissions Sondheim-inspired song for Tom Tangney’s final show
Dec. 1 was Tom Tangney’s final show at KIRO Radio, as well as the official end to the years-long partnership behind the Tom & Curley Show. Read more.

9. How does Dick’s Drive-In pay workers $19 an hour with a menu completely under $5?
Dick’s Drive-In has always paid high wages and provided amazing benefits for its employees, like college scholarships, child care, and health care, and at the end of September, the company raised its base wage from $18 to $19 an hour, reports Rachel Belle. Read more.

10. Dave Ross: When will Disneyland return to Seattle?
Dave Ross shared his thoughts after visiting downtown Seattle in September: “The few times I’ve been downtown since the office exodus of 2020, it has felt lonely and a little threatening. I also remember that not so long ago everybody thought it was too busy. Too vibrant! Amazon was bringing in too many young, well-paid people – remember that?” Read more.

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