News

One of the country's leading suppliers of French fries is asking the federal government to approve genetically modified potatoes. The USDA on Friday announced J.R. Simplot’s petition to produce what would be the only genetically-engineered potato on the market. 

Anarchists have launched a fundraising campaign in an effort to help pay for the damages two Capitol Hill businesses incurred during this year’s May Day riot.

The campaign, called “Smash the State: Just Not Bill’s,” says its aim is to be “mending fences (or more accurately, windows), within the community,” specifically Bills Off Broadway and Sun Liquor, both of which were vandalized during the anti-capitalism march.

Business is bustling at the Richland florist who faces a lawsuit over same-sex marriage. The florist says she was standing up for her Christian values when she refused to sell flowers for a gay couple’s wedding. Now, the case has become a focal point of intense debate on social media across the globe. 

On Arlene’s Flowers' Facebook page, right alongside advertisements for corsages and boutonnieres, there are hundreds of posts for and against same-sex marriage. 

Delaney Ruston spent a lot of her early days as a physician working in clinics for the poor and disenfranchised, like Berkeley Free Clinic and, later, Seattle’s Pike Market Medial Clinic with a few of area’s leading and long-time health activists Les Pittle and Joe Martin.

“Early on, I kept wondering why we, the medical community, usually just communicated by giving talks and writing reports, said Delaney. Why, she wondered, did the medical community not make better use of video, especially as a form of physician-doctor communication, since it is so emotionally compelling, personal and we’re such visual animals?

Washington state is making changes in state law to deal with a legal ambiguity related to the proper handling of marijuana inadvertently left at stores that have pharmacies.

Gov. Jay Inslee gave final approval to the bill Friday. Supporters of the measure say it was prompted by incidents where marijuana was found at stores after it was apparently dropped. There was concern that having marijuana in the store could impact the licensing of pharmacies in the stores.

"You Don’t Love Me" is a classic blues song that has roots in the 50's and is still being recorded and re-invented. Willie Cobbs, an Arkansas rice farmer, made his way to Chicago in the late 1940's, playing his blues on Maxwell Street, eventually releasing "You Don't Love Me" in 1961.

Two Washington state lawmakers are defending their frequent dinners with lobbyists. The meals show up in monthly reports filed with the state’s Public Disclosure Commission.

State Rep. Marcus Riccelli is a freshman Democrat from Spokane. On four occasions from January through March, he dined out with Michael Temple, a lobbyist for the state’s powerful trial lawyers association.

When asked Riccelli about those dinners, Riccelli joked, “I’m an Italian kid. I have a big appetite.”

Cheers, Mariners fans!

Safeco Field “takes the cake” as the stadium with the best craft beer selection of them all, according to a new ranking by thedailymeal.com.

“The ballpark is actually known nationally for its reputation as a good place to watch baseball and drink good beer,” said the website. 

The U.S. is calling for North Korea to grant an amnesty for the immediate release of a Korean-American sentenced to 15 years hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state.

The 44-year-old Kenneth Bae of Lynnwood, Wash. is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The others eventually were deported or released without serving out their terms, some after trips to Pyongyang by prominent Americans, including former presidents.

"We have an extraordinary weekend ahead," says KPLU's weather expert Cliff Mass. "And In fact, it's probably not going to rain until at least next weekend as well."

Friday will warm up to lower 70s with “no precipitation anywhere,” says Mass, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington. “And it just cranks up over the weekend."

The NBA Board of Governors is expected to vote May 15 on the recommendation by its relocation committee to keep the Sacramento Kings from moving to Seattle. But investor Chris Hansen is refusing to give up.

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel has his own idea for how to solve this whole mess.   

Seattle police said they’re continuing to investigate crimes committed in the course of an unruly May Day demonstration, but that they’re proud of how officers handled themselves.

Capt. Chris Fowler said Seattle police incorporated some important lessons from last year’s May Day protests. They had much longer to plan this year, even treating a small March 15 protest as a “rehearsal.” 

Business owners are assessing the damage after some anti-capitalist protesters broke windows in Seattle last night. Only a handful sustained property damage, but many more businesses were affected financially.

The Jazz Journalists annual awards for musicians were announced yesterday, May 1.  

Jazz Caliente celebrates Latin Jazz winners Luciana Souza (Best Female Vocalists), Bobby Sanabria (Best Percussionist), and Edmar Casteneda (Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz of the Year).

When mayhem broke out late May Day, Phoenix Jones and his wife were having dinner at a restaurant.

Jones, having attended earlier events with his sidekicks, had thought the day would end peacefully.

“All of a sudden, the phone trips and there’s a riot going on,” he said.

Jones and his wife, also a self-claimed superhero who goes by Purple Reign, rushed to the car to suit up, then hit the streets. Reign was in full costume, but Jones only had on his bulletproof vest instead of his full signature garb.