Seattle, WA

Monsanto Hit With $165 Million Verdict Over PCBs in Seattle School

Published

1 year ago

November 21, 2023

Monsanto Hit With 5 Million Verdict Over PCBs in Seattle School

By Clark Mindock (Reuters) – A U.S. jury has ordered Bayer’s Monsanto to pay $165 million to employees of a school northeast of Seattle who claimed chemicals made by the company called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, leaked from light fixtures and got them sick. The Washington state court jury …

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Seattle, WA

My Head Start Story: A Lifetime Connection

Published

4 hours ago

December 10, 2024

Press Room

My Head Start Story: A Lifetime Connection

Excited girls using chemistry set together in elementary science classroom

By Maryom McCloud

My story is a series of events and opportunities that likely would not have happened if not for Head Start. We lived in the George Legare housing development in North Charleston, South Carolina. My mom had me while she was in high school. My grandmother became my primary caregiver as my mom continued her education by going to college. My grandmother enrolled me in the Mamie G. Fields Head Start, which centered me in a safe and caring environment. I loved going to school. I loved that I had a book bag just like my mom. Little did I know, while she worked to fulfill her dreams, Head Start would initiate a journey leading to my dreams, too.

It’s hard sometimes to remember last week, let alone decades ago, but I have vivid memories from my time at Head Start. I remember things like eating lunch with classmates and the school’s immaculate facilities, with different areas for toys and activities. And the books! Head Start gave me my first set of books, and I fell in love with reading. One cemented memory is when I had to get dressed up and take pictures for a special ceremony that included “really important people” from the town who didn’t look like me, my family, or anyone in my neighborhood. That’s how my young mind understood what I would later learn to be the vestiges of racial segregation.

When it was time to move on from Head Start, my literacy and numeracy skills were advanced. Because Head Start taught my mother how to advocate for what was in my best interest educationally, she requested a meeting with the elementary school principal to discuss my beginning kindergarten, even though my birthday was after the registration cut-off. That meeting resulted in two additional opportunities. First, I started kindergarten at four years old. Second, the school principal offered my mother a job as a substitute teacher, which was her first job with benefits. This opportunity was a significant boost for our family that could not have happened had she been unable to attend and finish her studies. Throughout my school years, I excelled. I graduated high school at 16 and started college at 17, intending to pursue an electrical and chemical engineering degree. Additional encounters and opportunities along the way helped me identify a career path in accounting instead. I’ve always been skilled with numbers and learned that finance suits me well.

Not long after launching my career, I merged my aptitude for numbers with my core belief in serving others by working in the public service, governmental, and nonprofit sectors. Now, as a result, my work is challenging and fulfilling. My first job was as a director of Finance and Human Resources for a Community Action Agency, which served Head Start children and families. I have had a successful career at various governmental and nonprofit programs with Head Start in multiple regions and states for over 16 years. And, in 2020, I joined Lutheran Family Services Florida as the director of Finance–yet another opportunity to give back to Head Start. When I look at my path and my family’s, I firmly believe that Head Start had a central role in where we are today. Head Start is a catalyst for changing mindsets, leading to opportunities that change lives.

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Seattle, WA

Seahawks ‘Not Sure’ About Ken Walker III’s Status Entering Week 15

Published

12 hours ago

December 10, 2024

Press Room

Seahawks ‘Not Sure’ About Ken Walker III’s Status Entering Week 15

RENTON, Wash. – After missing Sunday’s 30-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals, it remains to be seen whether or not Ken Walker III will be back in action when the Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Lumen Field.

Walker played the entire game during a road victory over the Jets two weeks ago, but the third-year back popped up on the Seahawks’ injury report last Wednesday with calf and ankle injuries. Initially limited at practice on Wednesday, he sat out the next two days and received a questionable designation, only for the team to rule him out on Saturday.

When asked about Walker’s status during his weekly Monday press conference, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t have any concrete updates on his prognosis, though he did suggest that the team should have a better idea of his timeline in the next day or two as preparation for the Packers starts to ramp up.

“There’s some medical stuff that I don’t really know, but definitely it’s his calf at this point,” Macdonald explained. “It’s not his ankle. In terms of his status right now, we’re not sure. There are some more tests that we’re doing right now, on it as we speak, and so we’ll hopefully know more over the next 24 to 48 hours.”

While Seattle hopes Walker will be available for Sunday’s massive prime time contest, if he has to miss a second straight game, Zach Charbonnet has proven more than capable of holding his own as the feature back. Starting his third game of the season against Arizona, he rushed for a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard scamper on a well-blocked counter trey run, producing six missed forced tackles and 125 yards after contact per Pro Football Focus.

Aside from his career day on the ground, Charbonnet also reeled in seven receptions for 59 yards, providing a reliable checkdown target out of the backfield for Geno Smith and picking up 20 yards on a running back screen.

“His full talents were on display,” Macdonald said of Charbonnet. “Out of the backfield, running the ball, so he’s kind of a threat at all different points. He made a heck of a catch on a check-down, there were three guys surrounding him. If he tips that ball, that’s a possible takeaway. So how he’s able to take care of the ball, I think just his after-contact type of yardage and productivity was really awesome to see running through some arm tackles.”

The Seahawks also received excellent contributions from Kenny McIntosh in a reserve role on Sunday, as he pitched in seven carries for 38 yards, taking advantage of a career-high in carries averaging 5.4 yards per tote. He added a pair of receptions for seven yards out of the backfield, playing well enough that the coaching staff should have no reservations about deploying him more as a change of pace back in Walker’s absence.

From a depth perspective, undrafted rookie George Holani still has one practice squad elevation remaining before he has to be signed to the 53-man roster to suit up again, so the Seahawks will have the ability to activate him to play against the Packers if necessary. A decision on that front won’t have to be made until Saturday.

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Seattle, WA

Huard: Seattle Seahawks rookie adds something OL was missing

Published

20 hours ago

December 9, 2024

Press Room

Huard: Seattle Seahawks rookie adds something OL was missing

Late in the first half of Sunday’s pivotal NFC West clash, Seattle Seahawks rookie right guard Sataoa Laumea made his presence felt in an emphatic way.

Seahawks’ rushing attack has ‘breakthrough’ in multiple ways

Just one week removed from his NFL debut, Laumea pulled to the left and delivered a thunderous pancake block that sent an Arizona edge rusher to the ground. Laumea’s block helped open a wide crease for running back Zach Charbonnet, who raced through the lane for a 51-yard touchdown run during Seattle’s 30-18 road win over the Arizona Cardinals.

“CHARBONNET GOING THE DISTANCE”@Seahawks continue to hit big plays pic.twitter.com/ahe7S0jssV
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 8, 2024
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It was the defining moment of a breakout afternoon for the Seahawks’ oft-criticized offensive line and sputtering rushing attack. With a unit up front that was consistently clearing running lanes, Seattle exploded for a season-high 176 rushing yards – nearly double its season average. The O-line also excelled in pass protection, with quarterback Geno Smith playing his first sack-free game of the year.

Laumea, a sixth-round draft pick out of Utah, played an important role in the success up front. But it wasn’t just his play that caught former NFL quarterback Brock Huard‘s attention.

Laumea’s attitude also stood out.

“There were a couple times that the field mics caught him (unleashing) this guttural scream,” Huard said during Monday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “And you haven’t heard that in years (from Seattle’s O-line) – just the joy. It’s hard to be a lineman, man. … You’re blocking guys that are so much more superior in speed and athleticism and oftentimes even strength. You just take a beating, and you really don’t get any praise.

“So it’s really hard to just have joy and this charisma,” he added. “But man, yesterday you heard him multiple times. … He demolished (a defender) and pancaked him and screamed this warrior roar. And I’m like, ‘Yes.’ This team has needed that.”

“CHARBONNET GOING THE DISTANCE”@Seahawks continue to hit big plays pic.twitter.com/ahe7S0jssV
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 8, 2024

The two leaders along the Seahawks’ offensive line are left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas, but Huard thinks the 6-foot-4, 319-pound Laumea adds a different type of edge with his personality.

“That’s not Charles Cross. He is not that kind of vocal guy. That’s not Abe Lucas. They’re not wired that way,” Huard said. “But you need that. … I went back and looked at my Utah boards when he’s playing there, a constant comment was like, ‘He’s a mean sucker. You do not mess with him.’

“The Seahawks’ O-line needed (that). And man, what a great game for him and the whole group collectively.”

The coach’s take

Laumea, a three-time All-Pac-12 selection at Utah, was inactive for Seattle’s first 11 games while sitting behind second-year pro Anthony Bradford and rookie third-round draft pick Christian Haynes on the depth chart.

But after Bradford landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury that he suffered two weeks ago, Laumea beat out Haynes for the starting job and made his NFL debut in last week’s win over the New York Jets.

During his weekly appearance Monday morning on Seattle Sports, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald agreed with Huard’s assessment that Laumea brings a fiery type of energy to the field.

“He has a lot of that in him,” Macdonald said. “That showed up on his college tape. He’s rugged, powerful and nasty. … He’s a heck of a kid, a heck of a guy and he’s still so young, man. It’s really exciting.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full conversation with Mike Macdonald at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story.

Seattle Seahawks news and analysis

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• Seattle Seahawks Standings Update: A new team is now chief competition

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