Seattle, WA

New Councilman Bob Kettle has a message for Seattle officers thinking of retiring or quitting

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

New Councilman Bob Kettle has a message for Seattle officers thinking of retiring or quitting

Meet new Seattle City Councilman Bob Kettle

FOX 13’s Hana Kim is sitting down with the new members of the Seattle City Council. This week, she spoke with Bob Kettle, who now represents Belltown, Queen Anne, South Lake Union and Westlake, downtown and Pioneer Square.

SEATTLE – On Tuesday, seven elected Seattle City Council members were officially sworn in and five of those people are new faces.

It marks a significant change to the council, and it’s the most newcomers at once in more than a century.

This week, FOX 13 will air in-depth conversations with most of the new council members.

It was a quote from Andrew Lewis that partly compelled Bob Kettle to run against Lewis for Seattle City Council.

“Mid-March, he was quoted in the Seattle Times as saying, ‘I’m shocked that drug dealers can act with impunity on 3rd Avenue’ and I was shocked,” Kettle said.

He says council members played a role in creating an environment of permissive attitudes toward drugs and crime.

Kettle, a former Senior Naval Officer with years of experience in the intelligence field, is the only new face who managed to beat an incumbent.

“It’s a desire to move away from past city council, the dysfunction that was present,” Kettle said.

After retiring from military work, he spent years volunteering in civic organizations, including the Queen Anne Community Council and the Advisory Council for Seattle Police.

He now leads District 7, which spans from Interbay to Queen Anne to downtown Seattle.

For FOX 13’s interview, Kettle chose to meet at Uptown Espresso in Belltown, saying he wants to support an environment where small businesses and residents can thrive.

“Here we are in this coffee shop. It’s very nice, and it’s the thing we need to build on in Belltown, downtown Seattle and the rest of District 7,” Kettle said.

He said public safety, public health and homelessness are his top priorities and expects challenges.

He also has strong feelings about Seattle Police, saying he believes that it’s the best force in the entire country.

“I believe that because of all the work that’s happening on the consent decree and building on that, we should acknowledge the bad, but also acknowledge the good,” Kettle said.

He has a message for officers who plan to retire or quit right now:

“Give us one year,” Kettle said.

Kettle is requesting one extra year. In that time, he says the new council will help boost morale and re-imagine ways to recruit new officers.

“I would like to marry up the young people with our community college program. [I] imagine we can get some partnership,” Kettle said.

He wants the city to officially create a pipeline of young people who have an interest in policing. The idea is to pair them with a community college to get an education and then right into SPD’s force.

“The more we invest in our people early on, whether that’s education or training, we are going to benefit in the back end,” Kettle said.

Another goal for Kettle is to get more public health resources for people struggling with drug addiction and mental health issues.

He says the state needs to step up and provide a lot more resources and he plans on pressing the state for more things like beds and treatment.

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Seattle, WA

Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

Heavyweights will collide in “Rain City.”

MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today (Thurs., Jan. 8, 2026) that No. 10-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Marcin Tybura will take on surging Brazilian prospect Valter Walker at UFC Seattle on Sat., March 28, 2026, inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Walker (15-1) stumbled out of the gate in his UFC debut, suffering a loss to Lukasz Brzeski in 2024. Since then, however, “Clean Monster” has completely rewritten the narrative — and the UFC record books.

Walker opened 2025 by submitting Don’Tale Mayes with a heel hook (watch highlights), his second straight victory via the technique. Five months later, he followed it up with another first-round heel hook against Kennedy Nzechukwu (watch highlights), setting a new UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submission wins with three.

But he wasn’t finished.

At UFC 321 in Oct. 2025, Walker once again locked in a first-round heel hook — this time against Louie Sutherland — tying Rousimar Palhares for the most heel hook submissions (four) in UFC history while extending his own record for consecutive heel hook finishes (watch it).

A win in Seattle would almost certainly vault Walker into the Top 10 of the Heavyweight rankings.

Tybura (27-10), meanwhile, will be defending his No. 10 spot when he steps into the cage. The Polish veteran went 1-1 in 2025, handing highly touted U.K. prospect Mick Parkin his first professional loss at UFC London before suffering a quick knockout loss to debuting Ante Delija at UFC Paris (watch highlights), snapping a two-fight win streak.

Now 40 years old, Tybura is 5-3 over his last eight appearances.

Here are some other bouts currently scheduled for UFC Seattle:

Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes

Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber

Nicolle Caliari vs. Carol Fiori

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Seattle, WA

Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building

Published

15 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building

SEATTLE, Wash. – There were at least 200 protesters that showed up in Seattle Wednesday night in what speakers called an “emergency protest” in response to the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday.

“We want justice, we want peace, we want justice, we want peace, we want ICE off our streets, we want ice off our streets…” they chanted.

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Seattle protesters outside the Federal Building following a fatal shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis. (FOX 13 Seattle)

After listening to speakers, protesters went on the march and circled the blocks near the Federal Building in Seattle.

Though the protest was organized on short notice, some protesters say they were compelled to come out Wednesday with urgency because they felt what happened in Minneapolis was a bridge too far.

What they’re saying:

“ICE has gone too far. We’ve felt this, we’ve known this for a long time. There have been people protesting,” said Raleigh Watts, protesting the ICE shooting. “We’ve been hearing the news. Today I came out because when I heard, it was my sign that a line has been crossed that I can’t stand anymore. So, I’ve come to say, ‘No ICE, you’ve gone too far’.”

“A lot of people out here are really, really angry, confused and sad, but I think we have what it takes to fight back,” said Sophia Van Beek, protesting the MN ICE shooting. “I’m certain there are going to be actions.”

Sophia says in order to make a difference, protesters need to create an actionable political program.

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Members of law enforcement were in the area and helped to block off the streets during the protest and march. There were no clashes during this protest and it wrapped up at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I am proud of all the hundreds of people who have turned out tonight at the federal building in Seattle. I’m proud of the people who are in Tacoma that are protesting at the ice detention center and in Minneapolis and in cities across the country. This is not okay for ICE to kill somebody,” said Watts.

What’s next:

Some people at Wednesday’s demonstration said they were planning to organize more protests in the coming weeks.

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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle groups join national protest against ICE raids following Minneapolis shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Seattle groups join national protest against ICE raids following Minneapolis shooting

SEATTLE — Seattle activists are rallying to demand justice on Wednesday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.

The Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) and Seattle Against War (SAW) have organized an emergency press conference to protest the incident.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in Seattle.

Woman killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis; Mayor tells ICE to ‘get the f***’ out

The shooting occurred on Wednesday morning at the corner of 34th and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. According to preliminary information, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, the woman was sitting in her vehicle blocking the roadway when a federal law enforcement officer approached on foot. When the vehicle began to drive away, at least two shots were fired, and the vehicle crashed on the side of the road.

In response, emergency protests have erupted in Minneapolis and are expected to continue through Jan. 11.

The Seattle groups are joining the Legalization 4 All Network in calling for an immediate end to ICE raids and mass deportations.

They are also demanding justice and accountability for the woman who was killed, including the release of the name of the ICE agent involved and the names of all agents participating in such operations.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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