Seattle, WA
'Now an expectation': Volunteer group finds human remains in Seattle park
Members of the nonprofit organization We Heart Seattle found human remains in a public area within a wooded area in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood earlier this month.
The remains were found on Jan. 8 beneath the Aurora Bridge on an embankment on the north side of Dexter Avenue, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) announced this week. This was the second body found by the organization.
“Dexter Ave is our latest ‘archeological sight’ and we will clean up the rest of the skeletal remains and camp this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.,” Andrea Suarez, the founder and executive director of We Heart Seattle, told MyNorthwest. “We expect to find a missing skull under the collapsed camp.”
More from We Heart Seattle: Volunteer group lambasts King County Regional Homeless Authority’s ballooning budget
What remained in the defunct encampment
Suarez described the area as an abandoned green space with artifacts of prior living that was years if not a decade or more old. Trees had fallen down over the years had been cut through to make space for makeshift forts and camps. We Heart Seattle staff even spotted trash with expiration dates dating back to 2018.
“Garbage several feet deep, thousands of needles, bottles of all kinds filled with urine, buckets and other makeshift toilets with human waste collected and eroded into the slope,” Suarez said when describing the former encampment.
No homeless person was living in the encampment during the time of We Heart Seattle’s cleanup.
“It is possible, now that it’s clean, that new campers would return,” Suarez said. “However, through community stewardship, we hope to activate it as an urban hiking trail and play space for dogs and children.”
We Heart Seattle is a nonprofit that prepares sites for trash and debris removal throughout the city, recruiting volunteers for trash cleanups. Many of the sites are defunct, abandoned or cleared-out encampments within public spaces. Between Oct. 2020 and Oct. 2023, the organization said it collected over a million pounds of garbage across approximately 300 cleanups. It added that more than 10,000 volunteer hours were logged to achieve this.
The nonprofit works alongside the city’s “Find it, Fix it” app to coordinate trash pickup. “Find It, Fix It” is a smartphone app offering mobile users one more way to report selected issues to the City of Seattle.
“We’ve found 12 (since 2020) by me or volunteers in Honey Buckets at Gilman Playfield, RVs in (Seattle neighborhoods) SoDo and Interbay, vans in SoDo, tents near stadiums in Beacon Hill, under stairs in Belltown, Queen Anne and Kinnear Park,” Suarez added. “It’s now an expectation when we scout a clean-up area before we bring volunteers in.”
Despite it being an expectation, Suarez noted this was the first time she or anyone within the organization found bones.
“This was the first body totally decomposed. (It had) been there for years, if not a decade,” Suarez said. “Several others had been passed away for weeks and in plain sight.”
We Heart Seattle staff immediately contacted SPD once they discovered the remains, who forwarded the case to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation. The identity of the remains and the cause of death are still under investigation, as SPD confirmed to MyNorthwest.
Fears about Seattle’s public spaces confirmed
But this discovery only confirmed fears about the safety of public parks and spaces being unsafe within Seattle.
“Since We Heart Seattle cleaned and preserved more than 31 parks before Harrell and, through stewardship, those parks are safe,” Suarez said. “Kinnear Park is not safe at all. Urban hiking trails and ‘protected wetlands and trails,’ formally dirk bike trails or places to play, are still riddled with needles.”
More on homelessness in Seattle: Despite past costs, Inslee seeks $100M to prevent homelessness
Seattle Parks and Recreation has struggled keeping the public spaces safe for all residents. On Dec. 27, the department, with support from the SPD, removed a makeshift garden dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement located in Cal Anderson Park. Parks and Recreation cited the garden became an unsafe place for all park users, noting recent incidents of vandalism of Cal Anderson public bathrooms, public drug use, unauthorized camping and a significant rodent problem, along with other issues.
“The city’s Unified Care Team also removed tent encampments that were located near the garden area and immediately outside the park along E Olive St. as part of ongoing efforts to keep public spaces clean, open and accessible to all,” Seattle Parks and Recreation wrote. “This is the 76th time the Unified Care Team has resolved encampments at Cal Anderson in 2023, which is one of the most frequently addressed areas in the city for repopulated encampments.”
But Suarez doesn’t want to hear people blame the government anymore.
“The voters have blood on their watch,” Suarez said. “Don’t blame the government. Blame a lack of civic engagement and voter education which is the third arm of We Heart Seattle.”
Suarez said the organization has adopted a new mantra: Voting is your superpower. In Nov. 2023’s general election, just slightly more than 500,000 ballots were returned out of nearly 1.4 million registered voters, or 37.9% — the lowest recorded since reliable voter registration counts began in 1936.
More on election turnout: 2023 King County election had lowest voter turnout in nearly 90 years
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
SEATTLE – Transportation officials are warning travelers to prepare for heavy traffic congestion and significant delays as massive construction closures hit highways across the region and light rail lines this weekend.
Major highway closures this weekend
What we know:
The Washington State Department of Transportation said major construction projects are taking over several regional corridors from Friday, May 29, until the morning of Monday, June 1.
Crews are squeezing a large amount of work into a short spring window so they can pause construction during Seattle’s “summer of soccer.”
This means drivers will face concentrated traffic impacts now rather than disruptions spread throughout the summer season.
Here’s what is scheduled for this weekend:
- Kirkland (Southbound I-405): All southbound lanes will be closed from Northeast 124th Street to Northeast 70th Place from 11 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday for fish barrier correction work. Miles-long backups are expected.
- Seattle (Northbound I-5): Two northbound lanes will remain closed across the Ship Canal Bridge, further restricting traffic inside the city.
- Seattle (Eastbound SR 520): Eastbound lanes and all connecting ramps between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Crews are preparing for a traffic switch on the Montlake off-ramp. Only transit and HOV 3+ vehicles will be allowed to use the Montlake Boulevard direct access ramps to eastbound SR 520 across Lake Washington.
- Issaquah/Snoqualmie (Westbound I-90): The eastbound SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway on-ramp to westbound I-90, along with the westbound I-90 off-ramp to westbound SR 18, will close for paving from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Timeline:
The closures start Friday evening, with I-90 ramp closures beginning at 9 p.m., followed by the full I-405 and SR 520 closures at 11 p.m. All highways are scheduled to fully reopen to regular traffic by 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. on Monday, June 1.
WSDOT also said much of the work is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled if it rains.
Light rail disruptions
In addition to the highway gridlock, Sound Transit passengers will face major service disruptions on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31.
Maintenance crews are shutting down parts of the region’s light rail network to complete rail replacement through downtown Seattle stations and perform work on the Crosslake Connection.
During the weekend shutdown, the 1 Line will completely close between the Capitol Hill and Stadium stations. Simultaneously, the 2 Line will be closed between Lynnwood City Center and South Bellevue stations.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit.
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Eight dead in Longview chemical implosion
Eight people are dead and three remain missing after a massive chemical implosion at a Longview facility. Rescue teams face chest-deep water and a caustic “white liquor” that is so corrosive it is eating through their personal protective equipment. The EPA is actively monitoring the area after 500,000 gallons of the material seeped into nearby neighborhood dikes.
LONGVIEW, Wash. – After a massive chemical implosion at a Longview paper mill killed 11 people, little is known about the victims.
Eight people are confirmed dead, and three others remain missing after a tank of white liquor imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday, May 26. Eight others also suffered injuries, including chemical burns and inhalation.
Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig confirmed in a press conference Thursday that crews recovered six of the nine workers who were unaccounted for following the implosion. Two workers who made it out of the site also died, making the death toll 11.
Search and recovery efforts are underway for the three victims who remain missing. Because of the toxic chemicals, the victims’ remains must be decontaminated before the coroner can begin the formal identification process.
Keep reading for details on what we know about the victims in the Longview chemical implosion.
Two victims identified
As of Thursday, only five of the 11 victims in the implosion have been identified by family members:
Jared Ammons:
Family and friends described Ammons as a “loving husband, devoted father, cherished son and caring brother.” He leaves behind his wife, two kids, and another child on the way.
Those who knew Ammons said’ his loss has left an unimaginable hole in their hearts. A GoFundMe is raising money for his family as they navigate the recent tragedy.
Gilbert Bernal:
Friends said Bernal was one of the best people they’ve ever met, and “was a Godly man in every sense of the word.” He was a grandfather and an electrician at the facility.
His GoFundMe said Bernal was loved by many and worked hard to provide for his family. The online fundraiser will go towards his family’s funeral expenses and other needs.
CJ Doran:
Doran, who was 26 years old, is described by friends as a selfless and deeply caring husband and father. He was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the family provider.” A GoFundMe will benefit his wife and family during this troubling time.
John Forsberg:
Forsberg was a father of two young children who lost his life in the Nippon plant implosion. Forsberg’s family asks for privacy as they process this tragedy, with an online fundraiser going towards supporting his children and memorial-related expenses.
Braydon Finkas:
Finkas was an electrician at the plant, whose “sense of humor and kindness touched everyone who knew him.” He was known for his love of golf, brisket-making, breweries and his wife, Kaitlyn.
Rex Czuba, a friend who organized Finkas’ GoFundMe, said he would always be there to help and would never turn down a request from a friend or neighbor. “He was a really big part of the town,” Czuba said. “He really jumped in and became a part of the community so quickly.”
Unidentified implosion victims
What’s next:
There is still little information about the rest of the workers who were killed, hurt, or still missing following the chemical implosion. City officials or the Cowlitz County Medical Examiner’s Office will release details as they continue the recovery and identification process.
Massive chemical flush underway in Longview
On the second day of recovery following what the governor called the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern state history, the Department of Ecology is flushing a massive 500,000-gallon toxic chemical spill away from Longview’s water supply.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Source: Information in this story came from GoFundMe, the Longview Fire Department, the Associated Press and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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On May 8th, Seth Wickersham wrote an article for ESPN discussing the initial market for the Seattle Seahawks. The team had been publicly up for sale for a few months at that point, having been announced as such shortly after winning the super bowl. At that point in time, Seth indicated that there had been surprisingly low amounts of interest from potential buyers.
The market was described as ‘soft’, and the NFL was said to have hoped for better. A few prospective purchasers were named, and it was still believed that the team would easily set an NFL record for price once sold, but there wasn’t a frenzy of interest. Less than three weeks later, however, it seems as if things have changed.
The Suddenly Robust Market
New reporting indicates that the market for the defending champs is now ‘robust’. While nothing is yet guaranteed, and no names were named, there is now reason to believe that the sale is imminent. In fact, there’s a possibility that the new owner could be in place before the 2026 season starts in early September, which would be quite the escalation.
Ian Rapoport believes that a special league meeting to approve a new owner could be coming in late August, around the time the NFL preseason wraps up. He also believes the price of the sale can eclipse the $10 billion mark, which leaves room for it to hit the $11 billion mark that was speculated on back in February. Either way, it’s a record.
To be clear, it’s a record by a massive amount. The current high-water mark for an NFL team was set by the Washington Commanders, who went for $6.05 billion in 2023. Even a sale of $10 billion would be a massive step up, and anything beyond that would start to flirt with doubling it. Clearly, a defending super bowl champion is worth something extra.
What Happens Next?
The wording of the most recent news indicates that things are moving fast, and implies that there’s at least one firm candidate to actually close the deal. Perhaps there’s more than one, and there will be a bidding war at the end. Either way, there’s an air of inevitability around the recent updates. Maybe it won’t be done before the season starts, but it will be done.
Obviously, there’s a mixture of emotions that fans will have about this. We always knew Jody Allen’s tenure as ‘owner’ was temporary, but it’s impossible to argue that she’s been remarkably effective in her role these last several years, so the next owner has big shoes to fill. The Allens have made this fanbase one of high standards. The next owner must continue that.
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