Seattle, WA
Seattle Times amplifies more remote work whiners
The Seattle Times is again masquerading advocacy as journalism. The goal this time appears to be to advocate for remote workers to stay away from the office, likely in response to a vocal group of staff opposing return-to-office policies.
Business reporter Jessica Fu laments the supposed financial burdens of returning to the office, blaming everything from gas prices to food costs. But instead of offering newsworthy insights, the article reads like a poorly veiled lobbying effort to keep workers remote. Fu even solicited specific stories to tell that fit what appears to be her personal view that remote working should be adopted by businesses.
And let’s be honest: this isn’t about household budgets—it’s about perpetuating progressive narratives that their policies are not to blame for the very affordability crisis they complain about.
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What does The Seattle Times believe is so bad about returning to work?
Fu frames the piece to be sympathetic to remote workers who don’t want to return to the office like adults.
The article, titled “Seattle-area return-to-office mandates strain household budgets,” centers around Jessica Poe, a 41-year-old divorcee who moved to Spanaway with her two dogs because she couldn’t find a spacious enough apartment with her $1,900-a-month budget. The house she moved to belonged to her brother, and consequently, her rent was just $750 a month.
Three months after the move, Poe was laid off but found a new job in Bellevue with what Fu calls “a catch” — like most jobs, it required staff to work in the office.
“Such a requirement may come as no surprise to workers in the Seattle area,” Fu bizarrely notes. No one is surprised by this requirement because it’s how the workforce has always operated until a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that remote workers took advantage of in order to stay home from work.
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Ignoring root causes
Fu goes on to note the stress of people like Poe, “who have organized their lives around working remotely.”
She took the job, even though it is in Bellevue. To get to work, she had to drive two hours each way, or more depending on traffic. Her costs ballooned massively. On gas alone, Poe was spending nearly $500 a month. Depending on how backed up her normal commute was, she sometimes opted to pay a $15 toll each way to take a faster route. On average, that added $300 a month or more, she estimates. The costs compounded quickly, eating into her annual income of $75,000.
The business reporter even complains about the depreciation of Poe’s car: “Each day, she would put another 100 miles on it. In three months, she had to get two oil changes.”
Of course, Fu conveniently ignores the root causes of these financial burdens on remote workers feigning outrage or surprise of having to return to the office.
Housing costs? Driven sky-high by Democrats’ policies that throttle development and overregulate landlords. Food and gas prices? Thank the Biden administration’s inflationary spending and, locally, Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, which voters recently declined to repeal. This law, sold as a climate win, has raised gas prices to some of the highest in the nation.
These are the very policies the Times’ staff and remote workers likely championed, yet now they bemoan the very predictable fallout.
The news report is missing any news
There’s no actual news in The Seattle Times article. It’s just a string of complaints from people who pretended they’d never have to return to the office.
Did these folks think the pandemic was permanent? Remote work was a temporary adjustment, not a new way of life. Employers, who’ve been paying for high leases on empty office space, have every right to call their employees back. And the rest of you, who’ve endured the traffic and rising costs throughout, are likely done hearing sob stories about how someone’s Starbucks bill went up because they’re commuting again.
The importance of returning to the office cannot be overstated. It’s an important detail left out of the advocacy journalism lobbying for remote workers.
More from Jason Rantz: Starbucks joins Amazon in wisely threatening to fire selfish employees who won’t return to office
Remote workers should think about the economy
Beyond boosting productivity and collaboration (remember those things?), working in an office revitalizes local economies that have been decimated by the remote-work era.
Restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, and countless other small businesses have been suffering because the workforce stayed home. Bringing people back restores vibrancy to our downtowns and helps repair the damage done by years of draconian COVID-19 policies.
The Seattle Times completely misses this bigger picture. Instead, Fu feeds into the entitlement of a remote workforce that doesn’t want to adapt to reality. Want to cut costs? Pack a lunch. Take public transit like progressives keep pushing on the rest of us. Or better yet, pressure the policymakers you voted for to enact reforms that reduce the cost of living.
A bunch of whining from remote workers
This report isn’t journalism — it’s advocacy-via-whining.
The Seattle Times is clearly siding with a particular agenda, hoping to shift public opinion against return-to-work policies. But their argument falls apart when you realize the hardships they highlight are self-inflicted wounds caused by the very leaders they defend and prop up.
If anything, this article should be a wake-up call to its readers: Democrats’ policies have created these burdens, and their enablers in the media would rather you work from home than demand better policies.
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Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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