Seattle, WA
The Pacific Northwest Is Breaking Some Sweltering Records
It’s been a hot one in the Pacific Northwest over the past few days, and it looks like residents there will have to endure the extreme weather for at least a little longer. The New York Times reports that upward of 12 million people are sweating it out under a current heat advisory, with temps in Oregon and Washington state spiking to more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average over the weekend, and possibly up to “30 degrees above average … throughout this week.” At least four cities in the Seattle area saw records broken Saturday—for instance, Quillayute topped out at 90 degrees, smashing the 80-degree high for that day set nearly 50 years ago.
KOMO notes that Seattle doesn’t typically hit 90 degrees until early July. Portland, meanwhile, hit 93 degrees on Saturday, a degree higher than its record set in 1973. Heat advisories in the region are set to last at least until Monday evening. The National Weather Service is warning of the risk of heat-related illness, especially for individuals who don’t hydrate properly or have ways to cool down. Cooling centers have opened up throughout the Seattle area for respite, and bus drivers in Washington’s King County have been directed to let people ride the bus for free if they need to cool off.
Meanwhile, in Portland, officials are encouraging locals to head to community swimming pools and fountains, or to free venues where there’s AC, such as libraries. Sunscreen and bottles of water are also being distributed in the city. “We decided to stop by … until we all feel better,” one Portland mom of three who took her kids to a fountain downtown on Friday told the AP. One warning that the NWS is putting out there as residents take dips in local waters to stay cool: River temperatures are still only in the low to mid-40s. (Read more Pacific Northwest stories.)
Seattle, WA
Oregon man who kidnapped a Seattle woman and kept her in a makeshift cell gets life sentence
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man has been sentenced to life in federal prison after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two women in separate instances, including locking one in a cinder block cell.
Negasi Zuberi, 31, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Medford, Portland television station KGW reported. A federal jury convicted him in October on charges of kidnapping, transportation for criminal sexual activity, being a felon in possession of a weapon and attempting to break out of jail when he tried to smash through his cell window in August 2023.
“This is not a man who deserves to be around others,” a victim said at the hearing. “He shows blatant disregard and lack of care for human life.”
The Associated Press does not usually name people who have been sexually assaulted.
“Negasi Zuberi is a serial predator who committed acts of evil. He hunted women,” assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Sweet said before Zuberi was sentenced.
In July 2023, Zuberi solicited a woman to engage in prostitution along Aurora Avenue in Seattle, authorities said. He told the woman he was an undercover officer, showed her a badge, pointed a Taser at her and placed her in handcuffs and leg irons before putting her in the back of his vehicle.
He then drove hundreds of miles to his home in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and locked the woman in a cinder block cell in his garage, according to the FBI. After the woman escaped after repeatedly banging on the cell door until it broke open, Zuberi fled and was arrested in Reno, Nevada.
Federal authorities later linked him to a second kidnapping in May 2023, in which he was convicted of abducting a woman outside a Klamath Falls bar. Prosecutors said he threatened her with a Taser, handcuffed her in the back of his vehicle and sexually assaulted her.
Zuberi had pleaded not guilty and continued to claim he was innocent during the sentencing hearing.
He waived his right to testify during the 11-day trial. He attempted to testify on the trial’s last day but was denied because he earlier waived that right.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) worked to repair a road and the surrounding area after a water service line broke and caused a collapse, according to a news release.
The incident occurred at Airport Way South and South Lander Street intersection on Tuesday, January 16.
Video of the water main break and road collapse were provided by safetyvid.org.
Seattle Police notified SPU about the situation around 10:45 a.m., prompting an immediate investigation by SPU crews.
The broken water pipe resulted in water pooling in the roadway.
Despite the significant break, no SPU water customers experienced a service disruption.
City crews and inspectors will continue to investigate the cause of the incident.
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