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Washington county sheriff tells deputies to not enforce city's new homeless encampment legislation

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Washington county sheriff tells deputies to not enforce city's new homeless encampment legislation

The King County, Washington, sheriff has directed her deputies to not enforce a City of Burien order outlawing homeless encampments within 500 feet of locations like schools and parks until the constitutionality of the order was resolved, without telling city officials.

Now, Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling is examining the inter-local agreement between the city and county sheriff’s office. Schilling said if he determines the agreement was broken, he would consider establishing a city-run police department.

Burien’s city council adopted a new ordinance on March 4, which prohibits people from sleeping overnight on public property from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, if a shelter, bed or treatment facility is available.

Camping on public property is also prohibited during daytime hours under the new law.

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Orson Lee, who’s been homeless for six years, drinks water from a water bottle while outreach worker Mary Guiberson looks on at a park in Burien, Wash. Outreach teams have fanned out to provide water and other aid to the homeless. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

When the new ordinance was passed, the city said on its website that it was collaborating closely with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) and service partners to ensure outreach and services were offered before the code is enforced. The city also said the KCSO understands that the code cannot be enforced without first verifying that a shelter, bed or treatment facility is available.

King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, on Friday, told her deputies to not enforce the ordinance, according to internal documents obtained by KTTH Radio host Jason Rantz, citing concerns over the constitutionality of the new law.

“We have strong concerns on whether the terms of this ordinance are constitutional, based on the existing legal authority,” Cole-Tindall said via Rantz’s reporting for KTTH.

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Andrea Suarez dismantles a tent as garbage lies piled at a homeless encampment on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

“I do not want any of you to find yourself in a situation where you are asked or expected to do something that could violate legally-established rights,” the sheriff wrote in an email obtained by the station. “I am directing you that we will not enforce this particular section of the Burien Municipal Code until the constitutionality of the public camping ordinance is resolved.”

Cole-Tindall did not make Burien city officials aware of the decision, including Schilling.

The county executive and sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter.

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FILE – King County, Washington sheriff’s deputies were directed by its leader to not enforce a new ordinance in Burien, outlawing homeless encampments within 500 feet of locations like schools and parks.  (iStock)

The sheriff was appointed by King County Executive Dow Constantine, a move granted by voters in 2021.

“This is the undemocratic situation that occurs when a higher government official gets to dictate what occurs in local governments,” Schilling told Fox News Digital. “The City of Burien pays millions of dollars to the King County Sheriff’s Office with the expectation they will enforce our city codes and laws to keep the community safe and publicly accessible for all.”

The mayor said Constantine and Cole-Tindall are prioritizing politics over public safety.

The station reported that Constantine has not been supportive of Burien’s moves to address homelessness because she does not support sweeps.

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The 30-year-old mayor said he was in high school when Constantine was elected in 2009, and for years, problems have not been solved.

“Instead, King County has the highest level of homelessness ever, the highest number of overdose deaths in the country, and continuously increasing taxes for programs that do not show results or solve problems,” Schilling said. “I believe in government accountability and individual responsibility. This isn’t a liberal or conservative problem. The issue of homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues, and criminal activity cuts across traditional partisan divides.

“We need to ensure that we are prioritizing treatment over tents, and public safety over politics so that we can get folks off the streets and into shelter and services,” he added.

KTTH reported that city council members passed the ordinance in a 5-2 vote, as members saw the legislation as an “emergency ordinance,” connected with health and public safety implications of a previous law that banned camping on public property.

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Despite not enforcing the homeless encampment ordinance, Cole-Tindall told deputies to continue enforcing criminal code violations.

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San Francisco, CA

Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss

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Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss


After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.

The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.

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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.

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Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.

Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.

The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.

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They just didn’t get the job done.

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Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.

With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.

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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.

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The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.

All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.

Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.

That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.

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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.

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Denver, CO

Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather

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Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather


DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.

Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.

“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”

A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.

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“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.

This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.

“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.

He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.

“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.

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With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.

McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.

“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.

Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.

“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.

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Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.

“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.

As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.

“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.

To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.

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Seattle, WA

Here, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026

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Here, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026


A whimsical world of whiskers, creativity, and community took over Seattle Center this weekend as POP Cats 2026 returned for a celebration of all things feline. The immersive convention turned the Exhibition Hall into a vibrant ‘cat city,’ complete with colorful art installations, interactive exhibits and endless photo ops. From adoptable rescue cats and hands-on workshops to cosplay, shopping, and meetups with fellow cat lovers, the event blended fun with purpose. Attendees could even bring their own cats, making it one of the few conventions where pets are part of the experience. Felines and their human friends embraced a joyful, cat-filled escape and one meow-velous weekend in Seattle. (Image: Elizabeth Crook / Seattle Refined) April 18, 2026{ }



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