UPDATED: February 16, 2021 @ 11:38 PM – neighbors are reporting it was a Loren Culp sign, and not a Donald Trump sign
[MOUNT VERNON] – (MTN) A 32-year-old Arlington woman is dead, and her assailant is in Skagit County jail under investigation for her murder. Skagit County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 55-year old Angela Marie Conjin on second-degree murder charges and her husband John for fourth-degree assault. Anglea Conjin is being held without bail pending her first hearing. Conjin is accused of shooting the 32-year old victim to death after her husband and another man allegedly got into a fight over a Loren Culp sign that was in Conjin’s yard.
According to goskagit.com, deputies responded to a 911 call on Saturday around 5:30 PM, reporting a fight in progress. As deputies were en route, they received another 911 call stating a person had been shot at the same address.
Deputies arrived to find the 32-year-old Arlington woman dead in the driveway. According to a statement made by the sheriff’s department, officers spoke with the home occupants and arrested the couple without incident. Conjin’s first court appearance scheduled for today was canceled. The Skagit County Prosector’s Office reported that charges were filed today using a committee magistrate warrant, and Conjin will have her first hearing on Wednesday at 8:30 AM. Brett Purtzer of Tacoma is her attorney and has a history of taking cases where defendants plead self-defense or mental anguish.
Public records show Anglea Conjin was a teacher’s aide for the Sedro-Wooley School District. In 2019 she trained to be a hairstylist and started working for La Conner Hair Design. Calls and messages to La Conner Hair Design went unanswered. Investigators have not released the nature of the political sign, but a report from Seattle TV station KING 5, indicates it was a Loren Culp Sign. Loren Culp lost the gubernatorial election in Washington state by 545,000 votes but refused to concede and made baseless allegations of fraud without evidence. Public records show Conjin is a registered Republican in the state of Washington.
Conjin’s background indicates she has had financial troubles in the past, including a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but has no prior criminal record.
You can read our latest update by clicking this link.
[HOUSTON] – (MTN) Oil went above $60 a barrel for the first time in a year as oil production and refining ground to a halt. Oil and natural gas wells stopped pumping in the Permian Basin, and refineries went into complete shutdown in the Golden Triangle over the weekend, stopping gasoline production.
Engineered to work in the Texas heat, the pumps and refineries cannot operate safely in frigid temperatures. Additionally, with 3.8 million people out of power and rolling blackouts now impacting five states, the electricity and employees required to run these operations are unavailable.
The historic winter storm slammed the Midwest and Texas, bringing accumulating snow as far south as Brownsville, Texas, and even Mexico. Snow and freezing rain have collapsed power lines while Texans, whose homes aren’t designed for this kind of weather, send electricity and natural gas demand to unprecedented levels.
Twitter user @nessanicole10 shows snow in Brownsville, Texas, located on the gulf coast and the Mexico border
The situation in Texas represents a massive disruption to energy distribution in the United States. In the Permian Basin, which includes the Texas cities of Midland and Odessa, one million barrels of daily oil production is offline, representing 9% of total U.S. production.
Locally, this will mean higher prices at the gas pump, even though Washington state is a closed-loop system. Ninety-percent of Washington crude oil comes from Alaska due to the Rocky Mountains preventing pipeline transmission to the region. Almost all of our gasoline and aviation fuel is refined in-state.
In the early 2000s, Shell closed down two refineries in California to tighten west coast supply and raise overall prices. Shell claimed the Bakersfield refinery needed to be shuttered because it was too expensive to operate due to California regulations. In California, regulators indicated they offered full waivers to the Shell Bakersfield plant. Leaked internal memos showed the refinery was one of the most profitable Shell owned. Shell sold the refinery to Flying J, in a deal backed by California. Ultimately the plant was shuttered when Flying J went bankrupt in 2008 due to the Great Recession and plummeting demand for diesel fuel at their numerous truck stops. The permanent closure reduced diesel and gasoline supply in northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
Despite the region’s insulation from Midwest and Texas supply disruptions, distribution costs in our area will go up. With it, you’ll be paying more at that pump.
The disruptions out of Texas may be long term. The Southwest Power Pool manages electricity across 14 states in the south and Midwest. It has notified all customers there is a Level Three power emergency that requires rolling blackouts through the entire region to prevent the electrical grid from collapsing.
In southeast Texas, including Houston, the system is so overloaded and damaged that rolling blackouts are no longer possible. Customers have been advised to treat any power outage as long-term and plan accordingly. Videos are showing overloaded powerlines exploding in fireballs, like glowing elements of a toaster.
power lines are exploding throughout texas due to ice, wind, and overloads
Natural gas demand is so high that the required pressure collapses, causing shortages and cutoffs to businesses and homes. The situation will only get worse as record cold, possibly the coldest weather in 150 years, will blanket the Lone Star state tonight. Forecasters expect freezing rain to strike southeast Texas Tuesday night and Wednesday, adding to the region’s woes.
2.5 million without power across Texas …in some of the coldest weather in over 30 years 🥶
Houston, texas is snow-covered including the downtown freeways with more cold weather on the way
Residents are flooding area 911 systems with calls desperate about the cold and no way to heat their homes or stay warm. Officials ask people to conserve energy, bundle up, and protect the pipes with even colder weather on tap. City officials in Houston have appealed to people to treat this like a Category V hurricane and stay home.
Records show Wheeler was shot with beanbag rounds in 2015 in response to a domestic violence report
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Former Seattle Seahawk player Chad Wheeler remains out on $400,000 bail for a savage domestic violence attack last month. Records show that this isn’t the first time Wheeler has committed domestic violence, and his mental illness was used as a defense.
The Los Angeles Times reported that in December 2015, while Wheeler was the starting left tackle at USC, police were called after he punched walls and windows, and barricade himself in an apartment with a 20-year-old woman and her son. Ignoring police instructions, law enforcement officers had to fire bean bag rounds at the 6’7″ tall, 315-pound wheeler to subdue him. He was detained by police and then taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Alleah Taylor in an exclusive interview with CBS This Morning, shared by Malcontent News, told a harrowing tale of the attack that has left her with metal plates in her body and with a closed head injury. In the interview, she described pleading for her life and with an out of control Wheeler.
The NFL has struggled to address the organization’s handling of domestic violence among its players, with uneven enforcement of the code of conduct. Both the Seattle Seahawks and NFL expressed empathy for the victim Taylor while taking a softer approach on Wheeler in part because his contract with the Seahawks ended on December 31, 2021.
If you are experiencing domestic violence you can visit the National Domestic Violence website, or call 800-799-SAFE (7233). If you do visit their site or make a call, be sure to clear your browser and call history for your safety.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Much of western Washington remains in an icy grip after a storm on Saturday dumped as much as a foot of snow, sleet, and freezing rain from Vancouver to Bellingham. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from noon to 10 PM, while Portland, Oregon is under an Ice Storm Warning.
Snow started falling across much of the region by 7 AM. Much of the Seattle area has received an inch already, with another one to three inches likely before the snow transitions to sleet, possibly some freezing rain, and then all rain tonight.
Area streets including arterials remain treacherous and travel should be avoided if at all possible. Monday will continue a cold wet pattern, but temperatures will climb to 40 degrees, bringing an end to the snow.
UPDATE 4:00 PM PST: The National Weather Service has extended the Winter Storm Warning until 9:00 PM PST due to continued moderate to heavy snow falling in some areas within the region. Moderate to heavy bands of snow will continue to develop into the evening hours. Some of these bands can quickly drop one to two more inches of snow. People are advised to continue to avoid travel if possible.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Puget Sound woke up to five to twelve inches of snow with more coming down on Saturday, as the biggest winter storm in two years blanketed the region. Light snow started falling between 6 PM and 8 PM in the Seattle-Bellevue area, while heavier snow accumulated in the South Sound. A third storm system is on tap for Saturday night and Sunday.
Snow showers from the current system are tapering off after a Convergence Zone formed from Marysville to Issaquah this afternoon. Saturday night, snow showers will increase again and get heavier into Sunday morning. By noon tomorrow, most areas will transition to a rain-snow mix or rain, but not before one to three more inches is added to current accumulations. Lows tonight will be 28 to 30 degrees and highs tomorrow will reach 35 to 37.
Many side streets are treacherous or impassable due to snow and ice throughout the region. During the early morning, hours on Saturday I-5 and I-405 were completely snow-covered, measured in inches in some location. Winds howled through the night with gusts as high as 40 MPH. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had sustained winds of 25 MPH overnight, and wind chill as low as 10 degrees. In Kirkland, Seattle, and other communities, city officials closed numerous streets due to extreme conditions and the danger hills presented to drivers. Officials are appealing for people to stay off the roads if possible.
Further south in Tacoma and Olympia, 9 to 12 inches of snow fell bringing traffic to a standstill. I-5 was littered with accidents overnight in the metro Tacoma area despite light traffic, with emergency crews struggling to cover multiple crash scenes. Clark County where Vancouver is located has declared a state of emergency where roads are impassable. Portland, Oregon saw a wide range of snowfall amounts from 2 to 11 inches, with 6 inches in the city, as many areas experienced a major ice storm. Governor Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency in nine Oregon Counties due to ice accumulations, power outages, tree, and property damage. Over 130,000 people are without power in the hard-hit areas.
Monday will see temperatures approach 40 degrees with a transition to all rain. Side streets will remain a challenge in places likely into Tuesday as the snow gets converted into thick slush.
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We will do storm updates as a live blog on this story
Saturday 11:35 AM – Snow is starting to taper off in our area. Temperatures are 27 to 29 degrees and there is very light snow or light freezing drizzle falling through the area. Another inch of snow is possible before tapering off, but it will be short lived. We have another shot of snow coming tonight into Sunday morning, with 2 to 3 inches likely in our area before it transitions to a rain or rain-snow mix. Roads are in poor condition. I-5 and i-405 are in much better shape than they were at 4 AM. The region received 5 to 12 inches last night. Shoreline was reporting 10 inches, downtown Seattle 6 inches, and in the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area reports are coming in of 6 to 9 inches of snow. You can watch our video from last night to see how bad it was at 4 AM.
Saturday 4:15 AM – I-5 from Tacoma to Boeing Field has deep snow on it with large sections untreated. I-5 in Auburn and Federal Way is in extremely poor condition, as are the roads in Tacoma. I-5, I-90, I-405, and SH-520 are all snow-covered. There are numerous road closures in Kirkland due to snow and ice build-up on roads. Along the waterfront, the wind is blowing in excess of 20 MPH creating reduced visibility and drifting snow. Snowfall rates are an inch an hour or more, and public works along with state DOT simply can’t keep up. Lake Shore Blvd has waves of snow and tire tracks of cars that pass through disappear within minutes. Many places in Kirkland have 3 to 4 inches of snow already with the heaviest snow bands arriving now. Temperatures are 24 to 26 degrees and the wind chill is 12 to 15 degrees. If you have travel plans tomorrow, especially before noon, we strongly advise you cancel them. Sections of I-5 from Lewis-McChord to Federal Way are the worst I have seen in 21 years of living in this area.
Saturday 12:45 AM – Moderate to heavy snow is falling throughout the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area. Road conditions on I-5 have gotten much worse between Olympia and Tacoma and are fully snow-covered. I-705 to City Center is treacherous and at Woodbridge Ave we came across numerous vehicles unable to navigate the uphill ramp along the Ruston waterfront. Wind chills are from 10 to 15 degrees and moderate to heavy snow will continue through the overnight. We measured 7″ of snow just outside of the Capitol complex in Olympia, and 4″ in Tacoma along Ruston.
Friday 11:15 PM – Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating through the Puget Sound region, especially from Tacoma south. Conditions will get worse across all of Puget Sound as the night continues. In Olympia, there is already 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground with moderate snow and 28 degrees. Snow now extends across the entire region into Canada, with a wintery mix along the coast. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is down to 25 degrees with winds of 24 MPH! The wind chill is down to 10 degrees. From Dupont to Olympia I-5 is in poor shape, snow-covered and icy. There were multiple accidents all through Tacoma. There is still a battle between the dry air to the east and the moisture coming off of the coast. Regions west of I-405 in our immediate area will get less snow, but don’t be surprised to see 3 inches fall by morning and another 2 inches on Saturday.
LIVE STREAM COVERING WINTER STORM 2021
Friday 7:26 PM – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is reporting light snow, visibility of 3 miles, 27 degrees, and an east wind of 10 MPH with gusts of 24 MPH. That puts the wind chill at 17 degrees. Tacoma (at Tacoma Narrows Airport) is reporting light snow, visibility of 2 miles, 25 degrees, and a north wind of 9 MPH. That puts the wind chill at 16 degrees. Snow will continue to get heavier moving south to north. It could be worse, Portland, Oregon is 27 degrees with mixed freezing rain and snow. The winds are blowing from the east at 25 MPH creating a wind chill of 12 degrees!
Friday 6:25 PM – The easterlies are collapsing and combined with the arrival of sunset area temperatures have dropped into the high 20s. Winds are coming from the south and southwest, although if you got 20 miles north of Kirkland, the winds are still flowing from the east. There is a distinct line between the dry air and the moist air flowing in. By 6:00 PM all areas of Kirkland have light snow falling. They are fine flakes but they are already sticking to the pavement. Snow extends north almost to Everett and will continue to expand and intensify. Snow arrived 4 hours earlier than the forecast models. Buckle up Kirkland, it’s going to be very white tomorrow morning.
Friday 5:07 PM – Snowing in Bridle Trails area of Kirkland
Friday 2:24 PM – Easterly flow has kicked in and shredded the snow advancing on the central Sound. Now the 2″ versus 6″ question – how strong will that easterly flow be and how long it will last? We’ll have to see.
Friday 1:22 PM – Snow has reached Federal Way, Washington – if the current northward movement continues, it will be snowing in Seattle-Bellevue around 4 PM
Friday 11:41 AM – Snow has reached Olympia, Washington
[Seattle] – (MTN) A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 10 PM Friday to 4 PM Saturday, for the most significant snowstorm since February 2019. Warnings extend from Snohomish County to the Oregon border, where the Puget Sound lowlands can expect considerable snowfall.
For the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area, snow will arrive between 8 PM and 10 PM and steadily increase during the overnight hours. The snow will be moving up from the south, where snow is already falling. Areas east of I-405 and north of SH-520 will get less snow overall.
Most areas received 1/2 to 1 inch of snow overnight in the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area. An inch of snow is possible on Friday. Overnight, the region can expect 4 to 6 inches of additional snow through Saturday afternoon.
Winds will increase to up to 40 MPH overnight, with temperatures in the 20s, creating dangerous wind chills and blowing snow that will reduce visibility. Travel overnight will be difficult and is already challenging in the Portland, Oregon area.
The one wildcard in this is the easterly winds coming off of the Cascades. We’ve had several forecasted snowstorms shredded by easterlies, which dries out the air and creates a “rain shield” over the Cascade foothills that can extend to Seattle. If the flow becomes strong, it will reduce the snowfall forecast.
With wind gusts forecasted to 40 MPH, areas that are prone to power outages should make sure to have candles and batteries ready. Grilles, portable gas heaters, and generators should never be run indoors due to carbon monoxide poisoning risk. If you lose power in cold weather, setting your faucets to a slow trickle or drip will help prevent pipes from freezing.
How to use up those french toast supplies you over bought
FindACOVIDShot.org helps vulnerable populations navigate the maze to get a COVID vaccination appointment
Sharla (she asked for her last name to be withheld) is in a vulnerable group for contracting COVID and suffering serious symptoms, and she was excited to learn vaccinations would be available. She quickly learned that the path to finding an appointment was full of challenges and barriers. Instead of getting frustrated, Sharla and her brother Steve got motivated. They created a Facebook Group, Find a COVID Shot WA, and assembled a group of volunteers to help others find appointments
A week later, the group had over 10,000 members and is serving the people of Washington state in 10 different languages. The group doesn’t exist to provide insider information or help those not eligible for a shot to find one, but to help those who can’t navigate the system, find an appointment.
The effort to vaccinate Washington state residents is very complicated. There is no central website or location to make an appointment. Each hospital system, pharmacy chain, and medical clinics have their own appointment systems that use different software. Available slots aren’t posted at a set time and can be filled faster than a person can input all the required information. For people who don’t speak English, lack technology, or don’t understand technology like the elderly, the barriers make finding a shot impossible.
Steve and Sharla now have over 15,000 members and have been featured on NPR and local news affiliates. Their success is getting noticed, and they are considering expanding their efforts to other states.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) The Seattle Police Department has released a heavily edited video from the shooting incident by Jimi Hendrix Park last night. Yesterday evening around 9:15 PM, 911 started receiving calls for shots fired in the 2300 block of Massachusetts Street, by the Urban League Village Apartments. As police arrived they heard gunfire and held their position to wait for more units to arrive. According to the Seattle Police Department, they were confronted by an armed man who fires at the police, and officers returned fire. During this period, 911 received a phone call from a woman reporting that she and her friend had been shot, and her friend was dying after being shot in the face three times. They reported they did not know their location, but 911 dispatch had identified it in the call as the 2300 block of Massachusetts Street. One woman died, the other is in critical condition, and the gunman was declared dead at the scene.
This video contains graphic scenes and descriptions of violence, viewer discretion is advised
The heavily edited video raises questions on the police account of the incident. The video shows two points of view. One from a group of heavily armed officers, who repeatedly order the gunman to put their gun down. There is suddenly a hail of semi-automatic gunfire from sidearms and rifles. A second body cam video from a closer perspective shows the gunman emerging from a driveway and raising his weapon toward police, but it does not appear to show the gunman firing at officers. The gunman has been identified by multiple sources as Gregory Taylor, who was a resident of the apartments.
The conduct of 911 operators will likely be called into question by the community. The woman caller repeats that her friend is dying and she doesn’t know her location. The first dispatcher sounds exasperated as he connects the Seattle Fire Department to the call before asking for other basic information.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”23″ gal_title=”Jimi Hendrix Park Shooting”]
Protesters marched in Seattle tonight and dropped two banners over an overpass condemning Seattle Police actions. Later, protesters gathered outside of the East Precinct on Capitol Hill in a familiar scene, creating chalk art on the temporary wall. Seattle Police appear to have made one arrest during that protest.
Journalists, activists, and researchers defending the First Amendment
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