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Seattle News Roundup: Shootings, Job Market Shifts, and Weather Woes
Published 1 year, 3 months ago
Description
Good morning, this is Seattle Local Pulse for December 25, 2024.
We're starting off with some breaking news from the past few days. A shooting inside a Mount Vernon addiction recovery facility left two men injured, and a driver was killed in a wrong-way head-on collision[1]. Additionally, gunfire erupted near a Pierce Transit bus in downtown Puyallup, with suspects fleeing the scene on foot.
Moving on to the job market, Seattle continues to be one of the hottest hiring markets in the country. According to ADP, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area ranked fourth in terms of pay growth, starting wages, and hiring rate. The average pay grew by 6.5% annually, with new hires earning $20 per hour. The leisure and hospitality industry expanded the most, with a monthly hiring rate of 6.1%, while the construction industry lured workers with a high $25 per hour pay[2]. However, the tech industry has seen significant job losses, with almost 16,900 tech jobs disappearing from the Seattle-area labor market since June 2022[3].
In real estate news, home and mortgage prices in Seattle are up, but so is inventory. Would-be buyers face steep upfront costs, but the growing number of available houses might provide some relief. The median home price and inventory levels have seen significant changes, with rent prices in Seattle growing exponentially over the past year, up nearly 19% since this time last year[4].
From city hall, there have been discussions about changes to regular school hours in Seattle Public Schools. The city is also dealing with a concrete shortage that has delayed the Seattle waterfront project.
Now, let's talk about the weather. A potent atmospheric river is arriving on Christmas Day, bringing wind, rain, and mountain snow. Heavy lowland rain and mountain snow will increase throughout the morning and into the evening, with gusty winds possible. A high wind watch will be in effect for the coastal regions, and a winter storm warning will go into effect early Wednesday morning. Travel will be very difficult in the coming days over the passes[5].
In new business activity, Nordstrom is being acquired by the Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group for $6.25 billion. On a lighter note, the Space Needle is honoring its anniversary with a contest to paint its roof using Galaxy Gold.
Upcoming community events include the chance to see Sunday's 'super flower blood moon' in Seattle. For sports fans, the Seahawks suffered a narrow 27-24 defeat to the surging Minnesota Vikings.
In local school achievements, the Hearst Foundations awarded the University of Washington with a $300,000 grant.
For today's crime report, a suspect was arrested in the death of a woman set on fire in a NYC subway car, though not local, it's a significant national story. Locally, police camera footage captured the arrest of a suspect who hit a 12-year-old with a stolen car. A vigil was held for a slain Seattle Metro bus driver, and the family of a 13-year-old shooting victim is outraged at the decision to lower bail for the suspect.
Finally, a feel-good community story: the community rallied around a mourning family in the Kent shooting tragedy, showing the resilience and support of our local community.
This has been Seattle Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
We're starting off with some breaking news from the past few days. A shooting inside a Mount Vernon addiction recovery facility left two men injured, and a driver was killed in a wrong-way head-on collision[1]. Additionally, gunfire erupted near a Pierce Transit bus in downtown Puyallup, with suspects fleeing the scene on foot.
Moving on to the job market, Seattle continues to be one of the hottest hiring markets in the country. According to ADP, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area ranked fourth in terms of pay growth, starting wages, and hiring rate. The average pay grew by 6.5% annually, with new hires earning $20 per hour. The leisure and hospitality industry expanded the most, with a monthly hiring rate of 6.1%, while the construction industry lured workers with a high $25 per hour pay[2]. However, the tech industry has seen significant job losses, with almost 16,900 tech jobs disappearing from the Seattle-area labor market since June 2022[3].
In real estate news, home and mortgage prices in Seattle are up, but so is inventory. Would-be buyers face steep upfront costs, but the growing number of available houses might provide some relief. The median home price and inventory levels have seen significant changes, with rent prices in Seattle growing exponentially over the past year, up nearly 19% since this time last year[4].
From city hall, there have been discussions about changes to regular school hours in Seattle Public Schools. The city is also dealing with a concrete shortage that has delayed the Seattle waterfront project.
Now, let's talk about the weather. A potent atmospheric river is arriving on Christmas Day, bringing wind, rain, and mountain snow. Heavy lowland rain and mountain snow will increase throughout the morning and into the evening, with gusty winds possible. A high wind watch will be in effect for the coastal regions, and a winter storm warning will go into effect early Wednesday morning. Travel will be very difficult in the coming days over the passes[5].
In new business activity, Nordstrom is being acquired by the Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group for $6.25 billion. On a lighter note, the Space Needle is honoring its anniversary with a contest to paint its roof using Galaxy Gold.
Upcoming community events include the chance to see Sunday's 'super flower blood moon' in Seattle. For sports fans, the Seahawks suffered a narrow 27-24 defeat to the surging Minnesota Vikings.
In local school achievements, the Hearst Foundations awarded the University of Washington with a $300,000 grant.
For today's crime report, a suspect was arrested in the death of a woman set on fire in a NYC subway car, though not local, it's a significant national story. Locally, police camera footage captured the arrest of a suspect who hit a 12-year-old with a stolen car. A vigil was held for a slain Seattle Metro bus driver, and the family of a 13-year-old shooting victim is outraged at the decision to lower bail for the suspect.
Finally, a feel-good community story: the community rallied around a mourning family in the Kent shooting tragedy, showing the resilience and support of our local community.
This has been Seattle Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI