Blog | Page 22

On April 28, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a $254 billion state budget for fiscal year 2026, which focuses heavily on improving the safety of New York City’s subway system. As part of this effort, the budget includes provisions to enforce laws and beef up police presence. But Governor Hochul’s budget also addresses a related issue: tackling homelessness and treating severe mental illness. The budget includes $25 million for “welcome centers” that will connect homeless and mentally ill people on the subway with essential services. An additional $16.5 million will be set aside for Assisted Outpatient Treatment, $2 million will go to staffing in the Office of Mental Health, and $160 million will create 100 inpatient psychiatric beds. Additionally, Kendra’s Law Read More ›

Downtown Chaos Hurts Business Owners The owner of a limousine service says he might be exiting Seattle after a homeless drug addict went on a rampage and trashed one of his vehicles. This happened right after clients were dropped off at the Post Malone and Jelly Roll concert in T-Mobile Park. Even though the suspect was arrested, the limo owner is now blasting Mayor Bruce Harrell for enabling chaos on the streets which continues to hurt small business owners. Lake Tapps Limousine The trashed limo will be out of commission for several weeks, which also takes away work from several drivers. Otherwise, Lake Tapps still serves the Seattle area and has high ratings. To support them during this time, hire Read More ›

3rd & Pine Gets a Makeover Instead of dealing with the root causes of the street crisis in downtown Seattle, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office is adding sidewalk paintings and pretty lights to the corner of 3rd Ave & Pine St. It’s considered one of the most dangerous street corners in the city. It’s home to McStabby’s and is a favorite spot for drug dealers. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez spotted the crews putting in the new art Wednesday afternoon. Will it make a difference?

Welcome to Seattle Sold out crowd Tuesday evening to watch Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark take on the Seattle Storm. Instead of rolling out the red carpet for WNBA fans, indie music station KEXP, Climate Pledge Arena, and Mayor Bruce Harrell allowed a homeless fella to set up his entire living room on the sidewalk. Zero enforcement. What a way to showcase your city.

Fencing Is Up! The fencing is up around the former Joann Fabrics location in Ballard. Problem is, all the homeless drug addicts are now spilling into the streets and some are sleeping overnight in Ballard Commons Park. Where’s Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Dan Strauss? This is now the city’s problems.

Welcome, Soccer Fans Lumen Field in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood hosted several Club World Cup matches this week. Instead of a clean and welcoming city, soccer fans heading to the stadium were treated to dozens of RV’s, tent encampments, and open-air drug use. From 3rd Ave to Utah Ave, these are the same vehicles cleared dozens of times by Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration. After nearly four years in office, Harrell remains clueless on how to handle this unending street crisis. Sweeps aren’t working because all the campers are allowed to come right back. Taxpayers should be furious at the cost and the lack of proper enforcement. The current plan is not working.

The City Turns a Blind Eye Seattle’s latest out-of-control drug encampment is the former Joann Fabrics site in Ballard. Business owners and neighbors say Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Dan Strauss have totally ignored this problem since this is happening on private property. But dozens of drug addicts have trashed the area and all the crime and chaos from this location keeps spilling into the side streets. Meanwhile, one guy living in a tent told me he’s rejecting free housing because the provider requires all dogs to be neutered. Make it make sense.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Saturday afternoon, We Heart Seattle volunteers unleashed a massive clean-up effort outside the Seattle Federal Building after Antifa militants vandalized the property during protests earlier this month. But get this, Homeland Security officers told them to stand down because they did not have permission. Once again, red tape and bureaucracy stifles citizen action. Make it make sense.

The following is an article originally published by Spencer Pauley at The Center Square. King County’s 2024 homeless population has been revised upward by 483 people after new data was derived from a unique survey method used by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Unlike other agencies, KCRHA conducts its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s required Point-in-Time, or PIT, unsheltered count in even- numbered years. Sheltered counts are done every year. When the agency initially reported its count in May 2024, 16,385 people were tallied. However, the count was recently revised to a total of 16,868 homeless people in King County. This is a result of a subset of the unsheltered homeless population being added to the count Read More ›

Happening Now Just a quick bus ride away from the drug dens of 3rd Ave & Pike St, you have Little Saigon in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. This Asian American community gets zero relief from the criminals and addicts destroying their neighborhood. Mayor Bruce Harrell had nearly four years to handle a few city blocks in the CID. So far, it’s an epic failure in leadership. The current plan is not working.