The fear of deportation can reach far beyond the people who are arrested. It can change how families spend their time, whether they feel safe speaking their native language in public, and whether an ordinary trip outside the house feels worth the risk.

Immigrants face not only practical difficulties but also an exhausting emotional burden. They came to the United States seeking safety, yet they continue to live with the fear of being sent back.

Generations of Palestinians have faced displacement, conflict, and uncertainty, with the events of 1948 continuing to shape life in Gaza today.

The history of Gaza cannot be separated from the broader history of Palestine. From the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to the ongoing conflicts of the 21st century, Gaza has become a symbol of both resilience and tragedy. Examining this history is essential to understanding the humanitarian crisis that continues to affect millions of Palestinians today.

With the midterm election polls closing, the Democratic Party has taken control of the House and Senate.

According to AP, as of Nov. 5, 2026, Democrats hold 54 out of 100 seats in the Senate, and 251 out of 435 seats in the House of Representatives, though these numbers may be subject to change. NBC news estimates that Democrats will have 259 seats in the House by the time all the ballots are counted.

Last month the Pentagon took steps towards executing Nidal Hasan via firing squad, and there were floating ideas of broadcasting it.

It will be the first military execution in 60 years, and the first firing squad military execution since World War II. It would have also been the first broadcast public execution in American history.

Ghosts have been a part of every documented human culture in history in some way, shape, or form, and King County has many of its own local legends about spectral visits.

While many consider themselves skeptical about the reality of ghost encounters, a night spent at one of these places may just change their minds.

With midterms coming up on November 3, many young voters in America believe voting won’t bring change. Plagued by the costs of living and an affordability crisis on things like gas, healthcare, and food prices, young voters across America are struggling.

While young voters do believe that being an active participant in their government is important, many don’t believe that things like voting will make a true difference.

Before the genocide, people in Gaza lived ordinary lives filled with family, school, work, celebrations, and everyday routines. Since the war began, those routines have been dramatically disrupted, with many people facing displacement, loss, and uncertainty. 

Although many residents faced economic hardships and restrictions due to the longstanding blockade, they continued to build careers, attend universities, run businesses, and spend time with loved ones.

Fall is an important season for many going back to school, but even more important for those paying to go to school. As people apply to colleges and universities in America, or start another year, they find themselves scrambling to also apply for scholarships and financial aid. 

Students in college don’t only have to worry about the cost of tuition. Other expenses include food, housing, books, and more. Even with support, the struggle remains. Students find themselves having no choice but to take out loans in some cases to cover the cost of pursuing the future they want.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to taking King County Metro. Riders must know how to pay their fare, how to request a stop, how to read schedules, and more. It can be overwhelming for first time passengers and, in their confusion, they might break the rules of the Code of Conduct. This article is a friendly reminder for the ridership.

It’s important to familiarize oneself with the Code of Conduct before beginning to take public transportation. This saves time for everyone involved, as an informed public is an efficient public. A key thing to remember is that buses are shared spaces and one person’s behavior doesn’t just affect them, it affects everyone.

On Aug. 15, 2021, when the U.S.-backed government collapsed and the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, one of the first places where the consequences became visible was Kabul’s international airport.

Tens of thousands of people rushed to the airport, desperate to leave. Some were fleeing fear of the Taliban. Others were searching for a way to reach what they believed would be a safer and better future in the Western world.

Election season is in full swing, and with that, King County Elections has a lot on the calendar! With new voters especially, there are a lot of questions regarding the ballot.

Here, you can find opportunities to engage with other voters, get logistical questions answered, and participate in this upcoming election cycle. 

Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026.

As tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel have intensified, one political movement has become increasingly visible both inside and outside Iran: the royalists.

While many Iranians fear the prospect of another war, a significant number of royalists have welcomed outside pressure on the Islamic Republic, including military action, seeing it as a possible path to political change.

Nowruz, the Persian New Year marking the spring equinox, has been celebrated for more than three millennia across regions of Central and Western Asia. Today it is observed by more than 300 million people across different regions, including diaspora throughout western countries.

This short documentary by a Highline College student explores the celebration of Nowruz in the Seattle area. Through the experiences of immigrant communities in King County, Washington, it reveals how the Persian New Year continues to thrive in migration—reimagined in new cultural settings while remaining deeply rooted in memory, identity, and belonging.

On May 21, 2026, River Ahmad stood on the summit of Mount Everest. At 8,849 meters above sea level, she became the first woman from Afghanistan to reach the highest point on Earth.

She dedicated the journey to mental health awareness and to the education of women and girls in Afghanistan. For her, the mountain was a platform to tell a much bigger story.

Juniper Blessing was tragically murdered in the laundry room of her off-campus apartment at the University of Washington, Seattle on May 10, 2026. While much of the press circulating around her is about her murder and the horrificness of Christopher Leahy’s crime, in doing so, Juniper becomes a number, a headline, a statistic.

Juniper, however, is fondly remembered by her peers, her family, her vocal coach, and her loved ones back in New Mexico. Juniper’s legacy is one to be celebrated and remembered.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month honors the history, culture, and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in the United States.

It’s celebrated annually in May, so as May comes to a close, I find it only fitting that we review some of the contributions the AANHPI communities have made to American culture. 

In the middle of heated debates on X, formerly known as Twitter, a phrase appears again and again from thousands of people from Afghanistan: “I am not Afghan.” For many outsiders, this can seem confusing. After all, Afghanistan is the name of the country. Wouldn’t “Afghan” describe everyone from there?

For people from Afghanistan, however, the issue is a bit complicated. It is tied to history, ethnicity, language, power, and identity — and to a feeling, shared by many non-Pashtun communities, that one group’s identity was turned into the identity of an entire nation.

This story is about the famous, massive, active volcano that is just chilling in our backyard, her name is Mount Rainier.

Rainier has the highest peak in the Cascade Range at 14,410 feet, and is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park, which is famous for its ancient forests, subalpine wildflowers, and extensive glaciers.

Every year around May 19, colorful Hazaragi dresses appear across social media feeds. Traditional songs echo through community halls and parks in cities thousands of miles far from Afghanistan. Young people dance local Hazaragi dances beside elders who carry memories of exile, war, and loss. Tables fill with steaming plates of Hazaragi dishes. For one day, scattered communities across the world feel connected again.

It is called International Hazara Culture Day — a celebration born not only from affirmation, but from survival.

At the beginning of May, Spirit Airlines closed its gates, shut off its airplanes, and disabled their website from further use. The most budget friendly airlines to fly across the United States disappeared without warning. But, this may not be the end.

Many travelers were impacted by the sudden shutdown of Spirit Airlines, leaving many feeling like it was completely out of the blue. Those who had flown Spirit before the shutdown were left stranded, forced to pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars to work around their sudden change.

This photo story captures the sights and colors in Seattle, but mainly Pike Place. Many of these sights are places that are well known but people don’t really pay attention to the masterpieces in front of them – whether it be neon signs, small glass sculptures, or even the mere sight of the Ferris wheel.

This small place is what draws in many people to come see this tourist city. There is just so much to see and so much to offer in the city of Seattle.

A collective of indigenous communities are organizing against ICE releasing resources to inform people who are vulnerable of prosecution in the event they are detained. 

A notice released by Ireta P’urehepech largely focusing on documenting excessive force used by ICE emphasizes the importance of testimony being documented and sent to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The intake complaint form demands the stop of illegal militarized tactics ICE is using against communities.

A new social media trend on TikTok have groups of people storming inside Scientology buildings across the country. Fashioned with Go-Pros and costumes, these people pile against doors and push themselves, dodging workers with the goal of getting as far into the building as possible.

Videos of these ‘Scientology speed runs’ catch dozens of people, in small and large groups. Part of the goal is to map the building out.

Finding love is far from easy. Every generation has felt that dating is hard because love is one of the most complicated yet widely desired feelings there is. However, Gen Z has felt that they have it harder than the generations that came before them. Is this true or just whining? There’s a reason almost every song you hear on the radio is about the ups and downs of love; nobody is an expert and everybody is just trying to navigate it. 

Gen Z has voiced a particular sense of difficulty compared to past generations though, with 56% of Gen Z entering adulthood never having experienced a romantic relationship (for reference, Gen Z is people born from 1997 to 2012).

Federal Way High School’s production of “The Sound of Music” opens on May 8 and will feature Highline Running Start students in its cast. “The Sound of Music” tells the story of the von Trapp family singers in 1930s Austria in the political context of the Nazi annexation of Austria. The family resists submitting to the Nazi party, despite the consequences of such rebellion. 

Residents of southern King County are more connected than ever thanks to three new light rail stations in the area: Kent-Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. These stations are undeniably a community good, with the train being an affordable alternative to driving (Fares are free for youth 6-18 and three dollars per ride for adults 19-65 compared to Des Moines’ six dollar gallon of gas). 

However, the ridership has some safety concerns, including a source who says that Kent-Des Moines Station, and others along the 1-Line route, may be compromised by meth usage.

The Washington State Historical Society has a temporary exhibit that teaches kids about the connections between Washington state’s Constitution and America’s founding documents. They explore the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution.

This exhibit is meant to be an accessible and hands-on way to teach kids about our political history and how Washington played a part in its creation.

The Washington State Historical Society has a new exhibit on the history of Washington Southeast Asian refugees after the Vietnam war. This is a temporary exhibit at the museum that opened on Nov. 11, 2025 and closes July 12, 2026. 

The exhibit “Our Voices” tells the stories of refugees from Southeast Asia and the people who worked with them. The overlook of the exhibit is how Washington opened up to refugees from countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

President Trump has continued to raise eyebrows by using AI-created images that many have seen as disturbing. His most recent was a photo of himself portraying Jesus. But this isn’t the first time he’s posted a controversial image of himself; he previously has posted the infamous photo of himself sitting on a throne with a crown on his head that started the No Kings movement.

Not only has this new controversial image received a lot of attention and backlash, including from many of  his supporters. People have been saying that this is in many ways “blasphemous,” a concerned redditor on r/christianity stated. With another responding: “Exactly what I was gonna comment.”

Gas prices in Washington state have increased 25% according to AAA, mainly due to the war in Iran driving up oil prices and blocking supply chains in the Straight of Hormuz. In Washington state, and specifically King County, it’s causing anger and frustration from people, especially working class families.

As of now, Washington is the state with the third highest gas taxes only behind California and Hawaii. Washington is not pausing these gas taxes.

This photo essay is on a day in the small town of Des Moines.

I live very close to Des Moines and visit often, so I wanted to do an appreciation of it and its small-town charm.

The Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 majority against a law that banned conversion therapy in Colorado, siding with Kaley Chiles, a Christian teen counselor who “argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment.”

Conversion therapy is a type of “talk therapy” that is used with the intent to change or alter someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity so that the person is then cisgender and straight. 

Afghanistan’s new academic year began last week, following the Persian New Year holiday, with official ceremonies and celebrations, yet for the fifth consecutive year, girls and women beyond grade six remain barred from attending school. This leaves over 2.5 million Afghan girls without access to education.

Access to education has gotten increasingly more difficult to achieve; as of January 2026, Afghanistan stands as the only country in the world where formal education is strictly prohibited for women and girls beyond primary school.

Bus route 156 recently underwent a service change in late March, which altered the route’s last southbound stop from Highline College’s South Parking Lot to the newly constructed Kent-Des Moines Station.

The service change was done in an effort to connect the 1-Line Light Rail to more local bus routes, which would in turn connect the ridership of the rerouted buses to the train.

Every year, as winter loosens its grip and the first days of spring arrive, millions of people across the world mark the occasion with one of humanity’s oldest celebrations. Nowruz — literally meaning “new day” in Persian — has been observed for over 3,000 years. Rooted in ancient Persian civilization, it begins at the precise moment of the spring equinox, usually March 20 or 21, when day and night are nearly equal in length. 

Nowruz has evolved from quiet family gatherings into prominent public celebrations. What once unfolded in private living rooms now fills Seattle City Hall, public libraries, performance centers, university halls, and the Washington State Capitol.

An amount of 12 tons (the weight of a school bus or an African elephant) of limited edition KitKats were stolen last week, now nowhere to be found. The KitKats were en route to be delivered to their destination Poland from Italy where they were manufactured. The official KitKat X (formally known as Twitter) account released a statement confirming the heist that had taken place.

According to an article by Forbes these weren’t ordinary KitKats – the normal confections we have loved and seen. These were specially made to resemble a Formula 1 car and are limited edition.

On the second Friday evening of every month, a room in south King County fills with the sounds of poetry, music, and animated conversation in Persian. Tea is poured. Books are passed from hand to hand. Someone begins to read a poem aloud, and the room grows quiet.

This is the Mother Tongue Literary Circle, a grassroots initiative formed last November by Persian-speaking immigrants from Afghanistan. What began as a simple idea — to gather and read together — has quickly grown into a vibrant space where language, culture, and identity are nurtured far from home.

A staple for local pop culture fans and cosplayers, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) 2026 drew crowds exceeding 90,000 for the annual four-day event this past weekend. Featuring celebrity panels, local artists, and various activities, there was a place for everybody. 

Looking beyond the crowds, this event displays deeper value: A community interconnected through art, shaping a space where creativity and self-expression is not only accepted, but encouraged.

A North Dakota jury has reached the verdict that the environmental group Greenpeace has to pay $345 million to Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) over actions taken to prevent the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. The advocacy group intends to seek a new trial, and if denied, they will appeal the judgment with the North Dakota Supreme Court. 

According to CBS News, Trey Cox, an attorney for ETP, “… accused Greenpeace of paying professional protesters, organizing protester training, sharing intelligence of the pipeline route and even sending lockboxes so that demonstrators could attach themselves to equipment.”

On Feb. 28, Israel and the U.S. issued strikes on Iran, specifically targeting nuclear facilities. This attack resulted in the death of over 200 Iranian citizens, and the recently confirmed assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. These actions caused an eruption of protests around the world.

Hundreds of local protesters gathered throughout downtown Seattle in direct response, opposing government-issued violence against citizens, highlighting growing concerns regarding the U.S. government.

Mayor of Federal Way Jim Ferrell held a State of the City public meeting to discuss the state and future of the city. He went over various topics such as the light rail, tourism, and focusing on making Federal Way the economic powerhouse of South King County.

The Feb. 19 meeting was held at the Federal Way’s Performing Arts Center. At 6 p.m., the mayor started speaking and introduced himself and his team. He then transitioned into talking about the first subject – the light rail. He said that he was proud of this achievement and that Federal Way finally has a system connected to the other cities in King County.

Before he stood at podiums speaking to millions, before he ran for president, Jesse Jackson was a young boy growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, navigating the rigid lines of segregation.

Born on Oct. 8, 1941, Jackson came of age in a South where opportunity was tightly controlled, and expectations for Black boys were even tighter. But he excelled – academically, athletically, and socially. He earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois and later transferred to North Carolina A&T, where his leadership began to take shape.

Being deemed as “Gen Z’s Princess Diana” is a strong title, but one that has been consistently applied to Rama Duwaji. A Syrian illustrator and animator based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Duwaji has risen to cultural prominence alongside her husband Zohran Mamdani, the newly inaugurated mayor of New York City. 

Approaching this newfound position of popularity with quiet intentionality, Duwaji has captivated the public just weeks after being placed in the public political sphere. She quickly gained admiration for her activism, artistic eye, and relatability to the general population.

Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839, in Beaufort, South Carolina, enslaved from the moment he entered the world.

His mother, Lydia Polite, was enslaved in the home of the McKee family. Like many enslaved children born into domestic spaces, Smalls grew up close enough to observe power and close enough to understand it. He saw how white men moved freely through the world. He saw how uniforms commanded respect. He saw how authority was performed.

And he paid attention.

Linguistic imperialism continues to impact higher education which was founded on slavery (the colonial economic system), and was institutionalized to maintain a racial hierarchy. However, indigenous resistance has, and continues to endure as education is used as an extension of colonial power. 

In the last month, President Donald Trump has made demands to own Greenland and suggestions of U.S. military power overtaking several nations by force (i.e. Cuba, Venezuela, etc..). A host of other comments endorsing colonialism isn’t uncommon for our 47th president. But colonialism hasn’t just impacted American history. It continues to impact American students today.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. This game had a special significance to Seattle – more than just making it to the biggest sports event in the U.S. This game put the Seahawks against the team that they lost to the last time they were in the Super Bowl.

Once the game was called and the Seahawks had won, the rest of the night was a blur. This is that story.

During the past couple of weeks, local high schoolers have organized student walkouts in protest of the United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) These walkouts are part of a statewide, student-led movement to get as many high schools as possible to participate in walkouts in protest of I.C.E.

Federal Way High School’s walkout was on Feb. 5, and had a turnout of hundreds of students who walked out of class to protest up and down Pacific Highway near the high school.

Septima Poinsette Clark understood something dangerous for her time: If you could read the law, you could challenge it.

She was born on May 3, 1898, in Charleston, South Carolina, into a world still shaped by slavery’s shadow. Her father had been born enslaved. Her mother, raised in Haiti before returning to the United States, believed fiercely in dignity and discipline. From them, Septima inherited both memory and expectation, the knowledge of what had been endured, and the insistence that more was possible.

I was born and raised in a remote, mountainous village in central Afghanistan. As a child, the world arrived to me already divided into two categories: Aowghoo (Afghan) and Azra (Hazara). These were not official terms or textbook definitions. They were lived realities, carried through stories, warnings, jokes, and silences, and passed down from one generation to the next.

In the language of my family and community, Aowghoo meant the oppressor – cruel, violent, and unjust. Azra meant the oppressed – innocent, vulnerable, and perpetually under threat. We were Azra. This binary did not simply describe the world; it organized it. It shaped how we understood power, danger, and morality long before we had words like ethnicity or social hierarchy.

Claudette Colvin was fifteen years old when she decided she had had enough. It was March 2, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala. Colvin had climbed onto that bus countless times before, paid her fare like everyone else, and sat where Black riders were allowed – until they weren’t.

That day, when the bus grew crowded, the driver demanded that she and three other Black students give up their seats for a white woman. The others moved. She did not.

After months of lengthy protests battling the presence of ICE in Minneapolis, the Trump administration has agreed to reduce presence by 700 agents in the city. This is following the firing of Captain-at-large Gregory Bovino, being replaced by the border czar himself, Tom Homan. 

This is a large success in the region’s fight against ICE and federal presence. Protests erupted after the murder of two U.S. citizens, mother Renee Good and VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Thousands showed up over the weeks, marching together through -20º weather and tear gas.

LEGO revealed their new LEGO SMART System, which includes a brick, a mini figure, and a tag, is set to be released March 1. Only included in the Star Wars sets, the community has been split in their criticisms. 

The SMART System is basically a chip inside the LEGO brick or mini figure that lights up and makes sounds when put together. These sounds vary from car engines to swords clashing or different mini figures having different moods.

One card, thousands of benefits: it almost seems too good to be true! When signing up for a King Country library card not only do you gain immediate access to a multitude of free resources, benefits, and experiences, but you do it all while supporting local communities. 

The process is simple: if you’re a resident of King County, you automatically qualify for an all-access library card. Just fill out the information requested on the application and wait patiently for it to arrive!

The PNW is in a code red and Western Washington and Oregon are in dire need of blood donations. Unfortunately, people aren’t donating as much as they used to and it has caused severe shortages, specifically with universal blood Type O being the most requested. In an effort to curb the shortage, Highline will be hosting a blood drive on campus. 

In a press release by Bloodworks it states that blood Type O is “especially for trauma and emergency situations when the patient’s blood type is unknown.” It’s crucial for people to continue to donate, especially those with Type O blood.

Pokémon card collecting has continued to rise in popularity, but as the demand increases for these collectable cards, so too has increased a problematic element to this childhood past time: Pokémon scalpers. Scalpers have taken over the marketplace making collecting these cards increasingly hard and expensive.

Have you ever wanted to get into collecting Pokémon cards or you are already in the hobby? Well then, you have definitely gone to the store and seen all the shelves empty. Ok then – the store is out of stock, nothing out of the norm. You check a nearby Pokémon vending machine: same result. This is because of Pokémon card scalpers.

It’s the dead of morning, the sun is hidden by fog and clouds, school and work is slow, and your sleep is not the best. You try to finish up some homework, but you can’t get up to do the assignment, you would rather be in your bed because you feel so bad and sluggish.

That seasonal dread and procrastination could be a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Which is known to many as seasonal depression, it is a type of depression that is tied to changes in season, mainly in winter/fall. This disorder comes from many different causes and can make it difficult for people to function properly during a season.

The tragic death of a Minneapolis woman during a federal immigration enforcement operation has ignited protests across the country and raised urgent questions about the use of force by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in local communities.

On Jan. 7, 2026, an ICE officer by the name of Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, in south Minneapolis during a large federal enforcement operation.

Bringing innovation to the forefront of housing construction, BOXABL is a company rethinking how homes are designed, built, and delivered. For millions of Americans, the cost of housing has moved beyond a financial challenge and into a crisis. 

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies, the State of the Nations Housing 2024 report shows that homeowners across the United States are experiencing significant strain due to high housing costs. As housing costs continue to rise and construction timelines grow longer, the need for ways to make the construction process faster, less expensive, and more efficient has become increasingly urgent. 

When Nicolás Maduro was brought into a New York courtroom under U.S. custody on Jan. 5, the news sent shockwaves through Venezuela like an earthquake. It’s a personal crisis for the former president, whose grip on power has finally slipped.

But for Venezuelans families, it sparks questions that hit closer to home: Will this change life for the millions struggling to survive, or is the country still trapped in the shadows of leadership gone wrong?

As some may know, there will be a new Kent Des Moines Station directly across Highway 99 for the light rail on Dec. 6 right outside of Highline.

The highly anticipated light rail stop connects Highline to the 1-line, which will have the system grow by nearly eight miles. This extension will be its fourth in the past two years.

The PBS NewsHour’s recent report on the “K-shaped economy” is more than a story about recovery statistics. It is a mirror, reflecting a truth Black Americans have long known: when wealth and opportunity diverge, a nation begins to fracture.

The K-shaped recovery describes how, after COVID-19, one half of America shot upward – stockholders, remote workers, homeowners, while the other half concentrated in service jobs and hourly labor, fell behind. The upward line of the “K” marks a nation of investment portfolios and real-estate gains; the downward line represents the invisible workforce who kept the economy running but never received its dividends.

History is filled with ruins. Stones, broken statues, and scattered manuscripts bear witness to civilizations that once believed themselves eternal. Thebes, Carthage, Byzantium, and Tenochtitlán each stood as mighty centers of culture and power, yet today they live only in history books and archaeological fragments. Their destruction was not just military defeat; it was cultural annihilation. They were erased.

The West, in its current trajectory, stands on a similar precipice. Victor Davis Hanson’s “The Dying Citizen” and “The End of Everything” capture this reality in stark terms: a hollowing out of institutions, a fragmentation of civic culture, and a loss of will that once bound nations together. Hanson shows that civilizations collapse not only by the sword but also by decay from within; cultural amnesia, decadence, and the abandonment of shared identity.

After 232 years of production for circulation, the last one‑cent coins rolled off the press at the United States Mint in Philadelphia on Nov. 12, 2025.

The penny’s story began in 1793, making it one of the oldest continuously produced coins in American history. Over the centuries, it has gone through many faces, metals, and minor design tweaks – but none so famous as Abraham Lincoln, whose profile first appeared on the coin in 1909.

When former President Trump returned to the White House, many people expected bold moves, but almost no one expected pardons to become one of the earliest headlines of his second term. Within weeks, Trump issued a wave of pardons to political allies, campaign loyalists, and even celebrities caught in swirling legal battles.

The decisions instantly reignited one of the biggest debates around presidential power: Should one person have the authority to completely erase federal convictions?

The government shutdown has come to an end after eight Democratic Senators broke from their party to pass a spending bill that does not address ACA healthcare credits, which was the sticking point in negotiations.

After it passed the house Wednesday, President Trump signed it into law last night, ending the longest government shutdown in American history, lasting 43 days.

Two men, worlds apart in background and ideology, cut down mid-speech: Malcolm X in Harlem, 1965, and Charlie Kirk in Utah, 2025. One was a Black revolutionary seeking liberation from centuries of oppression. The other, a white conservative activist warning against cultural decay.

On the surface, nothing connects them. But look deeper and the parallels reveal something profound.

As of Thursday morning, neither of the closest-watched local elections have yet to be called. Girmay Zahilay leads by a slim majority against Claudia Balduccii for King County Executive, an office that has been occupied by Dow Constantine for nearly 15 years.

Incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell holds a steady lead in front of Katie Wilson.

As 25 states across the nation sue the Trump administration for withholding funding for SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps, food banks prepare for an unprecedented surge. Washington state has ordered a weekly $2.2 million to assist food banks in preparation. Food insecurity relief can be found in community gardens and working together to ease tensions. 

Nearly a million Washingtonians receive food stamps. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), “If federal funding is not restored, DSHS will not be able to issue food benefits after Oct. 31.”

With the holiday season comes leaves changing color, sweaters pulled out of storage, the music of Vince Guaraldi Trio playing in the distance, and the beginning of Snoopy Mania. While a beloved cartoon Beagle since his inception, Snoopy has ascended to a new level of popularity adored across generations. 

In recent years, Charles Schulz’s iconic “Peanuts” comics and cartoons have found a place in the hearts of Gen Z. In particular, Snoopy has become an icon, representative of cuteness, nostalgia, and positivity.

Are winter storms coming early? It seems so as fall weather is coming to an end. Recent weather patterns suggest an approaching winter for the PNW. The Farmers’ Almanac for the 2025-2026 winter forecasts “Chill, Snow, Repeat” weather patterns. 

Fall did not seem to be in the cards this year for mother nature. It almost seems like we didn’t have much of a fall season at all due to the temperature drops across the month of October, including a fatal atmospheric river this past weekend.   

There are plenty of items today that have been created by Black people that have changed our lives for the better. 

One of the items that have made a drastic impact on the world is the three-position traffic signal, such as stop, go, and yield. Garret Morgan, a Black man, created it at the age 47, after witnessing car accidents that were often fatal, as well as roads often being congested with horse carriages, street cars, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians. He decided to make a change on the roads that created a positive outcome.

In the broad morning daylight of Paris on Sunday, four professional thieves broke into the Louvre Museum, stealing French Crown Jewels from the Napoleonic Era. The heist took less than eight minutes, and the thieves made away with eight priceless artifacts. 

Disguised as maintenance workers, the thieves rode up on scooters outside the museum, where accomplices waited with a basket truck to lift them up to the second floor of the Apollo Gallery.

Across cities nationwide, protesters gathered at “No Kings” rallies and marches to denounce what they see as the growing threat of authoritarianism under President Donald Trump’s second term. An estimated 2,600 events took place and attended by nearly seven million people, overshooting the four to six million who attended the first national protest in June. 

With Halloween coming up and all of the haunted attractions starting to open for business, a lot of those attractions have a long and questionable history that have yet to be proven, but can still scare the daylights out of you. 

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed executive orders strengthening protections and limiting cooperation with federal enforcement in an effort to defend the city’s immigrant communities from ICE raids and overreach by federal grants. 

“The first Executive Order protects local communities and control over law enforcement resources in the event that federalized National Guard troops are deployed to Seattle,” said a press release from the city of Seattle.

Last month, Starbucks announced they would be steadily closing stores nationwide. The given reason is the chain has had a profit downturn for about six quarters, and as a result, the company is trying to cut down on stores that aren’t making as much money as the other stores whilst laying off over 900 employees.

The Starbucks store closures are part of a bigger plan to restructure Starbucks as a whole, starting with some unpopular changes like the required doodles on every Starbucks drink, and bathrooms that are locked for non-paying customers.

Hispanic Heritage Month was originally a week-long celebration to recognize the contributions of the minority population in America – more specifically in East L.A., represented at the time by California Congressman George E. Brown. Now it’s a month-long dedication to Hispanic Independence. 

Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 and ends on Oct. 15.

From financial strain and the pressures of work, external challenges often weigh heavily on college students, threatening their ability to perform academically. College life is often pictured as a time of freedom and opportunity, but according to a recent National College Attainment Network (NCAN) study, 71% of students had experienced financial difficulties while in school, making the reality clearly different. 

Rising tuition costs and financial instability often force college students to take on multiple jobs to be able to stay afloat and keep attending school. In addition to that, the exhaustion of balancing work shifts with late-night study sessions can become a heavy burden that can lead to lower grades.

Yesterday marked the first day of the partial government shutdown, with Democrats digging their heels in over Medicare subsidies that help millions of people afford their healthcare premiums. While Republicans proposed a stop-gap measure that cut these subsidies, Democrats filibustered the vote.

It’s been seven years since the last government shutdown, which took place December 2018-January 2019.

In a nation that prided itself on free speech, America is increasingly proving that the right to speak, or even be heard, depends on popularity and politics. America needs to get their priorities straight. The controversy surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination has dominated headlines, yet the same day a school shooting almost claiming young lives, barely made a ripple in national conversation. 

In today’s climate, opinions that are not popular are scrutinized and censored. Many people had words about Kirk’s assassination, strong opinions going one way or the other. Kirk was known for his conservative ways and his views on things struck a lot of different chords for people with opposing views.

Cinderella Day was hosted for the first time this year by Cinderella Project Seattle which is a student-run and volunteer based community organization inspired by similar initiatives across the U.S. and Canada. 

Cinderella day is dedicated to providing free formal wear to teens and young adults for life’s biggest moments like prom, graduation, ceremonies, and job interviews. This event was about so much more than clothes. The organization wanted to create magical moments and help them gain confidence celebrating their youth.

On September 10, 2025, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. 

Kirk, 31, was one of the most visible figures on the American right, known for his sharp critiques of progressive politics, outspoken support of President Donald Trump, and his pro-Israel positions.

El centro Mast cuenta con un instructor de buceo llamado Carlos López, quien se encarga de enseñarles a los estudiantes cómo bucear correctamente y cómo mantenerse seguros durante una expedición.

On Sunday, Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives fled the state to block a vote on a law that redraws congressional districts.

The re-drawing was a demand of President Donald Trump in an effort to secure five more Republican seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Arrest warrants for the missing House Democrats were promptly issued the following day. 

Voter trends are changing across the country, and Washington State does not escape the progressive shift reflected in this week’s primary election.

The top two vote-earning candidates across the all primary elections will move up to the general election. This brings more vetted choices to citizens by the November 4 election. 

Federal funding has been pulled for the LGBTQI+ youth 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline following the Trump Administration’s dropping of the Biden-Harris “Unity Agenda”. As of July 17, 2025, these clients were funneled into the general crisis line, despite option #3’s usage and community impact.

Confidential crisis services will still be available through the line, however this vital subnetwork specializing in counselors specifically designated and trained in LGBTQI+ issues has been completely defunded.

Recently, Thunderword staff sat down with Des Moines Mayor Traci Buxton to discuss her involvement with Highline’s Marine Science and Technology Center (MaST).

Mayor Buxton chatted about the “Shark in the Park” festival, pressing conservation issues, as well as her passion in creating educational opportunities for the Des Moines community.  

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula Tuesday evening (local time), prompting a tsunami advisory for the entire North American west coast.

Washington’s outer coast was under tsunami advisory until Wednesday morning, with the tallest tsunami waves measuring about a foot and a half at La Push around 1 a.m.

Three G7 countries have agreed to recognize Palestine as a sovereign nation, under certain conditions. The war in Gaza has officially been dubbed a genocide. The conflict has continuously restricted food and other humanitarian aid, leading to daily starvation deaths. 

According to the IPC report, there have been over 1,000 deaths during attempts to access food. IPC calls it the “worst–case scenario of famine,” predicting “widespread death” without immediate actions.

Congress has approved a Trump administration demand to rescind $1.1 billion dollars of public media spending, targeting NPR and PBS. Trump cites the “bias” reporting of these organizations, but station leaders say the move will disproportionately affect rural communities.

The money was set aside to fund public media across the nation for the next two years, but with fiscal budgets already in place, stations will take the hit in the coming months.

With new policy changes to Medicaid, and raising costs of medication, many Washingtonians might be asking if there is a better solution to the private healthcare model. Whole Washington, a healthcare advocacy group, has the answer: State run healthcare for all using existing tax structures.

Through legislation, they would create the Washington Health Care Trust (WHCT), bridging the insurance gap for the estimated 480,000 residents without health insurance. 

Highline’s Marine Science Technology Center (MaST) in partnership with the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP), a group dedicated to bringing educational experiences to incarcerated individuals, brought a growing red octopus to the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor. 

Their goal: give the students imprisoned there an opportunity to study, ponder and come to an individual conclusion on the connection between this oceanic species and our own.

For those who conquered the parking at Redondo Beach on Sunday, sharks were circling Wooton Park ready to celebrate the City of Des Moines proclaiming Redondo Beach as the “Sixgill Shark Capital of the World”.

The first annual Shark in the Park went off without a hitch. With nearly 30 volunteers and around 25 vendors, the event was well supported in greeting local shark enthusiasts and the estimated 750-1,000 attendees. All organizations gathered had a simple mission: Celebrate the docile Sixgill, and teach others how to protect their home. 

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBA) is Donald Trump’s multi-trillion dollar budget reconciliation, after being battled out by the legislative branch, it has been signed into law with presidential approval. The OBBA has garnered harsh headlines due to its drastic cuts to American institutions such as Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP).

These changes disproportionately target part-time, working students, as well as differently-abled students. Around 46% of Highline students are part-time, meaning they are enrolled in fewer than 12-credit hours per quarter.

With the summer comes campaigns, and with Seattle’s Mayoral election around the corner, this year promises the potential for new and actionable leadership. Katie Wilson is the cofounder and Executive Director of the Transit Rider’s Union, and her plan, if elected, would be to make public transportation safer by addressing the unhoused and housing crisis in the area. 

Wilson goes up against the incumbent Bruce Harrell, who has occupied various seats in city hall since 2008.

Calling all shark enthusiasts!

Do you have a soft spot for sharp teeth and fish gills? Maybe you want to support Highline’s Marine Science and Technology center (MaST)? Either way, join the MaST Center on Sunday, July 6, at Redondo Beach to celebrate the Sixgill Shark.

As Sixgill Shark season swims in and to kick off  Shark Week, join the MaST center in celebrating the Sixgill’s life & legacy with a day of “discovery, food, and family adventures”. The event will be held from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at both the Redondo Pier and the adjacent Wooton Park.

In a move that has reignited fierce debate around the country, President Donald Trump’s administration has reinstated a sweeping travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, primarily targeting Africa and the Middle East.

The executive order took effect on Monday, June 9 at 12:01am EST, and now they are exploring additional restrictions on up to 36 nations.

I have been a part of the Thunderword publication since late 2023, nearly as long as I have been attending Highline College. As I prepare to graduate, I am experiencing increasingly bittersweet pangs in my chest whenever I consider that saying ‘good morning’ to my friends here will no longer be a daily routine.

Thankfully, the sweet outweighs the bitter – overwhelmingly so.

Former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has understandably taken much of the nation’s attention since its announcement almost two weeks ago. Since then, the conversation around the tragic news now includes CNN anchor Jake Tapper who, in his new book, accused the former president of minimizing his declining health in order to keep his political office.

Now, the timing and intent of the book has raised questions about journalistic ethics in today’s landscape.

President Donald Trump has ordered all new appointments for student/visitor visa applicants to stop immediately, likely in an attempt to allow the administration to more thoroughly investigate foreign students via social media. The news comes from a cable first reported by Politico, and did not provide specific direction as to how social media would be vetted.

Per the cable, which has been confirmed by a senior State Official, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said already-scheduled appointments may continue, but every new appointment to obtain a visa will be blocked.

Investigators have confirmed that earlier this week, an unknown male parked his car outside of a Southern California fertility clinic and set off an explosion immediately killing himself and injuring four others. 

The tragedy sent fear into the community of Palm Springs, where a witness told NBC that the blast that damaged multiple businesses “felt like an earthquake.”

The juvenile incarceration system, meant to be a place of rehabilitation for troubled kids, not a punishment, has been brought into the light for its treatment of children, causing detriment to physical and mental health. Youth that experience the juvenile justice system are usually left to face many different difficulties, like PTSD and dental issues, after their stay in jail. 

“A normal day when I [was] first incarcerated was: I wake up and go to breakfast, and then I go to school till 3 p.m., and then I used to go back and eat dinner and then sit in my room till 7 p.m. and then I’ll come out for two hours,” said Shamar Slaughter, now an adult, that spent most of his childhood in the system.

The partition of British India over 78 years ago continues to cast a long shadow over the relationship between India and Pakistan, two nations that share a common history and people. Despite this shared heritage the bitter relationship is carried on by politics, and was further trenched in hardship by the recent deadly militant attack in Pahalgam.

On April 25, 2025, an attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, resulted in the tragic deaths of Hindu pilgrims, a Christian tourist, and a local Muslim. India swiftly accused Pakistan of staging the attack, pointing their fingers towards Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist group with ties to Pakistan, and alleging that the attack specifically targeted the Hindu population in what India considers to be territory under its control.

El Papa Francisco fue el primer papa latino americano en ascender al más alto cargo de arzobispo en la Iglesia Católica Romana, él viene de Buenos Aires, Argentina y era hijo de inmigrantes italianos, su nombre era Jorge Mario Bergoglio vivió una vida sencilla para un arzobispo, el hombre de 76 años arzobispo mantuvo una vida sencilla y humilde.

El difunto arzobispo era conocido por no creer que estaba por encima de nadie y que todos debían ser tratados con respeto, una frase por la que era conocido era “Mi pueblo es pobre y yo soy uno de ellos”.

The standoff between Harvard University and the Trump administration began this past April when Harvard refused to accept the government’s demands, leading the administration to freeze over $2.2 billion in federal research funding.

This fight is more than just about money; it raises the question of whether the federal government can force universities to change their internal policies and academic priorities in exchange for public funding.

Have you ever held a $2 bill in your hand? If you have, you probably remember it. It’s one of those things that makes people pause and go, “Wait, are these even real?” Despite being totally legit money, the $2 bill is one of the rarest sights in anyone’s wallet.

Some people think they stopped making them. Others think they’re worth more than face value. The truth? The $2 bill is still out there, still spendable, and still way cooler than most of our cash.

HopeLink hosted a panel of community members with ties to the food industry to highlight food assistance programs, answer questions about the nuances of the industry, and to network with like-minded entrepreneurs.  

To start off the event Jodi Panya, a program manager at HopeLink, shared some information about the food assistance program at HopeLink. She talked about the purpose of the food markets and how they even have a mobile version of their market. Panya explained how the markets worked.

This past Monday, the day after Easter, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis at age 88. The cause itself was a stroke, followed by heart failure, and came after his initial recovery from a prior one-month stay in the hospital. The worldwide response has seen far-reaching public celebration, noting some of Francis’s humanitarian efforts and pacifist philosophies.

Pope Francis was the first Latin American pope to ascend the highest archbishop role in the Roman Catholic church, he originated from Buenos Aires Argentina, and his name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was a son of Italian immigrants and he lived a simple and humble life for an archbishop.

Jasmine Crockett, Texas State Representative, is a rising force in politics. She has become a strong voice for justice, fairness, and the people she serves. 

Born in 1981 in St. Louis, Mo., she earned her degree in business administration from Rhodes College in 2003. Crockett didn’t come to Congress quietly, and has made her own indelible mark in the past two years on the national stage.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act, is the newest G.O.P. lead bill that would redefine eligible voters to those with specific citizenship documents. This bill would not have passed in the House without the support of four democrats, including Washington State House member Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

In an official statement to the press, Perez stated her vote was based on the following, “I do not support noncitizens voting in American elections.”

The Washington State Fair has been a gargantuan PNW staple of community pride and tempting cuisine for the past century. Last Sunday’s event was no exception; here are some highlights from the Puyallup centered celebration. Maybe you’ll be enticed to attend in 2026!

Employees of the popular American grocery chain Trader Joe’s were in for a surprise earlier this month when the high demand for a limited edition rerelease of a fan favorite – canvas tote bags – led to lines for miles outside the front doors.

But these aren’t just any bags, they’re plastered with light pastel colors. These are perfect for the Easter season, or any occasion where you need a bit of color or a bit of extra cash, as resellers camped to market these totes for  thousands of dollars more than their original $2.99 price on secondhand sites.

The Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival (SCBJCF) took place this past weekend showcasing beautiful art, vendor booths, and even sumo wrestling.

The festival was able to bring hundreds of people to come celebrate the long friendship between the people of Japan and Washington state. The SCBJCF committee presented culturally educational programs, arts, technologies, the rich heritage of Japan, and celebrated the beautiful sakura cherry tree.

Ser Hispano/Latino no significa que olvides tus raíces, ni abandonaste tu cultura si no te adaptaste a una nueva cultura, aunque en algún momento puedes ser discriminado.  

Muchos de los inmigrantes son niños que aún están aprendiendo cómo sobrevivir un día en la escuela, con currículos diferentes como los curriculum de México, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, etc.

Thousands of Washington state residents joined the fight against President Trump and Elon Musk, saying “Hands Off” medicare, social security, deportations, and veteran benefits. That message has been spread throughout America, with at least 40 protests scheduled in Washington state alone. 

The biggest “Hands Off” protest in Washington happened in Seattle on April 5 starting at noon. It’s estimated that the protests gathered a crowd of around 25,000 people all chanting the phrase, “Who saves us? We save us!”

Over the course of 25 hours and five minutes, Senator Cory Booker completed the longest speech in Senate history. The record, previously held by Strom Thurmond, was once used to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

During Sen. Booker’s impassioned speech, he championed the opposite, and left anyone watching with the firm belief of hope and optimism in America. 

President Trump’s long-threatened tariffs are finally here, thrusting the United States into an unwarranted and ongoing global trade war.

The policy aimed at reducing trade imbalances has sparked an immediate backlash from international partners. Tensions are continuously rising as American consumers, global trade partners, and economists alike are preparing for the possible economic consequences. 

Elon Musk has spent much of the 2000s being seen as the brains behind Tesla and SpaceX, but lately, the story around him has changed. What once felt like admiration has turned into frustration. Between his political moves, chaos posts online, and the way he runs his businesses, a lot of people are honing in on Musk’s most violent ideologies.

So why has Musk become such a divisive figure, and is the hate justified?

National parks have been hemorrhaging park rangers since the Trump administration’s recent focus on cutting funds from programs it has deemed unnecessary. As the 750+ former federal employees have made their exit, the dialogue on the decision has been met with protesting, confusion, and further insistence by the administration that federal programs are a drawback to the nation’s economy.

This decision was one of the many inaugural choices by the Trump administration, and in similar fashion sparked protests, maybe most famously including an upside down flag display at Yosemite National Park.

Seattle celebrates Women’s History Month (WHM) across the city with exhibitions, group events, and festivals across the region. These events highlight the history of women’s fight for equality and equity, while addressing ongoing issues such as the wage gap, gender-based violence, and reproductive rights.

WHM takes place every March, recognizing the achievements of women throughout history and the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), planned a brunch for the Latina women in the community. 

Upon arrival at the brunch, guests were greeted with multiple members of ALPFA and were even gifted a little box with goodies. They also had a photo booth where a member would take a picture using a polaroid camera.

The Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) kicked off this weekend in the ever-busy streets of Seattle, with about 90,000 people attending the con over the four days. Every year, the city turns into a playground for comic book fans at the ECCC. 

One way to think of the Comic Con is to think of it like a multi-day party where you can meet the people who make your favorite comics, learn from experts, and hang out with others who are just as excited as you are. These comic cons, like ECCC, are usually big events spanning a long weekend.

The SAT is a standardized test used to assess academic readiness, but for students who perform well in school yet struggle with timed exams, it can serve as an unfair barrier in college admissions, especially with those who aren’t as successful during exams, such as myself.

For high school students, the SAT is a defining moment in the college application process. It serves as a standardized measure that colleges use to compare applicants from different educational backgrounds. While some institutions have adopted test-optional policies, many still consider SAT scores an important factor in admissions and financial aid decisions.

Groundhog Day, observed annually on Feb. 2, has origins that intertwine ancient European traditions with American customs. The day is marked by the belief that if a groundhog sees its shadow, winter will continue for six more weeks, while an overcast sky signals an early spring.

Though today it is largely seen as a lighthearted tradition, its roots date back centuries to weather lore and religious observances.

Plane crashes have been happening in the U.S. on a near-daily basis, and while the Trump Administration argues that diversity is the culprit, experts are posing a different explanation for the string of tragedies that have made the front page for the past several months – and it is the likely combination of public perception of social media and years of aggressive budget cuts.

The Trump Administration’s firing of roughly 400 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees came on the very day of President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, in the midst of an already troublesome shortage of air traffic controllers.

There’s been a statistic rapidly growing among the King County area – juvenile crime has skyrocketed in recent years, concerning citizens, businesses, and law enforcement. While Seattle ranks #21 for most dangerous cities, according to US News, a disturbing percentage of crime is committed by juveniles. 

“Renton data shows police were called to reports of juveniles committing crimes with guns almost three times more often in 2023 than the year before,” K5 reported in their “Underage and Under Arrest series. They found that the most common instances were armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were institutions established to provide higher education for Black students before desegregation, playing a crucial role in Black history by expanding access to education and professional opportunities.

HBCUs were founded in response to the systemic exclusion of African Americans from mainstream higher education. These institutions created opportunities for African Americans to pursue careers that were otherwise inaccessible.

As the weeks advance in President Trump’s second term, he has been true to his word on past promises with deportation and immigration. With the current administration considering pulling from the Department of Defense funds to hire contractors and expand detention facilities to process the hundreds of undocumented persons that have been targeted for their immigration status. 

Democrats have opposed these executive decisions, arguing that deporting immigrants is not a smart move, citing that it could affect labor shortages. These deportations may affect, and   reduce crop yields because with fewer agricultural workers to plant, tend, and harvest crops, farmers may struggle to maintain productivity.

Congress has had their sights on starting off with the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) along with the tax foundation to provide the insight and analysis on the policies at stake since the enactment in 2017. 

They have overlooked some of the weaknesses and strengths of the TCJAs. “We have also analyzed fundamental reforms that would dramatically improve the U.S. tax system to support economic growth as well as greater efficiency and simplicity,” said the writers of tax foundation.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to expand the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay to hold up to 30,000 migrants. Multiplying the current capacity of less than 200 by a factor of over 150. With ICE setting up tents to prepare for the incoming wave of migrants, Trump and his administration are moving fast to enact this unprecedented move. 

Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, also known as GITMO, is one of the most infamous places in modern American history. A military prison located in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, the place was opened in 2002 to hold prisoners of war during the War on Terror. Since then it has been home to countless human rights violations.

White Day, celebrated on March 14, is a holiday in several Asian countries where men give gifts to women in return for the chocolates or presents they received on Valentine’s Day. This tradition is common in Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China.

The origins of White Day trace back to Japan in 1978 when the National Confectionery Industry Association launched it as a marketing campaign to promote sweets.

President Trump started off his second term by signing a slew of executive orders, including one attempting to revoke birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents with unlawful or even temporary status.

The public response has ranged from nationwide protests to preliminary injunctions against the order.

On a day marked by shifting skies in Seattle, voices rose in unison against the policies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), echoing the rallying cry, “Families belong together.” The morning had greeted the city with snowfall, but by the time the protest began, the sun had broken through, casting a sharp light on the determined crowd gathered in solidarity. 

Despite the earlier snow, the streets of Alki remained clear, with no snow on the ground—a striking contrast to the wintry backdrop seen elsewhere in the city. As a journalist, I rode King County Metro’s #50 bus, arriving at the protest around 2:38 p.m., ready to capture the spirit of the day through photos and videos.

After 15 months of horrendous fighting in the Gaza strip, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement just days before the second Trump administration.

The cease fire began on Sunday, Jan. 20 and phase one is projected to last six weeks. The pause in fighting is meant to allow Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza and for humanitarian aid to be flooded into the region.

Since returning to office, Donald Trump has taken several controversial actions that have attracted public attention.

These actions include mass deportation efforts, attempting to end birthright citizenship, imposing tariffs that strained relations with Colombia, withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement again, and rolling back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. 

As 2025 begins, Washington State and King County announced increases to their minimum wage rates, marking a commitment to the people to provide fairer wages for workers across the region. These increases, which are connected to inflation, and the ever-rising cost of living, aim to ensure workers are compensated adequately for their labor.

The statewide and local wage increases in Washington for 2025 has been set to $16.66 per hour, a 2.35% increase from the previous year. This raise reflects the ongoing efforts to adjust salaries in line with inflation and rising costs.

Social media, despite its widespread use and connectivity benefits, has been increasingly linked to negative impacts on mental health. One of the most significant concerns is the way social media fosters unrealistic comparisons. 

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook often highlight curated, idealized images of people’s lives, leading individuals to compare themselves to these filtered versions of reality.

Los Angeles investigators are still on the search for the origins of the Palisades fire, which has destroyed over 5,000 homes and businesses, along with the lives of 25 people, as of the release of this article.

Members of the public actively mourn the loss of life and home, while news outlets report a combination of safety updates, as well as speculation on the qualifications of LA officials charged with carrying out public safety. 

Within a week of this article, President-Elect Donald Trump will have been formally sentenced for his 34 felony count conviction, in which a guilty verdict fell down on him like a hammer for paying off a porn-star, and he will also be inaugurated as America’s 47th president, serving two non-consecutive terms; a feat that only President Grover Cleveland accomplished.  

Did you know that there are at least 24 known New Year’s traditions from around the world, and all of them have some different meaning or superstition attached to them?

The most popular tradition in the United States that millions gather to watch, is the annual ball drop in Times Square. According to Times Square, this tradition started in 1907 when the first New Year’s Eve ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.

Washington State, known for its dreary, gray weather and depressing atmosphere, ranks highest in adults, 18 years of age and older, who feel symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, or just feeling down. 

Although, Washington is at the tops in these statistics, it may surprise readers that the states inhabitants don’t score that much higher than the rest of the country when it comes to depression amongst adults and suicide rates.

As fall comes to an end and we enter the winter season, we can see the shift in temperature dropping.

With this in mind it’s essential to know how to properly take care of your body to help protect your immune system so it can be healthy during these chilly months. 

Most of the Puget Sound region was under a dense fog advisory from the National Weather Service. Bellevue, Bremerton, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, and the Hood Canal region are all included in the advisory.

The moist air cools until its humidity reaches 100% and fog occurs when the cool air combines with the warm, humid air over the water.

Before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and turkey trots dominated Thanksgiving traditions, the holiday holds a dark and gruesome past not very well taught in schools. 

Originating from a harvest once ‘held’ by the Pilgrims in 1621, the original European settlers in the New World celebrated growing relations with Indigenous tribes, but the economic tool covers a sordid tale. 

UGGs became popular in the 90s then, after a decades-long hibernation, they found success again in the 2000s. The brand is no stranger to ebbing and flowing through the market; and only recently, UGGs have skyrocketed yet again – proving that the furry boots will always have a place in consumer’s hearts.

The UGG brand was founded in 1978 in Southern California by two young Australian surfers, Brian Smith and Doug Jensen. Only 28 pairs were sold in the company’s first season. But in 1994, when the U.S. winter Olympic team sported them, they garnered a lot of international attention.

Animal testing, used extensively in the cosmetic industry, is a harsh reality of millions of small animals, and protest efforts have led to legislation banning the sale of such companies that engage in the practice.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights activist group, held a worldwide campaign after anger over animal testing statistics were released. Across the globe public protests were held, phone calls were made, and thousands of emails sent to legislatures.

A ‘bomb cyclone’ swept into Western Washington Tuesday night, leaving half a million people without power and killing two individuals.

Puget Sound Energy reports over 400,000 of their customers suffered outages, many of which could potentially last for multiple days. 

Satirical newspaper and media company, The Onion, has officially purchased Infowars at bankruptcy auction, following Alex Jones’ recent court loss to victims of Sandy Hook.

Infowars was founded by Alex Jones in 1999, carrying the McCarthyism torch from the ‘Satanic Panic’ through the ‘Obama Birther Movement’, and has had its fingers in nearly every conspiracy theory you’ve heard of in the Western Hemisphere.

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, the Thunderword is proud to serve up a steamy selection of the top dishes that you’ll want on your family table to ensure happiness and joy this holiday season.

Follow our findings and these approved recipes will have your family and friends coming back for seconds and thirds.

Companies and private workers suffer from the existence and sale of counterfeit products, and not just because of loss of sales hurting revenue and company reputations. The more alarming fact is that the counterfeit industry has actually been linked to terrorist activity. 

In the 21st century, advanced machinery enables factories overseas to create a 1:1 replica of  products from luxury brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci. This huge counterfeit industry is worth over “$3 trillion dollars annually” as reported by AlpVision.

There are less than 100 math museums in the entire world, and only a handful in America. We, however, have one of them right here in Seattle, called the Seattle Universal Math Museum (SUMM).

What is SUMM? SUMM is located all around Seattle and although it is not currently in a physical location, they host all sorts of events in the area, such as family events, hands-on exhibits, and conversations, all about math.

The creators are extremely passionate about math and want to share that with the community.

The LGBTQIA+ Task Force and Q Center invite you to participate in Transgender Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19) and Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20).

During this time, we honor and uplift the trans community and reaffirm Highline’s commitment to a learning environment rooted in social justice, mutual respect, understanding, civility, and non-violence.

With the election closed, analysis begins on voter turnout, demographics, and how we got to where we are. As the results of the election settle, and the reality of Donald Trump being elected to return to the presidency, some recent campaign events can be looked on with a clearer light. 

Perhaps most recently, Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico being an “island of garbage,” became the centerpiece of a national argument about what damage a joke can do, or not do in this case, on the political stage.

Bob Ferguson is Washington state’s newly elected governor, leading his competitor, Dave Reichert by almost 400,000 votes.

The Seattle-born former Washington Attorney General has been in the public eye for some time, but may not be as ubiquitous as his contemporaries–at least for now. So who is Ferguson?

Almost everyone has kept a goldfish in an aquarium once in their life, right? But have you ever thought about how disastrous they are to our environment if they were to be released into the wild? 

Goldfish seem to be inexpensive and low maintenance which make them among a  favorite in home aquarium pets. In pet stores they can be seen as tiny little swimmers but in the wild they can grow as big as 10 lbs and 18 in.

Strike action at 14 ports on the US east and Gulf coast has ended, after a temporary new wage agreement was reached. The union representing the U.S. dockworkers agreed to suspend the strike while further negotiations continue.

After the initial short-lived strike concluded, a temporary agreement on wages was put in place. This agreement will last until Jan. 15, when the parties will need to return to the bargaining table on other issues under the threat of another strike.

The finish line for this election season is less than a week away.

Along with the hotly contested Presidential campaigns pushing all they can in the final days, Washington has its own hot-button ticket issues that will racket through its own economy, depending on how the votes go. 

Over the weekend there was a 45-car pileup accident that happened on southbound I-5 in Kent, Wash. This forced the closure of all five lanes on southbound I-5 to allow for first responders and tow trucks to get to the scene.

The accident occurred on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 around 1:20 p.m. and expanded a little over five miles in total.

Diaspora refers to a large group of people who share a cultural and regional origin but are living away from their traditional homeland. This dispersion can be due to various reasons such as economic opportunities, political instability, or conflicts.

Diasporas play a significant role in fostering cultural exchange, economic development, and maintaining connections between their homeland and host countries.

Las Vegas, also known as Sin City, is popular for being the biggest place in America to host adult entertainment and gambling, but this year, it was also the host of the biggest trading card game and its convention Magic: The Gathering!

Created by game designer and mathematician Richard Garfield, Magic: The Gathering (or MTG for short) has become one of the most popular card games ever since its initial release in 1993 and has enjoyed immense popularity since then.

Early voting is open! Mail-in ballots have been sent out, and registration is still open for anyone needing to request a new ballot.

As the Presidential race has everyone’s attention, the Thunderword wished to remind everyone that local decisions are also on the ballot this November.

Many people are questioning whether the Netflix series “Monsters: A Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is accurate or not. Recent claims made by Erik Menendez about the Netflix series involving the murder of their parents he and his brother were convicted of committing says that the show is full of “Blatant lies” about him and his brother.

Liam Payne, 31, a former member of the hit British boy band One Direction, which gained a massive international fanbase, was found dead on Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

Police reported that they found Payne’s body after emergency services were alerted by hotel staff from the pop star’s accommodation in the Palermo area of the city.

Due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine in Gaza, many people have chosen to boycott corporations that invest money in Israel. 

The current Gaza conflict surged on Oct. 7 when Hamas-led forces from Palestine gained access to Israel and caused a tragic loss of 1,200 lives, taking around 250 people hostage. Since then Israel has taken the lives of more than 40,000 innocent civilians. This conflict has raised a multitude of boycotts against companies due to their stance on the situation. 

As October finally begins the greater Seattle area has many options for those looking to get thrilled as the spooky season is upon us and everyone is wanting to get into the spirit.

To enjoy the turning of the seasons, some like to sit inside, watch movies and be all around cozy, some enjoy walks and outings in the crisp autumn air, while others enjoy horror (albeit, a lot of us enjoy a mix of them). But for those who are willing to step out of their comfort zone here is a short list of Seattle locals’ favorite “happy haunts”.

Between the dark hours of 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. EST, Florida residents braced themselves for another catastrophe. Entire towns were abandoned, debris left behind, and homes vacated. Those watching from the screens urge friends and family to get out, get safe, and stay alive.

Hurricane Milton made landfall on central Florida’s west-coast as a Category 3 hurricane in the evening hours of Wednesday. The once tropical storm took less than 36 hours to strengthen into a Cat 5, but slowed and downgraded to a Cat 3 upon approaching the state.

The Vice Presidential debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance, was one of the most polite political stages seen the past few election cycles.

The 90-minute face off between the two men duking it out to be second-in-command was a spectacle in that it was a night of civil oratory discussion – edging on even exchanging polite pleasantries.  

As the fall starts to settle in, the wind blows colder, and the leaves start to fall and brown, people gather around Puyallup, Wash. in a yearly tradition that is beloved by locals, the Washington State Fair.

This year, the fair ran for four weeks, from Aug. 30 through Sept. 22. Throughout its long history, the fair continues to celebrate a community of people gathering for fun games, rides, entertainment, and amazing food from all different types of places brought from local vendors.

The recent unsealing of bribery and campaign finance charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams has narrowed the public eye into the past few years of his behavior and business dealings.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment on Thursday, Sept. 26, sparking public outcry for his resignation.

Have you ever wanted to buy a Rolex, thinking all you have to do is walk into a Rolex Authorized Dealer and tell them which watch you want and automatically think that you’ll be walking out the store with a shiny new watch? The simple answer is that’s definitely not going to be the case. 

Rolex does a process where if you want a specific watch they’ll tell you they only have the exhibition models and they currently don’t have any watches available at the moment. Then they would take your name and information and put you on a waiting list, after which they will run a background check on you.

As the fall quarter kicks off at Highline, there is a realization that the political world we live in now, in September, is vastly different than the political scene we left in June.

The last issue of The Thunderword reported on the historic conviction of former President Donald Trump. This was shortly before the disastrous debate with current President Joe Biden, who at the time, was the presumed democratic nominee for this year’s election.

Welcome back Highline scholars! You have likely come across the myriad of world-changing news that has been unfolding over the past few months, and things can slip by if we don’t give them their due diligence, so let us recount some of the biggest pop culture events that have happened since our last issue of the Thunderword.

After a near 12-hour deliberation over the course of two days, jurors made U.S. history last week by finding former President Donald J. Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. The verdict has been the center of stark debate across the nation, highlighting the divide between voters of the Republican and Democratic parties.

Immediately after leaving the Manhattan courtroom, Trump decried a “rigged trial”, and made multiple comments on the dangers inflicting the United States, should he be convicted. These comments echoed his intentions to exercise revenge-laden control of the country if he wins a second term as president.

The Live Nation-Ticketmaster conglomerate is now under the scrutiny of the Department of Justice for maintaining an illegal monopoly. Whether it’s a concert at Lumen Field, a Mariners game at T-Mobile Stadium, or an event on Capitol Hill, the big live event giant handing out your tickets has now been thrust into its own spotlight after years of skirting the dark side of the stage.

The entertainment industry is a curtained machine of artist management, venue operations, concert promotion, and ticket sales. After a 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the one company now owns and controls every single one of these aspects. The lawsuit, set forth by the DOJ against Live Nation, says they “control around 60% of concert promotion at major concert venues across the country.”

Over 100 firefighters and EMS staff working at Boeing facilities in Washington are locked out in an attempt by Boeing to force a contract agreement for low wages and longer progression periods.

At midnight on May 4, Boeing deactivated all security and parking passes of its on-site EMS and firefighters at its six Washington facilities around Seattle.

The lockout began at 12:01 a.m., as the current contract between Boeing and the International Association of Firefighters union expired at midnight, and a new contract had not been agreed upon. The lockout comes after months of failed contract negotiations on wages between the company and the union representing the workers.

Each year, the Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle hosts “Run for Hope for Burma”, a fundraising race to raise money for humanitarian aid in South Eastern Asian country Burma, which is currently known as Myanmar.

This year, the 5K race was held at Chambers Creek Regional Park in Pierce County on Saturday, May 25. Although it was cold and windy, the racers weren’t deterred as they empathized with refugees and internally displaced people who’ve faced worse conditions while in civil war, as a lot of the racers were previously refugees themselves.

On the morning of April 29, students from University of Washington Seattle campus pitched tents on the Quad, establishing the Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone. Situated in between the Raitt and Miller buildings, the encampment tripled in size within the first 24 hours. The most contentious demand is for the school to cut ties with Boeing, a long-time partner.

The encampment includes organizations from the UW Progressive Student Union as well as the UW United Front For Palestine Liberation and the UW Student Muslim Association.

While the Arctic regions are renowned for their unparalleled views of the Northern Lights, this celestial phenomenon made a rare, breathtaking appearance in the skies above the Pacific Northwest this past weekend. From the shores of Puget Sound to the peaks of the Cascade Range, the dancing lights graced our region with their ethereal presence during a period of particularly intense solar activity.

This past weekend, stargazers across the United States were treated to an extraordinary display of the aurora borealis, thanks to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm classified as a G5 – the highest level. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, this was the first G5 storm to hit our planet since 2003, resulting in power grid irregularities and communication disruptions.

Over the past several months, 2,600 students have been arrested at protests across the country as encampments crop up on quads and in squares. The main call for these protests have been to end US involvement in the war, bringing it to their school administrators demanding divestment from Israel-supporting companies.

For context, on October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant force who has had control over the Palestinian population for the past 18 years, launched an attack into southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,400 and the capture of about 250 people, including women and children.

On a beautiful, sunny weekend the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, the Pacific Bonsai Museum hosted its fourth BonsaiFEST! to celebrate World Bonsai Day. During the May 11-12 event there were many exhibitions, hundreds of bonsai’s displayed, art activities, food trucks, and more.

This photo story, highlights some of the bonsais to learn more about the culture, history, and art of these miniature trees.

The touring circus Paranormal Cirque II began its western Washington leg at the Puyallup fairgrounds on Friday, May 10. Featuring an eclectic cast of tightrope walkers, sword swallowers, jugglers and burlesque dancers, this circus appeals to an older audience with a taste for the macabre.

Taking place under an ominous black tent and headed by the neon red sign displaying the name, Paranormal Cirque II feels as though the carnival from Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” has come to life.

With Panera Bread dropping its Charged Lemonade in response to multiple wrongful death lawsuits, it may be time for a stroll down memory lane back to 2013, when an enraptured gym culture felt the side-effects of another nearly unregulated stimulant, Jack3d.

Jack3d (pronounced ‘jacked’) is a caffeinated pre-workout supplement that was banned in the U.S. in 2013 because of the illegal substance, dimethylamylamine (DMAA), though its updated formula sits on store shelves to this day.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and what better gift is there than one you hand crafted yourself? For sons, daughters, offspring, children, step-children, or chosen-children on a tight budget or anyone who simply wants to create something personal, take a look at three of the easiest, personalized crafts you can make for your beloved mother. 

“There are so many fancy and sophisticated things that we can buy and gift for Mother’s Day. One might even equate that the more expensive the gift, the more it shows our love for our moms,” says Panther Lake Community Church’s youth leader, Ehler Win.

“However, for students who are on a tight budget, handmade gifts are just as valuable, if not more than the expensive store-bought gifts,” continued Win. “Handmade gifts allow us to spend time and creativity crafting the gift.”

Free comic book day has been an active promotion since 2002, encouraging people to visit their local libraries and independent bookstores, where sample issues of popular comics are distributed for free.

As the event takes place on the first Saturday in May, this year the promotion happened to coincide with national “Star Wars” day (May the fourth), it’s a Barbenheimer level event for nerds across the country.

The play “Almost, Maine” starts with a prologue containing the line, “The farthest away you can be from someone is if you’re sitting right next to them.”

The show is fast-paced yet simple, humorous and heartfelt all at once. It is made up of eleven scenes – eight vignettes as well as a prologue, interlogue, and epilogue – with each of them taking place at the exact same time, in the same town, on the same evening.

Tucked away in Federal Way, in a pavilion near the transit center, is a barbershop you might miss if you don’t already know it’s there. But inside this shop resides some of the best in the business. From the owner Hussien Azeez all the way through to those who apprentice under him, if you’re looking for a sharp looking cut and a clean job look no further than Castle Barbershop.

The shop opened in 2016 and has had its own dedicated following in addition to the numerous awards for Best Fade the shop has won.

In moments we feel wonder, admiration or an almost foreign feeling of pure connectedness when we take a second to stop and look, we are experiencing “awe”. It’s the feeling we get in the presence of something greater than ourselves as it challenges us to reconstruct our understanding of the world.

Take having the privilege to witness the birth of a child for the very first time, or simply listening to a song you had no idea would be your favorite from there on out. It’s often we come across experiences that should make us feel that warm, yet strangely daring feeling of “awe.”

Located alongside south Dash Point road in Federal Way, there lies hidden floral grounds: Powellswood Garden, a 37-acre preservation of luscious botanicals as well as native plants and wildlife. Powellswood Garden is the perfect spot to enjoy a nice stroll through the gardens or a short hike on their trail to take your significant other for a date, your family for a day trip, or your friends for a chill hang-out day. 

Last week, we got to look into some amazing local solo artists of Washington state. If there was one thing those artists agreed upon (and what this week’s artists agreed upon), it was how music unites people.

This week, we get to learn about the unity of multiple musicians brought together; the creation of a band.

Let’s get to know your local bands!

With access to your favorite celebrities’ inner thoughts and visual diaries or your favorite content creators at your fingertips, it’s easier than ever to cultivate a one-sided relationship with pop culture figures. But are parasocial relationships as toxic as the buzz term makes them seem?

Celebrities have been a constant throughout the fluctuating trends of pop culture but the definition of celebrity is in near constant flux as content creation develops and changes.

Upon entering a restaurant and seeing a dog in a bright red vest on, it’s hard to tell whether the pup is about to start begging for food or alerting their handler to something wrong. With a “Service Dog – Do Not Pet” patch attached, there’s still a level of mistrust these days.

Due to the easy access of service dog attire, it’s commonplace for people to purchase working dog harnesses for household pets in order to bypass “no-pet policy” places. Some might claim their dog is an ESA, maintaining a privilege above business policies.

Hey there you procrastinating pupils! Tax season is pretty much the worst thing ever when you’re juggling classes, activities, and just trying to survive college life. But ignoring tax deadlines will only compound the stress worse than showing up to an 8 a.m. final without any pencils.

“This is my first year ever filing taxes and I’m so lost,” confessed Noah C. “Between trying to decode all those crazy forms and documents, not to mention actually doing the return itself, I’ve just been avoiding it completely. As a first timer, this whole tax thing is straight-up intimidating!”

Music is truly a universal language that anyone can enjoy. Regardless of language barriers or personal differences, musicians from all around the world share a culture of sound and style that creates a beautiful connection between one another.

With endless genres to choose from – like Hiphop, Pop, or Jazz – there is a style of music for everyone. In the Washington community, we get a taste of a wide variety of genres from some awesome local creators.

Let’s get to know your local artists!

One of the most inspiring and rejuvenating seasons has arrived. If you’ve been feeling the weight of winter’s eternal gray clouds and the sting of sharp cold air, dread no longer. Spring season officially began March 19, and with that, a renewed sense of you.

For most of the year, the earth’s axis is either tilted towards or away from the sun, meaning that the warmth, light, and of course, energy the sun provides us with is spread out unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet. But spring equinox, where the earth’s axis and its orbit finally align, allowing both hemispheres to get an equal amount of sun occurred March 19. 

Windows bursting mid-flight. Wheels falling during take-off. A whistleblower found dead. Since the start of this year, the Seattle-born plane manufacturer Boeing has been embroiled in controversy and accidents back-to-back. Whatever happened with the company to cause such a fall from grace?

The Seattle company was founded in 1916 after William E. Boeing, inspired by an aviation show, built and flew his first plane. Boeing then brought on more staff and engineers to keep the company afloat. Eventually, after an order and connection with the United States Navy, the company struck gold.

As March 14 (3.14) rolls around, mathematicians, educators, and pie enthusiasts worldwide are gearing up for the most irrational and delicious holiday of the year: Pi Day! This annual celebration of the never-ending number has become a cultural phenomenon, with festivities ranging from pi recitation contests to pie-baking competitions.

Speaking of which, do you know why pi isn’t on X? Because 280 characters isn’t enough for it to express itself! We hope you like pi-puns, because you’re about to be served your fair share.