City Seattle Financial News

During the holidays, the airways and roads are going to be busy to a great extent. This is because over 115 million people are predicted to be travelling 50 miles or greater than that from their homes starting from Christmas to New Year’s Day as reported by AAA.

Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking heat wave that sent the normally temperate region into Death Valley-like extremes that took a heavy toll on trees as well as people. Seattle and Portland, Ore., recorded their hottest-ever temperatures, reaching 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 Celsius) and 116 Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius), respectively. In British Columbia, the small town of Lytton reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.6 Celsius). What become known as the “heat dome” is estimated to have killed hundreds of people in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. As this human tragedy unfolded, a lesser-known ecological tragedy was happening, one that scientists warn has grim repercussions for the world’s plants and the many animal species that depend on them. In a matter of a few days, the 2021 heat dome turned many of the green leaves and needles on the region’s trees to orange, red and brown. But, as recent research suggests, tree foliage didn’t simply dry out in the heat.

Haven’t ordered any of your holiday gifts yet

Target and Amazon are all-in on the shipping wars, a move retail experts say will help them maintain a competitive edge against low-cost Chinese retailers Shein and Temu. For Walmart and Target, their investments are also aimed at narrowing the gap in delivery speed with Amazon, which has set the standard for fast shipping and remains the king of speed. Amazon packages have been arriving at the doors of Prime customers even faster this year under the company's new distribution model, which divides the country into eight regions and predominantly ships items from warehouses in those areas. The idea, according to Amazon, is to get shipments to travel shorter distances with fewer touchpoints, which helps the company not only speed up deliveries but also cuts down on costs.

Jeff Bezos's wife Lauren Sanchez hit the headlines when she partied with friends and husband at the superyacht of Amazon chief in the Caribbean island of St Barts. It was her 54th birthday and she celebrated it and danced on the top of a table. Sanchez’s power crew of entrepreneurs, actresses, and philanthropists have a very powerful man in their corner.

By Clark Mindock

Amazon antenna on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius made contact with both, but during a subsequent handoff to another station, only one vehicle checked in. Amazon scanned the sky behind the first satellite for a signal from the second one but heard silence. The incident threatened to kill the mood for employees who’d gathered to celebrate the launch at Postdoc Brewing, not far from Amazon’s Seattle-area space operation. The team had spent years building satellites from scratch and endured months of delays launching them. Now that they were aloft, Amazon needed to make contact to ensure their solar panels had deployed. If not, the batteries would run out and the satellites would fail, a major setback for the retail and cloud-computing giant, already a late entrant in the race to build a profitable business selling internet access from low-Earth orbit.

The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah is returning to Netflix for his fourth original comedy special. The show titled "Where Was I" will witness Noah sharing his «hilarious experiences from his recent travels, around the world, ranging from foreign national anthems to varying cultural norms,» as per the official logline.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joins ‘Varney & Co’ and discusses Florida’s efforts to tackle crime during a wide-ranging interview.

An independent review of Starbucks' labor relations concluded that Starbucks should better communicate its commitment to workers’ collective bargaining rights and train its employees to respect those rights

ChatGPT was the catalyst for a year that took artificial intelligence mainstream

Attorneys for Amazon have asked a federal judge to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against the e-commerce giant

A federal judge in Seattle has ruled that Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of Binance, must remain in the United States while awaiting sentencing on money laundering charges.

Binance chief Changpeng Zhao has to remain in the continental United States ahead of his sentencing for violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones said on Thursday.

Changpeng Zhao, former CEO of Binance known as CZ, had his guilty plea accepted by a U.S. judge in a case involving anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.

Alaska Airlines says it will buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1 billion

snowfall to cities across the Midwest and Ohio Valley, including Chicago, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio. This may result in challenging conditions for the Tuesday morning commute. This weather development follows a winter storm that affected parts of northern New England at the beginning of the workweek, depositing heavy, wet snow and causing disruptions to the Monday morning commute, along with numerous power outages. In the Pacific Northwest, concerns about flooding are increasing as rivers and streams in Washington and Oregon are on the rise due to a series of atmospheric river storms delivering substantial rain to the region. This precipitation is causing the melting of mountain snow, contributing to water accumulation in low-lying areas. According to the FOX Forecast Center, warm air surging from the Pacific will elevate snow levels above 9,000 feet, surpassing weekend levels. Due to the potential flooding risk, Flood Watches have been issued in the Pacific Northwest, covering areas from western Washington through western Oregon, including major cities like Seattle, Olympia, Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford.

humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday morning with several breaches in the bay just beyond the city's downtown area. The whale has been spotted for the last three days swimming around Elliott Bay. But on Thursday, the whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives. Local whale-watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as «Smiley.» It's not unusual for humpback whales to visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast. Smiley's last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed admiration for quarterback Dak Prescott after his stellar performance in Thursday's 41-35 comeback win against the Seattle Seahawks. Jones commended Prescott, stating that the quarterback is currently at the pinnacle of his abilities in the NFL. Addressing reporters after the game, Jones acknowledged Prescott's continuous improvement despite his extensive experience and past successes and challenges.

Stardew Valley, the popular game, is hitting the road with its first-ever concert tour, "Festival of Seasons," organized by ConcernedApe. With an initial 14 shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Southeast Asia, the tour expanded to 36 cities across 12 countries. The concert promises an intimate experience with fresh arrangements of the game's beloved soundtrack. Fans eagerly anticipating the tour can now find details on dates, cities, and ticket sales.

In the world of financial planning, finding the right advisor who understands your personal values can be a game-changer. That’s where Danika Waddell, president and founder of RIA Xena Financial Planning, comes in. Her unique selling point? A crystal-clear focus on building portfolios that reflect her clients’ ethics.