Seattle, Washington, defunded its police budget by nearly 17% in 2021. In the year following those cuts, homicides in the city surged 24%. Seattle’s budget cut is the latest example of how defunding the police has had a negative impact on a Democrat-led city. Homicides have spiked, and rapes and aggravated assaults have also increased.…

The House Speaker McCarthy plans to take a trip to Taiwan; the FDA suggests an annual COVID-19 vaccine; and more Big Tech layoffs. These stories and more highlight the daily midday rundown for Jan. 23, 2023.  Potential McCarthy trip to Taiwan The Pentagon is in the process of planning the places House Speaker Kevin McCarthy…

As consumers enjoy the convenience of Amazon’s fast deliveries, federal safety investigators have uncovered working conditions at three of the company’s warehouses that they say are unacceptable. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the company for putting workers at a high risk of back injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. OSHA announced the citations…

Seattle Public Schools filed a lawsuit late last week against the Big Tech companies operating TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat and YouTube. The school district described the lawsuit as “the first step towards holding social media companies accountable for the harm they have wreaked on the social, emotional, and mental health of its students.” “Students in…

A deadly shooting in Paris killed 3, inflation has slowed and thousands of flights have been canceled thanks to the historic winter storm. These stories and more highlight Straight Arrow News’ midday rundown for Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.  Shooting in Paris leaves three dead A shooting inside a Kurdish cultural center in Paris is being…

The power is back on in Moore County, North Carolina. Residents there went without electricity for five days after attacks on two electrical substations. According to the Department of Energy, the attacks in Moore County were just two of the dozens of intentional attacks reported on the U.S. power grid this year. According to Moore…

Opioid addiction has led to an epidemic of overdose-related deaths in the United States. Drug overdose deaths now surpass those from car crashes and guns, according to the CDC. Companies like Purdue Pharma have had to pay billions of dollars in fines for their role in sparking the opioid epidemic in America. But what about…

Social media giant TikTok is heating up competition in the U.S. A new report indicates the Chinese-owned platform is setting up its own product fulfillment centers in America to expand into the e-commerce space. The company posted several job openings on LinkedIn, seeking out industry veterans in Seattle and Los Angeles to support the new warehouses.…

As negotiations between labor unions and freight railroad companies over a new contract continue, Amtrak prepared for a potential strike by cancelling several of its long-distance routes. If a deal is not reached, a strike could begin as soon as Friday. The affected routes, which closed starting Tuesday, includes: The Southwest Chief route from Chicago…

Over the weekend, at least 19 different wildfires burning in Washington and Oregon prompted evacuations. Almost 300,000 acres are scorched, while some 5,000 firefighters are working throughout the region. Oregon’s Cedar Creek Fire measured at more than 85,000 thousand acres Sunday, according to the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal. High temperatures, strong winds…