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Reporter/Columnist

Joel Connelly

Joel is a reporter and columnist for seattlepi.com.

Stories By Joel Connelly

25 places in Washington to see and experience before you die

We've rounded up 25 places in the Evergreen State you must see, visit, experience and sometimes exert yourself before you die. Joel Connelly

AG Ferguson: Require all police report use of deadly force

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson wants to require law enforcement agencies to disclose all uses of deadly force, and that reports be made part of a website accessible to all citizens. By Joel Connelly

Connelly: Unmasking America's chaotic coronavirus response

Washington is having a debate over Gov. Jay Inslee's mask-wearing mandate. Blowhard resistance mirrors the chaotic national response to the coronavirus. The Evergreen State has played by the rules and fared relatively well. Do we stop now? By Joel Connelly

Connelly: Message to political extremes – Don't mess with Seattle

Seattle is being ripped at by extremist of the left and the right. Time to move beyond the loud noise and get the city talking constructively. By Joel Connelly

AG Ferguson takes on national debt collection agency

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sues debt collection firm over "settlement offer" collection letters on debts where the statute of limitations for lawsuits had expired. By Joel Connelly

House passes police reform bill, a day after Senate impasse

The U.S. House of Representatives, on a 236-191 vote, Thursday night passed a sweeping police reform bill named in honor of Minneapolis murder victim George Floyd. By Joel Connelly

Trump losing big to Biden in battleground states, polls say

President Trump is losing the battle in battleground states that he carried in 2016, according to a revealing new New York Times/Siena College poll. Other surveys are showing a president whose political base is eroding, and who makes no effort... By Joel Connelly

Inslee on requring masks: 'You don't want to kill somebody else'

Under political attack over his requirement that Washington citizens wear masks in indoor and outdoor social settings, Gov. Jay Inslee hits back: "You don't want to kill somebody else." By Joel Connelly

Monsanto will pay state $95 million in PCB pollution lawsuit

A big environmental win for Washington. Monsanto will pay $95 million to settle Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit over decades of environmental pollution from PCBs, which the chemical giant marketed despite knowing its "toxic effects." By Joel Connelly

Washington will require face masks starting Friday

Washington residents will be required to wear masks in public places starting Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced. The state has experienced "an uptick" in coronavirus cases. By Joel Connelly

Connelly: Achievers I've witnessed in public life

From the eyes of an about-to-retire journalist who covered them all, SeattlePI reporter and political columnist Joel Connelly takes a look back at 13 public figures in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia who made a difference and... By Joel Connelly

The 'Bigfoot' newspaper columnist: An endangered species

How does column writing survive in an era when anybody and everybody — even an off-the-wall president — can hold forth on Facebook and Twitter? Remembering the last days of the big time East Coast newspaper columnists dubbed "Bigfeet." By Joel Connelly

Victims of COVID-19 'vaccine' scam will get refunds

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson puts Johnny T. Stine and his firm, North Coast Biologics, out of business and gains refunds for customers. In April, Ferguson sent a cease-and-desist notice to Stine, ordering him to stop making a $400... By Joel Connelly

CHOP puts Seattle in crosshairs of Trump and the political right

The CHOP zone on Capitol Hill has put Seattle in the crosshairs of America's political right, from President Trump, to Sen. Rubio, to Fox News and the Washington State Republican party. Is it working? By Joel Connelly

Fox News poll gives Biden a 12-point lead: Trump fumes

Fox News, Donald Trump's favorite network, is out with a poll showing Joe Biden with a 12-point lead in the 2020 presidential race. Trump is fuming, tweets: "Fox is terrible." By Joel Connelly

Supreme Court's DACA decision: Washington played a role

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling, blocking the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACAS) program, is not only a relief for so-called "Dreamers" but also the 29th legal victory over the Trump administration for... By Joel Connelly

Labor Council expels Seattle Police Officers Guild from its ranks

The Seattle Police Officers Guild has been expelled from the Martin Luther King Council Labor Council, which had insisted that the Guild address racism in its ranks. By Joel Connelly

Inslee: Draconian cuts in state service if no help from Congress

"Draconian" cuts coming in state services if Congress does not pass another aid package, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee warns. He is furloughing state workers, has canceled pay hike for 5,66 employees, and vetoed $450 million in spending last month. By Joel Connelly

Policy wonk for the great outdoors: Cantwell's big Senate win

The Great American Outdoors Act, passed Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, is a big boon for public lands in Washington. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., was a key architect. She has now helped push two big public lands bills with Trump in the White House. By Joel Connelly

US-Canada border closure extended at least to July 21

The closure of the U.S.-Canada border, to all nonessential traffic, has been extended to at least July 21. "This is a measure that will protect people on both sides of the border as we continue to fight COVID-19," said Prime Minister Justin... By Joel Connelly