In a recent crackdown on juvenile delinquency, an Anti-Crime Team (ACT) from the Everett police department nabbed a band of juveniles in South Everett who were attempting to hijack a fleet of cars, including a failed attempt at an elementary school and a subsequent attempt at a residence where they were caught red-handed trying to make off with another Kia, according to KIRO7 and BNN Breaking.
While the police action halted the streak of thefts, bringing relief to the community, and although the quick action of the police has been applauded with a spokesperson describing the operation as interrupting "the ring of car thefts and possibly preventing another," residents continue to reel under the pressure of sky-rocketing grocery prices; Seattleites now shoulder some of the highest food costs in the United States, forking out an average of $287.67 a week, per findings of a federal survey cited by KIRO7.
This economic strain comes despite the city's hike of the minimum wage to $19.97 per hour at the beginning of the year, and with the analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey indicating that Seattle's grocery prices stand at $289.23 a week, ranking it as the sixth most-expensive city for food shopping, ahead of New York City, Dallas, and Chicago; a harsh reality for many trying to make ends meet.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has recently taken aim at a proposed grocery chain merger which he fears could further drive up prices; this move follows a lawsuit aimed to halt the union of Kroger and Albertsons, as Ferguson posits in a statement that this merger would "dwarf the competition", potentially exacerbating an already challenging scenario as the state witnesses its grocery bills swell and with internal communications from corporate executives at Albertsons suggesting they're aware the merger could create a near-monopolistic control over the market.
The merger, which remains under regulatory review, has seen strong opposition from Ferguson, who adamantly highlights that "Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and that results in higher prices," backing his stance with evidence from internal company exchanges indicating the gripe with the proposed consolidation, however the companies involved have expressed their disappointment in what they describe as Ferguson's "premature decision to file a lawsuit", according to statements provided to KIRO Newsradio.
