In Washington State, officials have verified that hikers recently came across the skeletal remains of a 33-year-old woman who went missing almost 18 months ago in Rose Valley.

Last Sunday, two young hikers stumbled upon skeletal remains and some clothing in a forested section of Rose Valley. They promptly contacted the authorities, as reported by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

An image of the discovered bones was forwarded to a forensic anthropologist, who confirmed that they were indeed human remains.

The next day, the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office teamed up with the sheriff’s department and several search and rescue units to carry out a thorough search of the vicinity in hopes of finding more remains.

Hailey Athay vanished in November 2024, according to her family. (Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office)

One of the men who had found the bones led the search party to the area, and nearly complete skeletal remains were found as well as multiple items of clothing and personal belongings, according to the sheriff’s office.

The location was in the middle of an area that a detective had identified through investigation and interviews as an area of interest in the disappearance of Hailey E. Athay, 33, of Cowlitz County, who was last seen by her family in Kelso, Washington, in November 2024.

She was reported missing in January 2025, according to the sheriff’s office.

A friend of Athay said she was going mushroom picking with a man before her disappearance, local affiliate FOX 13 Seattle reported.

Prior searches had been conducted near the area, but the sheriff’s office said no evidence had been recovered.

On Tuesday, a forensic odontologist examined the recovered skull and compared the teeth to dental records for Athay, confirming a match.

The sheriff’s office previously searched a nearby area after Athay’s disappearance. (Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office)

Officials said Athay’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation pending an analysis by a forensic anthropologist.

It is unclear if any suspects have been identified in Athay’s disappearance or if foul play is suspected.

Athay’s mother, Nicole Brooks, told local outlet KPTV Athay was a mother of three daughters.

An ambitious contender for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, often touting his connections with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, found himself in an awkward position recently. Despite his frequent promotions of their past association, the progressive stalwart refrained from backing him during a recent video interview.

While speaking to a reporter from Drop Site, Ocasio-Cortez was questioned about her views on Saikat Chakrabarti. Chakrabarti, who had a brief stint as her chief of staff following her 2018 congressional win, is now pursuing a seat in Congress representing San Francisco.

When asked about her former aide, Ocasio-Cortez artfully dodged the inquiry. “For me, overall, I’m trying to think about the role I’m trying to play more broadly in these things,” she commented, steering clear of a direct endorsement.

Chakrabarti, a wealthy progressive Democrat, has used his past association with the Bronx congresswoman as a central theme in his campaign materials and public statements. His efforts to leverage their prior professional relationship highlight the complex dynamics of political endorsements and alliances.

Chabrakarti, a multimillionaire lefty Democrat who was Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional aide for roughly six months before resigning, has prominently featured the Bronx congresswoman in campaign literature and talking points.

“Having worked with AOC, I can safely say she’s one of a kind. But I’d be honored to represent San Francisco in Congress and join AOC to build a society that truly works for all,” Chakrabarti boasted in an X post announcing his campaign last year.

Chakrabarti, 40, struck it rich working for financial tech firm Stripe and has plowed $5 million into his own campaign for retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat.

The Harvard-educated tech multimillionaire describes himself as a former tech director with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed 2016 presidential bid and “the architect of the Green New Deal.”

He worked for Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign for Congress, when she defeated incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in an upset.

Chakrabarti then joined the new congresswoman in the House of Representatives — where he quickly gained a difficult reputation after instigating nasty public spats with Democratic colleagues, according to media reports at the time.

Ocasio-Cortez went on to explain that she has a “lean” political staff in the Thursday interview.

“There are 435 seats in Congress, right? And there is this moment where it’s like — and not just in this race but any race, once you go in it’s like ‘what about this one, and this one?’” she said.

Chakrabarti is competing against state Sen. Scott Wiener, city Supervisor Connie Chan and Marie Hurabiell, a lawyer and activist.

The Texas native has racked up endorsements from drag performer Peaches Christ and former congressman Jamal Bowman, who lost his 2024 reelection bid after pulling a fire alarm at the Capitol, resulting in a $1000 fine.

Chakarabarti also raised eyebrows for gushing over the polarizing far-left streamer Hasan Piker, whose racist tirades calling Asian Americans “dogs for white people” came to light this month.

Chakrabarti did not respond to a request for comment.

Young Turks host Cenk Uygur, Chakrabarti’s pal who has attempted to brand him as a “West Coast Zohran Mamdani,” furiously denounced Ocasio-Cortez and demanded she endorse him in a video posted Friday.

“I can’t believe she hasn’t endorsed him yet,” he fumed.

CHICAGO — After a foggy morning, residents of Chicago are advised to brace for potentially severe weather as storms are forecasted to roll in by Friday evening.

The day started with a warm and dry afternoon, but conditions are expected to change as storms make their way into the region later in the day.

A Tornado Watch has been issued for several counties in Illinois, including Cook, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Livingston, and Will. This watch is set to remain in effect until 11 p.m.

Meanwhile, DeKalb, LaSalle, and McHenry counties in Illinois, along with Racine, Walworth, and Kenosha counties in Wisconsin, are under a Tornado Watch until 8 p.m.

In areas just outside Chicago, a Tornado Warning has been announced for Boone and Winnebago counties in Illinois, which is valid until 7:45 p.m. Additionally, Walworth County in Wisconsin is under a Tornado Warning until 7:15 p.m., and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties, extending until 8:15 p.m.

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ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologists said a line of potentially severe storms was expected to start moving into the far western suburbs between 5-7 p.m., bringing heavy rain and strong winds. It will then move into the city between 8-9 p.m.

The Storm Prediction Center has most of the Chicago area at a Level 3 Risk for severe weather except for northwest Indiana, which is under a Level 2 Risk.

The storms are causing delays at Chicago’s airports.

A Ground Delay for O’Hare airport is scheduled to go into effect at 8 p.m. and last until 2 a.m. Saturday, the FAA said. Average delays due to thunderstorms were about 3.5 hours as of 6 p.m.