Ashley Hiruko
Investigative Reporter
About
Ashley Hiruko reports on topics involving policing and the behind-the-scenes conduct of city leaders. Her investigations have examined police killings, allegations of abuse and sex trafficking, and labor issues.
She lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and Maltese.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Past President, Western Washington Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
Stories
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Arts & Life
'She has worked so hard for this.' Seattle Hmong community on Suni Lee's Olympic gold
Lee, the youngest member of the U.S. gymnastics team, is the first ever Hmong American Olympian.
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Who Seattle Mayor Durkan texted with last year: Mike Pence’s body man, and an Amazon CEO
After reporters requested Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s text messages in June 2020, they were told those messages had been deleted. KUOW has received a log for those text messages, which show some of her messages — the mayor’s office says that most of her messages were via iMessage, which are not included in the log.
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Two Seattle police officers trespassed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, oversight office finds
An Office of Police Accountability investigation into six Seattle Police officers who attended President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally found that two officers broke the law and violated police policy when they trespassed outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. A third officer may have also trespassed, based on a review of maps outlining restricted areas and officer interviews, but the police accountability office could not meet its burden of proof.
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Outages that hit thousands of Seattle area homes are heat-related, utilities say
“Every surface in my entire apartment is radiating heat. I touch the wall. I touch the floor, the tub, it was all radiating heat.”
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Health
Yogurt from PCC Markets recalled after 11 people, including children, sickened with E. coli
Washington state health officials said PCC Community Market brand yogurt is the likely source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 11 people, including six children under the age of 10. Seven hav
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Government
We asked for Mayor Jenny Durkan's text messages, and this is what we got
It was June 2020, and Seattle Police’s East Precinct was a flashpoint as protestors called for police reform.
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This Redmond mom was fatally shot by police after calling 911 for help
When Andrea Thomas Churna moved into her luxury apartment in Redmond, Washington, last summer, she was looking forward to a fresh start. She had recently moved back to Washington state from California, to raise her 7-year-old son with her ex-husband. One month later, on a balmy fall night, Churna dialed 911. “I think someone’s trying to kill me at my apartment,” Churna told emergency dispatchers at 9:23 p.m. on September 20. That call would result in her death 30 minutes later. To understand what transpired that night, and why the investigation into this police death has stalled after seventh, KUOW reviewed 911 emergency phone calls, police radio audio, police statements, and spoke with Andrea Churna’s family, and fourth-floor residents who were home that evening.
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Health
Eligible for a vaccine in Seattle but unable to get one? It might be your ZIP code
The city of Seattle has tried to make vaccine access more equitable by quietly enacting its own vaccine priority standards, within Washington state’s eligibility framework. Instead of taking a first-come, first-served approach, the city says it is prioritizing Black, Indigenous, and people of color, older adults who haven’t been vaccinated yet, as well as people living within ZIP codes hardest hit by Covid.
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Education
'Kind of excited, kind of nervous.' Seattle elementary students return to the classroom
Monday was landmark day in Seattle Public Schools as many elementary students, as well as some older students with disabilities, returned to school buildings for the first time in more than a year.
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Everyone 16 and older eligible for vaccine on April 15, Inslee says
After months of waiting for Washington's most vulnerable residents to be vaccinated, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that he's relaxing eligibility...