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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Why so hard to be tested for coronavirus? Not enough swabs and confusing government guidelines
Patients hoping to learn if they have fallen prey to the coronavirus continue to be stymied by bottlenecks before they can learn the truth about their health.
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N95 masks spotted at Target in Seattle, and politicians swoop in divert them to hospitals
When reporter Ann Dornfeld went to Target in West Seattle on Friday morning to buy toilet paper, she was shocked to see rows of N95 protective masks for sale -- $6.79 for two.
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Nine crucial days: Without local medical staff help, Life Care had to wait on a federal strike team
The 63-year-old man turned blue and struggled to breathe, the Life Care Center worker told an emergency dispatcher by phone on March 1. The man hadn’t traveled out of the country, to Asia, Iran, or Italy in the last two weeks, the worker said. But she noted that days earlier two people -- an employee and a resident -- at the Kirkland assisted living facility had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
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All Washington state schools ordered to close for 6 weeks because of coronavirus
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that he would be expanding the six-week school cancellation to all K-12 schools within the state of Washington, keeping more than 1 million students home.
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Coronavirus getaway: Man departs early from Washington state quarantine site
A man has escaped from the Kent isolation site, housed in the former Econo Lodge motel, Kent officials announced Friday morning.
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Travel nurses are coming to Seattle in the hundreds to help with coronavirus outbreak
As the spread of coronavirus continues, with cases confirmed in seven counties in Washington state as of Monday, healthcare facilities are bracing for what this could mean for hospitals: crowded emergency rooms and a higher demand for nurses.
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Kent wants to stop Econo Lodge from being coronavirus quarantine site
Kent officials are unhappy with King County’s planned quarantine site. Located on Central Avenue, the Econo Lodge sits less than two miles away from the city’s downtown core — and more than 20 miles away from Kirkland, where the county’s coronavirus outbreak seemingly began.
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Health
'We demand answers': Families connected to COVID-19 affected care center in Kirkland speak out
Family members said they've received little information from health officials on all levels during an emotional press conference outside the Life Care Center in Kirkland on Thursday. Several residents of the senior living facility have fallen ill with COVID-19, which has killed 11 in Washington state.
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First responders and medical staff test positive for coronavirus
Medical staff across the Seattle region are falling sick with coronavirus.
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What's with this protective medical gear? Readers wrote in, worried
Readers were concerned with the photo. It shows an emergency responder transporting a patient from the Life Care Center in Kirkland, the epicenter of the nation’s first coronavirus deaths. The responder is dressed in a gown, gloves and has a mask. People critiqued the lack of anything shy of a hazmat suit.