Kate Walters
Reporter
About
Kate Walters is a reporter covering Covid-19 and the many ways the pandemic has impacted our lives. She's covered personal experiences of community members, state and local policies, affects on the healthcare system, and more. In the past, Kate has reported on homelessness for KUOW, as well as general assignment stories ranging from city hall politics to sea stars. Originally from Australia, Kate studied journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She started her career in public radio at WXXI in Rochester, NY.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Stories
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Health
Seattle will soon have a place for people to go after surviving an overdose
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced millions in funding Thursday to create a post-overdose recovery center that will provide a space for people to stabilize following a non-fatal overdose.
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Climate
A ‘tool of last resort’: PSE may shut off power in some areas when fire risk is high
This year’s wildfire season may bring a new wrinkle for some Puget Sound Energy customers. The utility has said it may begin to use temporary power shut-offs in some communities to prevent powerlines from igniting blazes in risky weather conditions.
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Seattle mayor wants big money for big changes on city streets, sidewalks, and bridges
Nearly $1.5 billion over eight years. That’s how much Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell wants voters to approve for things like street repairs, bridge maintenance, construction, improved safety, and an expanded bike network across the city.
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Crime
From informant for prohibition agents to the wife of Seattle’s biggest rumrunner. The amazing story of Elise Olmstead
Alongside Seattle bootlegger Roy Olmstead, somewhat hidden in his larger-than-life shadow, was his second wife, Elise, often known as Elsie. And her story, like those of so many other women, is just as fascinating in its own right, though it's less often told.
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Health
Hundreds of patients receive threatening emails after Fred Hutch cyberattack
Hundreds of people who have been patients at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have received threatening emails following a cyberattack on the institution’s networks in November.
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Is Seattle's new drug law working?
It's been about six weeks since Seattle's new law against public drug use and possession went into effect. The ordinance was written to bring the city in line with a new state law that treats things like having or using fentanyl in public as a gross misdemeanor. One of the directives handed down to Seattle Police is to emphasize diversion when enforcing the law. So how does that work? And how is the effort going?
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Government
Seattle City Council approves 2024 budget with money for housing, homelessness, and mental health
The plan includes more money for homelessness services, housing, and mental health support at Seattle schools. It also funds the controversial ShotSpotter program.
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Health
Hundreds of Providence nurses take to the picket line in Everett
Hundreds of nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett went on the picket line Tuesday morning after authorizing a five day strike. The major sticking points are staffing levels and pay. The union and Providence have been in negotiations for months over a new contract for roughly 1300 nurses.
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Health
Kaiser reaches tentative deal with WA health care workers, avoiding strike
Thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers in Washington have a new tentative contract deal. The tentative deal comes after months of negotiations and staves off a strike at 36 locations across the state that was scheduled to start this week if a deal was not reached by the end of October.
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Crime
Thousands of untested sexual assault kits finally processed in WA
Washington state has effectively eliminated its extensive backlog of untested sexual assault evidence kits. Officials announced Thursday that more than 10,000 backlogged kits have now been cleared from evidence rooms across the state and submitted for testing.