KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
Have any leads or feedback for the KUOW Blog? Contact Dyer Oxley at dyer@kuow.org.
Stories
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Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall graduates from police academy
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall took the stage Tuesday with 29 other graduates of the basic law enforcement certification program at the Washington State Criminal Justice Commission in Burien.
Cole-Tindall was appointed sheriff last year, but her certification had lapsed during nearly 20 years in administrative and civilian roles. So, she had to return to the academy as a recruit.
County Executive Dow Constantine, who sat in the crowd of officials and cadets' family members during the ceremony, stood to present Cole-Tindall's diploma. Her mother then pinned a star-shaped sheriff's badge onto her uniform.
Constantine appointed Cole-Tindall to the role of permanent sheriff last May, making her the first Black woman in that job. She'd been serving as interim sheriff while the county sought a long-term candidate for the role.
At the time of her appointment, she said she would need to return to the academy to renew her basic training. She'd spent much of the last two decades in non-officer roles, overseeing union negotiations for King County and directing the civilian oversight body for the sheriff's office.
Partway through the 19-week training course, Cole-Tindall told KUOW that she struggled at times to keep up with the much younger recruits in her class.
“I am much older than many of my classmates and some days it’s hard, you know, I’m bumping up to 60 here, so it’s tough, right?” she said.
Her training included hands-on tactics and firearms, as well as the legal cases that guide police work. Her undersheriff ran the sheriff's office on days when she was offsite at the academy.
Ultimately, she said, training for a total of 720 hours with young recruits will be a benefit to her as a leader.
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Attack ads challenge property sales tax proposal in Washington state
The Washington Association of Realtors is trying to kill a proposed tax hike on property sales.
The Democrat's bill in Olympia would generate money to support low-income housing. But according to a report by the Washington Observer, the realtors group is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on attack ads to defeat it.
"Making housing more expensive to increase affordable housing just doesn't make a lot of sense to us," said Nathan Gorton, a lobbyist with the Washington Association of Realtors.
"Our focus here is on homeowners and protecting homeowners," he said. "We know that homeowners right now are feeling stretched."
The Democrat's bill features a 1% tax increase, but only on amounts a little more than $5 million. The bill would also let local governments like Seattle raise taxes slightly on all real estate sales by .25 percent.
Earlier this year, government affairs manager Penny Lipsou testified on behalf of King County in support of the Democrats' proposed real estate tax hike.
"This bill will create additional progressive revenue at both the state and local level to address out housing crisis," Lipsou said.
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Audubon no more. From now on, Birds Connect Seattle
Formerly known as Seattle Audubon, Birds Connect Seattle will be the name of the city's birding organization moving forward.
According to a statement from the organization, the concept of "connection" was consistently brought up throughout the renaming process. It further says that birds connect across families, hemispheres, and habitats.
"We wanted a name that spoke to that idea, something simple and approachable, that immediately identifies the core of our mission and required no further explanation," Executive Director Claire Catania said Tuesday. "Rather than a barrier, this new name represents an open door for communities to join us in our mission to advocate and organize for cities where people and birds thrive."
Birds Connect Seattle spent eight months coming up with its new name. It announced in July 2022 that it would be changing its name due to its connection to John James Audubon, for which many Audubon Societies are named after. Audubon owned, sold, and bought enslaved African Americans through his general store in Kentucky and was very anti-abolition.
“Knowing what we now know and hearing from community members how the Audubon name is harmful to our cause, there is no other choice but to change," Catania said at the time. "...The shameful legacy of the real John James Audubon, not the mythologized version, is antithetical to the mission of this organization and its values."
After engaging with focus groups, launching a public survey, and receiving hundreds of emails and phones calls, the organization had input from more than 1,000 people. A committee was convened in January to consider a list of 263 name suggestions. The committee opted to nix any eponymous titles. It also avoided any suggestions with "society" in them, feeling that it wasn't inclusive. It also didn't want to use academic terms like “avian” and “ornithology.” That eventually led to lists of 50, 11, and then three potential names. Staff ultimately picked the final choice. Read more about the process here.
Birds Connect Seattle is not the first organization to pivot away from the name "Audubon." NPR reports that the former Audubon Naturalist Society near Washington, D.C. already changed its name to Nature Forward. Chicago Audubon is in the process of changing its name. Portland is also coming up with a new name. The National Audubon Society has opted to keep its original name.
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Remembering Remo Borracchini, whose cakes graced celebrations around Seattle
For generations his cake creations were synonymous with birthdays, weddings and graduations. Remo Borracchini of Borracchini’s Bakery in Seattle’s Rainier Valley died this month.
Longtime residents will remember Borracchini’s cakes covered in his signature Bavarian cream frosting. But many also remember his kindness and generosity.
Daughter Nannette Heye remembers a bride calling the bakery in tears. Her reception with 200 guests was about to start, but no cake. The cake, from another bakery, didn’t show up.
“My dad had taken that call,” recalled Heye. “And he said you go and shake the hands of your guests. I will be there in 20 minutes.”
He took a cake that was prepared for a different wedding later that day and rushed it to that reception.
“He set it up and he gave her a hug," Heye said. "He didn’t charge her for it. He said, 'You’ve been through enough, just enjoy your day.'”
Then he rushed back to the bakery to make a new replacement cake.
Heye said her father was born into the profession. His parents baked bread out of a brick oven in the family home in South Seattle. At a young age he started baking with them. It was all he wanted to do.
“When he got to high school as a freshman, the truant officer, when he was absent from school knew exactly where to find him,” Heye said. “She’d come from Franklin [High School], she’d come down to the bakery and find him right there, baking bread with his folks.”
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Fisher Investments pulls out of Washington in wake of capital gains tax decision
A wealth-management company says it's pulling its headquarters out of Washington state in the wake of the state's Supreme Court decision around capital gains taxes.
In a seemingly sarcastic statement, Fisher Investments says: "In honor of the Washington State Supreme Court's wisdom and knowledge of the law, and in recognition of whatever it may do next, Fisher Investments is immediately moving its headquarters from Washington state to Texas."
The move is expected to be completed by June 30.
RELATED: Education advocates hope capital gains ruling helps WA schools
Fisher Investments is based in Camas, Washington. The company's headquarters will relocate to Plano, Texas. Fisher is an independent money management firm, founded by billionaire Ken Fisher. The company notes that it manages more than $197 billion in assets globally, and more than $156 billion in private investments. The Seattle Times reports that Fisher employed about 1,800 people in Camas in 2020 (it employs 3,700 globally).
The company has multiple offices around the globe, including sites in Tampa, Florida, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany. The current headquarters switch up is not the first time Fisher Investments has made such a move due to local laws and regulations. When it began construction on its current 120-acre Camas headquarters in 2011, it was part of a move out of California to seek better business regulations, Bloomberg reports, further noting that Fisher is now part of a wave of companies relocating to Texas. That state has fewer business regulations, no income taxes, and lower costs of living.
Washington's Supreme Court upheld the state's capital gains tax last week, under the argument that it is an excise tax and not an income tax. The decision comes shortly before taxes are due in April, making 2023 the first year the capital gains tax will be collected.
Washington's capital gains tax is targeted at profits over $250,000 on assets like stocks and bonds. Retirement accounts and property sales are not included. The Supreme Court's decision has spurred fears that Washington lawmakers could pursue an income tax.
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Reflecting on Seattle's Bumbershoot: Today So Far
- What does Bumbershoot mean to local artists? You?
- Street parking just got a bit more expensive in Seattle.
- Some local hospitals are going to keep masking rules after the state's mandate ends in April.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for March 28, 2023.
My last big memory from Bumbershoot is R.E.M. performing at Memorial Stadium. That was about 20 years ago. That's to say that I've only checked in on Seattle's big festival every now and then over the years (the exorbitant ticket prices didn't help much). This year, however, is the festivals' 50th anniversary and it has, perhaps, the most impressive lineup in recent memory.
Sunny Day Real Estate for starters is a pretty big deal. Not to mention Sleater-Kinney, Dandy Warhols, Beverly Crusher, Band of Horses ... I could go on and on. King Youngblood is also slated to perform.
"My earliest memory of Bumbershoot, I must have been maybe 3 or 4 years old," King Youngblood frontman Cameron Lavi-Jones told KUOW's Mike Davis. "And my folks were actually playing Bumbershoot. Funny enough, Bumbershoot is the place where I discovered that I wanted to do music for the rest of my life. I was very young. And my parents were in this band called The Song Catchers that was playing Bumbershoot. It was this 20-piece Native American jazz, rock, and blues infused band back in the 1990s. I had gone everywhere with them because me and my folks, we didn't have a lot [of money]. So, no day care or nannying."
At such a young age, Lavi-Jones found himself on stage that day.
"I distinctly remember from that show, and that feeling and emotion from Bumbershoot, that was when I knew that I wanted to do music for the rest of my life."
Mike also chatted with Seattle rapper Sol about what Bumbershoot has meant to local artists. As we look toward the festival's 50th anniversary, what has Bumbershoot meant to you? Let me know at dyer@kuow.org.
Street parking just got a bit more expensive in Seattle. The city takes a look at parking volumes across neighborhoods and adjusts rates three times a year. After looking into data from January, the Seattle Department of Transportation thinks rates need to be hiked up a bit, as much as $1 in some areas. SDOT says it found "an increase in parking activity."
As I've pointed out before in TSF, Seattle manages street parking by raising or lowering prices along various stretches of road. Raise the rate and fewer people will park in a spot, or stay as long, and this will free up the space for more people to park.
I'm personally not sure that people parking in a city like Seattle truly care about 75 cents here or $1 there. And is it just me, or does it feel like the city is forgetting a group of people in this approach? Like, people with jobs. SDOT recently said its parking pricing strategy "supports businesses and helps drivers find parking without circling the block multiple times." That is great for shoppers, and I want them to get where they're going. What this doesn't account for is commuters who are required to be at work for much longer than a quick shopping trip. I won't lie, and I've said it here before, I personally do a midmorning dance whenever I come into the office — run out to my car and move it across the street to park for a few more hours. I see others out there dancing along with me. It feels like the sort of parking plan that would be designed by Sam in "Benny and Joon." I should point out that this assumption is a bit anecdotal. Who knows how many of us are dancing in the streets around lunchtime?
One of the last remaining pandemic emergency mandates is ending in April — the requirement for masks at health care facilities, like hospitals. Some hospitals are going to keep up the requirement, however.
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One WA police chief's argument for changing state vehicle pursuits law
Since 2021, Washington's police departments have had strict rules around when they can, and cannot, chase after suspects in cars. The police pursuit policy has become a hot topic in Olympia and state lawmakers are debating a change that would loosen these restrictions.
"I think the law and the legislators need to realize that there needs to be flexibility and decision-making capabilities at the local level for law enforcement to serve their communities as best as possible," Fife Police Chief Pete Fisher told KUOW's Angela King. "The state's responsibility is to set a framework through which local jurisdictions can work."
Current law requires that officers have reasonable suspicion to pursue someone they believe may be driving under the influence, or probable cause to pursue someone who might have committed a violent or sexual crime. The thinking behind the current law was that police chases are dangerous, even for bystanders.
Opponents argue that it has led to fewer people stopping for police because they know they can get away. A compromise bill recently passed out of the state Senate that would allow pursuits in more situations.
For Chief Fisher, this issue is complicated. Fife already required these high standards, even before the 2021 law was passed. That's because Fife is a fairly small town with high traffic, a potentially dangerous combination in the event of a high-speed police chase.
Yet Chief Fisher doesn’t think the current limits should be for every police agency. He argues that the rules are too stringent and need to be scaled back. Fisher says the changes lawmakers are currently debating would move the law in a "positive direction," though they are relatively small adjustments.
"The changes are not because police chiefs and sheriffs want to see more pursuits," he says. "We think it will have a little bit of a chilling effect on those people that are choosing to run now, that didn't do so before the legislative changes ... It's a matter of making good decisions to have quality law enforcement that has a level of accountability."
Not everyone agrees.
Some Republicans rejected the bill to amend current law because it would still prohibit pursuits related to stolen vehicles. And there were Democrats who voted "no" because they say law enforcement should use other means besides high-speed chases to stop people who are committing crimes.
Sen. John Lovick, a Democrat, recently defended the proposed changes.
"I know there are fears out there, but I think legislation like this can bring our community together and help our law enforcement professionals do the job that they are hired and that they are trained to do," he argued, speaking about the compromise bill that recently passed out of the state Senate.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the requirements of the state's police pursuit policy. The original article said "probable cause" is required for officers to engage in vehicle pursuits. The current law actually has a lower bar for pursuit when it comes to driving under the influence, when "reasonable suspicion" is required.
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Seattle's street parking prices just went up
Parking in Seattle got more expensive Monday morning. Rates went up in about two-thirds of the city's neighborhoods, and also for certain times of day.
Some meters will now be up to $1 more expensive than last week's rates. Rates fluctuate based on parking demand, and some went down during the pandemic.
The city says raising rates will bring in more money for the city's general fund, and could lead to more spaces open since the rates are higher. Still, it notes that some rates are still lower than before the pandemic, such as around downtown Seattle.
The Seattle Department of Transportation analyzed parking data in January and found that there has been "an increase in parking activity." Seattle manages street parking through pricing, upping the cost to park depending on the place and time in order to encourage drivers to move along. SDOT says this "supports businesses and helps drivers find parking without circling the block multiple times."
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Some Washington hospitals will continue to require masks after state mandate drops in April
Washington state's mask mandate for health care settings will end on April 3, but a group of Western Washington hospitals and medical organizations will continue to require folks to mask up while in their facilities.
"In light of the current situation and local, state, and federal guidance, as an acute care and outpatient clinic health care facilities, our organizations will continue to require masking in patient care areas and strongly recommend or require in public spaces," a statement from 11 Western Washington health care providers said.
The statement adds that each facility is different, and officials at differing locations may define "public" and "patient care" spaces as they see fit. It also notes that Covid transmission remains high in Washington state and that immunocompromised and high-risk patients still need protective measures.
King County and Pierce County public health officials came out in support of the continued masking agreement among the local providers.
The statement was signed by officials from:
- EvergreenHealth
- Kaiser Permanente Washington
- MultiCare Health System
- NW Kidney Centers
- Olympic Medical Center
- Overlake Medical Center and Clinics
- Providence Swedish Puget Sound Region
- Puget Sound Kidney Centers
- Seattle Children's
- UW Medicine
- Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Meanwhile, federal pandemic emergency measures are expected to end in May.
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Despite the cold, Washington's tulips will arrive on 'their schedule, not ours': Today So Far
- Washington's "tulips are always on time, because it's their schedule, not ours."
- Life in, and out of, Washington state's Native boarding schools.
- Now that Washington's Supreme Court says the state's capital gains tax is A-OK, Democrats are giving high fives around Olympia as they plug the tax into their budget plans.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for March 27, 2023.
Pam “Twoyah” James-Sinix was sent to a Native American boarding school as a child. She often ran away with her siblings, sometimes making it all the way home in Eastern Washington, only to be taken back by police officers or school officials. But one summer, that all changed.
The United States had programs between 1819 and the 1970s that forcibly took Indigenous children from their homes and placed them into boarding schools. Many were operated by the Catholic Church, such as the one that James-Sinix was sent to with her siblings. She recalls the beatings, the names, and the abuse by Catholic officials at the school. A cycle of abuse, running away, and being captured happened a few times, until her grandmother came to visit the school. Monthly visits from family were common. On one visit, grandma waited for the nuns to be distracted before rushing her kids into a car and making a run for it.
The kids went to live in a camp in the mountains near Inchelium on the Colville Indian Reservation. This time, when officials came looking for them, they only got as far as grandma on her porch, with her coffee, tobacco, and a 30-30 rifle. Grandma knew a thing or two about how the boarding schools worked — she had to escape them herself.
That's just part of the story that James-Sinix relates to KUOW about her life in, and out of, the United State's boarding school program. Read more here.
Now that Washington's Supreme Court says the state's capital gains tax is A-OK, Democrats are giving high fives around Olympia as they plug the tax into their budget plans. But not everybody is happy about the decision.
The state Senate Republican leader says this is a "warning shot" for future tax increases in the state.
"How will the Democratic majority use this ruling to expand the capital gains tax to additional Washingtonians?" Senate Republican Leader John Braun said. "I think that what this ruling does, is encourage the Democratic majorities that they have a friendly court."
The Association of Washington Business echoed the GOP leader following the court's decision, saying the capital gains tax is "unnecessary."
"Instead of constantly looking for ways to raise more taxes, we encourage lawmakers to consider ways to invest in the economy," AWB President Kris Johnson said in a statement.
The court's opinion comes at an opportune time. State Democrats want to collect the capital gains tax in April and put it toward education funding. Right now, proposals aim to use $3 billion in new spending for education. The capital gains tax is expected to bring in about $500 million. Big picture as state lawmakers craft the budget: State revenue is likely to grow, but at a much slower rate than expected. Read more here.
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Will Gov. Jay Inslee run for reelection?: Today So Far
- Will Gov. Jay Inslee run for reelection?
- Washington's capital gains tax is upheld.
- Seattle has lost more housing units than it has produced in recent years. Landlords argue they know why.
- Seattle Public Schools faces a shortage of $131 million next year. It's making cuts now.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for March 24, 2023.
Washington's next gubernatorial race is months and months away, yet folks are starting to ask questions about who will run. Leading those questions is a big one: Will Gov. Jay Inslee run for reelection?
The short answer is: He's thinking about it.
"We’ll make the decision at the right moment, and it’ll be the right decision,” Inslee said at a press conference Thursday.
Which is not what I expected Inslee to say. I mean, most Inslee quotes start or end with "by golly!" I think I once heard him say "by gob!" Whatever that means. In any case, a lot of folks are waiting for the answer to this question before even thinking further.
It came as somewhat of a surprise when Inslee opted to run for a third term, which is uncommon. Most governors stick to two. If he runs again, it would be for a fourth time in office, probably to the chagrin of Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. Both are names that have been put forth as potential Democrat candidates to replace Inslee. Franz told KUOW that she is considering such a run. Ferguson says he's serious about it too. But again, it all comes down to what the current governor decides. KUOW's David Hyde has the full story here.
Breaking news this morning: Washington's capital gains tax is upheld.
After it was passed in 2021, a lawsuit challenging the state's capital gains tax was filed within days. A lower court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that capital gains are income, and income cannot be taxed in this way in the state of Washington. Today, the state Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision. In short, the state's stance on the matter is that the capital gains tax is an excise tax, which means it falls under different rules. The decision was highly anticipated as lawmakers in Olympia are crafting the state budget. The capital gains tax is slated to fund education in the state, and Democrats have already factored it into their budget plans. Read more here.
Seattle's small landlords say that the city's renter regulations are making it harder to provide housing. Over the past three years, Seattle and Washington state have passed about a dozen such regulations. This is one fact that landlords point to as a reason why Seattle lost more apartment units than it produced between 2018 and 2022. During that time, small landlords (between one and 20 units) were taking their apartments off the market. “Every small landlord that we know in Seattle has an exit strategy to divest and leave the city,” said MariLyn Yim, a co-founder of Seattle Grassroots Landlords.
As KUOW's Joshua McNichols points out, there are other economic factors at play in Seattle that have contributed to the poor apartment market, such as the lack of affordable homes for people to buy. Check out the full story here.
Seattle Public Schools faces a shortage of $131 million next year. It's making cuts now.
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Capital gains tax upheld in Washington, state Supreme Court rules
In a 7-2 decision, the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the state's capital gains tax.
The arguments around Washington's capital gains tax have focused on one key question: Is a capital gains tax a tax on income? The court's assessment is that capital gains (the sale of assets like stocks and bonds) are not income, and the tax in question is an excise tax.
The court ruled that "because the capital gains tax is an excise tax under Washington law," it rejected the arguments against it. The 7% tax applies to profits from the sale of assets like stocks and bonds that are above $250,000. Supporters, including the state of Washington, promote it as an “excise” tax on transactions.
The Supreme Court's conclusion Friday overturns a previous ruling by the Douglas County Superior Court, which invalidated the capital gains tax under the argument that it is an income tax. According to the court's conclusion:
"The capital gains tax is a valid excise tax under Washington law. Because it is not a property tax, it is not subject to the uniformity and levy requirements of article VII, sections 1 and 2 of the Washington Constitution. In light of this holding, we decline to interpret article VII or to reconsider our decision in Culliton. We further hold the tax is consistent with our state constitution’s privileges and immunities clause and the federal dormant commerce clause. We reverse the superior court order invalidating the capital gains tax and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion."
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