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.
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Economic downturn anxieties lead Washington lawmakers to ask: To tax or not to tax?
A debate is brewing in Olympia over how to prepare for a potential economic downturn.
Republican lawmakers want to pass more tax breaks for businesses and cancel the state’s payroll tax. But Gov. Inslee says Washington can afford new programs to pay for homeless services and mental health facilities.
"Looking forward we still have a very robust economy, it's the envy of the United States, we still have gangbuster industries doing very, very well and I believe there is a reason that that will continue," Inslee said while speaking with TVW's Austin Jenkins.
Inslee's budget is a 12% increase over current spending, despite anxieties over inflation and economic downturns. But the governor says the state also has $2 billion in reserves as a cushion. He further argues that the state plans to give a tax break to some residents (the Working Family Tax credit), but no general tax cuts. Also, the state still has considerable issues to address, which "demand investments."
"We are giving a tax break to 400,000 people who are the most in-need of these tax breaks," he said. "With all due respect to our billionaires, they do not need a tax cut right now in the state of Washington. And when you give a general tax cut, you give tax breaks to billionaires in the state of Washington."
"We have a homelessness crisis and we have to respond, in our state, to this homelessness crisis ... we are not satisfying with having endemic squalor in our communities."
The legislative session begins Jan. 9.
Gov. Inslee commented on the upcoming session while speaking with Austin Jenkins on TVW's "Inside Olympia."
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Washington lawmakers to target robocalls, spam in 2023 legislative session
An effort is brewing in Olympia to tighten protections against robocalls, and further impose punishment for violations.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is teaming up with state Rep. Mari Leavitt of University Place to tackle nuisance robocalls, many of which can be scams. The pair are putting HB 1051 up for consideration in the 2023 legislative session.
Washington already has a law regarding robocalls, but Ferguson says it is weak and outdated. Ferguson’s office says Washingtonians received 616 million robocalls last year; nearly half of them were scams. And those scams, the attorney general says, ended up bilking some 835,000 people in the state.
“Our seniors, youth and most financially fragile neighbors are experiencing more and more scams in the form of robocalls and other electronic messages to cell phones,” Rep. Leavitt said in a statement. “These schemes aim to trick many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones. Our uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents are often anticipating calls to schedule needed care like medical appointments. But this also presents a prime opportunity for bad actors to prey on our senior citizens. Last year alone, these scam calls cost Americans billions. Addressing the gap in protections to root out these scams is the least we can do to protect our fellow Washingtonians.”
The proposal Ferguson is taking to the state Legislature next month would make it illegal to robocall someone who is listed on the Do Not Call Registry. He also aims to outlaw deliberately falsifying caller ID information to fool the recipient, as well as opening the possibility of civil action against voice service providers that knowingly facilitate illegal robocalls.
Ferguson says he wants the Legislature to give him the tools necessary to reduce what he calls the “daily bombardment” of spam calls, and for his office to pursue those who break the law.
Ferguson also says his focus is on illegal and spam robocalls, not routine calls to subscribers or business customers who consent to receiving automated messages.
Find Brandon Hollingsworth's full story at Spokane Public Radio.
KUOW's Dyer Oxley contributed to this report.
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Luxury home sales down nationally, and in Seattle
The surge in luxury home sales has washed out nationwide, including in Seattle.
Online real estate brokerage Redfin says September to November saw the biggest decline on record of luxury home sales.
Sales are down 38% compared to the same time last year. Sales of nonluxury homes are down 31%. In Seattle, the sales drop was more significant in both categories — 46% and 41% respectively.
Redfin says there are a few reasons why luxury purchases are down. Luxury items are among the first things to get cut during times of economic stress. Inflation, higher interest rates, stock market woes, and fears of a recession are all playing into purchase decisions.
Redfin further notes that luxury properties are often investment properties and home values are expected to fall in 2023.
“There has been a small shift in the market that's not fully showing up in the data yet," said Seattle Redfin agent Shoshana Godwin. "With mortgage rates falling, a lot of house-hunters see this as their moment to come back and compete. Many of my buyers are taking out jumbo loans—mortgages typically used for purchases of high-end homes. While some data shows jumbo mortgage rates above 6%, some of my buyers are getting rates in the low 5% range.”
Luxury homes cost a median of $1.1 million, nationally, as of Redfin's latest reports.
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Despite rise in emissions, Gov. Inslee says Washington can still meet carbon pollution goals
Washington state is not meeting its own greenhouse gas reduction goals.
But in an interview, Gov. Jay Inslee said he thinks the state can still meet its reduction goals by 2050. Still, in recent years, emissions have increased in Washington.
"I think it is very likely Washington state will meet those targets," Inslee told Austin Jenkins on TVW.
"We're on track so far, but we need to do some additional things," he said.
RELATED: Costs, and potential benefits, of reducing emissions in Washington's agricultural industry
The state's goal is to reduce emissions by 95% by 2050, over levels recorded in 1990. The state's emissions are currently 9% higher than they were in 1990.
Susan Woodward, spokesperson for the state's Ecology Department, says there are a few factors to blame for the rise in emissions.
"Since 2012, emissions have been slowly increasing and transportation, building sector emissions are the biggest contributors to those small increases that have been happening," Woodward said.
Inslee says if the state's low-carbon fuel standards, and the move to 100% clean energy, are carried out, then emissions will start to come down.
"But there's more things we need to do," Inslee said. "In my budget, I want to help people to swap out to a heat pump, off of natural gas; we wanna help you get access to a charging station when you use an electric car, so we're making massive investments in getting charging infrastructure."
Inslee said technological advancements will also help the state meet its carbon pollution goals, adding that "we have almost always undervalued the rate of innovation which we humans, and Washingtonians are capable of." He further argues that the pace would not have been so slow if he had a Democratic Legislature over the past decade.
"We have just now passed these bills, two years ago, they are just now coming into implementation," Inslee said. "So we are not on track on the carbon reduction, but we are on track for what we need to get there ... I think it is very likely Washington state will meet those targets."
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Reflections on 2022: Today So Far
You likely don't need to be reminded about all the big stories of 2022, so here are a few stories you may have missed, prominent issues, and through lines over the past year.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 28, 2022.
It's that time of year, when all your favorite news sites roll out "best of" lists and "look back" articles. And you can bet that I have my own line up just for you. What can I say, I love making lists.
After watching KUOW's newsroom, daily, Today So Far is in a unique position to reflect on the news of 2022. You likely don't need to be reminded of the big stories — Roe v Wade overturned, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, January 6 hearings, elections, and yes, Chris Rock got slapped. Rather, I've noticed a few through lines over 2022, spanning local communities and the issues we face. Below are a few of those stories that you may have missed, or at least should be highlighted as we move forward into 2023.
The Leavenworth-Whidbey Island connection
This is really a connection that spans Washington, and it's really about affordability, housing, and solutions. KUOW's reporters spent a lot of time over in Leavenworth and on Whidbey Island. Some folks around Seattle might wonder why. And to those folks, I'd say, "You should get out more. There's a whole Northwest out there, and Seattle is part of it."
Yes, there was also news about a plane crash off of Whidbey Island. And it's probably worth noting that the island helped give us "Top Gun: Maverick." But it's also a community attempting to address its corner of the housing crisis. Folks on Whidbey Island have come to an important understanding: If workers can't live there, then their lives can really suck. Those are my words, of course. What good is a night out on the town when there is no one around to dish up food, mix drinks, and so forth? So the town of Langley tweaked its zoning codes to allow for more housing. Then it went further. As folks know, you can build housing, but new problem arises when folks can't afford that housing. Langley's new housing is built with workers in mind. It all centers on a "community land trust."
Langley is not alone in this predicament. Leavenworth residents have also noted a phenomenon familiar to cities like Seattle: Big money moves in, and locals can't afford to live locally anymore. Like Whidbey Island towns, Leavenworth relies on tourism. So it's a big problem when you don't have locals to mind the shops, cafes, and other local businesses. As the "west side's" success grows, affordability is an issue that has spread to Leavenworth, showing that this issue is not isolated to the Seattle area. It's almost like it ripples out through the region.
Leavenworth also proved to be a valuable insight into political perceptions leading up to 2022's election. It falls within the boundaries of the 8th Congressional District, which was expected to be a toss up. KUOW's David Hyde visited the mountain town and found that political leanings were not so cut and dry.
Also, Leavenworth has alphorn flash mobs. That doesn't have much to do with anything, but it's pretty cool.
Easing out of the pandemic
This wasn't the same pandemic as in 2020 or 2021. In 2022, we all eased out of pandemic era precautions. Some masks came off, and others stayed on. The takeaway in 2022 is that some people are living in a different pandemic era than others, all in the same space. And despite Washington's Covid emergency orders expiring, some pandemic rules have stuck around. Here's a few stories on that.
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A hard wind is gonna blow: Today So Far
- Heavy weather is likely to knock out power throughout Western Washington. Be prepared.
- More electric substations have been vandalized, burglarized, or attacked. Whatever to call it, unknown people are knocking out service.
- 80 cars per day were stolen in Pierce County last month.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 27, 2022.
You all know I'm big on preparing for the worst, so get out those candles, make sure your flashlights are working, and just in case, make sure you have plans to stay warm. The wind is blowing.
Let's add this up. High winds + recent ice storm + heavy rain = power outages. It basically comes down to all those factors sending trees into power lines (and onto cars, homes, etc.).
The National Weather Service has issued a high-wind warning for our region. We're expecting 40 mph winds, and gust up to 55 mph, from 1 p.m. today through about 1 a.m. tomorrow. That might not sound like a lot, but it's enough to do some damage, and at the very least, knock your lights out.
"Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines," the NWS warns. "Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles ... People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive."
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Reporter's notebook: centering underrepresented communities in the stories we tell
Check out KUOW's four-part series, The Ripple Effect, in which KUOW's Joshua McNichols teams up with freelance journalist Bunthay Cheam to understand how growth in the Seattle area continues to displace people and potential solutions.
S
ome years ago, I participated in the International Examiner's Advocacy Journalism Fellowship Program. One goal of the fellowship was to learn how to be advocates of the communities that we were to report from, communities that are often underrepresented.
My focus was on the Khmer community, the community that I come from. And because of this — because I felt being from the community meant knowing the community already — I walked into a lot of spaces with preconceived story ideas and judgments.
I learned very quickly to let go of those things. I learned the importance of sitting still and not saying anything; to show up more than once to community spaces — to listen and to really center the people who have blessed us with their stories. When I did that, I received a much more meaningful connection and in turn, a more genuine story.
When KUOW reporter Joshua McNichols and I first connected at Resistencia Coffee in South Park, I felt like we spent a lot of time feeling each other out and also sharing what it means for each of us to fully value someone's story. Out of that discussion, we embarked on creating a space that would be culturally centering, familiar, and safe for South Park's Southeast Asian neighbors to feel safe and vulnerable.
RELATED: How displacement feels in this South Seattle community
With the help of Kamna Shastri from KUOW's Community Engagement team, we were able to convene a community dinner and welcome community members, from elders to youth and from South Park residents, past to present. Cultivate South Park blessed us with their Idea Lab as a venue and we got to share stories over some wholesome Southeast Asian food, courtesy of Daneca Tran's Global Chill.
I hope that this community dinner can be a model of how large, white-led media institutions can continue reimagining what it means to engage and center the different communities they report on.
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Mapping the spaghetti highways of the West
Lately, Matthew Kauffman has been thinking a lot about spaghetti — specifically, wildlife spaghetti lines.
Kauffman, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, has been working along with many tribal and state officials over the last several years to create new maps that chart wildlife. They want to see where the deer, elk, and pronghorn highways are that run throughout America’s Western states.
Such wandering lines on a map represent individual animal trails, and appear a lot like spaghetti.
Kauffman says it’s where those trails come together, that is really interesting.
“We think of it as sort of like a road system," Kauffman said. "We are trying to future out what the 'interstates' that the migratory ungulates are using. That most of the animals are using.”
Kauffman says it’s those wildlife interstates — or high-use corridors — that are the most important for the population to keep open and functional.
Read the full story on Northwest News Network.
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These candidates flipped 2 PNW Congressional districts
The Pacific Northwest is home to two Congressional districts that flipped parties in the midterms — one from red to blue, and another from blue to red. These incoming lawmakers begin their terms on Tuesday, Jan. 3. in D.C.
Both representatives — Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer — say they want to tackle issues for workers, especially those in timber and farming sectors.
RELATED: Joe Kent concedes, but is 'not done yet'
Gluesenkamp Perez flipped southwest Washington's 3rd Congressional District from red to blue. Chavez-DeRemer flipped Oregon's 5th District from blue to red. The 5th District covers a range of communities from south Portland to Salem, and the coast to Mount Hood.
Both women own small businesses. Gluesenkamp Perez says her goal is ultimately to help the working class.
"Even if you're not a small business owner, you can read the room," Gluesenkamp Perez said. "You can see that a lot of family businesses are getting bought out and consolidated and that it's hard on America. It's not good for our economy. It's not good for our workforce."
The two say they're hoping to land on committees that will let them help with local issues.
RELATED: Rep. Herrera Beutler's advice as she exits Congress
Political watchers say getting those local wins could be key if the women seek a second term in 2024.
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What's a 'housing benefit district' and why do people want them around light rail stations?
As new light rail stations are built in communities outside Seattle, advocates see a way to fund and build a lot more affordable housing.
In her law career, Faith Pettis has helped put together financing for tens of thousands of affordable housing units across Washington state. But she says current funding sources are inadequate to meet the demand that’s coming to the region.
RELATED: How displacement feels in this South Seattle community
The Puget Sound area alone needs to add 800,000 new homes by 2050 to accommodate growth.
The idea Pettis and other housing advocates are rallying behind would allow cities to create something called “housing benefit districts.”
“We need to do something big and to do something different, and this is that idea," Pettis said.
Housing benefit districts would let cities build entirely new communities around light rail stations, with plenty of affordable housing. State Rep. Cindy Ryu (D -Shoreline) plans to support the idea in the legislature this spring. Other lawmakers say they need to learn more before they take a side.
RELATED: How to create community out of a bunch of buildings
Still, some experts say such benefit districts are needed if Washington wants to meet its goal of building one million new homes by the year 2044.
Shoreline Mayor Keith Scully is another proponent of the idea.
"It essentially uses tax money," Scully said. "It says we’re going to subsidize housing for the lower income folks, from the upper income folks. It’s that simple ... it's more complicated than that in the structure, but that’s the basis of it.”
Opening up the possibility of housing benefit districts is just one idea that advocates are pushing for. Lawmakers have a few thoughts, too. Check out KUOW's series The Ripple Effect, which opens up the issue of Washington's housing woes, and potential solutions to them.
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50 wonderful things from 2022
I've been making annual lists of 50 Wonderful Pop Culture Things since 2010. They include big and small things, inspirational and silly things, things that were very popular and things that it seemed like nobody cared about except me. Sometimes, a theme emerges, and this year — particularly when it comes to TV and film — it's that a lot of what I loved came as part of projects I was, on the whole, ambivalent about. Elements sometimes work inside larger projects that only partly work, and that's part of the lovely thing about art.
The usual caveats apply: These are not objectively the best things; they are just wonderful things. There were far more than 50 wonderful things to admire this year, and there is far (far) more that I never saw or read or heard at all. But it never hurts to look back on the year and realize that in fact, delight was upon you over and over.
1. Apple's series The Afterparty, a murder mystery that presented each character's version of the evening as a separate episode made in a different style, had a big and stellar cast including Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz. But the musical episode told from the POV of Ben Schwartz's Yasper was both a believable spin on that guy's view of the world and a terrific one-off extravaganza of song and dance.
2. John Darnielle's novel Devil House was one of the most fascinating books I read this year, in part because Darnielle — an expansive and creative thinker — shifts its format and its tone as he unspools the story of the aftermath of a brutal crime. In fact, you can find similarities between Devil House and The Afterparty, if you look for them, in that part of the charm and challenge comes from existing in multiple genres at the same time.
3. How to be Perfect, Mike Schur's book about ethics that grew out of his work as the creator of The Good Place, is informative and funny, but also an example of pop culture's capacity to be a gateway to things beyond itself.
4. The Gilded Age on HBO certainly didn't have the impact that Julian Fellowes' other series Downton Abbey did, but it was buoyed by the stellar performance of Carrie Coon as a new-money wife whose social and personal brutality is matched only by her inescapable desire to be accepted and liked.
5. I take nothing away from Amanda Seyfried's exceptional performance in The Dropout, where she played Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes with great skill and restraint. But what has stuck with me most — what seemed most unlikely — is the section of dark comedy in the middle that includes Rich Sommer and Alan Ruck as part of the Walgreens contingent that visited the company before making a deal with Holmes and could have, but didn't, figure out that they were being had.
6. This one is for the home team: PCHH contributor Ronald Young, Jr. showed up on the third episode of Peacock's True Story With Ed & Randall, telling the tale of his prom to hosts Ed Helms and Randall Park. We already knew what a charmer he was, but the story is fabulous and surprising to the end.
7. I loved reading Antoine Wilson's Mouth to Mouth, a novel in which you learn the story of a man, and of another man, and of a time they spend together in an airport lounge while one tells the other his story. It's a delicious read down to the last sentence, which potentially turns the whole thing on its head — or at least tilts it on an angle.
8. Stephanie Foo's memoir What My Bones Know is about her experience with complex PTSD, but one of my very favorite elements is its surprisingly funny (at times) description of what it feels like to find the right therapist. (Disclosure: Stephanie and I share an editor at Ballantine Books.)
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Christmas brings new round of attacks on Northwest power grid
The Christmas crimes are the latest in a string of physical attacks on the Northwest power grid.
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Update 12/25, 10:30 p.m.: A fourth substation was attacked and set on fire Sunday night, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
Electrical utilities reported physical attacks on the power grid at three locations outside of Tacoma, Washington, before dawn Christmas morning.
About 15,000 people lost power, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department is calling the incidents “burglaries,” though nothing was stolen from the three substations.
Substations are a key part of the electrical grid that keeps the nation’s lights on. They convert high-voltage electricity to the lower voltages utility customers use.
“It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
Tacoma Public Utilities, which suffered damage at substations in suburban Spanaway and Graham, called the incidents “attacks” and said its facilities were “deliberately targeted.”
Puget Sound Energy, which suffered damage at a substation in Puyallup, called it “vandalism.”
Sgt. Darren Moss Jr of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department took issue with calling the incidents “attacks.”
“There's nothing that we have found yet that says this is a terrorist attack,” Moss said.
“At this point, we believe their goal was to shut down the power. The reasons for that, we don't know yet,” he said.
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