KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Furloughed feds pick up Seattle beach trash to keep serving the public
Furloughed federal employees were out in the rain picking up cigarette butts, bottle caps, and other trash at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park on Friday.
Their sodden volunteerism was part of a national week of service for civil servants prevented from doing their jobs by the federal government shutdown.
Rather than professional skills, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used tongs to keep pollution from entering Puget Sound and harming things like salmon and orcas, which their agency is responsible for protecting.
RELATED: White House says 'substantial' layoffs of federal workers have begun, with few details
Other members of International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers Local 8a, a union that represents NOAA employees, volunteered at the Seattle ReCreative facility in Georgetown to sort used art supplies and keep them out of landfills.
“As federal workers, we signed up to serve the American people and to serve the public, and while we're on furlough and we can't do that as part of our jobs, we want to find other ways to give back to our local communities,” said one employee who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.
She said a lot of scientific research on oceans and the atmosphere has ground to a halt with the shutdown, now in its fourth week.
“A lot of stuff that people wouldn't necessarily see day to day but is really important for the long-term health of our oceans and the health of our commercial and recreational fisheries is not getting done right now,” she said.
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Is Seattle ready for a Portland-like federal response? Police, city leaders take preemptive steps
The Trump administration’s practice of using masked federal agents during immigration detentions has sparked panic over whether people are being abducted, and if so, by whom.
If Seattle Police are called to these encounters, Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey said they will treat them as Priority 1 calls attended by an officer and a supervisor.
“We do our best to identify [if] this is a legitimate federal agency of some kind,” Maxey said. “What we’ve been hearing from other jurisdictions is while the agents don’t always identify themselves to community members that ask, they typically do to local law enforcement.”
Maxey said SPD is developing new guidance for officers responding to these calls, as announced in executive orders signed by Mayor Bruce Harrell on Oct. 8.
Maxey said police can’t obstruct federal enforcement, but under state and city laws they won’t facilitate or help coordinate it either.
“What we’re very focused on are the collateral effects of any actions they take,” Maxey said. “If a demonstration gathers, we don’t abdicate our responsibility to the people of Seattle to facilitate that demonstration and make sure it proceeds lawfully and peacefully. That could be seen as us facilitating ICE, it’s not. We’d be responding to that within our jurisdiction."
RELATED: As tensions rise in Chicago, volunteers patrol neighborhoods to oppose ICE and help migrants escape
Maxey said a supervisor's presence is meant to provide a coordinated response to any issues that arise.
“We just don’t want to be in the world of having an officer having to make these high-level complicated nuanced decisions without access to additional guidance as necessary,” he explained.
Greg Wong, Seattle’s deputy mayor and general counsel, said SPD’s presence can at the very least shed more light on federal operations.
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Can Seattle's next mayor bring down the cost of rent — or pizza?
In the Seattle mayoral race, many voters are focused on the cost of living in an ever-more-expensive city. They’re pressing the candidates on who can build more housing and make the city more affordable.
Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell is seeking a second term. Katie Wilson, the founder of an advocacy group called the Transit Riders Union, came out ahead in the primary and is hoping to unseat him in November.
In one campaign ad, Wilson takes aim at affordability in Seattle, through the lens of a pizza restaurant on Capitol Hill that charges $8 a slice.
“Not faulting the folks who sold it to me,” she tells viewers, “that’s kind of just what pizza costs these days, what food costs in Seattle these days — it’s crazy expensive!”
Wilson’s explanation is that those restaurant prices are related to scarce housing. She said employers have to pay more to retain workers whose own living expenses are too high, and she pledges to build more housing if she's elected.
The high costs of food and housing are weighing heavily on voters as the mayor’s race enters its final weeks. Stacey Jones is a teaching professor of economics at Seattle University who checked out Wilson’s ad.
“I don’t know if it would lower the cost of pizza," Jones said, "But I think a strong case can be made for more housing density."
Jones studies economic inequality — which has been growing in King County since the pandemic. Jones said she might use this pizza ad to help her students understand theories of supply and demand.
“You’d say it’s a supply-side explanation for why pizza costs a lot, right,” she said. “It’s because one of the inputs costs a lot. And that input is labor.”
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School district investigating Bothell principal who posted about Charlie Kirk on social media
A Bothell principal’s social media post about Charlie Kirk’s murder is now under investigation. A spokesperson for the Northshore School District said a third party will investigate.
Eric McDowell has been the principal of North Creek High School in Bothell for about a decade. The post on his personal Instagram, which has since been taken down, said gun control is more effective than thoughts and prayers, and Charlie Kirk would still be alive with sufficient gun control.
“Maybe thoughts and prayers will work..oops – nope,” McDowell wrote in the post.
RELATED: Conservatives falsely accused her of assassinating Charlie Kirk. It started with Dr. Pepper jokes
After backlash on right-wing media sites, McDowell wrote to families and staff on Sunday, saying he would step away “for the time being.”
“My post, sent as a private citizen on my personal Instagram account from my home, was meant to decry the lack of any forward progress on ending gun violence in America,” McDowell's letter read. “It was not meant to demean the murder of Mr. Kirk.”
“I was also not trying to be disrespectful to Christians or anyone of faith (my entire family is Christian),” he added in the letter.
Northshore School District said it launched an investigation in response to formal complaints and "in alignment with our standard processes." It has received about 30 emails and phone calls as well as about 60 anonymous comments about the matter, though some of those could have been from the same people.
Some of the comments have been complaints, but others have been supportive of the principal.
RELATED: Utah files murder charges against Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin
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Can fall 2025 get Washington out of its dry streak?
While many start their calendars in January, weather nerds and climatologists consider October the start of the "water year." That's when they start measuring water conditions — rainfall, snowpack, and basin levels — over 12 months.
As Washington approaches the end of the current water year, one thing is certain: It's dry out there, and it will take a lot of rain to turn things around.
"Particularly this spring and summer have been dry," Washington state Deputy Climatologist Karin Bumbaco told KUOW. "So, average statewide, April through July precipitation ranked as the third driest on record, with only 41% of normal precipitation. That's pretty remarkable."
RELATED: Return of the blobs — SW Washington revisited by decades-old gooey mystery
Don't let the summer weather fool you, with no temperatures above 100 and few heatwaves. Seattle only had four days with above-90 degree temps, which falls short of the hotter summers on record. (There were 13 days above 90 degrees in 2022, 12 in 2015, and 11 in 2018).
Still, Bumbaco notes that ever since October 2024, the start of the current water year, the region has had below-normal rainfall.
- Since October 2024, Seattle is behind 8.5 inches of rain (6 inches since January 2025).
- Other parts of the state are worse. For example, the Olympic Mountains are behind between 15-20 inches of rain.
- There have been three drought emergencies in Washington state in as many years.
East of the Cascade Mountains, the largely agricultural Yakima Basin is at its lowest levels since records started in 1971.
"This is worrying, because it means that even a normal winter, or an above normal winter coming up, won't be enough to make up those deficits that we've seen in the last three years," Bumbaco said.
Can La Niña help?
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Many older forests spared by Washington state order. Others to be logged
An executive order by Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove has put 77,000 acres of older forests off-limits to logging.
“What we're doing today is the largest forest conservation action in Washington in a generation,” Upthegrove said at a press conference at Tiger Mountain State Forest in Issaquah on Tuesday. “This is the kind of forest we want future generations to inherit.”
State officials call the woods to be protected “structurally complex forests,” referring to habitat elements like gaps in the canopy that allow to sunlight to reach the forest floor to support a variety of understory vegetation. Recently planted forests usually lack such elements, while old-growth or ancient forests are rich in them.
Some local activists call these old-but-not-quite-old-growth stands “legacy forests,” and have resorted to protests, including tree sits and road blockades, to stop them from being sawed down.
Upthegrove’s order would also allow logging to go forward on 29,000 acres of those almost-old-growth forests.
Some environmental groups praised the move, while others say it greenlights too much logging of the best remaining older forests.
“It's a big win for people and nature,” Washington Conservation Action CEO Alyssa Macy said, following Upthegrove to the press-conference podium.
Upthegrove called it “the start of a new era of forest management in Washington” and said “every acre of our older forests” would be protected.
“That’s not true,” activist Stephen Kropp with the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition said in a telephone interview. “Contrary to what Upthegrove said during the press conference, this executive order would greenlight clearcut logging of thousands of acres of many of the oldest remaining structurally complex forests in western Washington.”
“It’s a very misleading and confusing and amorphous term, ‘older forest,’” Kropp added.
Activists and state officials both say that the “legacy” or “structurally complex” forests, however they’re defined, are not as old as the Northwest’s iconic “old-growth” or “ancient” forests but are nearly as valuable for wildlife habitat and keeping heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
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5 fire safety tips to consider this Labor Day Weekend
Whether your Labor Day weekend plans include sitting around a campfire or grilling out, state officials are urging Washingtonians to prioritize fire safety.
Fire departments across the state responded to a total of 4,647 incidents over Labor Day last year, resulting in over $2 million in property loss, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office.
And although the most common incidents last year were rescue and emergency medical services, the Fire Marshal's Office says fire-related events amounted to the largest monetary losses.
To prevent these types of incidents and keep everyone safe, the Fire Marshal's Office asks state residents to:
- Follow local burn bans or fire restrictions, whether you're at home or visiting another part of the state.
- Avoid lighting consumer fireworks. They're illegal in Washington at this time of the year.
- Always use grills outdoors and make sure they're placed far enough away from buildings, decks, and overhanging tree branches. Never leave the grill unattended and keep a fire extinguisher, bucket of water, or garden hose within reach. (Also, regularly clean your grill to prevent grease buildup, which can cause dangerous flare-ups.)
- Make sure your vehicle's exhaust system is functioning properly to avoid sparks hitting dry vegetation. Also, never park on dry grass, because hot exhaust systems can start fires, and avoid operating equipment in dry, grassy areas.
- Secure all trailers, boats, and other recreational equipment before traveling, and make sure no objects, such as chains, drag on the road.
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Sara Nelson, Dionne Foster differ on how to tackle substance use in Seattle City Council race
Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson is facing a tough race to keep her at-large seat this November, after finishing the Aug. 5 primary more than 20 points behind her opponent.
Nelson has made addressing substance use disorder a central issue in her campaign. Her challenger Dionne Foster comes from the nonprofit world. And while they are not polar opposites on this issue, Foster has some clear differences with Nelson.
When it comes to Seattle’s strategy for people struggling with addiction, Nelson refers to her own recovery from alcoholism as a touchstone. She said it’s a journey that began abruptly five years ago, during the depths of the pandemic.
“I decided to check myself into treatment one day, it was actually September 24, 2020, when I saw my son doing video on his cell phone and he should have been in class on zoom,” she said. “And so I smashed his phone with a hammer and I realized that that was an overreaction. And I had been drinking, and I decided that it was time to make a change.”
Nelson went to Lakeside-Milam, a residential treatment facility in Kirkland, where she went through detox, then weeks of counseling and education. She found it so effective that she successfully obtained $300,000 in city funds to pilot free residential treatment for people referred by caseworkers in Seattle.
She’s also pushed for sober housing for people in recovery. But as she faces a progressive challenger this election season, Nelson is stressing her support for a broad array of approaches, not just abstinence.
“We’re all wanting the same thing, I believe, which is recovery,” she said. “Recovery doesn’t necessarily have to imply abstinence, it really means helping people get their lives back together.”
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Seattle installs visual barrier at Denny Blaine, breaks park into naked, clothed sections
Seattle Parks and Recreation installed new signs and fencing at Denny Blaine Park Wednesday in response to an order from a King County judge.
The park is now divided into two sections: The one closer to the water, where people are allowed to be naked, and the upper section, closer to the parking lot, where clothing is required.
King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung called for the installation of a four-foot tall visual barrier last week, but Chung refused to close the park for a second time.
RELATED: Seattle's Denny Blaine Park will stay open, but add 'visual barrier'
A group of park neighbors sued the city, hoping to ban nudity at Denny Blaine Park, arguing that the popular nude beach was attracting illicit behavior like public masturbation and drug use. Some nearby homeowners said the lewd acts were devaluing their properties.
Beachgoers at the park Wednesday said they were not the cause of disturbances, and it was in their interest to keep the “positive vibes” and “good spirit” at Denny Blaine alive and well.
In addition to the division of the park and the “visual barrier,” the proposed abatement plan calls for adding park rangers to curb illegal behavior.
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Lummi Nation police officer shot during traffic stop; suspect now in custody
A Lummi Nation police officer was shot multiple times during a traffic stop early Monday morning. The suspect is now in custody after an hourslong search.
Just before 1 a.m. Monday, the 37-year-old Lummi Nation officer was investigating a traffic incident in the 3200 block of North Red River Road, after a car had driven off the road and into the ditch, according to a Facebook post by the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.
When the officer approached the driver, they opened fire and shot the officer "multiple times," before fleeing the scene on foot.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, according to the sheriff's office. The shooter is now in custody, as of 3:15 p.m. Monday.
The officer who was shot was immediately transported to emergency medical care and has since undergone surgery.
"Today, we faced a horrific incident that has deeply affected our community," Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell "Tank" Tanksley said in a statement in the Facebook post. "I want to emphasize our unwavering support for the office and their family during this difficult time. We are working diligently to investigate this incident to help ensure that justice is served."
More information was expected later in the day after the suspect was caught.
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Geeks, parents, and baby names. Should pop culture name your baby?
When my wife Nina told me we were going to be first-time parents, one of the first things I started thinking about was a baby name. Sure, I also thought about parenting styles, how I could rewatch all of “Star Trek” with him, and the potential for starting a band. But baby name ideas was top of the list. It had to be something personal, a bit unique, and hold meaning. I wanted a name from pop culture.
But is that really a good idea?
I'm a nerd so there was no getting around it — geek baby names. I tossed around ideas from sci-fi, literature, and classic movies. In the end, two things were certain: The baby name would have to mean something to both Nina and I, reflecting both our backgrounds and interests. Also, it wasn't going to be Jean-Luc Oxley.
As we found out, sourcing baby names from pop culture isn't so easy. It can be a double-edged sword.
This article on parenting, pop culture, and baby names comes from KUOW's "Meet Me Here" podcast featuring Pam Redmond and Sophie Kihm with the baby name website Nameberry. Listen to the full episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
If you ask Pam Redmond, creator of the website Nameberry which is all about baby names, choosing a pop culture name has a lot of “potential downsides.”
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King County prosecutor pauses youth felony diversion, citing high reoffending rates
Since 2021, the King County Prosecutor’s Office has referred youth accused of misdemeanors and those facing nonviolent felony charges to a coalition of nonprofits. But now prosecutors say recidivism rates for the felony participants appear to be unacceptably high, and they will “pause” felony referrals until they get more data.
King County has spent $16 million over the last four years to fund the work of Restorative Community Pathways in an effort to divert youth away from courts and detention. But as KUOW has reported, King County officials have been criticized for lax oversight of the programs and funding involved, and RCP has struggled with capacity issues .
Critics call the prosecutor’s decision to limit use of the program long overdue.
King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion notified county officials of the change in a July 17 letter, saying an analysis performed by Seattle University Economics Professor Claus Pörtner tracked 902 case referrals (676 misdemeanors and 226 felonies) for a maximum of 24 months. Within that time, youth referred to Restorative Community Pathways for misdemeanors had a reoffending rate of roughly 37%, while youth referred over felonies had a higher recidivism rate of 53%.
Manion said the analysis had serious limitations, such as a small sample size and lack of a control group. But still, she said, recidivism exceeding 50% bolstered her decision.
“There are some folks that may interpret that as a 50-50 shot of success, or maybe a ‘flip of a coin’ type of success,” she said. “That’s not actually how I read the data – but because of that, and because we have discretion, I made the decision to temporarily pause felony referrals” into Restorative Community Pathways, she told KUOW.
Manion said these programs could be providing other benefits that aren't reflected in the analysis.
“Recidivism is one data point, but it’s not the whole story," said Jasmine Vail, the communications and development coordinator at Restorative Community Pathways.
She and Manion both noted that the analysis only tracks participants for two years when three years is accepted best practice.
But at the same time, Vail said, “it’s our responsibility to understand what’s going on and why there’s a felony pause connected to recidivism rates, and adjust accordingly, because we want the best quality of service given to our youth, especially youth that are high risk, high needs.”
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