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
-
Boo! 7 scary (and perhaps true) stories from the Seattle area
The Seattle area is scary. Not just because of the history of serial killers. Or the chilling rain and thunder. Or the dreary local dating scene. Or the grotesque appearance of all the new, boxy, panel-sided apartment buildings they call "luxury" to lure you inside before trapping you in a 5x5-foot box for $2,500 a month, no utilities included!
No, Seattle is scary because of all the dark corners filled with stories that cannot be explained. Like when Julian Tudor, grappling with an insecure family life in the 1980s, saw his estranged father stopping and idling his car in front of his house ... after he had passed away. Hear and read the story in Tudor's own words here. But he's not the only local to report mysterious occurrences.
From ghosts to mysteries, here are a few tales from the KUOW archives.
What's Your Favorite Color, Sweetheart? 'The Blood'
When asked what her favorite color was, 4-year-old Chloe said, "the blood."
"My favorite color is the blood. I like red like the blood, I like pink turning into blood," she told KUOW.
Hearing a 4-year-old say her favorite color is blood can be a little off-putting. But it makes sense given that her dad, Matt Woerner, started a tradition of watching slasher flicks with his daughter at a very young age. Only in a city like Seattle can you find a father and daughter bonding over a love of screams and scares.
"She's running to the car ... she doesn't have the keys ... she should've stayed in the car," Chloe said while watching "Scream" with her dad.
KUOW caught up with Chloe a few years after this story was originally published, and got some horror movie recommendations from her 13-year-old perspective.
The Fourth Window At My U-District House
Continue reading » -
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.
The tentative deal comes after months of negotiations and staves off a strike at 36 locations across the state, which was scheduled to start this week if a deal was not reached by the end of October.
Specific details of the tentative deal have not yet been made available, but workers have been pushing for better staffing levels, and better wages to help recruit and retain employees.
In a statement, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, the union representing roughly 3,000 Kaiser workers in the state, said the tentative four-year labor contract complements a tentative deal reached earlier this month by the health care giant and a national coalition of unions.
The national deal came after a three-day strike by tens of thousands of Kaiser health care workers in other states, and some in Southwest Washington.
Health care workers in Washington represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW said previously that a strike here would be a last resort.
However, just a few weeks ago, workers voted to authorize a strike starting on Nov. 1 if no new contract agreement was reached. That’s no longer on the table.
“If ratified, the agreements offer SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members and Coalition-represented employees competitive wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable job training opportunities that support their economic well-being, advance our shared mission, and keep Kaiser Permanente a best place to work and receive care,” the union said in a statement.
A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson echoed the statement via email.
Workers will begin voting on the contract this week.
Continue reading » -
Wildlife advocates push back on pickleball in Seattle's Lincoln Park
A city proposal to expand pickleball courts in Seattle’s Lincoln Park has run into opposition from wildlife advocates.
Members of Birds Connect Seattle and other conservation groups say Seattle Parks and Recreation's plan to create six new pickleball courts on disused tennis courts is moving too quickly, without sufficient research or public input.
Kersti Muul, a wildlife biologist and volunteer with Birds Connect Seattle, said the additional noise and lights from the pickleball courts could pose a hazard for birds nesting in nearby tree groves.
“It’s a raptor haven,” Muul said. “We have bald eagles, peregrine falcons, Cooper’s hawks, several species of owls.”
She said the city's plan to light the courts at night would be “catastrophic because Lincoln Park is this huge, dark square in Seattle — it’s totally dark, there’s no light in here.” A 2020 study in the journal Nature found that noise and light pollution affect bird nesting habits and success.
RELATED: No, pickleball is not displacing unhoused people
Muul noted that Lincoln Park was the site of Seattle’s Urban Bird Treaty celebration in 2017, in which then-Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre agreed to support habitat conservation in a signing ceremony with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Seattle Parks said in a statement that no studies or public engagement are required for the pickleball project because it involves converting decommissioned tennis courts, rather than new construction. More recently, the tennis courts have been used to store maintenance equipment and materials.
“We plan to move quickly to develop these courts, with the goal of the courts be open for play in late fall 2023,” the statement reads. A Parks and Recreation spokesperson said the department "may consider adding lighting down the road.”
Last Friday, Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold issued a letter asking Parks and Recreation's current Superintendent AP Diaz to host a meeting to listen to the concerns about the project. Herbold said the public response she's received "has been overwhelming," adding that “meeting with community members who are pleading to be heard is the least we can do.” Herbold also asked Diaz for more details on the process that led to the choice of Lincoln Park for the pickleball expansion.
“The asphalt that was once tennis courts is an ugly eyesore, so to have it used by pickleball, which is in high demand, seems like a reasonable option,” said Greg Tuke, a co-leader for the 24 by '24 Pickleball Campaign, an effort to expand pickleball courts in Seattle, in an email.
RELATED: Why pickleball fans ended the Seattle Open tournament with a funeral
But Tuke also sounded sympathetic to Herbold’s request.
Continue reading » -
Thousands of pro-Palestinian marchers gather in Seattle after communications cut off in Gaza
Following a night in which both power and internet service were largely cut off in the Gaza Strip, at least four thousand people, by a KUOW crowd calculation, marched through downtown Seattle on Saturday in support of Palestinians and to demand that elected officials call for an immediate ceasefire.
“[I’m here] to speak for the people who can’t speak right now,” said Layth, a protester who has extended family in Gaza. They did not want to provide their last name. “There's no communications in Gaza. No power or nothing. We're here to get their voices heard.”
Protests have been held every week since Oct. 7, when a surprise attack by Hamas, the terrorist group that runs the Gaza Strip, killed 1,400 Israelis, including many civilians.
In response, the Israeli military has been bombing the Gaza Strip and has started a ground incursion that has killed at least 8,000 Palestinians, the majority of which are women and children, according to figures recently released by the Gaza Health Ministry.
The widespread destruction and rising death toll in the Gaza Strip has prompted a growing outcry from the international community and from activists and Palestinians in Seattle.
Several protesters referred to the Israeli military’s bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip as a genocide, echoing nearly 800 scholars who signed onto an Oct. 15 letter warning of the potential for genocide.
A red truck guided protesters down Pine Street from Westlake Park to a building that houses federal offices as activists led chants of “Free Palestine.”
A man wearing a keffiyeh – a black and white checkered scarf that represents Palestinian identity and solidarity -- read a statement over a loudspeaker.
“We bear witness to the 7, 000 lives taken from Gaza,” he said. “We bear witness to their names, to their lineages, to their family trees.”
Ahmad, a protester, said he was there for friends and family in Gaza. “They're all getting bombed by Israel,” Ahmad said.
Continue reading » -
New push to ‘hold police accountable’ gains steam in Washington state
A Washington advocacy group continues to push for a statewide office that can charge police officers for misuse of deadly force.
"We're not asking to hurt any officers who are doing it right — we're just asking for the officers who are doing wrong to actually be accountable for their actions," said Fred Thomas, whose son Leonard was killed by police in 2013.
RELATED: Federal judge salutes 'the end of the beginning' of Seattle’s police reform efforts
When an officer kills someone in Washington, local prosecutors decide whether or not to charge the police involved. The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability has previously attempted to change that policy, but state lawmakers failed to pass a bill last session that would create an independent prosecutor's office. That office could file charges, and avoid local conflicts of interest for such cases.
That's a big selling point for Po Leapai, whose cousin was killed by police in 2018.
"When it comes to conflicts of interest without accountability and transparency, we will never bridge the gap that we're seeing between impacted communities and law enforcement," Leapai said.
Washington state already has an independent office to investigate deadly use of force. The bill to create an independent prosecutors office keeps stalling in the Legislature.
In 2020, a police task force for Gov. Jay Inslee recommended the formation of the independent investigator's office, as well as a special prosecutor designated by the governor. The argument was that the prosecutor should not have any conflict of interest (not be a local prosecutor that works with law enforcement). The investigation office was approved in 2021 and is now up and running. The prosecutor part of the recommendation never came to fruition.
The coalition aims to change that next year. With renewed momentum, it hopes some adjustments to the failed bill will improve its chances in 2024. It has placed this effort — HB 1579 — at the top of its 2024 legislative priorities. Expect to see this issue return to Olympia as the next legislative session takes form.
The coalition says it will focus on three points next time around:
- The Office of Independent Prosecutor would have concurrent jurisdiction with a county.
- The independent prosecutor would be housed under the Attorney General's Office.
- And the prosecutor would take over cases that come from the independent investigations office.
-
Snohomish County businesses can't totally nix cash under new law
Just like country music, cash is king in Snohomish County now that the county council has passed an ordinance that will keep the dollars flowing.
“Cash is legal tender in the United States,” said Snohomish County vice-chair Nate Nehring. “Ensuring that residents are able to continue to conduct transactions using cash is important, particularly for those who tend to use cash more often, such as minors, individuals without access to credit, and senior citizens.”
Nehring sponsored the cash ordinance that the Snohomish County Council approved Wednesday. It secures the option to use cash at all businesses in unincorporated areas of the county. In other words, no businesses can go cashless. The cash rule goes into effect in 2025.
RELATED: Child care gets $7.6 million boost in Snohomish County
That's the same time that King County's cash law will come online, too. The King County Council passed a similar rule in June. Snohomish County cited the same reasoning as King for why it passed the law — not everybody has a bank account (known as unbanked or under-banked), or has limited access to electronic forms of payment. The county notes that an estimated 3% of Washingtonians are unbanked, and about 17% are underbanked.
"As we continue to advance technologically as a society, we need to take care not to leave behind those who are on the margins and may not have access to certain resources like banking and electronic services,” council chair Jared Mead said.
Cashless forms of payment have become increasingly common, from using a debit or credit card, to paying with an app on a smartphone. If a business only accepts these forms of payment, it can prevent those who rely on cash from buying food or other needs.
Under Snohomish County's new cash rule, businesses cannot charge a customer different prices for using cash. A cash exchange terminal must be available if they choose to go totally cashless. Businesses can apply for an exception if they have repeatedly been robbed, if they only have one employee on a shift, if they are located within a residence, or if the business' bank is more than 15 miles away.
Two warnings will be given to a business before they receive a citation for breaking the cash rule.
RELATED: What are the impacts of going 'cash-free' in King County?
Continue reading » -
All quiet on the Northwestern giant hornet front (so far)
No northern giant hornets have turned up in Washington state so far this year, according to Washington agriculture officials.
Nearly 1,000 orange-juice-filled traps have been deployed since July, mostly in Whatcom County, near the Canada border, in hopes of detecting northern giant hornets before any of the unwelcome invaders can reproduce or spread to new territory.
“Our trapping teams haven't found any hornets this year yet, but the season is not over,” Washington state Department of Agriculture spokesperson Amber Betts said in an email.
Efforts to trap the the invasive hornet — the world’s largest — are planned to continue until the end of November.
U.S. and Canadian officials have been on high alert for the stinging invader since one was first spotted on Canada’s Vancouver Island in 2019.
The notorious hornets, sometimes called "murder hornets," are viewed as a major threat to the honeybees that pollinate major food crops. Giant hornets can wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours. They use their mandibles to decapitate bees and feed honeybee thoraxes to their young.
Concerned citizens in almost every county in Washington have reported seeing what they thought were northern giant hornets in 2023. State entomologists say every report that included a photo turned out to be a wasp, sawfly, or some smaller species of hornet. Reports without photos could not be confirmed or refuted.
There have been no confirmed sightings of northern giant hornets in North America since the summer of 2021, when insect specialists found and destroyed three nests near Blaine, Washington, on the Canadian border.
In 2022 and so far in 2023, hornet traps in Washington and British Columbia have come up empty.
Research continues on both sides of the Pacific Ocean on how to attract and locate the apex predators known to scientists as Vespa mandarinia.
Hornet traps are typically filled with orange juice and rice wine, though the fruity smell can attract many different insects, even beneficial ones.
Continue reading » -
It's in the bag! Washington's best baggers perform great grocery feats
On your mark. Get set. Bag!
This week, Washington state’s five top grocery baggers faced off in Shoreline for a chance to represent the Evergreen State on the national stage. The check stands here were filled with cereal boxes, canned food, bags of chips, and a range of other common goods. Shopping lists can vary, but nothing could throw these baggers off their game.
“I practiced a lot, but for this one, I’m just going to go for it!" said Emma Beeler, representing Spokane's Super 1 Foods.
All that practice paid off for the fastest bagger east of the Cascades. Beeler said, unlike the rehearsals where items were laid out within reach, she had to jump to grab some of the groceries. She packed them with an efficiency that would make a Tetris champion proud.
After three intense grocery bagging rounds, the Lilac City checker took the 2023 title.
“I was like, 'Don’t think about it too much, don’t think about it too much!'" Beeler said after taking the top prize. "But I really, really wanted to win!”
Beeler will now represent Washington state as she advances to the national championship in Las Vegas slated for March 2024. The grand prize is $10,000.
Washington's Best Bagger Contest
Destiny French with Ocean Shores IGA also did her best bagging at the Shoreline competition. For her, bagging is not just about convenience. It's about community. She argues that, despite the rise of self-checkout stations, checkers and cashiers will never fully go away.
“I have quite a few people that will skip a line just to come to my line so we can have our daily conversation," French said.
Plus, having your groceries ready and bagged is a considerable perk not found at self-checkout stands. But to stay competitive, baggers have to fight the machine. That fight produces the considerable grocery athletes found at the Best Bagger Contest.
Continue reading » -
The Postman will stay open in Seattle's Central District after all
Less than a week after it announced it would be closing, The Postman has reversed course and now plans to stay open in Seattle's Central District.
"In times of challenge and adversity, it is inspiring to see a community come together, support one another, and rise above the difficulties we face. We stand united and affirm that we choose to stay. Gentrification should not define our reality, as it is when we succumb to the excuses to leave that it takes hold. Instead, we can create a stronger, more resilient community by staying and building together," owner KeAnna Rose Pickett wrote in a statement on Facebook announcing the postal store will remain open.
The Postman planned to close its doors earlier this week, following a shooting incident that sent a bullet through its storefront. The shooting came nearly a year after co-founder D'Vonne Pickett Jr. was shot and killed outside the store. Pickett was a respected local business owner and member of the community.
RELATED: Seattle renames block to honor D'Vonne Pickett Jr.
Continue reading » -
Is Portland infiltrating Seattle? Which city wins? Reporter's notebook
Portland vs. Seattle. Having lived in both cities, this is a debate I've heard quite often. It once again popped up after I wrote about Portland-based Voodoo Doughnut opening a Seattle location.
Aside from Voodoo showing up, Portland’s Salt & Straw is expanding its footprint in the Seattle area, and Stumptown just booted Starbucks off of Alaska Airlines. And I hear some folks are even getting their news from a Portland State graduate who has infiltrated Seattle public radio...
“Is Seattle being ‘infiltrated’ by Portland brands?” one voice murmured around the KUOW office. Is Portland better? Is Portland winning?
RELATED: There are as many pho restaurants as Starbucks coffee shops in Seattle. Here's why
It’s something to think about when you’re getting your haircut at Bishops in Fremont (and surrounding suburbs), tying up your Nike shoes, throwing on a jacket from Columbia Sportswear, or quoting Old Spice commercials that came from Wieden + Kennedy (I’m on a horse!). Or even while you’re watching reruns of “The Librarians,” “Grimm,” “Leverage,” and the cancelled-way-to-soon “Stumptown” (because they actually film things in Portland).
Such thoughts added up to Online Managing Editor Isolde Raftery messaging (aka spamming) me on Slack, over and over again, while editing this very article.
"Portland is a lot cheaper, but there are a lot more annoying tech bros in Seattle. Seattle has breathtaking views of the mountains and water, and Portland does not."
"Homelessness is huge in both cities. Portland feels younger and gayer and more free than Seattle."
"I think Portland has been ranked the whitest city before, and Seattle the second whitest city, which is pretty funny, given the cities’ sense of liberal self. Both cities have a history of redlining."
Portland and Seattle, there is no more need for debate. After years meditating in long brunch lines, taking the gorgeous train ride between both cities, traversing the Kennedy School and Capitol Hill to get my McMenamins passport stamped (Oh, McMenamins, that’s another one!) — I have the answer to this perennial Northwest arm-wrestling match.
Continue reading » -
Record fires or wildfire deficit, which is it for Washington state?
The 2023 fire season will go down as having the second-most ignitions in Washington state's recorded history.
"Statewide, we saw the second-most ignitions in Washington’s history this year, including the tragedies that were the Gray and Oregon fires,” Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said in a statement. “But we kept 95% of DNR protection fires under 10 acres and remained well below the 10-year average for acres burned — a testament to the investments we have made in resources like additional aircraft, more firefighters, better training, and the great work done by firefighters and interagency partners."
About 165,000 acres were burned by more than 1,880 fires in Washington over the last wildfire season, including the two major blazes in Spokane County that killed two people. They were started by a combination of human and natural causes. More than half of these fires occurred in Western Washington.
While this is the second-most ignitions in state history, the Department of Natural Resources notes that it's below the annual average over the past decade, which is 470,000 acres.
Big picture: the Pacific Northwest is in a fire deficit. That's the conclusion of a new study from the University of Washington and DNR, that was published in Science Direct. The deficit appears to be caused by fire suppression policies and practices over the past 100 years.
According to a statement from UW's School of Environmental and Forest Sciences:
Prior to the 20th century, the drier, inland forests of eastern Washington and Oregon experienced active fire regimes, both from lightning ignitions as well as Indigenous cultural burning practices. The frequent fire activity played an important role in the ecosystem, removing grasses, shrubs, small trees, and dead leaves that act as fuel for fires, and maintaining forest health by promoting fire-resilient species across the landscape. Fire suppression practices, which became common in the 1900s, dramatically lowered the amount of fire activity at all severity levels. Combined with other land-use impacts, the resulting denser, simpler makeup of modern forests is less resilient to climate change and ecological disturbances.
Continue reading » -
Karaoke hotspot Bush Garden will return to Seattle
The former Seattle karaoke bar and restaurant Bush Garden is going to reopen.
The iconic gathering space and bar in the Chinatown-International District closed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Now, the karaoke hotspot is expected to return in spring 2024 at 714 South King Street.
"I can't believe it's been nearly three years since Bush closed," owner Karen Sakata said in an Instagram message earlier this month. "It's amazing how much my life changed when that happened. So I'm really missing seeing everybody and looking forward to seeing everybody in the new space when we open."
Bush Garden is asking for memories and stories on its website as it builds excitement for next spring.
Continue reading »