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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Cantwell, Murray join Democrats calling for Menendez to resign
Washington's Democratic senators are joining the growing number of lawmakers calling for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) to resign.
Menendez has been charged in a federal corruption scheme. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
Now, Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are calling on Menendez to step down.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Cantwell said, "I don’t believe anyone under such a damning indictment can effectively serve, and I urge Senator Menendez to step aside."
And if he won't, Murray said she would encourage the Senate Ethics Committee to open an investigation. As president pro tempore of the Senate, Murray's comments were especially notable. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has so far resisted calls to take a position on the matter, saying only that Menendez "has a right to due process and a fair trial" last week.
Menendez faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion.
His wife and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen have also been charged.
The indictment alleges that Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. In return, Menendez allegedly used his position as a U.S. senator to help the businessmen by providing sensitive U.S. government information to aid the Egyptian government.
About half of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate has rebuked Menendez, urging him to step down.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, is calling for Menendez's resignation, too.
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Why hasn't Washington state joined the federal antitrust case against Amazon?
The Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon of operating a monopoly in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Seattle. Seventeen states joined the complaint, but Washington, where Amazon has its headquarters and employs more than 80,000 people, was conspicuously absent.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he isn't ruling anything out when it comes to the federal government's antitrust crusade against Amazon.
"We are reviewing the FTC’s complaint and will monitor their litigation," Ferguson said in a statement to KUOW.
Ferguson cited several successful lawsuits his office has brought against the homegrown tech giant, including one that shut down the "Sold by Amazon" third-party pricing program.
RELATED: U.S. sues Amazon in a monopoly case that could be existential for the retail giant
At its core, the FTC lawsuit boils down to the fact that Amazon operates a marketplace and sells goods in that marketplace. Regulators are accusing the company of “biasing Amazon’s search results to preference Amazon’s own products over ones that Amazon knows are of better quality.”
The complaint also says Amazon is abusing its power by only allowing sellers to qualify for its Prime program if they purchase fulfillment services from the company. At a tour of an Amazon fulfillment center in Kent, Washington, on Tuesday, General Manager Julius Yu likened the "Fulfilled by Amazon" program to charging rent to sellers who house products in the company's facilities.
The FTC says sellers are forced to pay Amazon close to 50% of their revenue for these types of services.
In a lengthy statement, Amazon executive David Zapolsky said the FTC lawsuit shows a lack of understanding of retail and antitrust law.
He said the lawsuit would, "if successful, force Amazon to engage in practices that actually harm consumers and the many businesses that sell in our store—such as having to feature higher prices, offer slower or less reliable Prime shipping, and make Prime more expensive and less convenient."
The long-expected lawsuit is FTC Chair Lina Khan's latest attempt to broaden enforcement of antitrust law to apply to the behavior of Big Tech. Khan skyrocketed to prominence in law school when she published "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," a paper claiming antitrust law should be reexamined to deal with the online economy.
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Bellevue residents asked to voluntarily limit water use
Bellevue has become the latest Western Washington city to ask its residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water use following the region's unusually dry summer — despite the recent rainfall..
"We have a Water Shortage Management Plan for instances just like this, where the region experiences prolonged dry weather conditions,” Bellevue City Manager Brad Miyake said in a statement. “That’s why we are activating the voluntary stage of the plan and asking residents and businesses to reduce water use until our region receives more rainfall.”
People in Seattle and Kirkland have also been asked to use less water.
The Seattle area is still more than 6 inches shy of the amount of rain it should have by this time of the year.
RELATED: Start saving water, Seattle, utility says. We’re in drought conditions
The city of Bellevue is recommending that its residents take short showers, don't wash their cars, and fix any leaks, such as leaky toilets. The city says it is also cutting down on the water it uses in municipal operations.
According to the city:
The voluntary phase of Bellevue’s Water Shortage Management Plan comes at the direction of Cascade Water Alliance — Bellevue’s water supplier — and supports water conservation efforts enacted recently by Seattle Public Utilities, which sells water supply to Cascade. Water use reductions are necessary to stretch the region’s water supply until significant and sustained rainfall replenishes the mountain reservoirs.
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Many Seattle area schools have stopped publicly tracking Covid cases, despite imminent fall surge
School districts across King County have changed how they’re reporting Covid cases this year, following updated guidance from the state.
Previously, many districts published online dashboards tracking the number of current Covid cases among students and staff. At the time, districts were required to publicly report any Covid cases, whether a student self-reported testing positive or they took a test at school.
Now, districts are only required to report cases from in-school testing to the state, and some have stopped updating public dashboards.
The Seattle, Lake Washington, and Northshore school districts retired their public Covid data dashboards at the end of last school year. Meanwhile, the districts in Federal Way, Bellevue, and Issaquah have continued to update their dashboards.
The changes come as Covid hospitalization rates have been on the rise across the nation and Washington. Earlier this month, state officials warned that Covid, RSV, and flu combined are expected to cause a surge in infections this fall and winter — though it won’t get as bad as it was in 2021.
Since the school year began, Issaquah has recorded 259 cases in its schools, Bellevue reports 162 cases, and Federal Way has had 122.
Northshore spokesperson Carrie Campbell said in a statement that the district has stopped updating its dashboard so that staff can focus on preventing the spread of Covid. One example: The district is hosting flu and Covid vaccine clinics for students, families, and staff this week.
In Lake Washington, district officials say they decided to discontinue the dashboard because of waning public interest and a reduction in the number of cases to report. Between September 2022 and May 2023, page views of the dashboard decreased by more than 75%, said spokesperson Shannon Parthemer.
Seattle has not yet responded to a question about why the district stopped updating its dashboard.
Seattle’s dashboard logged the total number of cases every week, broken down by students, staff, and district region. When it was last updated on June 30, the week’s total Covid cases stood at 25 — a tiny fraction of the district’s roughly 50,000 students and 7,500 employees.
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Megan Rapinoe, an icon bigger than soccer, takes a bow for the U.S. national team
In her last game for the national team on Sunday, Megan Rapinoe took a final bow for her career as an international soccer player, basking in the applause and the hugs of her teammates.
While it's the finish to her remarkable national career, it doesn't quite feel like an ending, because so much of who Rapinoe is and what she stands for extends beyond the pitch.
Sometimes it seemed unbelievable that someone with such moral courage and aplomb could also score the most goals at the 2019 Women's World Cup, a winger with a foot like a laser. How could all of this talent and nerve be in one person?
The last match
In Sunday's friendly match in Chicago, the U.S. beat South Africa 2-0. Rapinoe didn't notch a goal or an assist, but came very close.
There was her curving corner kick early in the second half, punched away by the South Africa goalkeeper, then headed in by USWNT's Emily Sonnett.
And there was the moment, so perfectly teed up for the finale: Rapinoe's free kick in the 52nd minute, the chance to go out with a goal in one of her countless surgically executed set pieces. She blasted it toward the goal and the keeper leapt to stop it – but the ball narrowly sailed over the crossbar.
So there was not a perfect goal to end her national career, just as there was not a perfect performance at the Women's World Cup last month, where the U.S. was knocked out earlier than ever before.
But that didn't dampen the fans' admiration when Rapinoe was subbed out for the last time, in the game's 53rd minute, giving the 25,000 spectators at Soldier Field a chance to pay their respects.
Rapinoe transferred the captain's arm band to Lindsay Horan, received the embraces of her teammates, and hugged her replacement, Midge Purce.
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‘Toxic culture.’ Seattle council members call on police chief to take action after latest embarrassment to department
The Seattle Police Department is in the spotlight again as city council members call on Chief Adrian Diaz to take action after an officer was reportedly caught on a recording using abusive and racist language against an Asian-American neighbor.
The recording, reported on by The Stranger, comes 11 days after a video of another officer was released, showing him laughing about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a graduate student from India who was killed by a police cruiser.
"How can SPD expect the public to trust them while it remains silent as these incidents happen?” Councilmember Tammy Morales wrote in a news release. “What does SPD leadership plan to do to regain control of the department, address its toxic culture, and rebuild this complete breaking of trust?"
Said Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda on X (formerly Twitter), “This is the result of a culture which supports abuse of power with impunity.”
These are the latest reports in a string of embarrassments to the police department this summer. Earlier this month, KUOW published several investigations about a rumor that Diaz allegedly hired a romantic partner to be his chief of staff. The Seattle Times reported that a break room in the East Precinct featured a large Trump flag and a fake tombstone of a young man shot and killed by police.
The latest call for action comes from Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.
“This act of anti-Asian hate from a Seattle officer is disgusting and undermines the Seattle Police Department’s ability to provide basic public safety," Herbold said in a statement Saturday. "How can our APIDA communities feel safe calling the police?"
Herbold said she agrees with calls made by the Seattle Community Police Commission and other council members for Diaz to target racism within the department.
Said Morales, "No other city employee would be excused from this behavior, where they can laugh and joke about killing somebody, spit racist slurs, and continue taking home a six-figure paycheck."
RELATED: Fake tombstone and Trump flag renew questions about Seattle police culture
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Washington watching for invasive species as it gets closer in Idaho
In Idaho, a pesky invasive species has been found near the Snake River, north of Twin Falls. It has spurred increased efforts to keep quagga mussels from spreading into Washington.
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife officials announced they're ramping up monitoring and prevention efforts, after quagga mussel larvae were found in several samples from a park near Twin Falls. The agency says if this invasive mussels take hold in Washington, it would cost the state more than $100 million per year. So far, the department says no quagga mussels have been found in Washington waters.
Fish and Wildlife has ordered all the boat ramps in the area closed, and has begun trying to assess how widely the species has spread. Once inspectors are able to determine that, they hope to devise a strategy to control it.
The quagga and its cousin, the zebra mussel, have been on Idaho’s radar for years. In 2009, the state Legislature authorized inspectors to set up shop in border areas to check boats coming into the state. There are several stations along I-90 and other highways in Idaho's panhandle. The goal, according to a state video, is to catch the pest before it can be introduced into a lake or river.
“Once established, the mussels populate rapidly, clinging to hard surfaces, such as boat motors and hulls, clogging water intake pipes, plugging hydropower systems and destroying native fisheries," the informational video states.
Read the full story by Spokane Public Radio's Doug Nadvornick here.
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Newest Dick's Drive-In is slated for Everett
Dick's Drive-Ins fans north of Seattle can rejoice. The locally loved burger joint is slated to open a new location in Everett.
"We know our customers north of Edmonds have been waiting patiently for us to look north again,” Dick's Drive-Ins President Jasmine Donovan said in a statement. Donovan is the granddaughter of founder Dick Spady.
Currently, the furthest north Dick's location is in Edmonds, which was opened in 2011. The company still has to work through the permitting process, but if it all works out, it plans to purchase a site at 1629 Center Road in Everett for its next drive-in. It could open as soon as 2025.
Since 1954, Dick's operated a handful of drive-ins around Seattle. That changed in 2011, when it began to expand to nearby communities. It has opened four more locations since then. The company says that each new location "creates about 50 new jobs."
“We’ve been working hard to build our capacity to grow sustainably and are very excited to bring Dick’s Drive-Ins to Everett," Donovan said.
Dick's Drive-Ins currently has five locations in Seattle, including: on Capitol Hill, Holman Road, Lake City, Queen Anne, and Wallingford. It also has locations in Crossroads (Bellevue), Edmonds, Federal Way, and Kent.
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First significant rainfall since April arrives in Western Washington
Get ready for what will be one of the wettest weeks the Seattle area has seen in quite a while.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Dustin Guy said you'd have to go back to early April to find another 24-hour period with as much rain as Western Washington has experienced since Sunday. Some areas could get up to an inch of rain when it's all said and done Monday.
RELATED: Start saving water, Seattle, utility says. We’re in drought conditions
It's not stopping either. The rain will continue through Tuesday and into Wednesday, maybe even Thursday. In fact, the National Weather Service in Seattle said Sunday night that the following 24 hours would be "the wettest we've seen in months." Boy, we need it, too.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting that the fall and winter ahead will be a bit warmer and drier than normal. The Puget Sound region is already experiencing either "moderate" to "severe" drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Seattle Public Utilities has even asked its customers to voluntarily conserve water. The north Cascade Mountains are in "extreme" drought. That's where a few wildfires continue to burn.
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Get ready for sword fights and quarterstaffs as Robin Hood swashbuckles in Seattle's backyard
Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor in Village Theatre’s production of "Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood," now playing in Issaquah with an upcoming run next month at the Village Theatre in Everett. This production, based on the book by award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, is a quick-witted and farcical tale of a fight against tyranny. And in this case, the fight is literal — with swords, arrows, and a slew of insults.
The hijinks are plentiful and the writing from Ludwig is clearly meant to be the lighthearted journey of a young man who is thrust into a movement for justice. Robin Hood’s character arc moves from a charming noble, whose life takes an abrupt shift when a villager who has been accused of stealing, is about to have his hands cut off on Robin Hood’s property.
This event is the spark that sets Robin Hood ablaze in his fight for justice. Before this moment, he was oblivious to the plight of the poor villagers, who in the absence of their king, had fallen victim to the greed and corruption of the king's brother, who had seized control of the land.
Here’s what to expect
This production is packed with puns, tricks, pranks, and jokes, but what stands out most is the fight choreography. The onstage sword fighting was great and there was a captivating scene when Robin Hood, played by Ricky Spaulding, and Little John, played by Quinlan Corbett, have a duel on top of a fallen tree using quarterstaffs. It was a great scene! The balance of the narrow log, the swinging of the large sticks, and the speed and coordination necessary to pull it off well was a very high degree of difficulty that provided an excellent spectacle for the audience.
The battles with swords, quarterstaffs, and even the way they managed to use bows to shoot arrows on stage was a delight. The multi-level staging and the use of a rotating platform combined with the fight choreography to make this production feel like an on-stage version of an action comedy.
Here’s what's missing
There’s a level of depth that I longed for while watching this production. And to be clear, the play works as is, but I believe the true beauty of theater is in the art form's ability to take strong stands on social issues. This play was not written recently, but the themes we see on stage are contemporary — the poor people are hungry, unsheltered, and overly taxed by the powerful elite. There was room to dig a little deeper, and to bring these issues home.
As I sat in the theater, about 20 minutes away from Seattle, where housing and homelessness are constantly on the tips of all the political tongues, there were times in the play when it was hard to lean into the funny and forget how real these issues are. When Robin Hood learns that Much the Miller is about to have his hands cut off for stealing food to feed his starving family after taxes became too high for him to afford to both pay those taxes and buy food — I wanted to stay in that moment longer. I wanted more from our hero. Instead, Robin Hood played the well-known child’s joke of pointing a finger to Sir Guy’s (the noble in charge) chest, and when the noble looked down, Robin flicked his nose. In fact, Robin cleverly got Sir Guy again immediately, and the audience rumbled with laughter both times. The joke absolutely landed with what seemed like the entire audience outside of myself, but at that time I didn’t want the funny. I wanted space to allow the absurdity of the situation to sit with all of us. The taxes were unjustly raised to the point where a working citizen couldn’t afford to both pay taxes and feed his family. So, he paid taxes and stole food and was now about to have both of his hands cut off.
The production was rife with these moments where opportunities to go beyond surface-level societal critiques were presented, only to have the story swiftly pushed forward by a witty one-liner. And even though the quips landed at an impressive rate, I still left the theater wishing the journey was just a little deeper. When the king finally returns to make everything right again, and Robin Hood is vindicated and no longer viewed as an outlaw, he gives an eloquent few lines on his new-found understanding of how we all live for one another. Robin Hood says that’s the bargain we all make for each other. This final moment of recollection was poignant and captured the sentiment that the protagonist learned. But it would have landed even more firmly if there had been times throughout the production when the action slowed and allowed for Robin Hood to mentally grapple with the plight of the people he was fighting to protect.
Who this is for
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No more selling stolen goods in the CID, Seattle police say
Seattle is launching a campaign to counter illegal street vending — the selling of stolen goods — in the Chinatown-International District.
The effort is a partnership between the Seattle Police Department the city's Department of Transportation.
The city is placing 19 signs around 12th Avenue South and Jackson Street, which state: "No buying or selling merchandise." The signs will be posted in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
"We've noticed that the criminal conduct centers around stolen merchandise being sold on the sidewalks here," Captain Steven Strand says in an SPD video, also noting that a goal of the campaign is a reduction in retail thefts, and a reduction in drug use in the area.
Police say city officials found sellers peddling stolen merchandise on the sidewalks at this location, and that this is a problem for local businesses and people using nearby public transit.
"Individuals block pedestrian access to the public right-of-way by selling predominantly stolen goods on the sidewalk and at bus stops in this area," the police said in a statement. "The project aims to deter crime, through public education on illegal activities, improve safety and accessibility on sidewalk routes for all ages and abilities, as well as ensure access to public transportation."
Police also say they are planning for "outreach and enforcement action" at 12th Avenue and Jackson Street.
Captain Strand says that after all the signs are up, a flier will be distributed in the neighborhood "from the community to the community" about the illegal street vending issue.
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Seattle council members call for action after another controversial police recording
Seattle City Councilmembers are calling for the Seattle Police Department to take action after another officer was allegedly caught on a recording using derogatory and offensive language.
The latest call for action comes from Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.
“This act of anti-Asian hate from a Seattle officer is disgusting and undermines the Seattle Police Department’s ability to provide basic public safety," Herbold said in a statement Saturday. "How can our APIDA communities feel safe calling the police?"
She's in agreement, she said, with calls made by the Seattle Community Police Commission and other council members for Police Chief Adrian Diaz to develop an action plan to target issues of racism within the department.
Councilmember Tammy Morales said there needs to be a focus on accountability at the police department.
"How can SPD expect the public to trust them while it remains silent as these incidents happen? What does SPD leadership plan to do to regain control of the department, address its toxic culture, and rebuild this complete breaking of trust?" Morales said in a statement.
"The reality is that no other city employee would be excused from this behavior, where they can laugh and joke about killing somebody, spit racist slurs, and continue taking home a six-figure paycheck."
RELATED: Fake tombstone and Trump flag renew questions about Seattle police culture
The statement came within hours after The Stranger published a report Friday about an ongoing dispute between a Seattle police officer and his Kenmore neighbors. The Stranger published audio from one interaction in 2022. In it, Officer Burton Hill can allegedly be heard using sexist language and a racial slur when addressing his Chinese-American neighbor. A complaint has been filed with Seattle's Office of Police Accountability.
According to Morales, Hill has had four complaints of bias policing while with SPD. She is demanding a "plan of action" from the Seattle Police Department in response to the news coverage.
Also within hours of report, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz published his own response to the news, confirming that a bias/hate complaint has been sent to the Office of Police Accountability. Diaz said he has placed Officer Hill on administrative leave.
"Although I will ultimately defer, as I am required, to the outcome of OPA’s investigation, racist language is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with the high standards the department sets for its employees," Diaz said in his statement. "While I’m grateful the complaint was filed with OPA, not knowing about this for one year causes me concern. For this reason, I have instructed my staff to review this officer’s arrest and investigation history."
"As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as Chief of Police, racist comments and behavior by department employees will not be tolerated."
Chief Diaz also apologized to the neighbor and the community for the incident, and added that there is "more work to do to build trust between the department and the people we serve.”
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