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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Aren't really rules at all
By: Kelly McBride, NPR Public Editor
The following is a segment from NPR's Public Editor newsletter
American journalism has no universal set of rules. Every newsroom sets its own standards. This is sometimes perplexing for news consumers and even for journalists. As a journalism ethicist, I'm told by people all the time that they thought journalists weren't supposed to:
- Show dead bodies
- Report on a suicide
- Name a rape survivor
- Label someone as mentally ill
- Name children accused of crimes
- Publish hacked information
- Name a mass shooter (which is the topic we are about to address)
But newsrooms only have guidelines. When the founders of this country wrote the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of the press," they created a system where the only regulating forces on professional journalism are self-regulation, civil courts and public pressure.
The only standards that can be enforced are those imposed from within, by the news organization itself. Although there are universal values that journalists agree upon, like truth and independence, across the thousands of newsrooms in America, there are thousands of applications of those values.
An NPR audience member wrote in to discourage journalists from using the name and image of school shooters beyond initial reports.
The audience member's reasons are solid: Researchers believe media coverage of mass shootings contributes to a contagion effect. With several recent mass shootings getting a lot of coverage, it's important for newsrooms to note their role in influencing this contagion.
In principle, an internal ban on naming mass shooters could potentially undermine NPR's core promise to inform the public. And on a practical level, newsrooms are competitive and might never agree to unified behavior. One newsroom withholding a name would have no impact on whether the public actually knew the name.
Does this lead to the lowest common denominator when it comes to standards? It has the potential to, unless news organizations can foster an environment where journalists understand the many values that underpin their decisions, the way those values compete with each other, and how to make thoughtful choices with clear journalistic intentions every time a question arises.
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Capital gains tax challenge reaches Washington Supreme Court
The debate over whether wealthy people in Washington should pay a capital gains tax has reached the state Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in Quinn v. Washington on Thursday.
Supporters say it’s an issue of tax fairness. Opponents say this is yet another unconstitutional attempt to pass an income tax. This was the determination of the lower court, which ruled against the tax last March.
Supporters of the state’s capital gains tax say the lack of an income tax in Washington has created a structure where poorer people pay a much greater share of their income in taxes than wealthier people.
In 2021 lawmakers passed a 7% tax on profits from sales of assets like stocks and bonds over $250,000. They called it an excise tax on those transactions.
Anti-tax groups sued, calling it an income tax. Former Attorney General Rob McKenna argued the case on behalf of the plaintiffs Thursday, and said the excise tax label is incorrect.
“There’s nothing new under the sun when it come to this issue, in the sense that trying to call an income tax an excise, trying to tax income by imposing an excise on the privilege of receiving income has been tried several times in this state by state Legislature and it’s been struck down every time,” McKenna said.
The state constitution says property taxes must be uniform, so the property of wealthier people can’t be taxed at higher rates. The Washington Supreme Court ruled in 1933 in the case Culliton v. Chase that income is property and therefore any income taxes are subject to the same constitutional restrictions.
The Washington Supreme Court could agree with the Douglas County Superior Court and find the tax unconstitutional. Even if the court determines that the capital gains tax is an excise tax, justices had a lot of questions about whether the state could legally tax transactions that occur in New York and elsewhere outside Washington when people sell off assets.
UW constitutional law professor Hugh Spitzer, who spoke at a press briefing on behalf of backers of the tax last week, said a second path would be for the court to determine that the capital gains tax is not an income tax, but instead a legitimate excise tax. That would be a relatively narrow decision that would allow the tax to survive.
But it wouldn’t touch the consequential issues around whether the state constitution prohibits a progressive income tax. A third pathway would be for the court to revisit the Culliton case from 1933 which struck down a voter-approved graduated income tax.
Justice Debra Stephens asked attorney Paul Lawrence, who argued in support of the capital gains tax, “Can you address how we look at a bench of nine second-guessing a former bench of nine on arguments that were raised and dismissed in prior cases?”
Lawrence responded, “I think the second part of your question is the problem here. The arguments we are raising and the arguments on why Culliton is wrong have never been thoroughly discussed by this court.”
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WA could expand resources for solving cold cases with Indigenous victims
Washington state lawmakers are considering a proposal that would create a cold case unit for missing and murdered Indigenous women and people.
The Washington State Patrol’s list of missing Native American people includes 136 names of men, women, and teenagers.
RELATED: Washington's Missing Indigenous People Alert system goes live
Last year, the state Attorney General’s Office established a task force to look at how these cases are being handle and recommend changes. The task force produced a series of recommendations for state leaders.
House Bill 1177 follows up on one of those recommendations, and proposes a cold case assistance unit dedicated to the issue.
The unit would work on cases with local and tribal police, and prioritize jurisdictions with limited resources for these investigations. The unit would also include a liaison who could work with impacted families and keep them updated. Before that could happen, investigators would have to make requests to reopen cases in each jurisdiction.
A House committee voted to pass the measure forward Thursday.
In 2018, a report found that Seattle had the most missing and murdered indigenous women of any U.S. city, and Washington had the second-highest number of any state.
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How are tech layoffs impacting downtown businesses?
Behind the scenes as we report on the downtown economy
Reporter's Notebook, January 26, 2023
Wednesday was my "spot duty day," when I cover something in a short format story for KUOW's newscasts.
With all the news about tech companies laying off employees, I wanted to see if that’s having an impact on local businesses. I visited the food court in Century Square, where Twitter used to have its Seattle offices.
But the impact, business owners there told me, was less significant than I expected.
“That didn’t affect me at all,” said Leyla Farange, who owns Gyros Place.
The reason, she told me, is that those Twitter engineers were hardly ever in the office anyway. So for a long time, they have not been coming downstairs to get lunch.
But these restaurants are hurting, and badly, she told me, because of a much bigger change in the economy of downtown Seattle: Remote work and high food prices.
Every morning, Farange starts preparing food for the day. There’s lettuce, which used to be $25 to $30 a box, but now is between $75 and $100 (if she can even find it). Meat is twice as much as it was prepandemic.
She does this prep work Monday through Friday.
“And with not everybody coming to work every day, you don’t know how to prepare for that day," Farange said. "I don’t know who’s coming to work or not. So there is lots of waste.”
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Excited for 5 p.m. sunsets in Seattle? Some folks aren't: Today So Far
- Today is the first day since November that the sun will set after 5 p.m. in Western Washington
- A proposal in Seattle would add caste discrimination to the city's civil rights classifications.
- Seattle is suing Kia and Hyundai.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for January 26, 2023.
Today is the first day since November that the sun will set after 5 p.m. in Western Washington. Ever since the winter solstice in December, we've gained a couple minutes of daylight each day. Today, the sun will set around 5:01 p.m. To a lot of people, this is warming news. There are others around Seattle, however, who embrace the dark days of winter. It's a phenomenon that Justin Shaw with the Seattle Weather Blog has noticed.
"I think to all of us, it's this important, psychological milestone that, this evening, we will burst through," Shaw told Seattle Now.
"We are coming out of that period between New Year and late January, where it's dark and gloomy, the holidays are over, the bills are due ... there isn't that much to look forward to ... I think once you hit that 5 p.m. time, it's a psychological barrier that says, 'I made it through the toughest month in Seattle' ... It's basically our first sign that winter's grip, long nights and short days, is starting to fade."
Then there are those who Shaw calls the "vampires." He does a daily countdown on Twitter, marking the days until 5 p.m. sunsets. It attracts a few commenters saying "Boo, hiss, boo! Let the darkness reign! True Seattleites wouldn't be looking forward to the sun. Are you from California?"
It may sound odd, but I must admit, I'm sort of one of them. I don't feel right unless I have a moderate vitamin D deficiency. And I have long complained that parasols should be more socially acceptable in our modern day. But I understand that the migraine-inducing sun is a big thing for some people. Enjoy.
Check out Shaw's full conversation with Seattle Now here.
A proposal in Seattle would add caste discrimination to the city's civil rights classifications. If approved, Seattle would be the first U.S. city to ban caste-based discrimination.
There are a lot of ways you could liken aspects of American society to a caste system. Richard and Emily Gilmore are not likely hanging out with the Winslows or the Gallaghers (Shameless). Hank Hill probably isn't rubbing elbows with the Bluths, who in turn, have never even been to the part of LA where Fred Sanford lives. Still, this is not quite the same as India's caste system. India's social hierarchy has been around for thousands of years as a way to organize groups of people. This social order is too complex to dive into here. Today, caste discrimination is illegal in India, and the country has implemented a sort of affirmative action based on castes. It still influences society there, however. Indians working in Seattle don't want it to follow them.
“When we Indians come to the U.S., we bring our biases with us,” said Samir Khobragade, a tech worker in Seattle. “And we get away with the discriminatory behavior because people in the U.S. do not know how to spot this discriminatory behavior."
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6 Washington bars and restaurants on the 2023 James Beard semifinalist list
Six bars and restaurants in Washington state have made it onto James Beard's 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists. Five of them are in Seattle. And that's just for starters. Washington's culinary artists are also represented on the list of outstanding restaurateurs and best chefs in the region.
The nominations for local eateries include:
- Outstanding chef: Renee Erickson, of The Walrus and the Carpenter
- Emerging chef: Kevin Smith of Beast & Cleaver
- Outstanding restaurant: Copine
- Outstanding Bar: Rob Roy
- Outstanding Hospitality: Nominees include Lark, in Seattle, and the Black Cypress, in Pullman.
The Pham family, owners of Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat have also been nominated for "outstanding restaurateur."
Five Washington chefs are in the running for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. The category covers Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Out of the 20 chefs in the running, four are from Seattle. The list includes:
- Tony Brown, Ruins, Spokane, WA
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle, WA
- David Nichols, Eight Row, Seattle, WA
- Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle, WA
- Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle, WA
The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony is June 5 in Chicago.
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Boeing faces crash victims' families in federal court
Boeing is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in the case of two deadly 737 Max crashes.
The 2018 and 2019 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. Boeing's 737 Max was grounded for nearly two years, pending changes to the flight control system that led to the accidents.
Boeing had settled the case with Department of Justice, agreeing to pay $2.5 billion. Victims' family members say they were left out of settlement negotiations, though, and are now asking a federal judge to hold the company criminally responsible for their loved ones' deaths. They are accusing the manufacturer of deceiving federal authorities and concealing information about the 737 Max.
Boeing pleaded not guilty at its arraignment in Texas Thursday morning.
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation industry analyst and managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, says the case is unprecedented.
"[There's] a possibility that it's just, basically, going to be an opportunity for everyone to speak their piece," Aboulafia says. "Beyond that, it's far from clear what the ramifications would be."
After the government settlement, he says the perception was the company would be shielded from further prosecution.
"A lot of people are scratching their heads over that," he says. "Could they charge them more money? Could people go to jail? I guess it doesn't seem terribly likely. But on the other hand, we're completely in uncharted waters here."
Aboulafia notes Boeing has made changes to the so-called MCAS system that led to the 737 Max crashes, clearing the way for the plane to return to the skies. He doesn't expect the case will have any impact on sales.
"Customers are sticking with the plane," he says. "There's still a pretty healthy stream of orders. I don't see how this is going to have any impact."
That begs the question, though: "How does this play out?"
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Mike's adventures in art: Seattle comedy laughs on Cap Hill
If you are looking for some tips on how to experience art in the Seattle area, you are in the right place. In this weekly post, KUOW Arts Reporter Mike Davis gives you tips on what to do around Seattle over the weekend so you can have your own adventures in arts and culture.
Comedy
The Black Out, Seattle’s only all-Black comedy show, is at Olmstead on Capitol Hill every fourth Thursday of the month.
“[The show’s] been selling out every single time, which has been great. The support has been awesome," said host and producer Javaan Jones.
This January features a lineup of comedians from Portland, Oregon, headlined by Jaren George. You can see the full lineup online, but Jones says there will also be a few surprise guests that will stop by and take the stage.
The Blackout Comedy Showcase, at Olmstead (314 Broadway East, Seattle), Jan. 26, 9 p.m.
Theater
I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, at the Seattle Rep is based on a novel of the same name. It tells the story of a teenage girl grieving the death of her older sister while trying to follow her own dreams of becoming a writer. Showing through Feb. 5 at Seattle Rep, 155 Mercer Street.
This Bitter Earth, at Seattle Public Theater dives into politics and how the pressures of our politicized society can cause struggles within our intimate relationships. At the center of this story is an interracial couple who must overcome the delicate balance between passion and political priorities. Showing through Feb. 19 at Seattle Public Theatre, 7312 West Green Lake Drive North.
Visual Art
This is my pick of the week. If you do one thing in arts over the weekend, I’d suggest you head to the Seattle Art Museum and check out Anthony White: Limited Liability.
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Seattle sues Kia and Hyundai after rise in car thefts
The city of Seattle is suing Kia and Hyundai, arguing the company did not take adequate anti-theft measures to prevent its cars from being stolen.
“Kia and Hyundai chose to cut corners and cut costs at the expense of their customers and the public," Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison said in a statement. "As a result, our police force has had to tackle a huge rise in vehicle theft and related problems with already stretched resources. Now Seattle taxpayers must shoulder the burden of the increase in theft. Kia and Hyundai need to take responsibility for the public safety hazard that they created.”
RELATED: Seattle police warn Kia drivers after TikTok trend prompts spike in thefts
According to the City Attorney's Office, Seattle saw a 363% increase in the theft of Kias, and a 503% increase in the thefts of Hyundais between 2021 and 2022. KUOW previously reported that 80 cars were stolen each day, on average, throughout King and Pierce counties in November 2022.
Kia and Hyundai models are vulnerable to a specific type of car theft. Using a simple USB cable, a person can access the ignition and turn the cars on. Instructions on how to do this have spread far and wide on the internet, leading to a rise in thefts of such cars nationally. The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force has noted that 2011 or newer Kias, or a 2015 or newer Hyundais are particularly at risk. Kia and Hyundai have said that models after 2022 have included a fix to this issue.
This is not the first lawsuit filed over this issue with Kia and Hyundai cars.
The City Attorney's Office notes that in some cases, the cars were stolen and used in other crimes. It points to a recent incident as an example. A group of teens reportedly used two stolen cars to rob a Ballard man and then drive to Federal Way. The office notes that such Kia and Hyundai auto thefts have hit Seattle's Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, the Central District, and Northgate particularly hard.
“Now that people know how easy it is to steal Hyundais and Kias, the Seattle Police Department has noticed a huge increase in the theft of these models,” Chief Adrian Z. Diaz said in a statement. “From 48 reported thefts of Hyundais and Kias in August to 197 in December. Sixty-four percent of those vehicles were later recovered within city limits, which shows they’re most likely being taken for short periods of time, often in order to commit other crimes. To protect the hard-earned property of Seattle residents, car makers need to take this problem seriously and do all they can to prevent these thefts.”
The city of Seattle is seeking compensation for damages from the car companies, and to force them to include anti-theft technology in their vehicles.
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Should Washington use magic mushrooms for mental health?: Today So Far
Washington is, again, considering the legalization of magic mushrooms ... sort of.
The King County Medical Examiner says that our region is "now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb."
Another effort in Olympia aims to tackle a different kind of influence through lowering the state's blood alcohol levels in order to be considered for a DUI.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for January 25, 2023.
Washington is, again, considering the legalization of magic mushrooms ... sort of. More accurately, a bill in Olympia proposes to legalize psilocybin, which is the psychedelic drug that makes magic mushrooms so magical. For a while now, the potential for psilocybin to remedy certain mental health issues, such as depression, PTSD, or addiction, have been known. Tapping into that potential as Washington grapples with the fallout of such issues is the premise of Senate Bill 5263.
Cue the critics. This is the second time lawmakers have tried to legalize psilocybin. A similar bill failed last year. Concerns range from how the state would regulate it, and wariness over the reaction from federal authorities (psilocybin would still be illegal at the federal level). It should probably be noted that cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, yet, it has grown into a massive, multimillion dollar industry ever since Washington legalized it in 2012. Unlike cannabis, however, people would not be able to go buy psilocybin and take it at home. SB 5263 proposes the state license certain providers at outdoor locations, private residences, or even houses of worship. And while mental health is a core argument for the legalization, a person would not need a medical prescription to get the drug. Read the full story here.
As stated above, psilocybin is being looked at as a potential tool to fight addiction. The government is currently studying this potential for opioid addiction. Other recent studies seem to point to a possibility that psilocybin could counter such addictions.
I'm writing "potential" and "possibility" a lot here because there's always some nuance around such studies. One study, for example, looked at people who used a range of drugs, and found that those who also used magic mushrooms had lower odds of developing opioid use disorder. It's these sorts of studies and arguments that are the basis for SB 5263.
The reason folks are considering such a remedy is obvious — we have a really bad opioid problem. Recently, we got another reminder of just how bad it is. The King County Medical Examiner says that our region is "now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb." In other words, there are so many overdose deaths, officials are running out of places to store the bodies.
In 2022, King County recorded 690 fentanyl-related deaths (about 70% of all overdose deaths that year). In 2021, such deaths added up to 385. Read the full story here.
Another effort in Olympia aims to tackle a different kind of influence through lowering the state's blood alcohol levels in order to be considered for a DUI.
Currently, the number is .08 BAC (blood-alcohol concentration). It's been set at that number for years. That's the number a police officer is looking for when they have you blow into a breathalyzer. The proposal being considered by lawmakers would drop that to .05.
"Unfortunately, we are facing an epidemic of traffic safety challenges in Washington state. We are seeing the highest levels of traffic fatalities in decades. The latest data shows us that over 700 people died on our transportation system statewide in 2022," State Sen. Marco Liias told KUOW.
Liias is a sponsor of SB 5002, the bill that would drop the BAC level. He argues that Washington's traffic fatalities have trended up in recent years.
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Did You Know?: Teriyaki was, and wasn't, invented in Seattle
I have often heard it said that, "Teriyaki was invented in Seattle." In turn, I've spread this "fact" myself. But this is one of those things that has a lot of nuance around it. Teriyaki wasn't technically invented in Seattle — but it sort of was, at least when you consider our modern interpretation of this culinary delight.
Teriyaki evolved over many years, and Seattle played a major role in its modern development and rise onto menus far and wide. Modern teriyaki is the result of immigration, various cultures mingling, exchanging ingredients, and business savvy, all adding up to an obsession.
I'll point you to a great Seattle Weekly story on this which takes a much deeper dive. In short, teriyaki (teri: the shine on the food; and yaki: grilling) goes back a few hundred years in Japan, and was associated with a style of grilling fish with a sauce primarily made from soy sauce, sweet rice wine, and sake. As Japanese immigrants came to the United States, the sweet wine was switched out for sugar, likely around Hawaii. The fish was eventually exchanged for chicken and beef, which were more popular across the United States.
Teriyaki dishes have appeared on American menus since at least the 1940s. But Seattle's Toshihiro Kasahara is credited with spurring a teriyaki trend in the 1970s that kicked this evolution into high gear. He started Toshi's Teriyaki in Lower Queen Anne. His teriyaki was cooked on skewers and came with rice and salad. Chicken sold for $1.85 and chicken/beef combos went for $2.10. It was a hit. Others started similar operations, and Toshi opened more locations. But what he did next is likely why teriyaki became so associated with Seattle.
Toshi repeatedly opened new restaurants, and sold his existing locations. The new owners had local roots, as well as from India, Vietnam, China, and elsewhere — each, perhaps, throwing in their personal, culinary backgrounds into the mix. Korean immigrants are particularly credited with taking things to a new level. By the 1990s, hundreds of teriyaki shops had spread throughout Western Washington, and headlines were boasting of the region's obsession with the dish.
With all these different forces coming together over teriyaki, other entrepreneurs began taking it to other cities. This modern evolution of teriyaki is what you're most likely familiar with (a bit removed from the original three-ingredient grilled fish dish) as you pass through airports, pick up to-go orders in the U-District, or get a teriyaki burger.
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King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles will not run for re-election in 2023, plans to retire
After seven years on the King County Council, and many more as a state lawmaker, Jeanne Kohl-Welles is retiring.
“I’ve loved serving on the Council. I’ve absolutely loved it,” Kohl-Welles said in a statement. “But at some point, it’s time to pass the torch for others to get involved. My entire time in public office has been immensely gratifying; however, there’s a time for everything and I feel really good about this being the time to move on to something new.”
Kohl-Welles represents District 4, which covers much of northwest Seattle. She first came onto the county council in 2016. She entered politics in 1992 when she was elected to the state House. She went on to the state Senate in 1994.
The council member says she will finish her term through 2023, and then retire from the council. Kohl-Welles is currently pushing a ban on businesses going cashless in unincorporated King County. She argues the bill aims to help people "who do not have access to, or desire to use credit cards, debit cards, swiping their smartphones, who maybe they don't have them, are able to access needed food, consumer items and services."
In a letter to constituents, Kohl-Welles said that the decision to retire "did not come to me lightly," and that she is looking "forward to the next chapter of my life."
"It has been particularly important to me to work collaboratively in strengthening protections for the most vulnerable and marginalized in our communities, especially as income inequality, displacement, and homelessness have increased, as climate change has become increasingly threatening to us all, and as gun violence has become more frequent.
"As long as I have held elective office, I have worked to provide access to affordable, equitable and quality housing, child care, education, health care and a safe and secure life for all. And so important to me has been increasing access to arts, culture, heritage, and science programs and events, as well as an urgency in working on climate change and its effects on everything we all hold dear — our people, our environment, our natural resources, our society, and our planet!"
Her exit from the King County Council opens District 4 to a newcomer.
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