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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Case against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer goes to jury
Jurors are poised to deliberate in the trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, after hearing closing arguments from attorneys on Tuesday.
The prosecutor maintained that Troyer lied to a 911 dispatcher, well knowing the type of response his claim of being threatened would initiate. His defense lawyer Anne Bremner called the case a wrongful prosecution that was politically motivated by racial justice protests after the murder of George Floyd.
Troyer is charged with two misdemeanors for false reporting and making a false statement to a public servant, stemming from his encounter with Black newspaper carrier Sedrick Altheimer on Jan. 27, 2021. Prosecutor Melanie Tratnik said Troyer's description of Altheimer's lethal threats, and the fact that he downplayed them once police arrived, doesn't make sense, "because that’s not what happened. Troyer was never threatened. He was disrespected.”
“Sheriff Troyer weaponized the police force to settle a personal, petty score with a man who didn’t treat him with the deference and the respect he felt he deserved,” Tratnik said. She said Troyer’s comments calling Altheimer “homeless looking” and “anti-cop” give clues to his real motivation.
Troyer testified that he did fear for his life when Altheimer confronted him, but backed off when he learned Altheimer was doing his job.
In closing arguments Tuesday, Bremner called Troyer a “law-and-order sheriff” and said the idea that he would lie and waste law enforcement resources makes no sense.
“He’s a clear-eyed, plain-spoken sheriff. He called it as he saw it at the time, and he was truthful,” she said.
Bremner said Troyer’s actions were easily explained — he saw what he believed was Altheimer’s suspicious behavior, called 911 dispatchers when Altheimer angrily confronted him, and dropped his concerns once officers determined that Altheimer was simply delivering newspapers in the neighborhood.
Bremner said jurors should not accept Altheimer’s testimony as credible, given that he has sued Pierce County for $5 million over the encounter and had similar confrontations with others in the same neighborhood including neighbor Josh Harris, in which he returned to the person’s house later the same night as he did with Troyer.
Tacoma Detective Chad Lawless interviewed Troyer at the scene and wrote in a report the next day that Troyer told him Altheimer did not make any threats or display a weapon but clearly "wanted to fight." Bremner told jurors Lawless is also not credible since he didn’t take notes at the scene, did not have a body-worn camera, and repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in the case.
In her rebuttal Tratnik said Troyer’s attorneys are trying to cast blame on everyone at the scene except him.
“Nobody’s saying you can’t be part of a neighborhood watch group,” Tratnik said. “He’s not on trial for that. He’s on trial for lying about what happened.”
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What Washington's housing legislation could look like in 2023
How to build more housing, quickly, will be on the agenda when the Washington State Legislature begins its session in January 2023.
RELATED: Why are condos in Seattle so rare and expensive?
Many lawmakers appear to agree on the need to make three big changes around the state, which will likely be discussed at the Capitol:
- removing bans on denser forms of housing, such as townhomes;
- eliminating “design review boards" statewide for residential projects; and
- spending at least $1 billion more each year on affordable housing.
These changes are just what the more cautious stakeholders brought to the table.
RELATED: Study finds townhomes are making Seattle more affordable
“It’s hard — you get focused on one shiny object, but one of the things we’re going to try to bring forward in this session is we need a package of things that collectively hang together and make sense, and move the needle," said Carl Schroeder with the Association of Washington Cities.
Disagreement between lawmakers centers around what the minimum allowable density should be (three units per lot or six?), and whether denser housing should be required on all residential land or only near parks and frequent transit.
Rep. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) favors a more aggressive approach.
“The cities have had the authority to zone as they wish for decades," Bateman said. "We’re in this situation because things have gotten progressively worse. We need to try something different.”
A less aggressive package could mean that Seattle and other cities that have already made modest reforms wouldn't need to add much density beyond what's currently allowed.
Seattle already allows diminutive backyard cottages and mother-in-law apartments on every lot in addition to a main residence.
Either way, cities that have not reformed zoning laws at all will likely have to catch up to Seattle.
RELATED: What to do about low Black homeownership in Washington state
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Amazon to give millions for affordable housing around Seattle
Amazon is planning to spend $150 million to build and preserve 1,700 units of affordable housing in and around Seattle.
Geekwire reports that the money will go to 10 nonprofit organizations so they can pay for low-rate loans and grants. The projects are slated to happen in Seattle's Beacon Hill and Brighton neighborhoods, along with the Central District.
Other places like Kirkland, Renton, Bothell, Federal Way, and Tacoma will also benefit from the funding, which is part of Amazon's larger $2 billion Housing Equity Fund.
RELATED: Experts say Amazon’s fund for Seattle-area affordable housing is huge, but not nearly enough
The Housing Equity Fund aims to create 20,000 affordable housing units around Amazon's "hometown communities."
In June 2022, Amazon announced it was spending $23 million to preserve 568 affordable homes. The company has announced a similar "commitment" to Bellevue and the Eastside.
As GeekWire reports, Microsoft has made similar financial investments around its Redmond HQ.
RELATED: Neighbors claim victory after Amazon abandons Rainier Valley warehouse plans
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Should Washington end these traffic stops?: Today So Far
- Lawmakers aim to consider bills to end certain traffic stops in Washington state.
- Debora Juarez won't seek reelection next year.
- Seattle student arrested for threatening a Bellevue school.
- Two coaches with Washington connections recently passed away.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 13, 2022.
We can now add Debora Juarez to the list of Seattle council members who are not running for reelection in 2023. It's a short list: Juarez, who recently noted 2023 will be her last year, and Lisa Herbold who also recently announced she is exiting City Hall after next year.
Technically, Juarez is the one who started the list, months ago. Her intentions to step down from the dais have been known. For example, she told the Puget Sound Business Journal as much in June 2022. But her passing comment at a council briefing Monday may have been the first time she has mentioned it in a public forum, and therefore, the internet is doing its thing and people are talking.
All seven of Seattle's district seats (not the at-large seats) will be up for election in 2023. Juarez has served as council president throughout 2022. She is the first Indigenous council member elected to be president. On the dais, she has been viewed as a moderate, or at times, on the more conservative end of the Council. Of course, in Seattle, a "moderate" or "conservative" is, technically speaking, still well within the left-of-center, hippy-dippy, "like, totally far out man" end of the political spectrum. It's probably more accurate to say, agree or disagree with her, that Juarez has not been a council member who engages in sensationalism and slogans. She's more likely to get down to the nuts and bolts of council business and move things along.
Still, with two members looking to step down, not facing any election pressure (and maybe more? It's still early), the Seattle City Council could be quite interesting to watch over the coming year. Read more here.
An 18-year-old student at Seattle's Ingraham High School has been arrested and charged with two counts of felony harassment. The Seattle student allegedly threatened, via social media, to shoot students at Bellevue's Sammamish High School. The threats prompted a lockdown in the Bellevue School District until the Seattle student was arrested.
The student has been on officials' radar for weeks now, after a psychologist reported that he was mentally preparing to carry out a school shooting. A judge issued an extreme risk protection order against the 18-year-old boy, which prohibited him from purchasing or possessing a gun. Charging documents state, however, the student recently posted on Snapchat a picture of guns on his bed, making threats to students in Bellevue. The photo is from more than a year ago, according to the boy's father. The father recently turned over his firearms to Seattle police for safekeeping, following the ERPO. KUOW's Amy Radil has the full story here.
As lawmakers meet in Olympia next year, one issue up for consideration will be police traffic stops. More specifically — which offenses are truly important enough to pull someone over? There is an effort to end low-level traffic stops in Washington state. What is a "low-level" traffic stop? Things like broken tail lights or expired tabs. It's such infractions that, proponents argue, disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income drivers.
A quick story. Once upon a time, I bought my first car while living in another state. I was young and was clueless about car ownership. Nobody told me about car tabs, etc., so I was surprised when I eventually got a bill for them. Now, younger me, barely making rent, only able to afford instant noodles while receiving food assistance, did some mental math. In the end, rent got paid, noodles were purchased, and the tabs went unpaid. The cop who eventually pulled me over didn't know any of this when they issued me a ticket. Now, if someone like me was unable to pay the tabs in the first place, how likely do you think it is that they will afford to pay the expensive fine? So that didn't go well either, which led to a suspended license, which led to more costs, yada yada yada. It was one thing after the other — all stemming from the fact that I couldn't afford the basics to begin with. The laws around all this may have been well intentioned, and there is a certain logic to them. But in practice, it just digs a bigger financial hole for folks who can't afford them, and it makes it much harder to engage in normal life (like getting to a job). It's funny. If you got the money, you can break all the traffic laws you want and get down the road with ease. Read more here.
Two sports deaths with Washington connections have made headlines. Basketball coach Paul Silas passed away over the weekend from cardiac arrest, and college football coach Mike Leach died yesterday, reportedly after suffering a heart attack.
Silas was an influential NBA coach, and was the first to usher Lebron James into professional basketball. As a player, Silas made a name for himself on the Boston Celtics, and as a SuperSonics champion in 1979.
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Seattle Councilmember Debora Juarez will not run for reelection in 2023
It was a quick, passing comment at the Seattle City Council's Dec. 12 briefing, but it affirmed that Councilmember Debora Juarez will not seek a third term in 2023, making this her last year on the dais.
Saying that there is a lot to accomplish ahead, Juarez noted, "This is my last year here, so I'm trying to get a lot done..."
Juarez's comment at the briefing was first reported by Crosscut.
RELATED: Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold will not run for reelection in 2023
Councilmember Juarez's plans to exit City Hall have been known for months. She told the Puget Sound Business Journal in June that she would not seek a third term. The meeting on Dec. 12 appears to be the first time the council member has spoken about her plans in a public forum.
Juarez's statement comes days after Councilmember Lisa Herbold also said she will not seek reelection in 2023.
Juarez is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, and is the Council's first Indigenous president.
Leonard Forsman, president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, told KUOW that Juarez has been an important advocate for tribal issues from the dais. Still, he says, "she has other pathways in her career and her life that will need to be pursued."
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Former WSU coach Mike Leach has died
Former WSU football coach Mike Leach died Monday in Mississippi after reportedly suffering a heart attack.
Leach was rushed to a hospital Dec. 11 after suffering a serious medical issue. Some sources report that he experienced a heart attack. Leach was in critical condition at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. He died on Dec. 12. He was 61.
In a statement, Leach's family said:
“Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”
Michael Charles Leach was born in Susanville, Calif., and grew up in Cody, Wyoming. He played football in high school, but was unable to continue into college due to an ankle injury. He played rugby instead. After college, he began his coaching career with a job at Cal Poly in San Luis Obisbo, Calif. He coached for a range of colleges, and also for a brief stint in Finland.
His profile was raised significantly when he was hired as head coach for Texas Tech in 2000. He was fired from that job in 2009.
Leach was head coach for Washington State University from 2012–19. Under his leadership, the university's football team recorded the third most wins in its history. He was AFCA national coach of the year in 2018.
While at WSU, Leach was known for stirring controversy off of the field, such as the time he tweeted a fake video of President Barack Obama in 2018. The tweet prompted concerns among alumnus, fans, and donors. The tweet was deleted. Leach later admitted the "video was incomplete," but still argued that the video's points deserved discussion. He was also known to have friction with the media, once calling a Spokesman Review columnist a "sanctimonious troll."
In 2020, he went to coach for Mississippi State University.
Leach is survived by his wife Sharon and four children, Janeen, Kimberly, Cody, and Kiersten.
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Herbold's exit kicks off 2023's election news: Today So Far
- Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold announced she is not running for reelection in 2023.
- The Troyer trial continues, and Sheriff Ed Troyer has finally weighed in.
- Tell me why Seattle is "fun."
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 12, 2022.
Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold has charted a course out of City Hall. Herbold just announced that she is not going to run for reelection in 2023, opening up District 1 for a new contender.
What's interesting about Herbold's announcement is that she justified her exit with a bit of an argument: Activists and progressive groups are going to target officials who don't exactly align with them, aiming to knock them out of the primary elections. As an example, Herbold points to the 2021 Seattle city attorney election. After more than a decade in office, Pete Holmes was ousted in the primary, leaving voters with two very different options — someone who wanted to tear down the system and defund police, and a Republican. The Republican won.
In Herbold's case, she voted for Seattle's recently passed budget, which doesn't significantly defund the Seattle Police Department. She is concerned that groups like the Solidarity Budget will work to oust her and open the election to two bad candidates. Herbold argues that a fresh progressive candidate is more likely to pull in the votes. Read more here.
The Troyer Trial continues today. Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer is expected to take the stand again and be cross examined by state attorneys. Troyer took the stand on Friday and made his case, in his own words.
“The reason I’m here testifying is the media’s made me out to be a racist and the state’s made me out to be a liar," Troyer said.
Troyer said a lot. You can read more here. In short, he basically disagrees with the story that has been spread so far. He says he was following an erratic driver in a car with its headlights off, and that he didn't know the driver was Black until he got out of the car and confronted Troyer. The sheriff says that he didn't know that the driver, Sedrick Altheimer, was delivering newspapers.
“He was screaming at me, I heard words like, ‘I’ll take you out,’” Troyer testified.
The trial has now set up competing accounts of what happened that morning. Tacoma Detective Chad Lawless says Troyer backtracked his statements from his 911 call, which claimed Altheimer was threatening him. Troyer says he never backtracked.
Altheimer's account is also different. He says he always drives with his high beams on, and Troyer said the car's lights were off. Troyer also testified that hours after the incident, Altheimer came to his home, got out of his car, and started yelling. Altheimer testified that he merely drove by and threw a newspaper in his driveway. Troyer does not subscribe to any newspapers.
Today, the state will get a chance to cross-examine Troyer.
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An effort to end low-level traffic stops in Washington state
A group of advocates and families who've lost loved ones to police violence want to end traffic stops for things like expired tabs and broken taillights.
Washington Coalition for Police Accountability recently announced its priorities for 2023, which include ending low-level traffic stops. The coalition argues that these types of safety stops, which in some cases end tragically, disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income drivers.
The Olympian newspaper reports that one bill proposed by Sen. Joe Nguyen of Seattle aims to cease low-level traffic stops. The bill also would create grant money for cities, tribes, and nonprofits. The grant funds would be slated for car repairs that could lead to these types of minor traffic stops.
The WPCA is also calling for an independent prosecutor to make charging decisions when it comes to police use of deadly force.
Another bill, proposed by Rep. My-Linh Thai of Bellevue, would remove qualified immunity for officers who violate a person's state civil rights.
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SuperSonics champ, NBA coach Paul Silas has died
The first man to coach Lebron James professionally, and a member of the 1979 Supersonics championship team, has died.
Paul Silas passed away from cardiac arrest over the weekend. He was 79 years old.
Silas was a three-time NBA champion (two with the Boston Celtics) and spent 16 years playing before he turned to coaching. LeBron James is one such player he coached.
Silas played with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1977–80, going to the NBA championships with the team in 1978 and 1979.
Silas was a three-time All-American basketball player in college, from 1961–64. In 2017, Silas was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
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A record number of unhoused people have died in King County in 2022
At least 253 unhoused people in King County have died, so far, in 2022. That's a record for the county. A vigil will be held for them this month in Seattle.
The recent number continues a rising trend in annual unhoused deaths in King County. In 2021, WHEEL Women in Black noted the record numbers then, saying it was "unbelievable."
RELATED: People experiencing homelessness may lose decades of life
Michele Marchand told KUOW in December 2021 that the group felt, "it was the end of the world" when the record hit 139 in 2020. It rose to 178 in 2021.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says common causes of death in 2022 include hypothermia, drug overdose, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The Medical Examiner confirms deceased peoples’ identities and ages.
For two decades now, a local group has been holding vigils for deceased unhoused people outside Seattle City Hall. This year, a record 253 names will be read aloud on National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. That’s Dec. 21, the longest night of the year.
According to a report released by the county's Medical Examiner earlier this year, the "median age of presumed homeless decedents was 51 compared to the median age of all King County residents who died which was 79."
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Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold will not run for reelection in 2023
Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold will not run for reelection in 2023.
Herbold has represented Seattle's District 1 since 2016. She won her first election with a 39 vote lead (49.8% of the vote). She took 56% of the vote in 2019. Now, Herbold says her time on the dais will come to an end after 2023. Still, she wants to work to keep a progressive voice in the role.
"I feel like it’s time to do my part to create an open seat election in District 1. I believe that an open seat can better drive turnout and deliver District 1 to another progressive," Herbold said in a statement.
Otherwise, Herbold speculates that Seattle will face a strategically divisive primary election in 2023. She cites a recent article in The Stranger, which states that a coalition of activists and progressive groups will target council seats in 2023. This coalition favors a 50% cut to Seattle police funding, among other demands. The recently passed Seattle budget does not make such a cut.
"I am reminded that we cannot repeat the 2021 race for the City Attorney when a very strong and proven progressive didn’t advance to the general, forcing a choice between a carceral system abolitionist and a Republican. In a similar 2023 scenario, progressives could lose District 1, and a seat on the Council," Herbold stated.
In that 2021 race, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes was knocked out of consideration through the primary election. After that, abolitionist Nicole Thomas-Kennedy went up against Republican (and former Democrat) Ann Davison. Thomas-Kennedy stated she wanted to dismantle the system, stop prosecuting misdemeanors, and significantly defund the Seattle Police Department. Davison campaigned on remodeling the City Attorney's Office, transforming its mental health approaches, and prioritizing repeat offenders. Davison won with 52% of the vote.
Herbold continues to say that she is also not worried about the "other side of the political spectrum," such as the Chamber of Commerce or "the cynical big money Independent Expenditure campaigns in what would be yet another likely very ugly re-election bid if I were to run again."
"Rather, my choice is because I love and honor the work the progressive left has done in Seattle and I don’t want to do anything that makes it less likely for a non-progressive to be elected to represent the great District 1."
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Health officials say it is time to mask up
If you’ve been a little lax with masking over the past few months, health officials in Washington state are urging a change in behavior.
Dozens of hospital leaders and county health officers from around the state are urging people to once again become diligent about masking in public indoor spaces.
“This joint statement from a broad coalition of public health and healthcare professionals is an indication of our shared level of concern. We hope people share that concern and do what they can to help reduce the risk of this situation becoming even worse over the coming weeks,” Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, and a signatory to the joint statement, said via email.
The plea for a return to widespread masking comes as the state is being hit hard by multiple viruses.
Children’s hospitals have seen an unprecedented number of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases in recent months, with many operating well over capacity.
In the past few weeks flu cases have also begun to surge, with 26 deaths, including three children, already reported in the state.
That’s equal to the total number of deaths reported during the entirety of last flu season, according to state Department of Health data.
In addition, Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are ticking back up once again with the state reporting 449 people hospitalized during the week of Nov. 20.
“We don’t want to see our hospitals in full blown crisis. There are simple, effective steps that can and should be taken community wide to reduce serious illnesses and healthcare system impacts during this respiratory virus season,” Duchin said.
Duchin and others are asking people to wear high-quality, well-fitting masks when around others in indoor spaces.
Dr. Helen Chu, an infectious diseases physician with UW Medicine, agrees it’s a good time for people to mask up and said there are some settings where it will have the most impact.
“In these crowded spaces, when you’re sick, when you’re around people who are likely to be sick, at gatherings with vulnerable people like young children,” Chu said.
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