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
-
Want an EV charging station at your Seattle home?
The city of Seattle has 30 EV charging stations ready to install across town. It's asking for homeowners and landlords to speak up if they want one along their street. With more than 300 people speaking up so far, the city is going to have to pick and choose.
King 5 reports that Seattle has been open to requests for level 2 EV charging stations since the start of June. The city will install the charging stations for free. Users will pay about 20 cents per kilowatt.
The city aims to reduce transportation emissions 83% by 2030. It is hoped that the new EV charging stations will help achieve this goal.
Seattle is accepting EV requests through the end of August.
More updates in KUOW's Today So Far Blog!
Continue reading » -
Why there's room for Seattle rents to rise further: Today So Far
- As the Seattle-area housing market cools, it's putting pressure on the rental market.
- Western Washington is trying out safe lots, one more time, in an effort to address homelessness along the road.
- Washington's new gun regulations kick in today. But there's some nuance involved.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 1, 2022.
Our region is once again trying out the idea of safe lots for people living in their vehicles to park, and live, without running afoul of parking rules. King and Pierce counties are looking into setting up a few lots where RVs and other vehicles can be parked, supervised.
If this sounds familiar, it's because it's already been tried locally, and it always ends up coming with a large price tag. You'd think that having people park in one spot wouldn't cost much. It's already happening on roadsides throughout the region. When Seattle tried a safe lot in 2016 in Ballard, it cost $25,000 to set up, and about $35,000 to operate each month. In 2018, there were three deaths in Seattle's SoDo safe lot (two were from long-term diseases).
The latest proposals out of Pierce and King counties aim to succeed this time, but they still come with steep costs. The Low Income Housing Institute is getting $1.9 million to develop a new RV safe lot program in Seattle. It wants an additional $5 million for sites in Pierce County. Such costs are going to be considered against the fact that Seattle is already spending multiple millions on clearing encampments and other homeless programs. Seattle has slated $173 million for homelessness in 2022.
"Soundside" has the full story here.
The real estate market in the Seattle area has cooled down. That is having effects elsewhere in the region's housing. Redfin says that high mortgage rates are causing buyers to shy away from the market. That means they're more likely to shift into the rental market, placing more demand there. And according to Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather, while the housing market goes into "hibernation," there is more room for rents to rise. Read the full story here.
A handful of new gun regulations go into effect today in Washington state. But there is some nuance to these new restrictions. It is now illegal to manufacture, assemble, purchase or sell an untraceable firearm, aka a "ghost gun." It is also illegal to sell or make a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds. Gun owners can still have such magazines that they already own, they just cannot buy them anymore in Washington state. There are a few more rules on the books. Read the full story here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
Minimum wage vs your neighbors vs inflation: Today So Far
- Western Washington city aims to up its minimum wage to compete with neighboring towns.
- Will Seattle teachers stick around?
- Who leaked SPD info to the media?
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 30, 2022.
After KUOW and The Seattle Times revealed that the Seattle Police Department's sexual assault unit was understaffed amid the recent loss of officers and detectives, an investigation was launched into who at SPD leaked the info. The Office of Police Accountability is looking into how an internal memo was leaked to the media. KUOW Reporter Ashley Hiruko is not divulging where and how she received any information. Watching her work up close, I doubt she ever will (frankly, I'm a little afraid of her).
Read the full story here.
Tukwila is considering an initiative that will raise the city's minimum wage by about $3. This would match the surrounding areas' wages, and hopefully draw in more workers. That's the argument put forward by initiative organizers. I would also put forth the notion that inflation is changing our financial landscape, which is something employers throughout our region are going to have to deal with. I'm no economic rocket surgeon, but even I can add up the fact that inflation has generally wavered between 1-ish and 2-ish percent, but we are now experiencing up to 6-ish percent. This means food is costing more and gas prices are way up there. Rent is always going higher. And Washington families who say they have a "very difficult time" meeting household expenses have gone from 4% to 10% within a year. If I was a Western Washington employer right now, I'd start thinking about worker retention and pay.
It's been pretty busy in the Today So Far Blog lately. Police caught a Bothell man mailing hard drives to people in the U.S. and overseas. What's wrong with that? Nothing ... except for when the hard drives are filled with meth. Also, the King County Council wants to change when you vote. One problem election officials have noticed is that fewer voters participate in odd-year elections — when there aren't any presidential, gubernatorial, or other high-profile races. So the county wants to move less popular elections to even-numbered years with the hope that more people will pay attention and vote. The idea has some naysayers, however, and ultimately you're going to decide on this issue.
And a third of Seattle teachers say they don't plan to stick around town in five years. The teachers' union surveyed its members (while it's engaged in negotiations), and among the takeaways is that many teachers don't see themselves in Seattle after that amount of time. Some indicate that they will leave the education field altogether.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
Initiative to boost Tukwila's minimum wage moves forward
There is a new initiative to increase Tukwila's minimum wage by over $3.
The Tukwila City Council can pass the initiative, or voters will get to decide in the November election.
Katie Wilson is the campaign organizer of Raise The Wage Tukwila. Wilson said many who signed the initiative thought it was reasonable for Tukwila workers to make similar wages as surrounding cities.
"A lot of people in Tukwila commute to Seatac or Seattle for jobs," Wilson said. "Partly because minimum wage is higher in those cities. Maybe, they would like to work closer to home. But, the jobs in Tukwila don't pay as much."
Tukwila currently pays Washington state's minimum wage of $14.49. If the initiative passes the wage will be boosted to rates matching Seatac's minimum pay for hospitality and transportation workers. That's $17.54. Larger employers, 501 or more employees, in Seattle pay a minimum of $17.27.
Wilson says the initiative will go after low-paying jobs at the Westfield South Center mall, transportation and airport-related jobs, warehouse jobs and more.
If the initiative passes, large businesses with 501 or more worldwide employees will pay the new rate beginning July 2023. Businesses with less employees will have three years to adjust to the proposed wage. The smallest businesses, less than 15 employees, will be exempt and continue to follow the state's minimum wage.
Organizers of the initiative collected more than 3,000 signatures, nearly double the required amount, to bring the minimum wage issue to the Tukwila City Council for consideration.
The Council is expected to discuss the initiative in July. If council members don't pass it, then voters will get to decide via the November ballot.
Continue reading » -
King County council members want to change when you vote
The King County Council has approved a plan that calls for switching elections to even numbered years. But the ultimate decision is not theirs — voters will give the final approval or denial.
Council Chair Claudia Balducci is hoping voters will sign off on the idea when they vote on the measure this November.
“Our democracy is strongest when the people who are elected to represent the electorate are elected by most of the electorate," Balducci said.
Records show that voter turnout in odd-numbered years drops to an average of 47%, compared to 77% in even years. Even numbered years are when presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional elections happen, and voters are more likely to turn in their ballots for those races. That's why Balducci supports the switch.
But Councilmember Reagan Dun does not like the idea.
“My worry here is we get into a situation here where the voters are working on these presidential and congressional and gubernatorial races, forgetting about the local, county council members and execs," Dunn said.
Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer both voted against the measure. Still, it's going to the voters in November.
Continue reading » -
The slow coup: Today So Far
- While speaking with KUOW's "Soundside," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee comments on the "continuing coup effort" following Jan. 6.
- Washington's proposed carbon pollution plan is garnering some criticism because not everybody would have to follow the new rules.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 29, 2022.
The congressional hearings into the January 6 riot continue to reveal more and more about that day, and provide further evidence that it was indeed an insurrection (as I've said before in this newsletter, just because they were bad at it, doesn't mean it wasn't an insurrection).
If you ask Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, it was a coup — an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power by someone who lost an election. It was deterred by Americans who not only did their jobs, they stood their ground as patriots. People like Vice President Mike Pence, who kept America's process on track.
"This is a continuing coup effort. It is not finished," Inslee told KUOW, shortly after hearing Tuesday's testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aid to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
"I think the most important thing of this testimony is to understand the depravity, number one, of Donald Trump," Inslee said. "But number two, to understand how democracy is continuing under a threat. Now it's under threat from multiple sources — the filibuster, gerrymandering, the court packing that gave us these (recent Supreme Court) decisions."
It's also under threat from people who have taken their ideology to the ballot, whether because of misinformation, a dedication to a culture war, or other (take your pick). Here in Washington, conspiracy theory-driven candidates have run for office, and have been elected to office. And more are coming in November's election. Candidates like Washington's Loren Culp and Joe Kent, and a handful of hopefuls in smaller races, have promoted the unproven, and disproven, notion that the 2020 election was stolen.
Such ideological camps have always existed in our region. But there has been a modern movement to achieve legitimacy and influence through the ballot. And perhaps now, this movement is a slow coup in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021. Gov. Inslee's conversation with KUOW's "Soundside" covered a lot more than Jan. 6, such as removing local dams, and abortion rights. Hear/read more of that discussion here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
Councilmember wants King County to come up with a plan to clean homeless encampments
King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn wants the county to come up with a plan to clear homeless encampments. He's targeting an encampment along the Green River for the first job.
He says that King County currently does not clear such encampments in unincorporated areas, and doesn't have any procedures in place to do so.
That's why he's introducing legislation that he says would create an interagency task force to handle that work.
Dunn says he hopes the encampment along the Green River between Auburn and Kent can be used as a pilot project for the proposed plan. He's targeting it because he says it's the largest in the region, and has been active for years. He says neighbors have complained about the camp for three years.
“The conditions we are seeing at the Green River encampment are deplorable and inhumane — littered with human feces, infested with pests, and filled with stolen goods,” Dunn said. “This is no way for anyone to live, and certainly not fair to the surrounding community that deserves a neighborhood that is safe and clean. To make progress, we must start setting boundaries on what is acceptable, address the root causes of homelessness head on and get folks into shelters and into treatment. This legislation gives us the opportunity to learn the best way to do that.”
The proposal comes amid Dunn's run for Congress. He is challenging incumbent Democrat Kim Schrier for Washington's 8th Congressional District seat. Dunn is the most high-profile Republican attempting to take the district back from Democrats after it flipped.
Dunn has therefore made headlines on recent hot topics, such as high gas prices or abortion.
Continue reading » -
Bothell man sentenced for mail order meth crime
A Bothell man accused of using computer hard drives and the U.S. Postal Service to distribute methamphetamine around the world has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.
The dru- dealing endeavor rivals a plot from a "Breaking Bad" script. Ryan Kane, 34, was using hard drives to hide meth, which he then mailed inside the United States and across the globe.
Law enforcement agents intercepted two packages Kane sent to Australia. The packages contained computer hard drives. But upon closer inspection, those hard drives were filled with drugs.
“Mr. Kane was distributing nearly pure and addictive methamphetamine across the world, concealed in computer hard drives,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. "He used the Dark Web to conceal his identity and make dangerous drugs available as far away as Australia and New Zealand.”
Kane pleaded guilty to a charge of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute in March.
Law enforcement became aware of Kane after noticing his online vendor account on the Dark Web. Kane was using the account to sell mail order meth. Detectives searched his Bothell home in July 2021 and found more hard drives, containing what added up to three kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride. They also found artwork that related to his Dark Web vendor account.
Continue reading » -
1/3 of Seattle teachers say they're not sticking around in 5 years
Only 1/3 of Seattle Public School teachers say they see themselves still working for the school district in five years, according to a new study from the Seattle Education Association.
The association, which serves as the teacher's union, also found that a third of educators said they plan to leave the district, or get out of education altogether in five years.
The union says these findings show the district needs to "take action if it's going to retain experienced educators."
This summer, the Union and the district will negotiate what's being described as the first full contract opening since the pandemic. The current contract expires on August 31.
The survey of union members also found that:
- 93% are working beyond contract hours
- 25% are working 10+ additional hours per week
- 77% don’t get the support they need from the superintendent and other district leadership to be successful in their jobs.
-
Are the drones finally upon us?: Today So Far
- Amazon says it's ready to fly its delivery drones.
- Answering common questions in the wake of overturning Roe v Wade.
- Congress says it has new evidence for today's hearing on the January 6 insurrection.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 28, 2022.
It seems like every year that goes by, there's a story about how Amazon has a grand plan to deliver packages via drones. And we keep waiting. Well, it finally seems like this is the year it happens.
Amazon will officially start delivering packages via drones straight to front doors, or back yards, in a small Northern California town. Lockeford has about 3,500 residents who will serve as guinea-pig customers for the drone deliveries. Though, I will point out that despite presenting a plan to test the drones in Lockeford, Amazon is still saying the small-town test will happen sometime later this year. So we're still waiting.
As Northwest News Network's Tom Banse reports, it's been touch and go for Amazon leading up to this point ... as well as a few crashes. Amazon has been testing drone models in Eastern Oregon. They weigh about 85 pounds. Apparently, the drones have been crashing quite a bit during the testing process — on a monthly basis between May 2021 and last February. But now the company says it's ready. If this works, it really could change the whole buying/delivering lifestyle that continues to grow in our society.
Folks are still processing the overturning of Roe v Wade. It was a big discussion during Pride weekend. And with that comes a lot of questions. So KUOW has compiled answers to some common questions about what will happen in Washington state following the decision.
Washington state's top officials and lawmakers are now gearing up for battles ahead over abortion rights and more. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is preparing for legal fights with states that implement abortion bans. Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal says that she is discussing a package of protections with colleagues. That package would not only address abortion rights, but also issues related to contraception and marriage equality. Passing such laws through Congress could protect such rights from later Supreme Court decisions. Of course, to do that, they're probably going to need some more Democrats in DC, and they know it.
Washington Democrats are also planning on codifying abortion rights in the state Constitution. The state GOP is commenting, however, that Democrats are using the recent news to distract "from their record on public safety and affordability." Read more here.
We have another hearing on the January 6 insurrection today. This time, Congress members say they have "recently obtained evidence" that they want to present. I don't know what that could be, but it sounds so cryptic and intriguing, like a sudden plot twist in a Perry Mason episode (or Matlock if that's more your thing ... or perhaps "My Cousin Vinny"). KUOW is streaming the live proceedings, which you can watch here.
Want more updates? Check out the Today So Far Blog!
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
Teatro ZinZanni is returning to Seattle
Teatro ZinZanni is returning to the Seattle area this fall. The circus dinner theater will pop up in Sodo Park, from mid November through February 2023.
An exclusive ticket presale begins in August.
An announcement on its websites states:
"SEATTLE, WE’RE COMING HOME. This holiday season, prepare to be ZinZanni’ed once again! In partnership with the incredible SODO Park venue and its award-winning catering team Herban Feast, audiences can look forward to nights of international cirque, comedy, cabaret, and fine dining – all in ZinZanni’s signature style."
Teatro ZinZanni has been around for nearly 25 years and have performed at different locations. The troupe spent a considerable stretch of time at a spot in Lower Queen Anne, before moving to a temporary site in Marymoor Park. After that, it popped up in Woodinville. Financial hardships from the pandemic prompted that last location to close in September 2020.
The Seattle Times reports many veteran and other key staff who were let go in 2020 will be hired back for the upcoming shows, which the owner hopes will serve as a prelude to a more permanent and full-time operation next year.
More updates on KUOW's Today So Far Blog!
Continue reading » -
Washington state's Democrats start planning in wake of Roe v Wade overturn
Local democratic leaders are laying out their strategy to secure abortion rights in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
It involves new laws, more funding, and increasing the number of Democrats in power.
U.S. representative Pramila Jayapal says she and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been texting back and forth about a package of new bills. But Jayapal says they’d have to get past the senate.
“So what we must do is elect two more Democratic pro-choice senators who are willing to overturn the filibuster or at a minimum carve out important exceptions to protect our rights," Jayapal said.
Jayapal said she wants to codify "rights" the Supreme Court may examine next, such as rights protecting contraceptives and same-sex marriage.
Meanwhile, the Washington state Democratic Party is also looking for ways to secure a two-thirds majority for their party so it can be large enough to amend the state constitution.
But Washington's Republican Party says Democrats are "posturing ... and making abortion a central campaign issue to distract from their record on public safety and affordability."
Continue reading »