

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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Dolly Parton to visit WA in celebration of children's book program
Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton has plans to visit Olympia on Aug. 15 in celebration of her children’s library program going statewide in Washington.
Parton’s “Imagination Library” allows children up to age 5 to receive a free, age-appropriate book each month.
Parton’s visit will include a fireside chat with the singer and a performance. The Aug. 15 event is invitation-only and will be live streamed on TVW starting at 2:30 p.m. Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed the day “Imagination Library of Washington Day.”
“It is important to get high quality books to children from a young age and ensure that their families, and their unique races, ethnicities and identities are well-represented among the selection of books,” Inslee said in a statement.
Parton launched her first Imagination Library program in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, inspired by her father’s struggle with illiteracy. Since then, the Imagination Library has been established in five countries, gifting over 2.4 million free books to children worldwide each month. As of March, Parton’s program had provided a total of more than 200 million books, according to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
The Imagination Library of Washington was founded in June 2022 and is sponsored via a partnership with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and is operated by United Ways of the Pacific Northwest.
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$142K salary needed to afford a 'starter' home in Seattle, Redfin reports
A "starter" home in Seattle looks a lot different than elsewhere in the United States — it's a lot more expensive and you need to earn a lot more to afford it.
“Buyers searching for starter homes in today’s market are on a wild goose chase because in many parts of the country, there’s no such thing as a starter home anymore,” Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in a statement.
According to recent data published by Redfin, a first-time homebuyer needs to earn about $64,000 annually to afford a “typical” starter home in the United States. That is up 13%, which is about $7,200, from a year ago. Such a home was selling for $243,000 in June, which Redfin notes is 2.1% higher than June 2022. In 2019, a first-time home cost around $166,500 in the United States.
“The most affordable homes for sale are no longer affordable to people with lower budgets due to the combination of rising prices and rising rates," Bokhari said. "That’s locking many Americans out of the housing market altogether, preventing them from building equity and ultimately building lasting wealth. People who are already homeowners are sitting pretty, comparatively, because most of them have benefited from home values soaring over the last few years. That could lead to the wealth gap in this country becoming even more drastic.”
The national numbers pale in comparison to Seattle where the median sale price of a starter home is around $535,000. Redfin reports that a person needs to earn $141,794 a year to afford this type of property, with a median mortgage payment of $3,545. That's 4.4% higher than a year ago.
Redfin notes that starter home prices declined over the past year in Seattle, as well as Portland, and other large West Coast cities. But the income required to afford those homes is now higher than in 2022. That's largely because of higher mortgage rates.
For a non-starter home, Redfin reported last November that a person needs to earn $205,000 annually to afford one in Seattle.
It's also worth noting that luxury home prices in Seattle are also down — they declined 12.3% over the past year. That's the largest decline in the USA, but don't get your hopes up. The price for such Seattle luxury homes is around $2.5 million.
If you're looking for a better deal, homebuyers may want to consider looking around Phoenix, Arizona. That's among the top destinations for out-of-town, and out-of-state homebuyers right now, and Seattleites are leading the pack.
Another Redfin report on housing migrations adds up the top cities homebuyers are targeting for cheaper prices.
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Seattle proposes $1 million grant toward Cinerama reopening
Plans to revamp and reopen the Cinerama movie theater in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood might get a boost Tuesday when the Seattle City Council votes on a $1 million grant to help with the restoration.
The iconic theater has been closed for more than three years. Cinerama owners abruptly shut the theater and laid off employees in February 2020. The ensuing Covid-19 pandemic threatened to keep the theater doors closed indefinitely.
But hope for the theater's revival took a positive turn in May, when the Seattle International Film Festival announced that it had purchased Cinerama from former Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and planned to renovate and reopen it later this year under a new name.
The $1 million grant from the city will help to revitalize the downtown core, create jobs, and foster the arts, said Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who sponsored the legislation.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support in advancing this critical investment to re-open the Cinerama and activate our Downtown,” Lewis said in a statement. “The public benefits unlocked by this proposal will further strengthen our reputation as a center of film culture.”
Lewis said money for the proposed grant comes from higher than expected tax revenues. King County has proposed legislation to match the city’s contribution to the theater project.
Cinerama first opened in 1963. It faced demolition in the 1990s, but Allen stepped in and purchased the theater, which became an iconic landmark for film lovers in the downtown core.
Cinerama was renovated in 2014 with a new laser projector, modern sound system, leather seats, local food offerings, and a liquor license.
The proposal for the $1 million city grant passed out of the council’s Finance and Housing Committee Wednesday and goes up for a vote before the full Council next Tuesday, Aug. 8.
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Amazon takes Washington regulators to court over alleged safety violations
Amazon managers and employees are testifying this week in a trial that could determine how the company operates its warehouses in Washington state.
The dispute is between Amazon and the state’s Department of Labor and Industries, which says it has found numerous safety violations in warehouses in the state.
Investigators say warehouse workers are at heightened risk of injury because their jobs require repetitive motion in a tough work environment. Amazon appealed the citations, claiming it hasn’t broken the law and is improving its safety record.
"We leveraged several administrative controls around job rotation, workplace and rule training, our 'working well' program, which was a health, wellness and ergonomics program," testified Evan Shobe, a former Amazon manager, during the trial Wednesday.
Labor and Industries wants Amazon to make changes to its warehouses that it says would reduce injury risk. But Amazon says those changes would be costly and disruptive.
“We look forward to showing that L&I’s allegations are inaccurate and don’t reflect the reality of safety at Amazon," said spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel in a statement.
It’s rare for the state to bring a case over so-called ergonomics issues, but Amazon has created a unique work environment to power its e-commerce business. That’s landed the company in hot water with state and federal regulators.
The Strategic Organizing Center is a coalition of unions pushing for more government oversight of Amazon warehouses in Washington and beyond.
"We expect to see finally the details of Amazon’s failure to respond to the injury crisis, despite the company’s having people, policies and procedures to do so," said the organization's Eric Frumin during a press conference at the start of the trial. "We expect the trial to reveal the consequences of that failure on the working lives of hundreds of injured Amazon employees.”
The trial began in late July and is expected to run through September.
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What was the primary message? Today So Far
Primary 2023 election results are in. What do they say about the race for Seattle City Council?
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 2, 2023.
Quick hits
- Withering heat is more common, but getting AC is still a struggle in public housing
- Hear it Again: An ode to the 'makers' of Washington state
- Surf's up! Wave heights increase on California's coasts as climate warms
Primary election results are in! Seattle voters have sent their first message this election season, and that message is ... uhhh?
I like the way KUOW's David Hyde put it: "It’s not yet clear what message Seattle voters are sending." I also like how KUOW Editor Catharine Smith put it while chatting on "Seattle Now": "If I could compare this primary election to Christmas morning — everyone is getting socks ... kind of boring, nothing fancy, no big drama. Just socks." But there are a few takeaways as we now look toward the November election.
There were three incumbents on the primary ballot, and each of them have taken in the most votes in their races. Tammy Morales in District 2 is on the defund-police side of issues, and has stuck with that stance for this campaign. Dan Strauss in District 6 was previously open to police budget cuts, though he recently campaigned on the message that "defund the police was a mistake" while hyping his support of police. And Andrew Lewis in District 7 has received criticism for swinging his vote. All three incumbents came out ahead (Morales has 48%; Strauss has 51%; and Lewis has 41%).
KUOW's Amy Radil points out that while Lewis did get the most votes, his 41% is the weakest of the incumbents. It's still a bit ahead of second place — Bob Kettle at 33%.
That brings us to my usual reminder that I roll out every election: Ballots will continue to be counted in the days ahead and results could shift. That's more true for general elections, and not as many folks vote in primaries, but still, we'll be watching. The other thing about this primary is that there were so many candidates running — more than 40 across all districts. It's not uncommon for folks to start calculating where votes will shift from failed primary candidates to those on November's general ballot. But with so many candidates, that calculation is difficult.
As for that "message" that we're looking for from this election, there are two races where I think that could be delivered in November, judging from these initial primary results.
For an incumbent race, we have Tammy Morales against Tanya Woo in District 2. Morales' 48% is just a smidge away from Woo's 45%. As Hyde notes, Morales "ventures furthest left among the incumbent council members running." Woo, however, is more closely aligned with Mayor Bruce Harrell's center lane approach to issues like public safety, housing, and homelessness. Woo came onto the political radar when she helped stop the expansion of a homeless shelter in the Chinatown-International District, and for her role with the CID's block watch, a group that aids and reaches out to the local homeless community.
For a non-incumbent race, Maren Costa and Rob Saka in District 1 present another fork in the road. Initial primary results show Costa with 29% and Saka with 25%. They appear to be attracting different groups of supporters. Costa boasts most support from a range of unions, plus the National Women's Political Caucus, King County Democrats, and The Stranger. Saka has received high fives from The Seattle Times, 34th District Democrats, VoteVets, local hospitality and restaurant businesses, and the Affordable Housing Council. Both have support from various elected officials, as well as community members. Though Costa's community support leans more into the activist/advocate end of the spectrum while Saka's is more on the local business/community leader side of things. Once again, this is a blue vs blue election. It's just a question about which shade of blue voters feel can be effective.
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Washington state has a new hit-and-run alert system
Washington's new hit-and-run alert system went live Tuesday, allowing police to notify media and anyone who signs up about hit-and-runs in the state.
The Washington State Patrol is behind the new system, which is a two-year pilot program.
“Last year, our state saw over 300 hit-and-run collisions resulting in serious injury or death. In many of those situations, information about the fleeing vehicle was available that, if widely disseminated, might have helped us find a dangerous driver,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste in a statement. “We are working with our partners in law enforcement across the state and in highway safety at WSDOT to get the word out about these often devastating crimes.”
The Washington State Department of Transportation will also post identifying information about hit-and-run drivers on highway message signs when a crash results in an injury or death.
For an alert to be sent, a hit-and-run incident must be reported to police, an injury or death is reported, and enough information about the vehicle is available.
“If you see or hear the alert and then see what you think might be the suspect vehicle, call 911 and report your location,” Chief Batiste said. “DO NOT ENGAGE with the vehicle or driver under any circumstances. Let our troopers and our fine local law enforcement officers do their jobs in safely and professionally contacting suspect vehicles. Let’s all do our part to keep the roadways and one another safer.”
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First ballot drop suggests battle ahead for Seattle's downtown district
Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis received the most votes in District 7 in the first ballot drop on Tuesday — but his 41 percent was the weakest showing of the council’s three incumbents.
Lewis and retired Navy officer Bob Kettle are leading in initial results for the downtown district.
Public safety has been an overarching theme in their race. Lewis says his top priority is to pass Mayor Bruce Harrell’s new plan to restrict public drug use.
“Really looking forward to getting that over the finish line to make sure people are well cared for but also that people are held accountable in the City of Seattle,” he said.
Kettle, Lewis’ potential opponent in the general election, said he also supports that plan. But he said Lewis’ initial support for defunding police laid the groundwork for the city’s problems.
“The actions that they took led to the massive loss of police officers, the actions that they took created the permissive environment,” Kettle said.
Kettle noted a majority of initial district votes did not go to Lewis. Business owner Olga Sagan came in third, with 14 percent of the vote.
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Tammy Morales sticks with defund police message, leads in South Seattle council race
Tammy Morales, the incumbent Seattle City councilmember for District 2, south Seattle, is narrowly leading after Tuesday night’s ballot drop.
Morales, who took office in 2020, was a strong supporter of the defunding of the police movement during the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests.
Other councilmembers have backpedaled their support for the movement, but Morales still firmly stands with it.
She recently repeated her views about the need to divert funds from the Seattle Police Department into different purposes after last week’s shooting at the Rainier Beach Safeway.
“That was a situation where our community based organizations that are doing work every night to make sure our communities stay safe, need more support,” Morales said.
“Police don't prevent crime. We need to be investing in the things that can prevent crime. And that means changing the community conditions that lead to violence in the first place.”
Both Morales and her opponent Tanya Woo will move into the November election if they remain the top two candidates.
Morales leads by about 300 votes over her opponent Tanya Woo. Woo is running for the first time and grew up in the Chinatown -International District.
Woo also led the movement to stop a proposed expansion of a homeless shelter in the Chinatown-International District and other neighborhoods.
Morales said she’s confident ballot results will continue to be in her favor.
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What message did Seattle voters send in the Aug. 1 primary?
When voters aren’t happy, they typically punish the elected officials in power. It happened two years ago when City Council President Lorena González lost her race for mayor against Bruce Harrell by nearly 20 percentage points.
But after the first ballot count in the Aug. 1 primary election this year, it’s not yet clear what message Seattle voters are sending on the issues they tell pollsters they’re most frustrated about – homelessness and public safety.
There are seven City Council seats on the ballot this year. Forty-five people are vying for these seats. Only three incumbents sought re-election, which means four districts are wide open, adding to the uncertainty.
Among the incumbents, Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6: Ballard area) did the best with over 50% after the first count. Strauss was first elected as a part of a progressive wave in 2019. His closest opponent, Fremont Chamber of Commerce head and former bar owner Pete Hanning, had 29%.
Hanning hopes to draw a contrast on public safety, and promises to make it his top priority, which includes greater support for the Seattle Police Department as well as police reform.
Councilmember Tammy Morales did second best of the incumbents, with 48% after the first count. She represents District 2, which runs from the Chinatown International District down to Beacon Hill.
District 2 voters are among the most progressive in the city. On the issues, Morales, who also won for the first time in 2019, ventures furthest left among the incumbent council members running this year.
She told KUOW she would cut the Seattle police budget, for example, if it were the only way to pay for alternatives to policing and programs to address the root causes of crime. Just this week, Morales voted to support a rent control ordinance sponsored by Socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant. That measure was ultimately defeated 6-2.
Running more to the center in District 2, Tanya Woo, an activist in Chinatown-International District, came in a close second with 45% after first count. Woo is closer to Mayor Bruce Harrell on the issues and supports his policies of clearing homeless encampments and RVs. Nor would she vote to cut the Seattle police budget.
In District 7 which includes downtown, Andrew Lewis earned the fewest votes among the incumbents, with 41% after the first count.
Some election experts say anything below 45% could spell trouble for an incumbent in the general election, but there are still many more votes to be counted in the primary and many months before the general election.
Lewis was also elected in 2019, in part with strong financial support from labor. On election night, challenger and Navy veteran Bob Kettle was at 33%, vowing to crack down on crime and help downtown businesses recover from the pandemic.
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Seattle city council incumbents likely headed to general election
All three incumbents running in Seattle’s City Council primary election appeared likely to advance to the general election, as of Tuesday night.
More mail-in ballots will be tallied later this week, and these results could change in the days ahead. But for now, things are looking good for Tammy Morales (District 2: South Seattle), Dan Strauss (District 6: Ballard area) and Andrew Lewis (District 7: Downtown and Queen Anne). All three are currently serving their first term on the council.
Strauss had 8,754 votes (50.8%), as of the first ballot drop — the most of any candidate for City Council so far.
Lewis had 4,894 (40.9%), and Morales had 5,624 (48.1%).
A total of 45 candidates are vying for seven council seats in this primary race. The top-two vote-getters in each district will advance to the general election this November. City Council seats are non-partisan, meaning candidates don’t have to declare a political party affiliation.
In District 2, which includes the Chinatown-International District and stretches down to Beacon Hill, Tanya Woo was also leading on election night with 5,305 votes (45.4%). A third candidate in that district, Margaret Elisabeth, was also on the ballot in this district. They’d received 694 votes (5.9%) as of Tuesday night.
Pete Hanning was also top of the pack in District 6 – which includes Magnolia, Greenlake, Ballard, Fremont and others – with 5,106 votes (29.6%) on election night. Four other candidates are running in this district.
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Election results: 2023 primary in Seattle and King County
This is the first drop of primary election results from August 1, 2023, for Seattle and King County. This was last updated on Tuesday evening; there will be more updates as ballots are counted this week.
Proposition 1: Crisis care centers in King County
Approved: 69.5 %
Rejected: 30.5%
City of Seattle, Council District No. 1
Lucy Barefoot: 3.3%
Stephen Brown: 6.5%
Jean Iannelli Craciun: 3.4%
Rob Saka: 25.4%
Preston Anderson: 8.5%
Maren Costa: 29%
Mia Jacobson: 2.2%
Phil Tavel: 21.4%
City of Seattle, Council District No. 2
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Can Mayor Harrell get the Seattle City Council's favor? Today So Far
- There's a new plan to craft a drug law in Seattle. Will the council approve?
- PACs and Seattle's elections.
- Pickleball vs tennis.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 1, 2023.
Quick hits
- Would rent control slow new housing construction if it passes in Seattle?
- Tri-Cities advocates fighting human trafficking work to slow crime during busiest summer weekend
- New bureau for people with Blake-related drug convictions in Washington goes live
Mac vs PC. Star Trek vs Star Wars. BBC's 1995 "Pride And Prejudice" vs "Bridget Jones' Diary." These are the debates we have. And now ... pickleball vs tennis?
That's the takeaway I got from the demonstration that followed the Seattle Open pickleball tournament. The event wrapped up last weekend, and you may recall that there was some drama leading up to it. Seattle's pickleball courts weren't in good enough condition for the tournament, so the Professional Pickleball Association footed the bill to give some local tennis courts a facelift, converting them to pickleball standards. But following the event, the sites were converted back into tennis courts.
That rubbed pickleball fans the wrong way. They argue that since pickleball's popularity has skyrocketed, the city needs to nix its tennis courts in favor of their preferred game. A group has started a campaign to get the city to create 24 new pickleball courts by 2024. And to make their point to city leaders, they held a "funeral." Read all about that here.
When people running for office sign up for Seattle's Democracy Voucher Program, they agree to a certain funding format — take small donations. Thankfully for some candidates, there are PACs.
In short, people can only donate so much to political candidates, and those candidates have campaign funding rules. But Political Action Committees have the ability to raise and spend money as they see fit. In Seattle's case, a PAC called the University Neighbors Committee is backing District 4 council candidate Maritza Rivera.
KUOW's David Hyde points to this PAC as an example of how such funding has increased ever since the city's Democracy Voucher Program kicked in six years ago. Former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal lives over in Issaquah. He donated a total of $20,000 to two PACs ($10,000 each). There are about 18 major donors to these groups. Those PACs are supporting certain council candidates in Seattle. You may see this result in advertisements for or against candidates. For the full story, read here.
Mayor Bruce Harrell is more concerned with the current Seattle City Council right now. He's got a new plan and he is seeking its favor.
Remember back in June when the council voted down a public drug use proposal? It was meant to align the city's code with the state law on this. Following that rejection, Harrell formed a task force to come up with a proposal that could get the approval of a majority of the council. He's now submitted a new bill for the council to consider.
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