Ashley Hiruko
Investigative Reporter
About
Ashley Hiruko reports on topics involving policing and the behind-the-scenes conduct of city leaders. Her investigations have examined police killings, allegations of abuse and sex trafficking, and labor issues.
She lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and Maltese.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Past President, Western Washington Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
Stories
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Ethics concerns surface from Bruce Harrell’s time as Seattle City Council president
Emails recently obtained by KUOW show that during his time as the Seattle City Council president, Mayor Bruce Harrell directed his staff to perform administrative tasks for the Royal Esquire Club — whose board he chaired at the time — potentially violating city ethics rules.
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Seattle spent millions on hotel rooms to shelter unhoused people. Then it stopped filling them
Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.
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New records detail fear, deception as Seattle investigated former police chief Diaz for hiring girlfriend
Seattle’s Office of Inspector General has released a long-awaited trove of documents undergirding the investigation that led Mayor Bruce Harrell to fire then-Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz for dishonesty last December.
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She died by suicide after being fired. Her family is suing UW, saying superiors ignored her cries for help
Jeanne Price told KUOW that leadership at the University of Washington Department of Laboratory Medicine knew her daughter was struggling with her mental health, but acted quickly to fire her before she could file for disability leave.
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Monisha Harrell alleges a toxic work environment under uncle, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell
Monisha Harrell was the first Black lesbian senior deputy mayor in the City of Seattle’s history, and she also says that her tenure with the city was marred by bullying and sexism. Ashley Hiruko, KUOW's investigative reporter, broke the story.
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Monisha Harrell breaks silence on her uncle – and former boss – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell
Monisha Harrell describes the mayor’s office as being a dog-eat-dog environment where white male advisors vied for power and influence. She said her experience, as a high-level woman ignored by the mayor and his lieutenants, is not unique at City Hall.
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Woman says she was 8 months pregnant when Seattle Mayor Harrell pulled gun on her, leading to his 1996 arrest
Rose Sanchez may not remember every detail of the encounter between her family and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell from that late night in 1996. But there are details she told KUOW she’ll never forget, like when Harrell drove slowly past the group and pointed his silver pistol at them.
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Seattle Mayor Harrell misled officer during 1996 arrest: police report unearthed
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell misled police in 1996 before being arrested at a riverboat casino in Iowa, a police report that surfaced this week alleges.
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Seattle Mayor Harrell says he was racially profiled in 1996 firearm arrest
KUOW has uncovered a controversial period in the life of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell -- one that he's rarely discussed in public. In 1996, while at a casino in Iowa, Harrell brandished a gun in a late-night confrontation over a parking spot.
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Firings and bad vibes hit PNW's federal workers
KUOW investigative reporter Ashley Hiruko joins Sound Politics Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann to discuss the potential impact of the firings, and what it’s like inside federal government buildings right now - from Seattle’s VA hospital to the National Labor Relations Board.