John Ryan
Reporter
About
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and took on the environment beat in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region. He has also investigated toxic air pollution, landslides, failed cleanups, and money in politics for KUOW.
Over a quarter century as an environmental journalist, John has covered everything from Arctic drilling to Indonesian reef bombing. He has been a reporter at NPR stations in southeast and southwest Alaska (KTOO-Juneau and KUCB-Unalaska) and at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. John’s stories have won multiple national awards for KUOW, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi awards for Public Service in Radio Journalism and for Investigative Reporting, national Edward R. Murrow and PMJA/PRNDI awards for coverage of breaking news, and a Society of Environmental Journalists award for in-depth reporting.
He is a shop steward for KUOW’s SAG-AFTRA newsroom union and believes democracy only works when journalism holds the powerful accountable for their words and actions.
John welcomes tips, documents and feedback from listeners. Reach him at jryan@kuow.org or for secure, encrypted communication, he's at heyjohnryan@protonmail.com or 1-401-405-1206 on the Signal messaging app.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, some Spanish
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA shop steward
Stories
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Year's lowest tides coming to Puget Sound
The lowest tides of the year are coming to Puget Sound starting this weekend.
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Researchers tackle asthma hotspot: Seattle’s Duwamish Valley
People in the 98108 ZIP code are nearly four times more likely to end up in the hospital with asthma than King County residents overall. Duwamish Valley has twice the poverty rate of Seattle and is mostly people of color.
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Who likes a hotter climate? Northwest mosquitoes
A warming climate has meant better conditions for mosquitoes in much of the Northwest.
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Students chain selves to smokestack to light climate fire under UW
“We're chained to the power plant right now."
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Spring heatwave prompts emergency shellfish-safety rule
Following a four-day wave of record-breaking springtime heat, health officials banned commercial shellfish harvesting anywhere local water temperatures exceed 70 degrees.
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Seattle sees 4 days in a row of record springtime heat
Seattle, Bellingham, and Olympia all broke temperature records on Monday. For Seattle and Olympia, it was the fourth record-breaking day in a row.
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Northwest's spring heatwave continues
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Incoming Northwest heatwave 5x more likely due to climate change
Temperatures on Sunday and Monday could hit 90 degrees in Seattle, about 20 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service.
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Homeless man charged with derailing Tacoma oil train
Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 65-year-old homeless man with derailing an oil train as it approached the Port of Tacoma.
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Northwest waters buck global heating trend (for now)
Temperatures in the world's oceans surged to new levels in April, nearing an average of 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time on record, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.