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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Stories
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Costco shareholders reject proposal to investigate the company's DEI policies
Business
A Costco Wholesale building.Costco shareholders have rejected a proposal that questioned the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
The proposal, which was submitted by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., called on Costco’s board to conduct an evaluation of the company’s current DEI roles, policies, and goals.
Preliminary polling indicated 98% of shareholders were against the proposition.
RELATED: Costco defends its diversity policies as other US companies scale theirs back
Tony James, the chairman of Costco’s Board of Directors, urged shareholders to vote against the proposal, emphasizing the company’s commitment to inclusion.
“We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important they all feel included and appreciated, and that they transmit these values to our customers,” James said.
The shareholder who presented the resolution at Thursday's meeting called DEI “illegal, immoral and detrimental to shareholder value."
The shareholder's proposal statement cited roll backs on DEI commitments from companies like Alphabet, Meta, and John Deere, writing, "it's clear that DEI holds litigation, reputational and financial risks" to Costco, and "financial risks to shareholders."
RELATED: Live, love, Costco. Couple searches the globe for warehouse treasures
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Woof! Hundreds more dogs from LA area need Seattle homes
Animals
Dogs from L.A. wait to be loaded into vans at the airport on Sunday, January 12, 2025.KUOW Photo/ Casey MartinSeattle Humane is once again taking in dogs from the Los Angeles area, where devastating fires continue to burn.
Paws for Life K9 Rescue and Wings of Rescue announced Thursday they are flying hundreds more "highly adoptable dogs" out of California to make room in LA shelters. The dogs will be bound for Seattle, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Missoula, Montana, on Sunday morning. Potential adopters not in Seattle will be able to find the refugee pets at Companion Animal Center and the Humane Society of Western Montana respectively.
RELATED: L.A. pets land in Seattle to make room at animal shelters during fires
"By transferring available dogs to locations with greater adoption opportunities, we can help these animals find loving homes while addressing the immediate needs of those canines affected by this natural disaster," Paws for Life said in a statement.
Since the wildfires began in Southern California, Paws for Life has taken in more than 250 dogs and has transported dozens to partner organizations in the region.
Nearly 40 dogs and 18 cats were flown to Seattle earlier this month to escape the fires and free up space for animals separated from their families. Shelters in the LA area have seen an influx of pets they're now trying to reunite with their humans.
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Olympia got Jesse: Gov. Ferguson appoints former journalist to lead Results Washington
Government
Jesse Jones is portrayed on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at KUOW in Seattle.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerInvoking the catchphrase that defined Jesse Jones' career, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that he has hired the former consumer journalist to lead Results Washington.
“Washingtonians know that when there is a problem to be solved, you get Jesse,” Ferguson said in a statement Wednesday. “Government must work better. Jesse’s track record makes him an ideal candidate for this role.”
RELATED: How Jesse Jones made a career of busting scammers
Results Washington was formed in 2013 through an executive order by then Gov. Jay Inslee. Its mission is to improve state government, with a focus on "measurable goals, collecting performance data and conducting regular public performance reviews," according to the announcement.
“Few things frustrate me more than bureaucracy that creates delays, confusion, or extra hurdles when people and businesses need questions answered and results delivered," Jones said in a statement. "Our mission must be to speed up government, improve customer service and center the people in every decision we make.”
The way Ferguson describes Jones' appointment, the goal is to make government more efficient. Jones will not only lead Results Washington, he will also "refocus" the agency with a customer service lens.
The sentiment behind Ferguson's appointment echoes his first speech as governor, when he told lawmakers, “Our state government is bogged down by too much bureaucracy." Ferguson also signed three executive orders on his first day, two of which were targeted at government efficiencies around the construction of affordable housing and also the process of doing business in the state. The orders involve cutting down on time for permits, licenses, and other paperwork.
“I’m not here to defend government,” Ferguson said in his speech. “I’m here to reform it.”
This is not the first time Gov. Ferguson and Jones have crossed paths. After Jones reported on an undisclosed 3% transaction fee at Climate Pledge Arena in 2023, Ferguson was spurred to start a class action case as the state's attorney general. The lawsuit was based on the original news story and led to a $477,900 settlement.
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This time, it's gubernatorial: Gov. Ferguson on how Washington will face another Trump administration
Politics
Democratic governor candidate Bob Ferguson waves to supporters after speaking to a large crowd on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, during the Washington Democrats election night party at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerBob Ferguson became Washington's governor five days before Donald Trump began his second term as president of the United States this week. But Ferguson says that Washington has been prepared for Trump far longer than that.
"At some point early in his first term, I just reached a point of understanding that with him, you have to expect the unexpected," Ferguson said. "That's just the only way to operate with him, and to prepare as aggressively as you can for the unexpected and to put together a team that can challenge him in court and beat him. So, that's been my approach in the past, and that will certainly be my approach going forward."
RELATED: WA Gov. Ferguson takes office, promises big changes:, says "I’m not here to defend government"
In his first interview with KUOW as Washington's governor, Ferguson said he didn't vote for Trump, though he wasn't shocked when he won, and that nothing Trump did on his first day as president surprised him. He said he has become "pretty accustomed to the way he operates" and that Washington has been preparing for the Trump administration for more than a year. That's partially why the state was so quickly able to file a lawsuit challenging one of Trump's executive orders a day after he signed it.
"We are as prepared as we can be. There is no state better prepared. There is no state with a better AG's office," Ferguson said. "There just is not, and I realize that doesn't change the fact that for a lot of people, having Donald Trump in the White House is a change they did not want."
As Washington state's attorney general from 2013 up through less than a week ago, Ferguson was known for suing presidential administrations, from Obama to Biden. He sued the Trump administration 99 times during Trump's first term. Now, as governor, Ferguson said he's already been talking with the new Attorney General's Office (now led by Nick Brown), particularly with the office's civil rights division.
Conflicts between Washington and the Trump administration are expected in the years ahead.
As governor, Ferguson's approach to Trump echoes his approach as an attorney general: If Trump's actions exceed his authority as president, and those actions harm Washingtonians, he'll push back. That means backing up the AG's office, such as helping coordinate with state agencies to help build cases.
RELATED: Key moments from Trump's inaugural address
Ferguson also said his office can work with the state Legislature to adopt laws to better insulate Washington from the Trump administration. For example, he noted other states have passed laws barring out-of-state National Guards from coming in and enforcing a president's agenda. He'd like to see Washington do the same.
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Credit card convenience comes at a price. This Olympia bill aims to change that
Business
Seattle now has the highest minimum wage of any major city in the United StatesPaying by credit card is more common these days. But for each swipe, or tap, the credit card company charges businesses what’s called an interchange fee.
And those fees add up.
Washington state Senate Bill 5070, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldana (D-Seattle), would bar fees on sales taxes and gratuities.
RELATED: Why Trump's tariff promises will be hard to keep
At a recent hearing by the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce, many small businesses applauded the proposal. Owners said these fees are the second highest operating expense for businesses, after labor.
“This is the only business relationship where the service provider takes a non-negotiable cut of their profit,” said Julia Gorton with the Washington Hospitality Association.
Some business owners deduct a portion of those fees from workers’ tips. Saldana's bill would prohibit that practice.
“As we’re seeing, employers are now beginning to even move fully to cashless business models,” said Evan Gallo, who’s worked in the restaurant industry for the past three years. “Which means that I’m going to see a 3% tax on my income, even in spite of the higher minimum wage here.”
RELATED: WA Gov. Ferguson takes office, promises big changes: ‘I’m not here to defend government’
But Glen Simecek of the Washington Bankers Association told the Senate Committee the fees help pay for credit card-related conveniences that consumers expect.
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Pacific Northwest’s busiest volcano predicted to erupt by end of 2025
Environment
A rattail fish visits a remotely operated vehicle at the summit of Axial Seamount while the vehicle takes a temperature measurement in Sept. 2023.University of Washington/National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative/Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionDon’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve never heard of the Northwest’s most active volcano.
It has no national park or ski area named after it. Its heights grace no city’s skyline.
The Axial Seamount is a mile underwater and nearly 300 miles out to sea.
It has erupted three times since 1998, and researchers predict this remote but closely monitored deep-sea mountain will do so again in 2025.
Researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington presented their volcano forecast at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December in Washington, D.C.
Thanks to a dense array of sensors on the volcano’s summit and flanks, scientists know that Axial Seamount has been swelling with magma and getting taller, a sign that it’s ready to go off.
Pressure sensors on the seamount show that the summit has bulged about 10 feet closer to sea level than its depth after the last eruption in 2015.
“It's at a point where it could erupt now, based on that prediction,” said University of Washington geophysicist William Wilcock.
Any Axial eruption would not pose any risk to humans — or the global atmosphere.
“It does this a lot,” geophysicist Michael Poland said of Axial’s eruptions. “People don't notice.”
Poland is with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.
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Disaster aid for Los Angeles could soon be on the way from King County
Government
Saturday, Jan. 11: Kaegan Baron sits amid the rubble of her mother's home, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.John Locher/APKing County officials have approved a plan to send disaster relief to communities impacted by fires in the Los Angeles area.
On Tuesday, the King County Council passed a proposal from Councilmember Reagan Dunn, requesting a county response to the fires that have been raging through L.A. County for the past week.
"It's the middle of January here in Seattle. We don't have a high fire threat, and we do have access to resources that can help," Dunn said.
RELATED: Redmond firefighters felt tug on heartstrings to help fight L.A. fires.
Someday, Dunn warned, Washington state could face a disaster of similar proportions and will need help. And many agencies outside Washington have lent a hand to help the state get through disasters in the past.
"When Mount St. Helens erupted back in the 1980s, governments across the country lended a hand to help us survive," Dunn said.
His legislation calls for sending support like medical supplies and emergency kits to California, plus collaborating with local nonprofits that have ties to Los Angeles.
With the County Council's approval, the proposal will now go to the King County Executive's Office, where a county response will be drafted.
RELATED: L.A. pets land in Seattle to make room at animal shelters during fires
During the Council hearing, Councilmember Rod Dembowski suggested sending semi-permanent housing structures the county used during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are currently sitting in storage.
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Western Washington is having a dry (weather) January, and a cold one
It's not just your friends and coworkers going all out for Dry January this month. Western Washington is getting in on the trend, in its own way. And just like the disposition of your friends and coworkers going dry, the region is likely to be a bit cold, too.
"We are looking [at] a relatively quiet and dry period of weather for Western Washington," said Jeff Michalski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Seattle. "There's a little bit of rain, maybe toward the end of the week, but overall, conditions look to remain dry going into the weekend. Basically a dry, dry pattern for the area."
RELATED: New online dashboard tracks weather-related health incidents in Washington state
Dry and cold. Some corners of the region could get freezing temps this month, with daily lows dipping into the 20s.
Winter is generally the time of year when the region receives the most precipitation, and plenty of snow gets dumped on the mountains. But Michalski added that January 2025 will be "abnormally dry." This means there will be a lull in mountain snow over the next few weeks. Many have been watching mountain conditions after snowpack was considerably lacking over the past couple years, leading to low summer water supply and hampering the region's ability to produce hydropower.
But the Northwest won't stay dry for long. And it will get colder. So, don't forget your booties, because it's gonna be cold out there just in time for Groundhogs Day on Feb. 2.
RELATED: Weird weather isn't always because of climate change — but sometimes it is
“In the next three to four weeks, the precipitation outlook is calling for wetter-than-average conditions. That time period would be late January into early February," Michalski said.
The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center is currently forecasting wetter conditions and below normal temps for January, February, and March. As Michalski said, these conditions are likely to arrive with February.
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3 things to watch as WA's 2025 legislative session kicks off
Politics
A person walks near the Legislative Building, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to stop implementation of a new state legislative district map from taking effect in Washington.APWith the bang of a gavel just after midday Monday, the 105-day legislative session for 2025 began for Washington’s lawmakers in Olympia.
This year, senators and representatives will work with the state’s first new governor in 12 years as they consider ways to close a massive budget gap, and weigh policies on almost everything you can think of, from rent hikes to kimchi.
During her opening day remarks, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) struck an optimistic but somewhat defiant tone, noting that the state’s budget crisis – and the incoming Trump administration – are among the top challenges that will influence lawmakers’ work this year.
“Protecting Washington’s way of life is important,” Jinkins said. “And we’re going to stand up for trans people, for immigrants, and for all Washingtonians who find themselves under attack by those who choose to divide us rather than unite us.”
As the session gets underway, here are three key things to watch:
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Who could fill former Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales' seat? Here are some names
Politics
The sign at Seattle City Hall.Seattle will likely have a new council member before the end of January. The City Council now has a short list of candidates to fill its vacant seat for 2025.
A total of 20 Seattleites are on that short list. They were invited to submit applications, and a financial interest statement, for the vacant District 2 seat earlier this month. Those applications were due on Jan. 9.
The Council is expected to appoint a fill-in member on Jan. 27. That person will have the option of running to keep the position in the November election.
Below are the names of all qualified applicants up for consideration.
- Armas-Amaya, Henry M
- Bulale, Nimco
- Chhuor, Hong
- Debessay, Nahom
- Ducksworth, Adonis E
- Ederer, Takayo M
- Engstrom, Randy
- Gregory, Thaddaeus J
- Harris, Romain R
- Lin, Edward C
- Morrison, Alex
- Nielsen, Erik L
- Ramseur, Rachel
- Rogers, Bishop R
- Salisbury, Chukundi
- Sloan, Steven
- Smith, Mona
- Solomon, Mark A
- Sztainbok, Mark
- Venus, Nakita
A seat on the dais became open when Councilmember Tammy Morales resigned in late 2024, three years before the end of her term. Morales was re-elected to represent District 2 in 2023. That election brought sweeping change to city hall with new council members seeking to change course from the direction the previous council had set. Morales was aligned with that previous council. The new council majority has been viewed as moderate, and Morales became a lone vote on many issues.
In December, when Morales announced she was stepping down, she said that she was "targeted with bullying and gaslighting all year," from other members of the Council, and made a series of other allegations. When speaking with KUOW, Morales added that she believed "this Council is sliding towards really undemocratic behavior."
Council President Sara Nelson disagreed with that characterization of the past year, and told KUOW that she was "frankly shocked and disappointed with the way she has characterized the dynamic on Council and what occurs at the dais." While she wanted to avoid a "tit-for-tat" with Morales' allegations, Nelson did respond to a few points.
Another part of this drama centered on Tanya Woo, who lost the 2023 election against Morales in District 2, but was soon appointed to the Council in early 2024 to fill another vacant seat. Woo ran to keep the position in 2024, but lost the citywide seat to Alexis Mercedes Rinck, a candidate who was expected to be more aligned with Morales' side of the dais. Woo told KUOW that her supporters have been asking her to apply for the new Council appointment. Her name is not among those currently being considered; however, she said she is not ruling out running again for a different position. Woo did raise concerns that the Council lacks Asian representation. A common sentiment in Seattle's Chinatown-International District is that their neighborhood is not represented or listened to at city hall.
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Seattle Humane is taking in pets from California. Here's how you can help
Animals
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.APDozens of pets from California will be in need of homes here in Seattle next week.
Seattle Humane is expecting more than 60 animals to arrive at Boeing Field on Sunday. Spokesperson Brandon Macz said the pets will be vaccinated and checked in on Monday, with many expected to be ready for adoption by Tuesday.
Seattleites are already stepping up to help.
"They haven't even gotten here yet, and people are already offering donations, offering fostering for these pets," he said. "We are hopeful that all the pets will come in looking healthy and ready to be made available for adoption."
Pets from California will be marked online with a special icon to let potential adopters know they're fire rescues. Seattle Humane also noted it needs people to adopt pets already in their shelters, to make more room for those being flown in.
Folks specifically looking to adopt one of the newcomers should plan to act fast, though.
“People cherish pets like their family, and we believe that a lot of these pets will be adopted next week, very early," Macz said. "We can't wait to see them go home."
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These Black-owned Seattle businesses are closing their doors in 2025
Business
Mary Wesley, left, pictured with assistant Sue Grimord. Wesley's flower shop, Flowers Just 4U, has been a fixture in Seattle's Central District since 1984.KUOW Photo/Ruby de LunaIt may be the beginning of a new year, but for some local businesses, 2025 is the beginning of the end.
A handful of longtime, Black-owned businesses in Seattle are signing off. One of the businesses permanently closing is Flowers Just-4-U, which has been a fixture in the Central District since 1984.
RELATED: Last call at Merchant’s Cafe & Saloon: Seattle’s oldest bar set to close
Owner Mary Wesley, or “Miss Mary” as her customers call her, is retiring at 94 years old.
“I’m closing the shop. That’s the sad part,” Wesley said. “But other than that, the retirement is great. I’m looking forward to it.”
This will be Wesley’s second try at retirement. The flower business was her retirement plan after nearly three decades at Boeing.
Over the years, Wesley has seen old buildings torn down to make way for new apartment units. It’s what prompted her to move to the current location on 23rd Avenue and Cherry Street. Soon, the building she’s in will be demolished, too.
RELATED: Bracing for more Seattle traffic as Amazon workers return from vacation
“Moving is no piece of cake,” she said.
Sue Grimord has worked alongside Wesley for the past five years. She said they’ll take their last orders for flowers on Jan. 15. After that, they’ll spend the next two weeks cleaning out the space.
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