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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'Tree equity' on the chopping block in Washington state
Ever since Renton, Washington, hit 109 degrees during the Northwest’s record-shattering heat wave in 2021, officials of the city just south of Seattle have been trying to make Renton more resilient.
“We offer cooling centers, and we offer facilities to the public to escape, but that's not a long-term solution,” said Gabriella Golzarian, Renton’s urban forester. “We definitely need to be planting more trees. We need to be shading the pavement. We need to be shading homes. Not everybody can afford to put in an A/C unit just like that.”
Full shade can lower pavement temperatures 15 degrees, a potentially life-saving benefit during extreme heat, according to Golzarian.
But efforts to bring more shade to cities across the country, especially their less-leafy, lower-income neighborhoods, could wither like ferns in a heat wave.
The federal government, historically the biggest funder of community tree planting, is no longer a reliable source of cash as the Trump administration seeks to downsize or eliminate many federal programs.
The administration aims to stop funding what’s known as urban or community forestry: the planning, planting, and care of trees in the midst of human developments.
Trump’s proposed U.S. Forest Service budget for 2026 eliminates federal funding for urban, tribal, and private forests, as well as all forest and rangeland research.
A White House web page on the proposed budget said it saves taxpayers money by eliminating woke and wasteful spending.
In January, Trump froze federal grants for forestry and many other federal programs authorized by Congress during the Biden administration.
“We've seen a lot of chaos and uncertainty at the federal level when it comes to grants, particularly funding that is aimed at supporting marginalized communities,” Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said.
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Washington's medical board gets ombuds funding amid push to improve public trust, communication
The regulatory authority that oversees doctors in Washington will create an ombudsman's office in an effort to improve communication with the public.
The Washington Medical Commission had asked state lawmakers for authorization to spend money on the new position, which was granted in the latest state budget, according to a spokesperson for the commission.
"We want to be as accommodating and open to people when they call and raise an allegation of unprofessional conduct," said Kyle Karinen, executive director of the commission. "We have found that over the years, there are a cadre of people who simply feel like they've been aggrieved or that something went wrong, and they don't really understand the best way to kind of communicate that to us."
That's where the ombudsperson will come in.
State auditors recommended that the commission create an ombuds office in 2023, when an audit concluded that the commission needed "to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the disciplinary process."
Effective communication with the public is a nationwide concern for regulatory bodies that handle complaints against medical professionals. A 2018 survey conducted by the nonprofit Federation of State Medical Boards, which provides guidance to agencies like the commission and licensing and disciplinary information about doctors, found that 51% of Americans aren’t even aware of their state medical boards or their function.
In March, the federation's Chief Advocacy Officer Lisa Robin told KUOW her team was working on a national public awareness campaign to bridge that "gap with the public."
But with organizations like the Washington Medical Commission on the ground, she also emphasized the need to make patients more aware of their states' medical boards and how to engage with them.
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Seattle police investigating U District shooting
Seattle police are investigating an early Monday morning shooting in the University District that injured a 22-year-old man.
Around 2:30 a.m. Monday, the Seattle Police Department received reports of gunfire in the 4200 block of 12th Avenue Northeast, according to a news release. When officers arrived on the scene, they found blood, multiple shell casings, and property damaged by gunfire — but no victims.
Police say a group of young people were throwing a large party nearby. As the party was ending, an altercation occurred, according to police, and two people were seen shooting at each other. Multiple people weaved in and out of the gunfire on foot.
While police were investigating on the scene, a victim was dropped off at Harborview Medical Center after being shot in the arm while leaving the party. The 22-year-old was in stable condition as of Monday.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the SPD Violent Crimes tip line at 206-233-5000.
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SCOTUS deals setback to Seattle police officers seeking anonymity in Jan. 6 inquiry
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request for a stay from four current or former Seattle police officers seeking to prevent SPD from disclosing their names and other records.
The officers were investigated for attending President Donald Trump’s "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021, that led to an armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The investigation by Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability found the four officers did not engage in unlawful or unprofessional conduct that day. But when private citizens, including Sam Sueoka, sought public disclosure of the investigation records, the police officers sued using pseudonyms to block the disclosure. They argued they have a right to privacy for records that include interviews about their political views.
The case made its way to the Washington Supreme Court, which found the officers should be identified in court proceedings. It was this decision that the officers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to place on hold.
Attorneys for Sueoka said they are pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of the stay, which they said requires officers to proceed using their real names.
On Thursday, they filed a motion before King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan “to bar the plaintiffs from using pseudonyms and to require the plaintiffs to use their legal names.” If they fail to do so, the motion asks Widlan to dismiss the case.
Two other Seattle police officers who attended the Jan. 6 rally were fired by SPD, after the investigation determined that they trespassed on the Capitol grounds. SPD concluded in a disciplinary report that there was an "active insurrection" happening while they were in the "immediate vicinity of the Capitol Building."
In his April 10 petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the four remaining officers, attorney Joel Ard, wrote: “At its core, this appeal involves whether a government agency can ignore the chilling effect resulting from an employer requiring an employee to disclose their off-duty political activities and attendant impressions or motivations associated therewith, followed by widespread dissemination to those who deliberately seek this information to subject these public servants to vilification without the commission of any misconduct whatsoever.”
Attorneys for Sueoka opposed the stay, arguing that while the officers have a right to anonymous speech, they “never sought to exercise their First Amendment rights in an anonymous fashion.” They argue the officers only sought anonymity after the fact.
Attorney Neil Fox also said the issue is moot because there is evidence that the officers' identities are already known.
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Lawsuit blames oil companies for woman’s Seattle heat-dome death
The daughter of a woman killed by the Northwest’s extreme heat wave of 2021 is suing the oil industry over her mother’s death.
Juliana Leon was driving home to Ferndale, Washington, after a Seattle medical check-up on the hottest day in Northwest history: June 28, 2021.
According to the lawsuit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court, Leon, age 65 at the time, was driving with her windows down since her air-conditioner wasn’t working. As she left Seattle around noon, the temperature hit 102 degrees.
She managed to pull off Interstate 5, park on a residential street in Northeast Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood, and turn off her engine. But she was soon overcome by heat. She did not call for help or answer half a dozen incoming phone calls.
RELATED: 2021 Northwest heat dome was deadlier than previously believed, according to new report
Two hours after she parked, a passerby found her slumped over and unconscious. The bystander and emergency medical technicians attempted CPR but were unable to save her.
Her body temperature hit 110 as the air outside hit 105.
The record-shattering heat wave killed an estimated 1,200 people in British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington, according to analyses of excess death statistics by the British Columbia Coroners Service, KUOW, and the New York Times.
A peer-reviewed study by World Weather Attribution concluded heat that extreme was “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change.
Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from fossil-fuel use are the primary drivers of planetary overheating.
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Police patrols, earlier closures included in Seattle's summer safety plan for some parks
When it comes to mitigating rowdy or criminal behavior in waterfront parks this summer, Seattle officials say they will rely on additional police patrols. The city will also employ park rangers, earlier beach curfews, and physical barriers such as additional gates to keep order at popular parks and boat launches.
Robert Johnson is president of the View Ridge Community Council. His group has pressed city officials to address what Johnson describes as large parties, reckless driving, property damage, and shots fired on warm nights in Magnuson Park in Northeast Seattle.
Johnson said people set up big speakers that can be heard across Lake Washington.
“That starts the process of people congregating and it just turns more serious when they’re shooting off guns in the park,” he said.
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s summer safety plan for the parks includes several changes at Magnuson, including new gates and barriers, and an earlier boat ramp curfew of 10 p.m.
Johnson said those measures should “effectively close this section of the park, which is where most of the partying and most of the incidents that occurred last summer occurred: around this boat launch.”
So why are boat launches such a magnet for gatherings — and problems — on summer nights?
Jon Jainga, who oversees emergency management and the park ranger program at Seattle Parks & Recreation, said it’s mostly the allure of the large, flat parking lots intended for people to park their boat trailers.
“It creates a very large...area for people to test out their different cars that they’ve been working on,” Jainga said.
He said the parks department is funding special evening patrols by Seattle police at three local parks this summer: Alki Beach, Golden Gardens — as it did last summer — and now Magnuson. The parks department is paying for voluntary overtime for the police presence.
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Friends who flip together, stick together: Seattle area's pinball family
The Pacific Northwest is known for a handful of pastimes — outdoor activities, DIY bands, debating why this IPA is somehow more IPA than another IPA. You can add pinball to the Northwest identity, thanks to a fervent community that frequently gathers under the translite glow of backglasses throughout the region.
RELATED: PNW, a pinball paradise (mostly), how a Tri-Cities man is solving the ‘inland drought’
"A lot of people come to Seattle and they experience what they call the 'Seattle Freeze'," said Dwayne Collins, who hosts weekly pinball tournaments at Jupiter Bar in Belltown. "Personally, I did not experience that because I got into the pinball community. That eliminates the Seattle Freeze. Once you're in that, you have friends. You have people to hang out with. You have people to play pinball with all the time... great friends, some almost family."
This article comes from an episode of KUOW's Meet Me Here. Listen to the full episode below.
Yes, pinball. For years, a pinball renaissance has supported local pubs, pinball teams, and new machines fresh off the factory floor. Your grandparents might have joined a bowling league. Today, you can join a pinball league. It's so popular in the Northwest, each year, pinheads from near and far gather in Tacoma for the Northwest Pinball Show. It has hundreds of games, equipment, tournaments, and comradery. The 2025 pinball show is June 6-8 at the Tacoma Convention Center.
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Washington AG Brown's 3 takeaways from birthright citizenship SCOTUS hearing
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown attended oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on whether nationwide injunctions blocking President Trump’s birthright citizenship ban should be allowed to stand while cases challenging the ban move forward.
Brown, who obtained one of the injunctions against the executive order, was in court Thursday alongside attorneys general from several other states. He spoke with KUOW after the hearing.
Brown said he was encouraged to hear many of the justices express “pretty explicitly that they thought the president’s order was unlawful and unconstitutional."
"It was great to be there," Brown said. "It was obviously a packed courthouse.”
He said the three hours of oral argument were unusual for the court.
“You could see the justices really struggle with the issue about the scope and propriety of nationwide injunctions in general, and then specifically in this case,” Brown said.
He said concern over the increasing use of nationwide injunctions by individual judges “is not a partisan issue.”
But Brown said they are necessary in this situation. “In this particular case I think the absurdity of the argument was really laid bare,” he said, given that babies born to people who are undocumented immigrants or visiting the U.S. on temporary visas could lose their right to citizenship depending on the state where they’re born.
According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration "asked the justices to limit the nationwide orders to the individuals or states involved in the litigation while those cases make their way through the court system, or to at least allow the relevant federal agencies to begin developing plans and issuing public guidance for banning birthright citizenship if Trump’s effort eventually passes legal muster."
Brown said he makes no prediction on how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the use of these nationwide injunctions. But he did offer three takeaways from oral arguments:
- “Justice Alito, viewed as probably the most conservative justice on the court — or he and Justice Thomas certainly – he was also clearly struggling with the Department of Justice’s arguments because I think he recognized that no matter what, they’re going to end up back here in front of the Supreme Court. At one point he said, 'What is the point of what you’re doing here? Why are we having this debate on this case rather than on the merits at the heart of the issue.' To hear Justice Alito voice a lot of skepticism about that surprised me.”
- “Justice Sotomayor made an analogy to the Second Amendment and protections for gun owners in America and said, ‘What if President Biden or any other president had come in and said all firearms are illegal and Americans can’t possess them.' Are you arguing that the only way we would get relief on that is if individual gun owners brought their cases to district courts or in some sort of class action, rather than a nationwide injunction to protect the Second Amendment? And the Department of Justice tried to defend such an argument; they argued that it could be done quickly, and gun owners would get relief quickly. But I think that really gets to the heart of what is kind of a silly argument, you just change the subject area.”
- “Then there were a couple moments when the Department of Justice would not say unequivocally that they would abide by circuit court rulings on this issue or others. Because their argument was essentially that this needed to work its way through the courts and the circuits and Justices Kagan and Sotomayor and Barrett all sort of asked, ‘Will you follow if the Second Circuit weighed in on this issue against you?’ And [Solicitor General John Sauer] said, ‘Well, generally we would,’ but not unequivocally. So that to me was pretty surprising to hear the Department of Justice hedge their argument on whether they’d follow a circuit court, but that is sort of the logical extension of what they’re saying.”
Brown said the challenge to Trump's executive order filed by Washington state and joined by three other states is scheduled to go before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in June. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle was the first federal judge to block an executive order by the second Trump administration.
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Snohomish firefighters' religious discrimination lawsuit over Covid vaccine mandate awaits 9th Circuit decision
They call themselves the “Snohomish Eight” — eight firefighters suing Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue over alleged religious discrimination. The plaintiffs say the department mishandled their requests for religious exemptions to Washington state’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
The case has been heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Legal experts note that in recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court strengthened the rights of employees seeking religious accommodations.
David Petersen is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit and has been a firefighter EMT with Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue for 17 years. Petersen describes his work as a calling by God that began at age 11, when his grandfather collapsed and Petersen performed CPR on him until paramedics came.
“Probably a week later the same paramedic came by the house and said, ‘You saved him. What you did saved his life,’” Petersen recalled.
In 2021, though, Petersen and his wife felt that their faith was calling them to another decision: to reject the Covid vaccine. Lauren Petersen said she wrestled with this decision.
RELATED: 1 in 10 Americans say the COVID-19 vaccine conflicts with their religious beliefs
“I didn’t like the answer, ‘Do not take it. Do not inject yourself,’” she said. “I actually had a lot of prayer like, ‘I don’t know if I trust this.’ Because I knew that doing this, our income would be gone.”
The National Institutes of Health found the Covid vaccine reduced rates of infection, and dramatically lowered rates of disease severity and death from the virus. Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue said it couldn’t allow employees who declined the vaccine to continue to provide patient care and it didn't have alternative work to offer. So instead it negotiated an agreement with the union to place those seeking exemptions on unpaid leave.
While on leave, David Petersen went to work for neighboring agencies that allowed unvaccinated employees. But because of mutual aid agreements, he still found himself working alongside his old colleagues.
“They would all come up to me on separate fires and ask, ‘What is going on, why aren’t you back?’ And my only response is, ‘I don’t know,’” he said.
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Microsoft to lay off nearly 2,000 employees in Washington state
Microsoft announced thousands of layoffs Tuesday, many of which will affect employees in Washington state.
In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said the cuts are “necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace."
RELATED: Microsoft turns 50. A look back at everything from the Altair to the Zune
The company plans to lay off 1,985 workers in Washington, according to a state filing. This is part of a broader 6,000-person company wide layoff, first reported by GeekWire, which amounts to a 3% workforce reduction.
Microsoft has already been culling workers based on performance over the past year.
The company didn’t respond to questions about whether artificial intelligence played a role in the latest layoffs. But at an event last month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said up to 30% of the company’s code is being written by AI.
Microsoft just reported a net income of more than $25 billion for the last quarter, beating Wall Street expectations.
RELATED: Microsoft turns 50. AI, job security, and the future of the tech industry
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High-capacity gun magazine ban upheld by WA Supreme Court. Opponents could seek SCOTUS review
The Washington Supreme Court has upheld the state’s 2022 ban on sales of large capacity magazines containing more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
While the Washington State Attorney General has praised the decision, lawyers for the gun store in the case say they're considering a petition to the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court for review.
The 7-2 decision stems from a challenge by Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso, Washington, which argued that the ban violated right to bear arms in the state and U.S. constitutions. The law banned the sales and purchase of large capacity magazines in the state but allowed for the possession of existing ones.
A majority on the court found that the large capacity magazines “are not ‘arms’ within the meaning of either constitutional provision.” The opinion states, “By restricting only magazines of a capacity greater than 10, the statute effectively regulates the maximum capacity of magazines, leaving the weapon fully functional for its intended purpose.”
They said while ammunition is a necessary and integral component to operating a firearm, the magazines are more like “containers” which the state argued are added to make weapons “more capable of mass murder.”
Washington’s candidates for attorney general in 2024 faced off on opposite sides of this legal challenge. Democrat Nick Brown worked to maintain the ban, both in private practice and then once elected last year. Republican Pete Serrano’s Silent Majority Foundation represented Gator’s Custom Guns in their fight against it.
Now-Attorney General Nick Brown hailed the decision Thursday, calling it “a reaffirmation for the fact that we can continue to advance gun safety measures in Washington, and do it consistent with the Washington State Constitution and Second Amendment.”
He added, “This decision will mean more safety, more lives saved in Washington, so it’s great.”
For Serrano's part, he said he was disappointed with the majority opinion but excited by the dissenting opinion authored by Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud and joined by Justice G. Helen Whitener.
The dissent refuted the majority opinion’s definition of “arms,” which Serrano called the crux of the case. The dissent said gun magazines of all sizes are indeed “arms” as defined in recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the ban “regulates conduct that is presumptively protected by the Second Amendment.”
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Weezer to bring intergalactic concert to Seattle for Bumbershoot 2025
Bumbershoot has released its two-day lineup for 2025, boasting Bright Eyes, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Aurora, Digable Planets, Murder City Devils, Janelle Monáe, Car Seat Headrest, and more. Weezer will bring its "Voyage to the Blue Planet" concert as the opening night headliner.
Bumbershoot is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31. Check out the full two-day concert lineup for Seattle Center below.
Weezer is slated to land its "Voyage to the Blue Planet" concert (aka the Blue Album tour) in Seattle to headline the show.
RELATED: Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party will go 21+ this year. Here's the lineup
For 2025, Bumbershoot organizer New Rising Sun is partnering with Daydream State, the organizer of Capitol Hill Block Party, for special "Big Gulp" tickets that will provide access to both festivals. Big Gulp buyers must be 21 and older since this year's Capitol Hill Block Party is a 21-plus event. Bumbershoot is all ages. Big Gulp tickets will be available starting May 9 and cost $340.
Tickets are already on sale for Bumbershoot 2025, with weekend passes starting at $225 (and don't forget that service fee and tax). Single day tickets start at $125. Kids 10 and under get in for free.
New Rising Sun hypes this year's Bumbershoot as a "fearless mix of fan favorites and the next big thing."
According to a statement: "Saturday sets the stage with headline performances from California legends Weezer, indie-favorites Car Seat Headrest, and Bright Eyes. On Sunday, we shift into the ethereal sounds of Aurora, the electric charisma of Janelle Monáe, and the synth-pop pioneer Sylvan Esso. The weekend will also feature must-see sets from rising icons like Indigo De Souza, punk prodigies The Linda Lindas, and the Seattle punk heroes The Murder City Devils. Chicago rapper Saba will bring his lyrical genius to the stage, while Tennis enchants listeners with their retro-pop charm. Featuring everything from Real Estate’s jangly rock to the iconic ‘90s jazz rap group Digable Planets, Bumbershoot promises a weekend of musical discovery, nostalgia, and a good time."
Bumbershoot's other annual attractions will also return, including:
- Culinary features include Cocktail Corner, VineShoot, and BumBEERshoot, as well as offerings from local restaurants.
- Vanishing Seattle will have an exhibition at at the ANT Gallery. Living art and free-range artists can be expected throughout the festival.
- Comedy will be performed at SIFF.
- The Recess District will have a half-pipe skate program.
- The Fashion District will host runway shows and a fashion marketplace.
- The Witch Temple will be around (for all those folks who like to say they're "spiritual but not religious").
- Pole Pavilion
- Wig Farm
- Large-scale contemporary art sculptures will be at the Century 21 District, located at the Pacific Science Center.