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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Suspect arrested in case of University of Idaho murders
Police have arrested a suspect in relation to the tragic murders of four University of Idaho students in November.
Seven weeks after the murder of four students in Moscow, Idaho, police say they arrested Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, Thursday night in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. Kohberger remains in Pennsylvania and has not yet appeared in an Idaho court.
Moscow police report that Kohberger was wanted on four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI assisted with the arrest. CNN reports that an FBI team surveilled and tracked Kohberger for four days before the arrest was made.
RELATED: Moscow community reacts to homicides, pulls together while waiting for closure
“These murders have shaken our community and I know that no arrest will restore the families or bring these young students back," Moscow Police Chief James Fry said in a statement. "However, we believe in the criminal process and continue to extend our most sincere condolences to the families.”
“Since November, investigators have been laser-focused on pursuing every lead in our pursuit of justice. This complex case took extensive work to develop a clear picture of what occurred and I’m thankful to the dedication shown by members of the Moscow Police Department, Idaho State Police detectives and Crime Lab technicians and scientists, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the resources and personnel to conduct this massive investigation. It was persistent determination and extensive hours spent unraveling this case that led to an arrest.”
Moscow police report that the suspect, Kohberger, is a resident of Pullman, Washington, and is a graduate student at Washington State University, located about nine miles from Moscow, Idaho.
Police note that the case cannot move forward, and more information cannot be released, until Kohberger is brought back to Idaho and appears in court. Moscow police say that no bond will be issued and Kohberger can fight the extradition to Idaho.
CNN further reports that Kohberger was arraigned in a Pennsylvania court Friday morning, and that he has an extradition hearing on Jan. 3.
Since the murders in November, investigators asked for tips regarding a white sedan seen in the area at the time of the incident. Police have now seized a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra and are issuing search warrants for additional locations.
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Northwest Asian Weekly going online only, ceasing print operations
Asian newspapers in Seattle will undergo dramatic changes in 2023.
Northwest Asian Weekly will cease printing newspapers, and will convert to an online-only model. The Seattle Chinese Post will shutter both print and online operations. The final print editions for the Weekly and the Post will be Jan. 21, 2023.
The Northwest Asian Weekly is a popular English language weekly newspaper that covers Seattle's Asian community. The newspaper says it is moving to online publishing to "adjust to changing times." The paper says the online version will be updated more frequently.
The company also publishes The Seattle Chinese Post, a local Chinese newspaper. While the Weekly will continue online, the Post will cease all operations (print and digital) in 2023.
In a statement on its website, Northwest Asian Weekly explained that it started publishing the Post more than 40 years ago, making it the first Chinese newspaper in the Northwest since 1927. It soon started publishing the Weekly as well. Read the full statement here.
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Twitter faces eviction in Seattle
Twitter's Seattle office is facing eviction.
According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, the social media company stopped paying rent at its Seattle office. Now the company is facing eviction from the Century Square Tower in downtown Seattle.
This comes after reports that Twitter CEO Elon Musk stopped paying rent at its San Francisco headquarters and other global offices.
The remaining Puget Sound area Twitter workers will be allowed to work from home.
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Tacoma starts 2023 with lower speed limits
The city of Tacoma will usher in 2023 with lower speed limits, starting Sunday.
The speed limit on residential streets will drop from 25 to 20 mph.
The speed limit in four neighborhood business districts will lower from 30 mph to 25 mph, including 6th Avenue, Lincoln, McKinley Hill, and Old Town.
The January 1 change is part of Tacoma's latest Vision Zero Plan. The city says that approximately 80 people are killed or hurt by motor vehicles every year.
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Remembering the artists, filmmakers, actors and writers we lost in 2022
So many giants of the arts world left us in 2022 — here are just a few of the actors, writers, filmmakers, artists and performers who died in the past year, listed chronologically below by the dates of their deaths.
Sidney Poitier: actor, activist, and trailblazing heartthrobPoitier first became a movie star in the 1950s. He was an unparalleled actor, a committed activist and a beloved family member. He was also, frankly, a heartthrob. Read Karen Grigsby Bates' remembrance.
'The Last Picture Show' director Peter Bogdanovich: In a prolific career that spanned more than 50 years, the maverick writer, director, actor and film historian touched every aspect of filmmaking — from the coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show to zany comedies like What's Up Doc. Read Elizabeth Blair's remembrance.
Actor and comedian Bob Saget: Saget was a prominent presence on American television screens throughout the 1990s as the father Danny Tanner on Full House and the host of America's Funniest Home Videos. Read James Doubek's remembrance.
André Leon Talley, titan of the fashion world Talley grew up in the Jim Crow South and discovered Vogue magazine as a child at the public library. He went on to become Vogue's creative director and one of fashion's most defining voices for decades. Listen to the It's Been a Minute remembrance.
Lata Mangeshkar, the sweetheart of Bollywood: Over the course of some 60 years, Mangeshkar recorded songs for more than 2,000 Indian films, giving voice to sweet, noble heroines onscreen. Read Anastasia Tsioulcas' remembrance.
'2001' and 'Blade Runner' visual effects wizard Douglas Trumbull: Trumbull brought to life the impossible landscapes in 2001, A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In the days before digital effects, those scenes had to be created physically, and Trumbull was the kid who figured out how. Read Bob Mondello's remembrance.
Satirist P.J. O'Rourke, panelist on NPR's 'Wait...Wait Don't Tell Me!': The author, journalist and political satirist wrote more than 20 books about a range of topics, from politics to cars, and he was a longtime panelist on the NPR's weekly news quiz show. Read Elizabeth Blair's remembrance.
Photojournalist Sumy Sadurni: The 32-year-old Spanish-Mexican freelance photojournalist was based in Kampala, Uganda. She was known for her striking coverage across East Africa capturing the conflict as well as the essence of the region and its people. Read Grace Widyatmadja's remembrance.
George Pérez, celebrated comic book artist: In his four-decade career, Pérez's pencil was behind some of the biggest comic book heroes. He drew The Avengers and co-created The New Teen Titans, and in the mid-'80s, his reboot of Wonder Woman returned the superheroine to her Greek mythology origins. Read Emma Bowman's remembrance.
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Our best TSF conversations of 2022: Today So Far
I consider this newsletter the conversation that happens after the headlines are published. Looking back over 2022, some TSF conversations have received more feedback and attention than others. I consider these some of the more engaging ones we've had this year.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 29, 2022.
Here's a little insight into the nuts and bolts of TSF — I hate hot takes. Rarely do I feel they do the world any good. That's a tricky position to take when writing a newsletter. After all, hot takes are certain to get the clicks and would likely grow this newsletter. The thing is, I am rooted in journalism, and beyond that, I lean more toward old-school-reporter. That sort of perception doesn't translate well into the usual online, "Hey, look at me, I think this, and so should you, and by the way, this is how I vote, and before you go, I have a fresh opinion on the news everyone is talking about." You know, the sort of headlines that start with "We need to talk about..."
But TSF does have a voice. I consider this newsletter the conversation that happens after the headlines are published. When I'm writing to you, I have it in my head that you're at Teddy's with me, or walking the Burke-Gilman Trail, or grabbing coffee at Boon Boona (it really is good coffee), or even grocery shopping at that one Safeway that still stays open late with that one cashier who always chats me up now that he knows I like Star Trek. Any way, the point is, we're griping about work, debating about whether Ross and Rachel were on a break, and also bringing up that story on KUOW. That's TSF.
Looking back over 2022, some TSF conversations have received more feedback and attention than others. I consider these some of the more engaging ones we've had this year.
What's behind these election mailers?: A look at how culture-war motivated interest groups target elections and voters, and how they stretch facts to the point of misinformation.
The fall and rise of community news: As local news sources are strained, many disappearing, people are starting their own newspapers in Washington. On one level, this is inspiring. But on another level, it can be concerning. This is why news consumers need to be critical thinkers and consider what is news, what is just information, who is a journalist, who is just a witness, or who merely has a lot of time on their hands and access to social media. Local news is important, but it comes down to the audience to keep it going.
'He wanted to show everybody you could do it different': Amid a rise in gun violence, one tragic, fatal shooting prompted a Seattle community to mourn. D'Vonne Pickett Jr. was a community leader and local business owner. The pain of this loss was felt beyond the headlines, but journalists can only go so far when reporting on such a figure. It prompted me to think about the important figures wherever I've lived, from bartenders to barbers — the faces who make a true community.
Resistance is futile, the future is remote: We cannot deny that the pandemic era has permanently shifted some aspects of daily life, including our work lives. Remote work presents a lot of opportunities and benefits for workers, employers, the environment, affordability, and more. Yet, not everybody seems to have warmed up to such working conditions, aka "the future."
Extremism makes it beyond the ballot: A study points out far right lawmakers and the role that social media plays in radicalized politics. Many such candidates were found running in Washington state. It's a recent insight into something that one Washington sheriff has been commenting on for years — extremists running for office.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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Economic downturn anxieties lead Washington lawmakers to ask: To tax or not to tax?
A debate is brewing in Olympia over how to prepare for a potential economic downturn.
Republican lawmakers want to pass more tax breaks for businesses and cancel the state’s payroll tax. But Gov. Inslee says Washington can afford new programs to pay for homeless services and mental health facilities.
"Looking forward we still have a very robust economy, it's the envy of the United States, we still have gangbuster industries doing very, very well and I believe there is a reason that that will continue," Inslee said while speaking with TVW's Austin Jenkins.
Inslee's budget is a 12% increase over current spending, despite anxieties over inflation and economic downturns. But the governor says the state also has $2 billion in reserves as a cushion. He further argues that the state plans to give a tax break to some residents (the Working Family Tax credit), but no general tax cuts. Also, the state still has considerable issues to address, which "demand investments."
"We are giving a tax break to 400,000 people who are the most in-need of these tax breaks," he said. "With all due respect to our billionaires, they do not need a tax cut right now in the state of Washington. And when you give a general tax cut, you give tax breaks to billionaires in the state of Washington."
"We have a homelessness crisis and we have to respond, in our state, to this homelessness crisis ... we are not satisfying with having endemic squalor in our communities."
The legislative session begins Jan. 9.
Gov. Inslee commented on the upcoming session while speaking with Austin Jenkins on TVW's "Inside Olympia."
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Washington lawmakers to target robocalls, spam in 2023 legislative session
An effort is brewing in Olympia to tighten protections against robocalls, and further impose punishment for violations.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is teaming up with state Rep. Mari Leavitt of University Place to tackle nuisance robocalls, many of which can be scams. The pair are putting HB 1051 up for consideration in the 2023 legislative session.
Washington already has a law regarding robocalls, but Ferguson says it is weak and outdated. Ferguson’s office says Washingtonians received 616 million robocalls last year; nearly half of them were scams. And those scams, the attorney general says, ended up bilking some 835,000 people in the state.
“Our seniors, youth and most financially fragile neighbors are experiencing more and more scams in the form of robocalls and other electronic messages to cell phones,” Rep. Leavitt said in a statement. “These schemes aim to trick many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones. Our uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents are often anticipating calls to schedule needed care like medical appointments. But this also presents a prime opportunity for bad actors to prey on our senior citizens. Last year alone, these scam calls cost Americans billions. Addressing the gap in protections to root out these scams is the least we can do to protect our fellow Washingtonians.”
The proposal Ferguson is taking to the state Legislature next month would make it illegal to robocall someone who is listed on the Do Not Call Registry. He also aims to outlaw deliberately falsifying caller ID information to fool the recipient, as well as opening the possibility of civil action against voice service providers that knowingly facilitate illegal robocalls.
Ferguson says he wants the Legislature to give him the tools necessary to reduce what he calls the “daily bombardment” of spam calls, and for his office to pursue those who break the law.
Ferguson also says his focus is on illegal and spam robocalls, not routine calls to subscribers or business customers who consent to receiving automated messages.
Find Brandon Hollingsworth's full story at Spokane Public Radio.
KUOW's Dyer Oxley contributed to this report.
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Luxury home sales down nationally, and in Seattle
The surge in luxury home sales has washed out nationwide, including in Seattle.
Online real estate brokerage Redfin says September to November saw the biggest decline on record of luxury home sales.
Sales are down 38% compared to the same time last year. Sales of nonluxury homes are down 31%. In Seattle, the sales drop was more significant in both categories — 46% and 41% respectively.
Redfin says there are a few reasons why luxury purchases are down. Luxury items are among the first things to get cut during times of economic stress. Inflation, higher interest rates, stock market woes, and fears of a recession are all playing into purchase decisions.
Redfin further notes that luxury properties are often investment properties and home values are expected to fall in 2023.
“There has been a small shift in the market that's not fully showing up in the data yet," said Seattle Redfin agent Shoshana Godwin. "With mortgage rates falling, a lot of house-hunters see this as their moment to come back and compete. Many of my buyers are taking out jumbo loans—mortgages typically used for purchases of high-end homes. While some data shows jumbo mortgage rates above 6%, some of my buyers are getting rates in the low 5% range.”
Luxury homes cost a median of $1.1 million, nationally, as of Redfin's latest reports.
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Despite rise in emissions, Gov. Inslee says Washington can still meet carbon pollution goals
Washington state is not meeting its own greenhouse gas reduction goals.
But in an interview, Gov. Jay Inslee said he thinks the state can still meet its reduction goals by 2050. Still, in recent years, emissions have increased in Washington.
"I think it is very likely Washington state will meet those targets," Inslee told Austin Jenkins on TVW.
"We're on track so far, but we need to do some additional things," he said.
RELATED: Costs, and potential benefits, of reducing emissions in Washington's agricultural industry
The state's goal is to reduce emissions by 95% by 2050, over levels recorded in 1990. The state's emissions are currently 9% higher than they were in 1990.
Susan Woodward, spokesperson for the state's Ecology Department, says there are a few factors to blame for the rise in emissions.
"Since 2012, emissions have been slowly increasing and transportation, building sector emissions are the biggest contributors to those small increases that have been happening," Woodward said.
Inslee says if the state's low-carbon fuel standards, and the move to 100% clean energy, are carried out, then emissions will start to come down.
"But there's more things we need to do," Inslee said. "In my budget, I want to help people to swap out to a heat pump, off of natural gas; we wanna help you get access to a charging station when you use an electric car, so we're making massive investments in getting charging infrastructure."
Inslee said technological advancements will also help the state meet its carbon pollution goals, adding that "we have almost always undervalued the rate of innovation which we humans, and Washingtonians are capable of." He further argues that the pace would not have been so slow if he had a Democratic Legislature over the past decade.
"We have just now passed these bills, two years ago, they are just now coming into implementation," Inslee said. "So we are not on track on the carbon reduction, but we are on track for what we need to get there ... I think it is very likely Washington state will meet those targets."
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Reflections on 2022: Today So Far
You likely don't need to be reminded about all the big stories of 2022, so here are a few stories you may have missed, prominent issues, and through lines over the past year.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 28, 2022.
It's that time of year, when all your favorite news sites roll out "best of" lists and "look back" articles. And you can bet that I have my own line up just for you. What can I say, I love making lists.
After watching KUOW's newsroom, daily, Today So Far is in a unique position to reflect on the news of 2022. You likely don't need to be reminded of the big stories — Roe v Wade overturned, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, January 6 hearings, elections, and yes, Chris Rock got slapped. Rather, I've noticed a few through lines over 2022, spanning local communities and the issues we face. Below are a few of those stories that you may have missed, or at least should be highlighted as we move forward into 2023.
The Leavenworth-Whidbey Island connection
This is really a connection that spans Washington, and it's really about affordability, housing, and solutions. KUOW's reporters spent a lot of time over in Leavenworth and on Whidbey Island. Some folks around Seattle might wonder why. And to those folks, I'd say, "You should get out more. There's a whole Northwest out there, and Seattle is part of it."
Yes, there was also news about a plane crash off of Whidbey Island. And it's probably worth noting that the island helped give us "Top Gun: Maverick." But it's also a community attempting to address its corner of the housing crisis. Folks on Whidbey Island have come to an important understanding: If workers can't live there, then their lives can really suck. Those are my words, of course. What good is a night out on the town when there is no one around to dish up food, mix drinks, and so forth? So the town of Langley tweaked its zoning codes to allow for more housing. Then it went further. As folks know, you can build housing, but new problem arises when folks can't afford that housing. Langley's new housing is built with workers in mind. It all centers on a "community land trust."
Langley is not alone in this predicament. Leavenworth residents have also noted a phenomenon familiar to cities like Seattle: Big money moves in, and locals can't afford to live locally anymore. Like Whidbey Island towns, Leavenworth relies on tourism. So it's a big problem when you don't have locals to mind the shops, cafes, and other local businesses. As the "west side's" success grows, affordability is an issue that has spread to Leavenworth, showing that this issue is not isolated to the Seattle area. It's almost like it ripples out through the region.
Leavenworth also proved to be a valuable insight into political perceptions leading up to 2022's election. It falls within the boundaries of the 8th Congressional District, which was expected to be a toss up. KUOW's David Hyde visited the mountain town and found that political leanings were not so cut and dry.
Also, Leavenworth has alphorn flash mobs. That doesn't have much to do with anything, but it's pretty cool.
Easing out of the pandemic
This wasn't the same pandemic as in 2020 or 2021. In 2022, we all eased out of pandemic era precautions. Some masks came off, and others stayed on. The takeaway in 2022 is that some people are living in a different pandemic era than others, all in the same space. And despite Washington's Covid emergency orders expiring, some pandemic rules have stuck around. Here's a few stories on that.
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A hard wind is gonna blow: Today So Far
- Heavy weather is likely to knock out power throughout Western Washington. Be prepared.
- More electric substations have been vandalized, burglarized, or attacked. Whatever to call it, unknown people are knocking out service.
- 80 cars per day were stolen in Pierce County last month.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 27, 2022.
You all know I'm big on preparing for the worst, so get out those candles, make sure your flashlights are working, and just in case, make sure you have plans to stay warm. The wind is blowing.
Let's add this up. High winds + recent ice storm + heavy rain = power outages. It basically comes down to all those factors sending trees into power lines (and onto cars, homes, etc.).
The National Weather Service has issued a high-wind warning for our region. We're expecting 40 mph winds, and gust up to 55 mph, from 1 p.m. today through about 1 a.m. tomorrow. That might not sound like a lot, but it's enough to do some damage, and at the very least, knock your lights out.
"Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines," the NWS warns. "Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles ... People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive."
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