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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.

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  • King County officials will get shorter terms next election cycle

    Voters have determined that those elected to 12 King County positions will serve shorter terms in the next election cycle.

    It's a trade-off required by Charter Amendment 1, which moves all King County races from odd years to even years.

    Proponents of Amendment 1 say it's a move that's better for democracy and argue that voter turnout is always much higher in even years. Presidential elections are also on even years. With more people voting, the aim is to have more people deciding who the county executive and council members are.

    "We want the most people to vote and the voters just made one really big step to take us further in that direction by agreeing that these positions should be voted on by a much larger electorate," said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, a supporter of Amendment 1.

    As of Nov. 9, Charter Amendment 1 was passing with 70% of the vote.

    The race for King County executive, assessor, elections director and county council will move to even years in 2026. They are four-year terms, but in the next cycle will be shortened to three to allow for the date change.

    Continue reading »

  • Stark federal report: climate chaos is here, with worse to come

    A stark new federal report says our changing climate threatens the things Americans value most. In the Northwest, that includes everything from our homes, forests, and snowpack, to our physical and mental health.

    The fifth National Climate Assessment, released for public comment on Monday, states that people in the Northwest and nationwide are feeling the effects of climate change in their everyday lives.

    These changes are already hurting the region’s most vulnerable people. They’re expected to accelerate and bump into each other as our climate keeps heating up.

    A record-smashing 2021 heatwave killed an estimated 1,200 people in British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington, while a less-extreme 2022 heatwave killed at least 20 people in Oregon and Washington, according to preliminary coroner’s reports.

    Heatwaves kill more Americans annually than any other type of weather disaster.

    “Climate impacts are happening now,” said University of Washington Climate Impacts Group scientist Crystal Raymond, one of the coauthors of the assessment’s Northwest chapter. “More wildfire, combined with more extreme precipitation means there's a greater potential for erosions, landslides, mudslides.”

    The report is the latest in a long line of scientific efforts to warn the public of the impending climate disaster. It’s a tough read if you have kids or care about the future.

    “More intense extreme events and long-term climate changes make it harder to maintain safe homes and healthy families, reliable public services, a sustainable economy, thriving ecosystems, and strong communities,” it states.

    The Northwest can expect increasing drought, heatwaves, and smoke in the summer and more intense rainfall and flooding the rest of the year.

    But efforts to end fossil-fuel pollution as soon as possible can limit how much hotter our future gets.

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  • Tiffany Smiley concedes to Patty Murray in race for Senate

    Republican Tiffany Smiley has conceded to Democrat Patty Murray in Washington's race for the U.S. Senate.

    Smiley made the announcement via Twitter, Wednesday evening, Nov. 9, a day after initial election results came in.

    "This race was never about me – it was about the amazing people of this state and I will never stop fighting and advocating for them," Smiley said.

    RELATED: Washington Democrat Patty Murray wins in Senate race after first ballot count

    As of the morning of Thursday, Nov. 10, Sen. Murray had 57% of the vote to Smiley's 43%. The race between Murray and Smiley is being noted as the most expensive Senate race in state history, with Murray spending $20 million and Smiley spending $14 million.

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  • Teenager accused of Ingraham High School shooting could face murder charge

    The teenager who allegedly shot and killed a person at Ingraham had their first court hearing on Wednesday. Another suspect, also a teen, is accused of assisting in the crime.

    Judge Averil Rothrock of the King County Juvenile Court ruled prosecutors had probable cause to charge the 14-year-old shooting suspect with three offenses: unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon at a school facility, and murder in the first degree.

    Seattle Police say the teenager shot and killed a person at Ingraham High School on Tuesday morning. The suspected shooter and another teenager were arrested together an hour after the attack at a nearby bus stop.

    Casey McNerthney from the King County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday’s shooting was a targeted attack.

    "Based on what we have so far from Seattle Police investigators, and this case is still ongoing, we believe that there was probable cause for first-degree murder, which is premeditated,” McNerthney said after the hearing.

    The second teenager, a 15-year-old, could face two charges: unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree and rendering criminal assistance in the first degree.

    Prosecutors said police found a semi-automatic gun in the 15-year-old’s backpack. Shell casings recovered in the school match the caliber of the gun in the backpack, according to police. An empty ammunition magazine was also found with the gun, police say.

    The teenager accused of the shooting waived their right to appear in the first court hearing.

    The other suspect, however, did appear in court-issued sweats and slippers. His parents were also present and addressed the judge when given the opportunity.

    “He’s never been in trouble, he’s just a kid,” the mother said.

    “This is not like him at all,” the father added.

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  • The midterm election ... so far: Today So Far

    "So far" is generally the theme of the day after Election Day.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for November 9, 2022.

    In the warmer months, there is an algae bloom that often shows up around Puget Sound. You'll see it along waterfronts, on ferry rides, and around docks. It appears red, and some years it coats the water far and wide. But after some time, when the sun goes down, the agitated water gives off an electric blue light. That's the impression I'm getting from the midterm election. Many were predicting a red wave to wash over the results, but with time, as waves of votes came in, there were more hints of blue than expected. So far, ultimate results are unknown. More votes are being counted, but it appears that the red wave didn't strike as strong as some hoped and others feared.

    The title of this newsletter, "Today So Far," is perhaps most apt for a day like today. "So far" is generally the theme of the day after Election Day. While some races can be called, there remains a lot of uncertainty around many others. We can only report on how things stand, so far. Only time will tell for how the Senate and House will look.

    Check out initial election results for key local races here. And here's a roundup of all KUOW's post-election reporting, so far.

    One thing I've noticed so far is that independents are said to have been the ones to swing election results. Independent candidates, however, haven't had as strong of an influence. From Oregon to Washington (and a bit beyond) all the independent candidates that Northwest News Network's Tom Banse profiled in the lead-up to the midterms have fallen short.

    For example, initial results show Independent Julie Anderson with 47% of the vote, trailing Democrat Steve Hobbs (50%) for secretary of state. Independent (and former GOP official) Chris Vance has 44% to Republican Phil Fortunato's 55% for state senator. Down in Oregon, Independent Betsy Johnson only has 9% of the vote for governor.

    I also found NPR's assessment intriguing, particularly the points about Trump-backed candidates and the abortion issue. Four states put the abortion issue up to voters. In three states, early results favor placing pro-abortion rights into state constitutions. In Kentucky, an effort to write anti-abortion language into the state constitution is failing.

    As for the Trump factor, the former president made more endorsements in 2022 than in previous election years. Some are making it through the general election and some are not. Either way, Republicans are not seeing their anticipated red wave, nationally. One analyst told NPR that the lack of Trump appeal with independent voters is a big reason why (there are those independents again).

    For a closer look at Washington's results, check out KUOW's Paige Browning on Seattle Now this morning.

    AS SEEN ON KUOW

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  • Students, family react following Ingraham High School shooting

    School is canceled through Thursday at Seattle's Ingraham High School following Tuesday's shooting that left one student dead.

    Hundreds of parents stood in the cold outside Ingraham High School Tuesday morning, waiting to be reunited with their children. Deanna Meyerhoff was one of the first parents to arrive at the school after she got text messages from her son saying that there was a shooting inside.

    “So my son texted me," Meyerhoff said. "He said, 'School shooting.' That's all he said. I was like, 'Is it at Ingraham?' He's like, 'Yeah, there's a guy bleeding out outside my classroom.' And so I just was like, 'Oh my God,' and I jumped in the car.”

    RELATED: Student killed in shooting at North Seattle high school

    Ingraham senior Drevin Hiquiana said he was with friends when he heard the gunshots at IHS.

    "None of this should have happened," he said. "Like all unnecessary things happened. It was just all bad all over. I don't know."

    Senior Amerino Fennell told KUOW that he could hear the desperation in the voices of school officials as they announced over the intercom that the entire school was going into lockdown. He said officials need to do more to keep students safe.

    "How did the gun get into the school? Right?" Fennell said. "Nothing's being done. I mean ... we can't react to a shooting like this after the fact, like, it has to be done preemptively to prevent it from happening."

    About two dozen people attended a vigil Tuesday night at Haller Lake United Methodist Church.

    The student who was killed was shot inside a school hallway. Police have arrested one person accused of the shooting, and have recovered one gun that might have been used. Seattle Police say they are looking over security camera footage and interviewing students who were at the scene.

    Officials still have not released the name of the victim or the suspected shooter they have in custody.

    Continue reading »

  • Late voters find long lines in Seattle and Bellevue


    Voters in some locations across Seattle and Bellevue waited hours in frigid temperatures to register and cast their ballots Tuesday night.

    At the Lumen Field Event Center, voters stood in unusually long lines in blustery 38-degree weather. King County election officials confirmed two- to three-hour wait times on Tuesday.

    Other locations were busy, too. A voter waiting to drop off his ballot at the Ballard branch of the Seattle Public Library was exasperated at the long lines during the midterms, which historically have lower turnout than a general election.

    "It's typical for us to see about 50% of our turnout the day of the election and the day before, so pretty common for us,” said King County Elections Director Julie Wise. “But I think our vote centers are a little bit busier than we expected to see."

    Many of the issues were at county vote centers, where people can register, update records, or get help completing ballots. There’s also help for people with disabilities.

    Wise had words for the procrastinators: vote centers have been open since Friday and voters received ballots about three weeks ago.

    "If you do wait until Election Day, especially in a midterm or presidential (election), you are going to experience some wait time."

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  • Thousands of Snohomish County residents still without power

    Public utility crews have been working around the clock to restore electricity following last Friday's windstorm.

    While power is back for more 220,000 customers since then, crews are still working on a number of big jobs, according to Snohomish County PUD.

    “We’re seeing damage that some of our crews have never seen before,” said spokesperson Aaron Swaney.

    He says much of the damage involves multiple big trees tangled into poles and wires.

    Swaney says the first area of priority is critical infrastructure like hospitals, water pumps, and schools. Once power there is restored, residential customers are next.

    Some damage was easier to fix. But many situations are more complicated that require multiple crews.

    “First off, we have to bring in tree crews. They have to clear all that damage away and then the line crews can come in, they can reset the pole and then restring the wires,” Swaney said. “These jobs can take 10, 12 hours.”

    Mutual aid crews from other Northwest utilities are helping those efforts. Swaney says they hope to have power completely restored by Thursday.

    For customers who are still without power, there are cold weather shelters in Snohomish County that are open.

    Those who have generators are urged to keep those five feet away from the house, and make sure they’re in a well-ventilated area.

    Swaney said there are still a lot of downed wires in the area. He urged caution and instructed people to stay at least 30 feet away from the wires, just to be safe.

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  • What's behind these election mailers?: Today So Far

    A deeper look at mailers and ads targeting the Seattle area.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for November 8, 2022.

    All I wanted to do was play Words With Friends, but after every move I was reminded that we live in a world that pits white people and Asians against everybody else.

    At least, that's the world we live in if you go by the narrative America First Legal is promoting. AFL has been targeting Western Washington with advertisements delivered via smartphone games (like the one I was playing), and through physical fliers sent to Seattle-area mail boxes. The ads essentially state: left-wing politicians are against white people and Asians; affirmative action is a tool used to keep Asians from succeeding; Asian families will not succeed because of racists policies coming from Democrats and President Biden.

    The advertisements have come in the lead up to the midterm election. Oddly, they don't promote a candidate or issue on a ballot. Instead, they simply hype a political, race-based narrative fit for the culture war: target Asians with messaging that sours perceptions of Democrats. Just as with most "news," information, or headline that spreads fast while provoking strong, divisive emotions, a calculated effort is behind it all.

    The mailers sent to Western Washington have also caught the attention of University of Washington Researcher Sarah Nguyen, who studies misinformation in the Vietnamese community.

    "There are pictures of Biden and also ... news clippings coming from various sources, Fox News, saying how, very vaguely, Biden and the left have made it difficult for Asian-Americans to get job opportunities, to get into school opportunities, and basically get access to rights people have been fighting for ... when in fact, that is not the case," Nguyen told Seattle Now, noting that she saw this messaging echo through Vietnamese channels.

    "Within the community, there is a polarized view of many people thinking, 'Well I don't want to support affirmative action if it is going to only support Black and brown people, and Asians are seen outside of that.' Then there are others who see that is not the case, and kind of the fuller story that it's not just about race, but it's about the personal statement, it's a holistic idea that includes affirmative action."

    That level of nuance is not readily available through AFL's ads.

    America First Legal is an activist organization that considers itself as the other side of the ACLU coin. It uses legal action for Conservative causes. It formed in 2021 and quickly began filing lawsuits and public information requests, targeting the Biden administration and other government agencies, generally pushing hot button issues and divisive narratives. The group was founded by Stephen Miller, advisor to former President Trump. It's worth noting that Miller has been known to use news media to push narratives, and has also been known to favor white nationalist literature. Looking at AFL's website, it presents a professional facade, but as an online content producer, I can tell you that most of it is lifted from open-source photo libraries. I've used many of the same free, generic photos from Unsplash; anybody can. I suspect that similar stock footage was used for the video advertisements that were fed to my smartphone game.

    Let's take a closer look at some of the "news" stories that AFL puts in front of its audience.

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  • 1 student killed in shooting at North Seattle high school

    Update 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8

    Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell confirmed that, “The student who was tragically shot has passed away ... the student is deceased," following a Tuesday morning shooting at Ingraham High School.

    Harrell made the announcement at a 2 p.m. press conference that also included statements from Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, and Congressmember Pramila Jayapal.

    “A tragedy has struck our community today," Jones said.

    “An Ingraham High School student was shot and killed this morning on campus in what was is believed to be a targeted attack," he said. "We have no reason to believe this was part of a bigger plan other than a targeted attack."

    The shooting took place inside a hallway at the high school, about 100 feet from any entrance, according to Chief Diaz.

    A suspect is in custody. Diaz reports that 911 calls came in around 9:55 a.m. and police officers arrived at the high school within four minutes.

    “Within four minutes we had a contact team already going into the school and trying to provide CPR to the victim. Another minute later, the Fire Department was called in as well,“ Diaz said. "An hour later we were able to take the suspect into custody … our harbor officers actually located the suspect and took him into custody with the King County Sheriff’s Department. We actually recovered a firearm, we don’t’ know if that firearm was used in the school, but we did recover a fire arm."

    Diaz said the arrest was made at a bus stop off 145th Street and Aurora Avenue North, about a mile away from campus. A firearm was found in the suspect's backpack.

    Meanwhile, at Ingraham High School, students were being reunited Tuesday afternoon with families following a campus-wide lockdown. All activities at the high school are suspended for Wednesday and Thursday.

    Diaz said SPD has recorded more than 660 shots fired so far in 2022, and has recovered even more guns.

    “This year we’ve recovered 1,000 firearms — 1,000 firearms," Diaz said. "That is unheard of. Even though we’ve been short-staffed, we’ve been recovering more firearms this year than when we had full staffing. We have a gun problem.”

    Chief Diaz also said guns have been recovered across various incidents, from domestic violence to road rage, drive-bys, and robberies.

    Original report

    Seattle Police reported a shooting at Ingraham High School Tuesday at approximately 10 a.m. Officials say the shooting took place inside the school.

    So far, police report a single victim who has life-threatening injuries, and say they have a suspect in custody. Police haven't said whether the victim was a student or staff member, and haven't provided details about the suspect.

    The school has been placed on lockdown as police and school officials work to set up a family reunification site at Meridian Avenue North and North 135th Street. They say they're also putting together a transportation plan for students who are unable to be picked up at the reunification site.

    Lakeside Middle School, a few blocks away from Ingraham, has also been placed on lockdown, according to a teacher at the school.


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  • They're not 'soccer mom' voters anymore: Today So Far

    Election Day is tomorrow and some polls state that white suburban women are among the most influential blocks of voters. But this group is no longer the "soccer mom" voters of past elections.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for November 7, 2022.

    Election Day is tomorrow. You have until 8 p.m. to turn your ballot into a drop box on Tuesday. KUOW reported this morning that about 32% of registered voters in Washington have turned in their ballots so far, which is down a few percentage points from the same time for the 2018 midterm election. The secretary of state, however, feels confident that there will be about 72% turnout in the end, which is on par with the last midterm.

    Like it or not, pollsters, campaigns, and political parties like to carve up voters into chunks. They divide us up by education levels, income, gender, ethnicity and so forth. I've talked about how formerly incarcerated people are able to vote this year. Political parties are also targeting Asian and Latino voters to give them an edge.

    Seattle Now reports that white suburban women voters are said to be among one of the more influential groups for this election. While this voting block isn't unheard of, let's be honest, you can't pin down a strict set of issues or way of thinking when it comes to any group that pollsters love to add up.

    "Things have changed a lot," Cathy Allen told Seattle Now. "When they were 'soccer moms,' which was another code word, they were very apolitical in their partisanship, but they were definitely good voters."

    Allen is a political consultant and an assistant teaching professor at the University of Washington and says we're talking about "a very unique group of people."

    "It's not just about women anymore, it's about white women who are working, white women who are home raising kids, it's about white women who are very engaged in what's going on in their local community, and it's white women who watch a lot of TV and get a lot of information online. They've changed dramatically, in terms of what is influencing the largest block of people who vote, which are women."

    Perhaps campaigns spend so much time targeting them because they are such a large voting group. If you go by the most recent poll from the Wall Street Journal, some of the messaging seems to be working — there appears to be a shift among white suburban women toward GOP congressional candidates.

    I'm going to point out that the Journal only surveyed 297 women, and it doesn't exactly say which suburbs they're from. The burbs outside LA are different than the burbs outside of Boise or Boston. Heck, Issaquah is different than Renton, or Lakewood, or Snoqualmie, or Camas, and so on.

    Democrats have been heavily pushing the abortion rights issue leading up to the election (they were asking my email inbox for money within minutes of the Supreme Court decision back in June). This may have been a miscalculation, however, if you're going by this poll, which states that the economy is top of mind for this voting block. Gas prices, grocery prices, and other costs are more immediate in the minds of these voters, and Republicans have always had good branding when it comes to economics (I'm not saying they are actually good at it, they just have good branding). According to Allen, however, that doesn't mean that the overturning of Roe v Wade hasn't had an impact this election season.

    "This year, we've seen a huge number of women register to vote," Allen said. "In some cases, in our five most Conservative, Republican states, what we've seen is 15% more women than men registering (to vote) ... and Roe v Wade is the reason they give as to why they are motivated to get more involved."

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