#kuow — Public Fediverse posts

Hundreds of Lime riders are expected to pack downtown Seattle streets Saturday, following similar events this month in Minneapolis and Omaha. Most riders are having some good summertime fun, but there are safety concerns since many are young people, and most won’t be wearing helmets.
https://www.kuow.org/arts-life/2026-08-20/prepare-seattle-a-third-lime-takeover-is-planned-for-saturday
#KUOW #News #SeattleNews #ArtsAndLife #TransportationAndTraffic

A new report from Seattle’s Inspector General finds the city’s police contract restricts unarmed crisis responders from helping “a significant portion of the population” they were intended to serve. The crisis responders’ union has filed an unfair labor practice over these limitations.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-20/seattle-police-contract-throttles-citys-crisis-response-teams-inspector-general-finds
#KUOW #News #Government #MentalHealth #SeattlePoliceDepartment

Starbucks is moving supply chain teams to its new Nashville hub, but not everyone is willing.
https://www.kuow.org/topics/business/2026-08-20/more-than-half-of-224-laid-off-from-starbucks-refused-to-relocate-to-nashville
#KUOW #News #Starbucks #Business

Security camera footage released this week offers a glimpse of the catastrophic implosion at the Nippon Dynawave wood pulp mill in May that killed 11 workers.
https://www.kuow.org/topics/business/2026-08-20/new-video-shows-white-liquor-rupture-at-longview-plant-that-killed-11-workers
#KUOW #News #Business

There has never been a successful eradication of the emerald ash borer, a metallic green beetle that feeds on wood, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. The insect has wiped out more than 100 million ash trees in the United States since its initial detection 20 years ago.
https://www.kuow.org/environment/2026-08-20/invasive-beetle-that-has-wiped-out-millions-of-ash-trees-confirmed-in-washington
#KUOW #News #Environment

The latest jobs report for Washington state shows slight hiring growth and a dip in unemployment for the first time in more than a year and a half. Though unemployment in the state remains higher than the national average, labor economists called the news “bright” and credited World Cup-related hiring for the bump.
https://www.kuow.org/economy/2026-08-19/washington-state-unemployment-fell-slightly-in-july-adding-over-20-000-jobs
#KUOW #News #Economy #Economy #WashingtonState #UnemploymentRate #WorldCup

In the span of a month, firefighting costs for 20 wildfires burning across Washington state have totaled $207 million, according to data from the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-19/cost-to-battle-20-washington-wildfires-has-topped-200m
#KUOW #News #Government

Washington’s Democratic governor and a Republican congressman are asking President Donald Trump to meet with them to discuss the wildfires that have devastated parts of the state this summer.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-19/ferguson-baumgartner-seek-meeting-with-trump-on-washington-wildfires
#KUOW #News #Government

The debate on how to combat open-air drug markets is a perennial topic in Seattle. The Stay Out of Drug Area (SODA) law was supposed to take on the issue. Two years later, it's barely being used.
https://www.kuow.org/law/2026-08-19/seattles-soda-law-once-hotly-debated-is-now-barely-being-used-city-leaders-weigh-in-on-what-that-means
#KUOW #News #LawAndCourts #Government #Crime #SeattleCityCouncil #SeattleNews

The Orca Behavior Institute recorded a record-breaking number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea in July.
https://www.kuow.org/animals/2026-08-19/the-salish-sea-is-the-place-to-be-for-orcas-this-summer-whats-behind-this-trend
#KUOW #News #Environment #Animals #Orcas #Nature

Nikola Tesla STEM High School came in at No. 9 among U.S. News and World Report’s best high schools in the country.
https://www.kuow.org/education/2026-08-18/this-seattle-area-magnet-school-is-one-of-the-best-in-the-nation-again
#KUOW #News #Science #Education #SchoolsAndEducation

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has rejected President Trump’s practice of installing top federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation. The Trump administration plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case could affect Seattle, where the U.S. attorney appointed by federal judges, Roger Rogoff, was fired by Trump and is suing to be reinstated.
https://www.kuow.org/law/2026-08-18/ninth-circuit-ruling-could-impact-who-serves-as-u-s-attorney-in-seattle
#KUOW #News #Government #Law,CrimeAndCourt #SeattleNews #LawAndCourts

A new poll seems to show broad support for the use of cameras in Seattle. Anti-surveillance advocates disagree.
https://www.kuow.org/politics/2026-08-17/lobbying-intensifies-in-seattle-over-surveillance-cameras
#KUOW #News #SeattlePoliceDepartment #Government #Law,CrimeAndCourt #Politics

Rep. Tarra Simmons says she plans to appeal.
https://www.kuow.org/politics/2026-08-17/washington-state-lawmaker-hit-with-15k-fine-in-ethics-case
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateLegislature #Politics

Wildfires have shut down two segments of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington. Long-distance hikers unable to reach Canada have responded creatively to preserve the PCT experience.
https://www.kuow.org/climate/2026-08-14/new-monument-marks-northern-end-of-fire-blocked-pacific-crest-trail
#KUOW #News #Climate #ClimateChange #Climate #Wildfires #Outdoors

Seattle’s previous interim police chief Sue Rahr told KUOW that outside candidates may be reluctant to seek the job of the city’s next police chief, given high turnover and current political instability between the brand-new mayor and the city council who criticized her dismissal of Chief Shon Barnes. But Rahr said there may be promising internal candidates at SPD.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-14/former-interim-chief-sue-rahr-predicts-few-outside-candidates-to-head-seattle-police
#KUOW #News #Seattle #Government #SeattlePoliceDepartment #Shooting

The Pacific Northwest will need a massive buildout of new energy infrastructure over the next six years to meet rising electricity demand, according to a draft regional power plan released Thursday.
https://www.kuow.org/environment/2026-08-14/with-pnw-electricity-demand-surging-planners-map-out-major-grid-upgrades
#KUOW #News #Environment

A King County Superior Court judge has ordered the online prediction market Kalshi to cease most of its operations in Washington state, but Kalshi officials say the court lacks jurisdiction to make that call.
https://www.kuow.org/law/2026-08-14/king-county-judge-orders-kalshi-to-stop-most-online-betting-in-washington-state
#KUOW #News #WashingtonState #LawAndCourts

The wife of Carlos Sanchez Villalba says every day has been harder since losing her husband. He was one of the victims at the Seattle Center mass shooting last month.
https://www.kuow.org/crime/2026-08-14/every-day-is-harder-dad-killed-at-seattle-center-is-laid-to-rest
#KUOW #News #Obituary #Shooting #Crime

The private owners of the immigrant detention center in Tacoma said they’ll soon be in talks with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to sell some of their detention facilities across the country to the feds. It remains unclear whether those negotiations include the Northwest ICE Processing Center, which has been run by GEO Group since 2005.
https://www.kuow.org/immigration/2026-08-13/is-ice-about-to-take-control-of-the-privately-run-detention-center-in-tacoma
#KUOW #News #ImmigrationInTheNorthwest #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcement #Immigration #TrumpAndTheNorthwest

An outpouring of support and community has surrounded the victims of the Spokane Complex fires.
https://www.kuow.org/climate/2026-08-13/in-wake-of-spokane-complex-fires-helpers-arrive-in-droves
#KUOW #News #Wildfires #Spokane #Climate

Tacoma police arrested Democratic candidate Krista Perez for a suspected DUI earlier this week.
https://www.kuow.org/elections/2026-08-13/democratic-washington-state-house-candidate-arrested-for-dui-in-tacoma
#KUOW #News #Elections #Elections #WashingtonStateLegislature

Seattle Public Schools plans to begin an audit of its human resource practices. The move follows a pledge from SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner to reexamine how the district responds when teachers are accused of harassment or sexual abuse.
https://www.kuow.org/education/2026-08-13/seattle-public-schools-audits-hr-department-after-complaints-of-a-broken-system
#KUOW #News #Education #SchoolsAndEducation #EducationAndKids #Education #SeattlePublicSchools

If Jaelynn Scott joins the state House, it will also likely mean at least two democratic socialists serving in the Legislature.
https://www.kuow.org/elections/2026-08-13/washington-poised-to-elect-its-first-openly-trans-legislator
#KUOW #News #Elections #Elections #WashingtonStateLegislature

New estimates show $3.1 billion in the next budget would be lost if voters pass Initiative 645 and eliminate the new levy on higher earners.
https://www.kuow.org/economy/2026-08-13/wa-revenue-officials-income-tax-will-bring-in-more-money-than-first-expected
#KUOW #News #Economy #Elections #Taxes #WashingtonStateLegislature

The vote sets the stage for months of negotiations on a long-term lease and the nearly $600 million renovation project.
https://www.kuow.org/politics/2026-08-13/portland-city-council-approves-term-sheet-for-moda-center-renovations
#KUOW #News #Portland #Politics

Extra wide RVs parked on city streets are a common sight in Seattle’s residential neighborhoods today. That could end in July 2027 as part of a suite of rule changes being considered by the city council. It’s part of an effort to move people out of RVs and into shelter or housing.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-12/extra-wide-rvs-could-be-outlawed-on-seattles-residential-streets-next-summer
#KUOW #News #HousingAndHomeless #SeattleCityCouncil #SeattleNews #Government #Homeless

Two Seattle residents have filed a recall petition against Mayor Katie Wilson, alleging she's “derelict in her duties for public safety of the city of Seattle.”
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-12/recall-petition-filed-against-seattle-mayor-katie-wilson-faces-uphill-battle
#KUOW #News #SeattleNews #Government

"The End of Oak Street" delivers a curious premise, but can it keep momentum through its conclusion?
https://www.kuow.org/arts-life/2026-08-12/could-you-survive-the-end-of-oak-street
#KUOW #News #ArtsAndLife

Under the new legislation, Seattle landlords must disclose fees in advertising rent prices, and can’t charge fees for things like mail and package delivery. The new regulations don't go into effect until July 1, 2027.
https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-11/seattle-bans-landlords-from-charging-junk-fees-like-pet-rent
#KUOW #News #SeattleCityCouncil #Housing #Government