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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Washington state farmworkers sue U.S. Department of Labor over depressed wages
Apple trees on a farm in Eastern Washington.Anna King for N3 & KUOWA group of Washington state farmworkers is suing the U.S. Department of Labor, saying the agency allows employers to exclude them from work by hiring cheaper, foreign labor.
The farmworkers, who belong to the Familias Unidas por la Justicia labor union in Skagit County, are asking a federal judge to compel the department to revise its wages to be more competitive so they can make a better living.
The Department of Labor did away with its prevailing wage system in 2022, which set a standard wage for agriculture workers based on average wages reported via survey. On Friday, the Seattle-based Columbia Legal Services filed a court injunction seeking to make the Department of Labor temporarily return to using prevailing wage rules from 2022 as the lawsuit moves forward.
The Department of Labor’s wage for temporary visa workers in Washington state is currently set at $19.25, about three dollars above the state minimum wage. The problem is that at peak harvest time, a seasoned worker living in the U.S. can often make around $28, said Edgar Franks with Familias Unidas Por La Justicia.
That makes it easy for growers to undercut local farmworkers and outsource labor to foreign nationals instead, he said.
“That's a big hit for farmworkers that have been doing apple-picking for a long time,” Franks said. “And they're really good and look forward to picking the crops in peak season to make ends meet.”
The farmworkers say that these days, wages set by the Department of Labor are outdated and inconsistent. They say they want the department to recalculate that current $19.25 wage to be more competitive, among other things.
“The Department of Labor is failing to protect local workers’ wages, which hurts farmworker families and drives them out of jobs that they otherwise would have taken,” said Andrea Schmitt, an attorney with the Seattle-based Columbia Legal Services who is representing the farmworkers.
“Local workers need protection for local, free market wages against the depressive effects of bringing in workers from places where the economy is depressed and they will accept any wage offered,” she added.
The Department of Labor declined KUOW’s request for comment on the case.
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Lily Gladstone represents at 2024 Met Gala — one of just four Indigenous attendees
Lily Gladstone attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" exhibition on Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York.Evan Agostini/Invision/APSeattle-area gem Lily Gladstone made a stunning appearance at a fancy little shindig known as the Met Gala this week.
Her attendance at the carefully curated New York City event was yet another reminder of her talent, grown at Mountlake Terrace High School. But for some onlookers, it was also a reminder of a persistent trend in fashion — a dearth of Indigenous stars, designers, and other attendees.
RELATED: Lily Gladstone chronicles Blackfeet Nation's reunion with buffalo in new SIFF documentary
Gladstone was one of just four Indigenous people at the Met Gala Monday, according to Urban Native Era, an Indigenous fashion brand.
"Dreaming of the day we get to see more than 4 Indigenous People at the [Met Gala]," the brand wrote on Instagram, "but until then thank you [Quannah Rose Chasinghorse-Potts], [Lily Gladstone], and [Christian Allaire] for representing."
(New Zealand filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi was also at the Gala. Urban Native Era removed Waititi from the brand's Instagram post on Indigenous attendees.)
Gladstone, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, made film history earlier this year when she became the first Indigenous person to win a Golden Globe for best actress and the first Native American nominated for an Oscar in the best actress category. She attended the Met Gala in a custom ensemble by Gabriela Hearst and indigenous jeweler Keri Ataumbi.
"We decided on a dress and cape that represented her ancestors holding and carrying for," the designer wrote on Instagram. "The organza cape and silk wool dress had constellations embroidered as seen from the Great Plains on the summer solstice, including the Orion and the Pleiades. The Pleiades, specially requested by Lily Gladstone, is embroidered at the neckline of the cape as a custom closure."
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Molbak’s fails to raise $2.5M to return as Green Phoenix Collaborative in Woodinville
This is an AI generated image using ChatGPT. Organizers with Green Phoenix Collaborative feed their conversations about the project into ChatGPT and the AI program conjured up this image.ChatGPT via Parsons and Co communications firmAfter closing earlier this year, Molbak's Garden and Home had a plan to remerge as the Green Phoenix Collaborative and keep its gardening vibe going in Woodinville. But organizers were not able to raise enough money for the comeback effort.
"Thank you to those who supported our fundraising campaign for Green Phoenix Collaborative at Molbak’s. Sadly, we did not reach our goal," the organization announced on its website Friday.
RELATED: What Ciscoe Morris says you should know about 2024 gardening around Seattle
The effort aimed to replace Molbak's Garden and Home store, which closed in January 2024 after 67 years in Woodinville. In April, the business' leaders announced a new plan for the property, called "Green Phoenix Collaborative." The idea was to use the site to host a variety of gardening uses, such as outside retailers.
"Beyond retail, we could see ourselves ... partnering with people to do education programs and workshops," Molbak's CEO Julie Kouhia told KUOW in April. "And there could be nonprofits operating out of this space. There's beautiful spaces for innovation. In the back, we have a huge open area that we could turn into community P-patch gardens, for the apartments behind us and people in Woodinville."
To make the new endeavor happen, organizers were asking for contributions from the public, with a goal of raising $2.5 million. According to its Indiegogo campaign, a total of 539 people donated to the Green Phoenix Collaborative, adding up to $106,814.
Those who contributed to the campaign will get a refund.
"While the community as a whole wasn’t quite ready for GPC, you helped plant a seed of possibility. When the time is right, we’re hopeful it will take root in another form and bring something positive, green-friendly and community-driven back to the area. Nothing would make us happier," Friday's announcement stated.
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Seattle stayed cool in April while the planet felt record heat
Pink fawn lilies bloom beneath a vine maple in Shoreline's Twin Ponds Park in April 2024, an unusually cool month in the Seattle area despite global warming.KUOW Photo/John RyanThough you might not believe it if you live in Seattle, April 2024 was the earth’s hottest April on record, with the pollution-fueled heat expected to continue.
It was the 11th month in a row that surface air temperatures set a global heat record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the 13th month in a row that surface sea temperatures did so.
The service’s monthly updates on global air and sea surface temperatures are based on “billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.”
The Seattle area bucked the global climate trend in April.
Seattle was 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degree Celsius) colder than the city’s long-term average for April. With just 0.89 inches of rain, Seattle was exceptionally dry as well, with just a third of the 30-year average for April since 1991, according to the nonprofit Climate Central.
Mountain snowpack in Washington state is currently 40% below normal, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Most of the state is under a drought emergency declared by Gov. Jay Inslee on April 16.
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Seattle says 'Belltown Hellcat' driver ignored order to quiet ear-splitting car
The emblem of a Dodge Charger Hellcat. In March 2024, a 20-year-old man was charged with reckless driving in Seattle after months of allegedly driving his Hellcat through Belltown and downtown streets, loudly revving his engine and street racing. He allegedly reached more than 100 mph on downtown streets with 25 mph speed limits.Seattle is suing the so-called “Belltown Hellcat” driver for allegedly continuing to rev his souped-up racecar’s engine at high volume more than a month after the city ordered him to stop.
Downtown residents have complained for months about middle-of-the-night revving and backfiring from 20-year-old Miles Hudson’s car. Some mistook the backfiring for gunfire.
On March 29 the city gave Hudson until April 15 to stop violating the noise ordinance, and to fix modifications that made the car extremely loud.
Now the city says Hudson missed the deadline and has racked up penalties of up to $1,300 per day he failed to quiet his car — $28,600 maximum to date.
The lawsuit says Hudson’s car has continued making a racket in recent days. He’s no longer allowed to drive the vehicle, which is registered to his mother, after two reckless driving charges.
Video posted to his Instagram account three days ago shows another person driving and revving the engine while Hudson films from the passenger's seat, the city claimed.
The city is asking the court to require Hudson to pay his accrued penalties and the city’s legal fees.
He has 20 days to respond.
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Extra-low (and high) tides coming to Puget Sound this week
A blood star clings to a rock in Edmonds, Washington, on June 18, 2022.KUOW Photo/John RyanExtra-low tides on Puget Sound May 8 to May 12 bring opportunities to witness sea stars and other colorful creatures along local shorelines.
Near Seattle, the lowest tides are expected midday on Thursday and Friday.
Later in the summer, many Seattle-area beaches will feature volunteer naturalists who help visitors learn about what they’re seeing and how to avoid harming the exposed creatures at a vulnerable time of their lives. This week, visitors will have to tread carefully to avoid crushing small animals and replace any small rocks they pick up exactly as they found them.
Tidepoolers might also use apps like Seek by iNaturalist to help identify the otherworldly creatures often found in tidepools—or check out this list of the 25 most-observed tidepool creatures in Seattle.
The U.S. Coast Guard warns that extra-low tides are often followed by extra-high tides.
Sea level is expected to yo-yo as much as 17 feet this week near Olympia.
The high "tidal swings" generate strong and, in places, dangerous currents as massive volumes of water ebb and flow.
The Coast Guard is asking boaters to make sure their vessels are moored securely or moved well above the usual high-tide line.
The extra effort should keep any boats or paddleboards from heading out to sea with no one aboard.
More exceptionally low Puget Sound tides are forecast for May 24-27, June 4-9, and June 20-25.
Correction, 4:30 p.m., 5/9/24: An earlier version misstated the timing of beach naturalist programs, which begin May 24 in the Seattle area.
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Emergency declared for spongy moth invading Washington state
Washington state began a monitoring and eradication program for the spongy moth in 1974. It has since sprayed pesticide in areas where the moth has been detected.A foreign invader, of the pest variety, is posing imminent danger to plants in Washington state. The spongy moth has been sighted in Thurston and Skagit counties. The state is now revving up airplane engines to go spray two large areas to get rid of the moths.
"This imminent danger of infestation seriously endangers the agricultural and horticultural industries of the state of Washington and seriously threatens the economic well-being and quality of life of state residents," Gov. Jay Inslee stated in an emergency proclamation issued Wednesday.
RELATED: An invasive species, on San Juan Island?
The state is specifically calling out two spongy moth hot spots: a 920-acre area in Concrete, and 1,383 acres at Steamboat Island Road and Highway 101 near Olympia. Last year, 103 spongy moths were captured in these areas.
Under the declaration, the Department of Agriculture will begin spraying a bacteria that kills the spongy moth on Friday in Thurston County. The Skagit County site will be sprayed in the coming month.
The spongy moth is also known as Lymantria dispar L., and previously was referred to as the "gypsy moth." The Entomological Society of America changed the name in 2021 because it used a pejorative term for Romani people. The name was officially changed in 2022 to spongy moth, which refers to the moth's sponge-like egg masses.
It's one of the most destructive forest pests introduced into the United States, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Its caterpillars can attack more than 300 species of trees and shrubs. The department points to Massachusetts as an example of the threat — the moths defoliated one-third of that state's trees in 2017, and the next year, Massachusetts lost even more hardwood and oak trees.
Washington state's proclamation directs the Department of Agriculture to spray a bacterial pesticide that attacks caterpillars. Airplanes will spray Btk (bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) over the affected areas. The department says it doesn't harm other animals, such as birds or bees, or humans.
Agriculture officials say the spray is sticky, so nearby residents may want to cover cars and close their windows within 30 minutes of the spray. Otherwise, it can be washed off with soap and water.
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20 Seattle elementary schools could be closed due to budget crisis
Kids file into Laurelhurst Elementary School on Friday, June 16, 2017, on NE 47th St., in Seattle, Washington.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerUpdated at 7:50 p.m. 5/8/2024
Twenty Seattle elementary schools could be closed for the 2025-26 school year, Seattle Public Schools leadership announced on Wednesday.
District officials have not said which schools will be on the chopping block — a list is expected to be released in June — but they say K-5 students would be better accommodated if the district downsized to 50 elementary schools, down from more than 70 schools.
The plan does not include any middle or high school closures, and it’s not set in stone. The board is expected to vote in the fall.
This reorganization of schools comes as the district faces a $105 million shortfall next school year, and similar shortfalls for the next several years.
The district’s precarious financial situation has been fueled by declining enrollment, including a loss of nearly 5,000 students over the last five years. Because state education funding is largely based on enrollment numbers, that five-year drop cost the district about $81 million of revenue.
The district has framed these closures – or “consolidations” – not just as a way to balance the budget, but also as a means to create more equity across the schools.
While some schools have additional staff – such as nurses, special education staff, librarians, art teachers, and social workers – other schools may not, or may have those positions for limited hours.
Superintendent Brent Jones told the board Wednesday he initially had reservations about school closures, because he knew how difficult it would be for the community.
But as he and his staff explored options for getting the district on more solid financial footing, Jones said he came to believe that “we have to be efficient so that we can be effective.”
“I’m convinced that bringing us to a smaller footprint is going to allow us to do more things,” he said. “If we shore up our foundation, we have much more opportunity to be excellent.”
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President Biden is coming to Seattle
President Joe Biden speaks at an event to celebrate Black History Month in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Washington.Patrick Semansky / Associated PressSeattle will get a presidential visit this week when Joe Biden swings through the city on Friday and Saturday.
According to Biden's re-election campaign, the president is attending fundraising events in Seattle on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11.
Biden's visit is likely to cause local travel delays on Seattle freeways and roads as his motorcade shuttles him around. Be prepared for disruptions.
There is no word of any official White House business happening.
According to the Northwest Progressive Institute, it's possible that the president could participate in additional events while in town. The Institute further notes that the cheapest tickets to the fundraiser are $500. They go as high as $50,000, and $25,000 will get you a photo with the president.
First Lady Jill Biden is also coming through the Northwest. She'll be in Portland on Thursday, May 9 for two events.
This story has been updated to note that President Biden will also be in Seattle on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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Tiffany Smiley is back. This time, she's running for Congress against another Republican
Tiffany Smiley speaks to a crowd as primary election results come in on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Issaquah. At the time, Smiley was the Republican challenger of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerTiffany Smiley is charting another course to Washington, D.C. This time, she's challenging a fellow Republican in an attempt to get into Congress.
"My journey to politics started at Walter Reed Army Hospital almost 20 years ago when I pushed back against gov dysfunction and won. Now, it’s time for me to push back from inside Congress, and win for my friends and neighbors in WA-04. Join me, as we take the fight to Congress!" Smiley wrote Monday morning in an announcement on X (formerly Twitter).
RELATED: Why polls got the Murray / Smiley Senate race wrong
Smiley is known to Washington voters from her 2022 campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. The Republican raised millions for the effort, and in the process, became a local GOP celebrity and has since been featured as a cable news talking head. Murray won that election with 57% of the vote, to Smiley's 43%. Now, Smiley is running to represent Washington's 4th Congressional District.
In her video announcement, Smiley leans into rhetoric echoing her 2022 campaign for Senate — her husband's combat injuries, highlighting issues of affordability and homelessness, and challenging government bureaucracy and "the swamp," a term common among former President Trump's MAGA supporters.
Smiley does not mention Dan Newhouse, the Republican who has represented the 4th District since 2015, nor does she comment on why she is challenging another Republican for the job (her campaign website also, so far, does not mention Newhouse).
Rep. Newhouse was notably among 10 U.S. House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump following the events on Jan. 6. Many of those politicians were voted out of office, or stepped down. Washington Congressional District 3 Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler also voted in favor of impeachment. She was challenged in the following primary by a MAGA Republican and was knocked out of the position. Newhouse, however, survived the 2022 primary and won re-election with 67% of the vote.
Smiley isn't the only Republican challenging Newhouse in 2024. Republican Jerrod Sessler, whose website touts an endorsement from Trump, is also running to represent the 4th District. Among Sessler's arguments against Newhouse is the representative's impeachment vote.
In her 2022 campaign for Senate, Smiley made headlines when her website removed all mentions of "election integrity" after the August primary. The term was widely used by Trump supporters and those who promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen by Biden. Smiley's online activity since 2022 has included content in support of Trump.
More recently, Newhouse has shied away from saying whether he would support Trump in the 2024 presidential election. He has been more known as a prominent voice against the re-introduction of grizzly bears to the North Cascades.
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An old horse named Razzle Dazzle and a loaf of white bread: Inside the runaway zebra rescue
Sugar the zebra photographed after being captured in a pasture near North Bend, Washington, on May 3, 2024.Regional Animal Services of King CountyNo one knew where Sugar had gone.
Five days earlier, Sugar and three other zebras, including her 4-month-old filly, bolted from a horse trailer on Interstate 90, east of Seattle. While the other zebras were returned, Sugar disappeared into the towering evergreen woods of the Cascade Mountains.
Pamela Trujillo knew, though. The 67-year-old barn manager watched, delighted, as the zebra befriended an old gelding who lives on her property, an Arabian named Razzle Dazzle.
“Razzle was her security blanket,” Trujillo said, describing how the two spent hours nose to nose. "He’s just a love. It was nice that he was able to enjoy a once in a lifetime girl."
It was this unlikely friendship that helped rescuers find Sugar, after an intensive six-day search involving multiple agencies, round-the-clock media coverage, and efforts by two separate groups to corral the runaway zebra.
On Friday, finally, Sugar’s adventure came to an end.
A retired rodeo cowboy from Mount Vernon, Washington, successfully captured Sugar and returned her to her owner, Kristine Keltgen, a 35-year-old aesthetician who is opening a petting zoo in Montana.
‘Would you be willing to help me?’
David Danton, 52, was the cowboy. He’d met Keltgen the week before, on the day her zebras sprang from her trailer. She’d just acquired them in Winlock, Washington, and was transporting them to Montana.
Danton had helped corral the zebras, and they’d checked in with Keltgen a few times throughout the week.
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THE ZEBRA IS A SHE-BRA. Does the North Bend ‘stallion’ just want to be free?
Four zebras escaped from a transport truck in North Bend, Wash. on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Three were captured, but one got away. Locals have spotted the lone zebra in the area.Regional Animal Services of King CountyAlas.
We’d been dreaming of baby zorses. A zebra on the loose near North Bend, they said, a rogue stallion with a punk rock 'do that would, handsome striped dazzler he was, impregnate the quivering mares in nearby pastures.
Except that … this zebra is a she-bra.
“Contrary to the owner's original statement, the missing zebra is a mare, or female zebra,” Regional Animal Services of King County said in a statement on Thursday. “This has been confirmed by photos from the public that show the zebra wandering in the area near North Bend.”
Z – that’s her name, not very original – hails from Winlock, Washington. On Sunday, she was bound for a petting zoo in Montana, the woman driving the trailer told Washington State Patrol. Z and three other zebras got loose; she is the only one who evaded capture.
Now Z roams free of small hands, eating from hidden dishes that locals have set out, bucking the patriarchy, and hopefully not getting knocked up with a zorse.
North Bend, of "Twin Peaks" show fame, has mobilized. Stay away, they said to outsiders on Thursday, worried that lurking looky-loos may spook Z into the Seattle watershed.
“Too many people are excitedly joining in and actually destroying all chance to capture her,” said Linda Grez of North Bend. “Some even bring unleashed dogs! If she runs off from them, she may be lost forever as there is wilderness on two sides.”
Meanwhile, the sightings continue. Daniel Thimsen, a cook at Twede’s Cafe, said Z chased him down a hiking trail. Thimsen said she looked like “a donkey that lifts weights.” (Not how most women want to be described.)
Minutes after she thundered through, a mountain biker tore down the trail. “Do you know where the zebra went?” the biker asked, according to Thimsen.
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