Ann Dornfeld
Reporter
About
Ann is a reporter on KUOW's Investigations team. Previously, she covered education stories for KUOW for a decade, with a focus on investigations into racial and socioeconomic inequities.
Her ongoing series exposing Seattle Public Schools’ lenient discipline of staff who abused students has won investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Education Writers Association. She was also lauded for her years of work covering disparities in the amount of recess and P.E. time students received in low-income schools.
Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network in Anchorage, and KLCC in Eugene, Oregon. Her freelance work, focusing on science and environmental issues, has appeared on national outlets including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace and The World.
Ann’s marine and underwater photography has appeared in the American Museum of Natural History and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
She lives with her husband and two children in South Seattle.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors
Stories
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Transit workers call for safety improvements after fatal stabbing of Metro driver
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Health
On-duty medic and fire units now staff Seattle sporting events and concerts, leaving coverage gaps
A KUOW investigation found that the Seattle Fire Department diverted on-duty staff to work special events 147 times between November 2023 and November 2024, leaving fewer units to respond to emergencies citywide.
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Politics
Secret payments to King County employee could become issue in race for county’s top job
Whistleblower allegations of a kickback scheme involving a King County employee could prompt questions in the upcoming race for King County Executive.
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Government
Secret payments, damning audit. King County’s youth violence prevention effort, mired in scandal
In the latest scandal involving a high-profile King County initiative, a county staffer was found to have secretly received $323,000 in payments in an alleged kickback scheme with a nonprofit leader he knew from prison.
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Sports
Seattle's Roosevelt High finally made the football playoffs, but did they recruit players to get there?
Roosevelt High School in Seattle is under investigation by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association for alleged football recruiting violations as the team heads to state playoffs for the first time in a decade.
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Crime
Father of Garfield student killed at school begs witnesses to 'do the right thing'
On June 6, 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was fatally shot outside Seattle's Garfield High School during lunchtime. His father, Arron, sat down with KUOW for his first media interview since Amarr's death to remember his son's life — and seek information from the public to help police solve the case.
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Education
Seattle Schools pays former student record $16 million to settle Garfield coach sex abuse lawsuit
Seattle Public Schools will pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by a former student who says two Garfield High School coaches sexually abused her for years, the largest-ever tort claim settlement in district history.
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Crime
Teen faces 5 potential first-degree murder charges for Fall City mass shooting
The teen voluntarily waived his right to appear in court and has not been officially charged. Formal charges are expected to be filed on Thursday, including whether prosecutors are requesting the boy to be charged as an adult.
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Politics
Fewer staff, longer reviews? Seattle Mayor Harrell proposes cuts to city's construction department
Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections would lose about 30 positions under Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed budget, which would reduce general fund support for the department by $2.9 million in 2025 and $2.5 million in 2026.
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Environment
UW biochemist wins Nobel Prize for using computers to design proteins
A biochemist at the University of Washington School of Medicine has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work in computational protein design.