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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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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For trial of Auburn police officer accused of murder, lawyers probe jurors' views on deadly force
Elaine Simons takes a photograph of a small vigil set up to honor those killed by Auburn police officer Jeffrey Nelson, including her foster son, Jesse Sarey, on Thursday, June 3, 2021, at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. Family members gathered to see their loved ones names projected onto the side of the building as part of the "Projecting Justice" project.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerKing County Superior Court officials have called an unusually large jury pool to consider what could be a significant case involving police use of deadly force — the murder trial of Auburn police officer Jeffrey Nelson.
Court spokesperson Amy Roe said between the length of the trial and the controversial focus, the court had to nearly triple the normal jury pool and call more than 300 people. She said 80 to 120 jurors are called for a typical criminal trial.
Nelson is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault. He’s the first police officer to be charged under I-940. The new voter-approved standard removes the requirement to prove that a police officer acted with “malice,” and instead says prosecutors must show Nelson’s use of force was not reasonable or necessary when he shot and killed Jesse Sarey in 2019.
This week at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, lawyers are bringing potential jurors into the courtroom for questioning one at a time, going into detail about their views of law enforcement, recent Black Lives Matter protests and high-profile cases of police using deadly force.
On Thursday morning one potential juror said she has family members in law enforcement, and police need to defend themselves in certain situations. But she also said she believes the Seattle police officer who shot and killed First Nations woodcarver John T. Williams in 2010 could have tried pepper spray or other less-lethal means before resorting to deadly force.
She said if someone were carrying a machete, “give them what they’ve got coming,” but “I don’t think [Williams’] little knife could have hurt anyone,” the juror said, adding, “I don’t think he deserved to lose his life.”
The juror indicated she had similar concerns over Sarey’s death from what she knew of the encounter, but she said she could put bias aside and “opinions can change.”
Another juror told attorneys he has starkly negative views of police, who he said he associates with “white supremacy” and “terrorizing marginalized communities.” He noted on a questionnaire that he agreed with the slogan used by some protesters in 2020, “ACAB” for “All Cops Are Bastards.”
The juror, who is white, said if selected he would try to put his beliefs aside, but he also told the defense attorney who questioned him, “Your job is the find the right jury, and that may not be me.”
Ultimately Judge Nicole Gaines Phelps granted a motion from Nelson’s defense team to strike that juror for bias, noting that he specifically cited a negative view of Auburn police as well.
Lawyers said that other prospective jurors have voiced strong support for law enforcement. Ultimately attorneys will narrow the pool to 12 jurors and at least four alternates. The trial is expected to last into July.
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Bring on the dancing zorses: North Bend continues search for 'wayward zebra'
UPDATE
Regional Animal Services of King County issued a statement Thursday afternoon, correcting previous information it provided about the zebra on the loose around North Bend, Wash. Apparently, the zebra is a mare.
"Contrary to the owner's original statement, the missing zebra is a mare, or female zebra. This has been confirmed by photos from the public that show the zebra wandering in the area near North Bend," animal services said in a statement.
That statement nullifies a previous quote I got from an animal services spokesperson, who at the time believed the zebra was male, and said: "There is a non-zero chance that zebra could mate with a mare to produce a zorse." It also trashes the hopes that, perhaps some folks out there (maybe I'm projecting too much) had about a zebra stallion leaving some zebroids behind in North Bend before it moves along.
RELATED: I was chased by a zebra in North Bend
But hey, at least we got a decent Echo & the Bunnymen reference in a headline — an opportunity that does not come along often.
The rest of this story, however, remains true, and this "mystical" zebra has indeed woven itself into North Bend folklore, and song. Read more below about that.
As of Thursday, May 2, animal services reports that it has received "numerous credible sightings" of the zebra, but still, "so far the zebra has eluded capture." If you see it, call 911 and report its whereabouts or call animal service's non-emergency line at 206-296-7387. Do not approach the zebra.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
As songwriter Bob Antone sings, "elk and zebras can't have babies." But zebras and horses can. They're called "zorses," and there are a few horse stables out in North Bend where a zebra stallion now roams free. So ... who knows?
RELATED: 'That’s not nice!' Brown bear eats entire family of ducks in front of kids at Seattle zoo
The zebra has now become embedded in North Bend pop culture. Antone wrote a song about the four zebras escaping from their trailer along I-90 through North Bend less than a day after it happened on Sunday, April 28.
The zebras started their journey from around Winlock, Wash., and broke free during a stop along the freeway. Three were quickly captured and sent to their original destination in Montana. But the stallion remains on the loose in the North Bend area. It's been sighted by locals, but it has continued to evade animal officers.
"We are still on the lookout for that wayward zebra," said Cameron Satterfield with Regional Animal Services of King County.
When the initial escape happened, Antone said he was close by. He even went over to the area where it happened near I-90 and looked around for the zebra. No luck. He did end up writing the song, "There's a herd of wild zebras running loose in my fragile mind."
"It is a really silly, fun song. I put it online and everybody just ate it up. I did not expect the reaction that we got," Antone said, adding that his song posted on YouTube has gone far and attracted media attention.
"There's something mystical about zebras, and there is also this connection that I am seeing with the 'Twin Peaks' community," he said.
The 1990s sensational TV hit "Twin Peaks" was filmed around North Bend. The city has been known for it ever since, and fans have continued to flock there year after year. In the show, black and white stripes are often featured (particularly on the floor of the White Lodge). There is even a passing line mentioned in a season three episode: "You know that zebra's out again?"
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KUOW lays off 8 staffers, ends RadioActive youth program
KUOW letters are shown before "That's Debatable: The Homelessness Crisis is Killing Seattle" on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, as the sun sets at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattle.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerSeattle public radio station KUOW announced Tuesday that it would lay off eight members of its staff and cancel its award-winning RadioActive youth radio program.
The eight positions reflect 6% of the staff and include three full-time staffers for RadioActive, and five people on the business side of the station. Three open positions, including one in the newsroom, will not be filled this year.
This is the first time KUOW has laid off staff because of financial concerns, said Caryn Mathes, general manager and CEO of KUOW.
Mathes said leadership cut $1 million in operational spending. That left another $1 million to cull, which ultimately came from staffing positions.
“We did everything possible that we could before we got to people, because our people are a precious, precious resource,” Mathes said.
Revenue was flat, she said, but costs were going up, especially as KUOW has shifted to producing more podcasts and content for an “on-demand” audience.
“I feel like we’ve gone from a two-ring circus, with the live stream program and a website, to a 12-ring circus because of digital consumers,” Mathes said.
Adding to this, the primary broadcast audience gets older every year.
“The baby boomer audience was our bread and butter, and still are, money-wise in a lot of ways,” Mathes said. “They just wanted to turn on the firehose of content and have it wash over them.”
With costs rising, financial issues became apparent last year, so KUOW pivoted to a digital strategy, while asking its board to draw down $2.9 million from its $11 million reserves. The board agreed, but KUOW was not able to bridge the gap, Mathes said.
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Washington officials apprehend prison escapee in Seattle
Patrick Lester Clay escaped from Monroe Corrections Center early Friday, April 26, 2024.Washington officials said Tuesday morning that a man who escaped a minimum security prison north of Seattle last week is now back in custody.
Patrick Lester Clay, 59, escaped the Monroe Correctional Complex around 7:40 a.m. on April 26 by breaking into a staff office and stealing car keys.
Officials said in a statement that Clay had been captured in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood "without incident" on Monday night. Officials found the white truck he had been driving abandoned in the Central District earlier that day.
The department says Clay will be placed in restrictive housing, and that his case will be referred to local prosecutors to pursue escape and auto theft charges.
Clay was already serving time for burglary, harassment and theft charges in King County, and was scheduled to be released at the end of 2025.
The last time a prisoner escaped from a Department of Corrections facility was in 2022 after a prisoner climbed over a fence at Coyote Ridge Correction Center in Southeastern Washington.
Last year, several children at the Echo Glen juvenile detention facility near Snoqualmie escaped or attempted to. But that facility is overseen by the state’s Department of Youth and Families and not the Department of Corrections. [Copyright 2024 Northwest News Network]
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Federal disaster declared for 16 Washington counties
The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties in Washington state on Monday.Federal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties in Washington state, following weeks of extreme winter weather in January.
The disaster declaration makes federal aid available for local governments and nonprofit agencies, not individuals.
It covers Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Skagit, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties. The declaration also covers the Colville Indian Reservation.
It is the fourth major disaster declaration the Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued for Washington state since January 2022.
January 2024's “near-nonstop” extreme weather events, encompassing extreme cold, windstorms, flooding, and landslides, did an estimated $32 million in damage statewide between Jan. 5 and Jan. 29, according to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s office.
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‘That’s not nice!’ Brown bear eats entire family of ducks in front of kids at Seattle zoo
Chick-eating grin: Juniper, a brown bear at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle who snarfed down a mama duck and her ducklings.Woodland Park ZooJuniper is a 2-year-old brown bear at the Woodland Park Zoo, a large blonde girl described as sassy and mischievous by her keepers.
Last week, Juniper became TikTok famous for being, well, a bear. Here’s what happened.
It was a sunny day in Seattle, and Juniper had spotted a mama duck and her five fuzzy ducklings tootling along in her bear pond.
Juniper nimbly vaulted herself into the pond and swam straight for the ducks. She grabbed a duckling with her long claws, lifted it to her mouth and delicately bit its head off. Unsated, she went for another duckling, and then another, and finally, the mama.
The video was posted to TikTok four days ago by user Rachelle, who said she was at the zoo for her daughter’s birthday party. Children are heard screaming during the video – although not in horror.
“That’s not nice,” cried one, as Juniper slurped down a duckling like a raw oyster.
“That’s a good strategy,” said another enthusiastically, after Juniper separated the mama from her babies.
Others smacked the glass with their palms, presumably hoping to distract Juniper enough to save the ducks. But this brown bear did not care.
Midway through the slaughter, Rachelle, the parent recording the event, sounded resigned. “Hey buddy, can we not?" she said, in a tone typically reserved for children who have long ago broken their parents' spirits.
Juniper came to the Woodland Park Zoo in the summer of 2022 after being discovered alone on an airport runway in Anchorage, Alaska. Juniper, then 89 pounds, was a fluffy singleton who’d been separated from her mother. No one knows what happened to her mother, although it’s possible she was hit by a car or killed illegally.
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Look, up in the sky! It's a drone ... painting over graffiti in Washington state
A drone equipped with spray paint covers over graffiti at a hard-to-reach spot along Tacoma's East 21st Street Bridge. WSDOT is experimenting with drones in limited areas in Tacoma and Olympia that can paint over graffiti.Washington State Department of TransportationThe Washington State Department of Transportation has begun experimenting with drones to take on graffiti along state roads. It's just one part of a larger experiment using cameras to tackle graffiti between Tacoma and Seattle.
"This is a pilot program to determine the benefits and challenges of using drone technology for graffiti removal, including whether it requires fewer staff to be working near active traffic and at high elevations requiring fall equipment," said WSDOT spokesperson Tina Werner.
RELATED: Pizza delivery via drone could soon be coming to Seattle and Tacoma
It's the first time a public agency has deployed drones to paint over graffiti, as far as WSDOT knows. The department is currently conducting a pilot that sends drones, equipped with a spray paint nozzle, to cover up graffiti in difficult spots, like bridges or very high up on walls. The drones have a hose that feeds paint to it from the ground. An operator (pilot) takes care of the rest.
The paint — called "DOT gray"— is water-based latex.
The drone-painting pilot is part of a larger effort approved by the state Legislature earlier this year. Lawmakers passed a bill aimed at mitigating graffiti, with two areas of focus. One is the drone pilot. The second is to "investigate and test improvements to systems capable of identifying persons who damage property with graffiti." According to WSDOT, $1 million was budgeted for this bill, a "small portion" of which is going toward the drone program. The remaining funds are being used to look into traffic camera tech that could monitor for graffiti removal.
RELATED: Seattle will start enforcing its anti-graffiti law again
"A large portion of the pilot program focuses on potential solutions for upgrading the state’s existing traffic camera infrastructure ... to determine if higher-resolution cameras, tracking software, and additional camera placements would enhance our ability to detect graffiti activity," Werner said, noting that WSDOT is in the "very early stages" of this program.
"WSDOT’s current cameras are designed and located to monitor traffic," she added. "If cameras were to be used for graffiti surveillance, the camera resolution and locations (additional focus on retaining walls, bridges, etc.) would need to be upgraded. Also, additional tracking software upgrades would be required as well as staff training."
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Seattle Kraken fire head coach Dave Hakstol
Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol looks on from the bench against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Monday, April 24, 2023, in Seattle. The Seattle Kraken fired coach Dave Hakstol on Monday, April 29, 2024, after the third-year franchise took a significant step back following a playoff appearance in their second season.Lindsey Wasson / Associated PressOfficials with Seattle's Kraken hockey team announced Monday that they have let head coach Dave Hakstol go. A search for his replacement has already begun.
In a statement announcing that the team had "relieved" Hakstol, Kraken General Manager Ron Francis thanked the coach "for his hard work and dedication."
RELATED: NHL on the Eastside? New hockey arena discussed by Seattle Kraken and Kirkland
“Following our end-of-the-season review, we have decided to make a change at our head coach position," Francis said. "These decisions are never easy, but we feel this is a necessary step to help ensure our team continues to improve and evolve. Dave is a good coach and a terrific person. We wish him and his family all the best. We will begin our search for the Kraken’s next head coach immediately.”
Francis also wished assistant coach Paul McFarland and his family well, further announcing that McFarland is also out the door and will not return next season.
The NHL reported Francis expanded on why the organization fired its head coach at a press event Monday, saying that there had been "too many losing streaks" last season, so they want to try something new.
When Seattle got its NHL team in 2021, Hakstol came aboard as the first head coach of the hockey team. As the team parts ways with him, the Kraken noted the team had a 107-112-27 record under Hakstol's leadership. The team also went to the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2022-23 season.
The NHL also reported the Kraken are keeping coaches Dave Lowry and Jay Leach, along with goaltending coach Steve Briere.
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Washington’s border waters are on the cusp of a major rise in oil tanker traffic
A map showing the Trans Mountain Pipeline that will fee crude oil to Vancouver, Canada, as well as to refineries across the border in Washington state.U.S. Energy Information AgencyA significant increase in oil tanker traffic is in store for the Salish Sea with the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in British Columbia.
This story was first reported by the Washington State Standard. It is reprinted here under the community commons license.
In the link above, KUOW's Kim Malcolm talks to Tom Banse about his reporting.
The project triples the volume of Alberta crude the pipeline can carry to an export terminal in Burnaby near Vancouver, British Columbia. The facility now sends out an average of five loaded tankers per month. The expansion aims to raise the pace to one vessel per day. The oil-filled ships pass by the San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula as they head out to sea.
RELATED: Republicans, Democrats, carbon, and you. Debating Washington's cap and trade
Increased oil spill risks in shared waters, disturbances to endangered orcas and other whales and climate change impacts are among the worries the pipeline expansion has stoked across the border in Washington. The Canadian project inspired repeated protests from Puget Sound tribes, Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson. But they were all powerless to stop it.
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University of Washington students join pro-Palestinian campus protest movement
University of Washington students have organized a pro-Palestine protest camp on the northeast side of the Seattle campus' Quad.
As of Monday morning, a couple dozen people were at the camp, speaking out against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The camp is part of a growing movement at university campuses across the United States.
UW's Quad, normally quiet in the morning, was punctuated with student chants.
"Stop the war machine!" the protestors shouted. "Don't cry, we won’t let you die."
UW students protesting the war in Gaza are calling on the university to divest from Boeing, which organizers said has aided and profited from Israel's occupation in Gaza.
RELATED: Pro-Palestinian encampments and protests spread on college campuses across the U.S.
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This carless Seattleite has a vision for the city's 'holistic' transportation future
Anna Zivarts at the University of Washington light rail station. Her new book is "When Driving Is Not An Option."KUOW/Amy RadilWithout a car, people can find themselves walking on the shoulder of a road, steering their wheelchair out into traffic, and commuting longer and farther via transit.
Anna Zivarts wanted to highlight those experiences when it comes to transportation planning in a new book, titled "When Driving is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency."
Across Seattle, Zivarts can point to features that make travel easier and safer for people without a car – and places where they are sorely lacking.
RELATED: Seattle has a long road ahead to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2030
One of the better examples is the University of Washington light rail station, a hub for walking, biking ,and transit.
"In talking to folks who don't drive, living near light rail, that is sort of the dream, right?" Zivarts said. "Having this kind of access."
It does have its problems, though. Pedestrians must cross several lanes of traffic to reach their buses. And the cost of housing in some of these vibrant neighborhoods puts them out of reach for the people who most need that connectivity.
RELATED: How will your life change when Bellevue's light rail opens?
Meanwhile, other neighborhoods are more affordable but lack infrastructure for non-drivers. Zivarts said hundreds of housing units are about to come online farther south, at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and I-90, where planning is underway for a new Judkins Park light rail station. But she said the area needs major safety upgrades for transit riders and pedestrians.
"Crossing Rainier and crossing the on-ramps, not very pleasant, super unsafe," she said. "Rather than this freeway-car funnel right there, how can this be a neighborhood?"
Through her work at Disability Rights Washington, Zivarts has tried to advocate for the estimated quarter of the population that doesn’t drive cars, due to age, income, disability, or other reasons.
RELATED: Is King County’s Flex commuter van a flop? We tested it out
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