Amy Radil
Reporter
About
Amy Radil is a reporter at KUOW covering politics, government, and law enforcement, along with the occasional arts story. She got her start at Minnesota Public Radio in Duluth, and freelanced for Marketplace and other programs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amy grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Williams College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Stories
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Environment
Seattle's Holy Grail: reducing single-use cups
Seattle Public Utilities is partnering with local businesses to encourage reusable beverage containers. The goal is to keep those cups in use, and out of the landfill.
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Law & Courts
Federal judge ‘extremely skeptical’ that SPD could soon exit consent decree
A federal judge is still considering how much longer the Seattle Police Department should remain under his oversight. At a hearing Tuesday, Judge James Robart asked wide-ranging questions but did not rule on a joint motion by the U.S. Justice Department and the city of Seattle to find SPD largely in compliance with a consent decree in place since 2012.
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Law & Courts
New Washington state laws give debt relief to people exiting prison
Starting this summer, people convicted of crimes in Washington will face fewer court-ordered fees. That’s thanks to the state’s third law in recent years aimed at easing the debt burden of “legal financial obligations,” or LFO’s, on people with criminal convictions.
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Law & Courts
Will WA’s new drug law help or hurt people struggling with addiction?
Washington has a new law on drug possession. Governor Inslee signed it Tuesday, just hours after lawmakers returned for a special session. It contains increased penalties for drug use and possession, and more funding for addiction treatment. Mayors say the language grants them the autonomy they needed, while proponents of harm reduction worry that cities will stymie their efforts amidst a crisis of drug overdose deaths.
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Crime
Former exec for Seattle nonprofits pleads guilty to blowing $3m on casinos, clothes, travel
The former finance director of two Seattle nonprofits pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felony counts of federal wire fraud. Susana Tantico is charged with stealing more than $3 million from the Country Doctor Community Health Centers and later the violence prevention group Community Passageways, between 2011 and 2020. Charging documents said Tantico spent the money on personal expenses including gambling, clothing, and travel, and created false ledger entries to conceal her actions.
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Government
Why are drug possession laws are so contentious in Washington state?
Lawmakers are gathering in Olympia today for the start of a special legislative session. There’s only one thing on the agenda: A new drug possession law.
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Crime
After spate of fires, Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood grieves lost community center
This week saw another significant fire in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood, in a vacant building on Lake City Way. On that same day, a group held a memorial for the neighborhood’s shuttered Lake City Community Center, which was closed after another fire in April.
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Environment
As Seattle loses tree canopy, a city council bill may let developers cut down more
Developers and density advocates scored a potential victory from the Seattle City Council on Thursday. The council's Land Use Committee voted 4-1 to guarantee developers' rights to remove trees on lots slated for higher density development.
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Police vehicle pursuits mostly on pause in Seattle due to lack of training
A new law intended to loosen some restrictions on police vehicle pursuits may have the effect of curtailing those pursuits instead.
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Environment
These Seattle 4th graders planted trees to bring green to their barren playground
The Seattle City Council is considering updates to its current tree regulations this month. One goal is to bring more trees to areas that lack them. Mayor Harrell’s proposal includes a “fee-in-lieu” program that would require people to pay into a tree-planting fund when they cut down trees on their property.