Ashley Hiruko
Reporter
About
Ashley reports and writes stories for KUOW. While she focuses on in-depth digital journalism, she can occasionally be heard on the radio.
Prior to KUOW, Ashley covered crime in the greater Seattle area, and before that wrote for the Lynden Tribune. She also serves as the president of the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro chapter.
After growing up in California, Texas, and Mexico, she moved to Washington, where she later graduated from Western Washington University.
As a journalist, she strives to uncover the truth of an issue, give a voice to those we seldom hear from, and hold those in power accountable.
Send her your news tips at hiruko@kuow.org.
Stories
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Yogurt from PCC Markets recalled after 11 people, including children, sickened with E. coli
Washington state health officials said PCC Community Market brand yogurt is the likely source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 11 people, including six children under the age of 10. Seven hav
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We asked for Mayor Jenny Durkan's text messages, and this is what we got
It was June 2020, and Seattle Police’s East Precinct was a flashpoint as protestors called for police reform.
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This Redmond mom was fatally shot by police after calling 911 for help
When Andrea Thomas Churna moved into her luxury apartment in Redmond, Washington, last summer, she was looking forward to a fresh start. She had recently moved back to Washington state from California, to raise her 7-year-old son with her ex-husband. One month later, on a balmy fall night, Churna dialed 911. “I think someone’s trying to kill me at my apartment,” Churna told emergency dispatchers at 9:23 p.m. on September 20. That call would result in her death 30 minutes later. To understand what transpired that night, and why the investigation into this police death has stalled after seventh, KUOW reviewed 911 emergency phone calls, police radio audio, police statements, and spoke with Andrea Churna’s family, and fourth-floor residents who were home that evening.
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Eligible for a vaccine in Seattle but unable to get one? It might be your ZIP code
The city of Seattle has tried to make vaccine access more equitable by quietly enacting its own vaccine priority standards, within Washington state’s eligibility framework. Instead of taking a first-come, first-served approach, the city says it is prioritizing Black, Indigenous, and people of color, older adults who haven’t been vaccinated yet, as well as people living within ZIP codes hardest hit by Covid.
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'Kind of excited, kind of nervous.' Seattle elementary students return to the classroom
Monday was landmark day in Seattle Public Schools as many elementary students, as well as some older students with disabilities, returned to school buildings for the first time in more than a year.
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Everyone 16 and older eligible for vaccine on April 15, Inslee says
After months of waiting for Washington's most vulnerable residents to be vaccinated, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that he's relaxing eligibility...
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BREAKING: Everyone 16 and older eligible for vaccine on April 15, Inslee says
Washington state adults age 16 and older will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine beginning April 15
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'I'm being called a racist. Not true,' says embattled Sheriff Ed Troyer after trailing Black newspaper carrier
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Man held in isolation for 274 days and counting after maskless bathroom trip, WA prison report says
Advocates say the action points to a large problem within the Washington State Department of Corrections: an atmosphere of violence and unchecked retaliation, especially against people of color.
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KUOW Newsroom
A legend at Garfield High School, Rick walked the halls for half a century. This is his story
Wendell Hicks, known to the Central District as “Two Brick Rick,” and “Garfield Rick,” died last week. He was 69. The cause was pneumonia, his appointed guardian said.