Kate Walters
Reporter
About
Kate Walters is a reporter covering Covid-19 and the many ways the pandemic has impacted our lives. She's covered personal experiences of community members, state and local policies, affects on the healthcare system, and more. In the past, Kate has reported on homelessness for KUOW, as well as general assignment stories ranging from city hall politics to sea stars. Originally from Australia, Kate studied journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She started her career in public radio at WXXI in Rochester, NY.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Stories
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Health
Seattle to add shelter capacity amid COVID-19 response
As the region responds to coronavirus, Seattle is expanding shelter spaces for people experiencing homelessness. Capacity for roughly 100 individuals will be added, with new spaces becoming operational in two to three weeks.
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Health
Live blog: Coronavirus updates in Seattle area (Feb 29-March 2)
This post will be updated periodically with information about the coronavirus. Scroll down for older information. Top line information: *A man died on Friday of presumed coronavirus in Kirkland, Washington, across the lake from Seattle. He is the first documented death from a virus in the U.S. He had underlying medical conditions. *2 people from a nursing care facility in Kirkland tested positive for the novel coronavirus. *50 more people from that nursing facility are sick and waiting for results about whether they have the virus. *10 CDC workers from Atlanta flew to Seattle this weekend, bound for the nursing care facility in Kirkland.
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Politics
SPD faces officer shortage as Seattle grows. But there's some progress
In 2018, the Seattle Police Department hired dozens of officers. But so many left that same year that the department suffered a net loss of 41 people.
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Politics
'It’s a full time job being homeless:' Lawmakers consider child care subsidy for homeless families
Kara Tolentino’s family has been homeless for nearly a year. She, her husband, and their two young sons live in a camper. There’s little room for the kids to play, and no bathroom, which makes potty training almost impossible. One thing that’s made a difference as the family has worked to stabilize is access to child care.
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Politics
Sawant announces proposal for 'Amazon Tax'
Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant has unveiled her plan to tax big businesses like Amazon to fund housing and environmental efforts.
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Politics
Seattle Council bans some winter evictions, but mayor will have final say
The Seattle city council has passed a bill that would ban evictions during winter months for some tenants in the city.
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Politics
Amazon to Seattle: Go ahead and tax us over homelessness
Eleven companies including Amazon.com, Microsoft, Starbucks and Alaska Airlines say they are willing to be taxed in order to make progress against regional concerns about the lack of affordable housing, the lack of mental health resources and concerns about public safety.
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New 'head tax'? Proposed law would let King County tax large businesses to tackle homelessness
There’s a new attempt to help fund efforts that tackle homelessness in the Puget Sound region by taxing large businesses.
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Nurses, caregivers go on strike in front of Swedish Medical Centers
Facing the cold and the rain, nurses and caregivers at the Swedish Medical Center in Ballard paced with picket signs Tuesday morning as they began their strike. "When quality care is under attack, what do we do?" a man shouted among the crowd. "Stand up, fight back!" the crochanted back
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Health
Swedish prepares for worker strike, closes two emergency rooms
Roughly 7,800 nurses and caregivers at Swedish Medical Center campuses will go on strike Tuesday morning. The strike comes after contract negotiations between management and union staff stalled after more than nine months of talks. Staffing levels and compensation are two major sticking points.