KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
Have any leads or feedback for the KUOW Blog? Contact Dyer Oxley at dyer@kuow.org.
Stories
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'Today is the most tangible sign' the SuperSonics will return to Seattle
If sports fans are superstitious, then they've probably noticed that a week after Howard Schultz moved out of Seattle, the city got the first serious indication that the SuperSonics could return.
"Today is the most tangible sign that NBA basketball, not only could be returning to Seattle, but that there is a timeline expected for the return," said Danny O'Neil with The Dang Apostrophe sports newsletter.
RELATED: How to talk Seattle sports in Seattle when you don't know ball
The NBA's board of governors is meeting March 24-25 in New York. On the agenda is a vote to allow an expansion of two new teams — one for Seattle and another in Las Vegas. Ever since the SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008 (moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder), there has often been hearsay and plenty of speculation of a return, but nothing concrete. A Seattle mayor even teased the city about a potential return (the joke was not well received).
O'Neil notes that a vote on an NBA expansion has been expected for years, but hasn't happened for various reasons. But with actual business in front of the NBA's leadership this month, it is the first official indication that Seattle could get the Sonics back.
According to ESPN, there is now momentum for an expansion. The upcoming vote is just a first step, but if ultimately approved, a new Seattle team would begin playing in the 2028-29 season. The cost of a new NBA team could range from $7 to $10 billion. It is unknown who would step up to pay that sum, but O'Neil speculates that an investment group linked to the development of Climate Pledge Arena would be most likely.
"If, later this month, this is brought to a vote in front of the NBA board of governors, and they have 23 of the 30 owners who vote in favor of expansion, you will see a headline that says, 'Seattle is going to be offered an expansion franchise,' 'NBA OKs expansion'," O'Neil said. "The next step is to set the price tag ... somebody is going to get the privilege to offer a whole ton of loot in order to be awarded this expansion franchise."
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Howard Schultz moves away from Starbucks roots, trading Seattle for Miami
Howard Schultz announced he and his wife Sheri have entered the "retirement" phase of their lives. They've moved out of Seattle, where he grew Starbucks into a global coffee brand, and are now living outside of Miami, Florida.
"We will be forever grateful for the memories made in Seattle and the relationships built along the way. To the family, friends and partners who made Seattle our home for so many years, thank you," Schultz said in an announcement on LinkedIn.
RELATED: Starbucks union pushes back against plans to close 5 Seattle stores
Schultz commented that the move brings him closer to his kids who now live on the East Coast, raising families of their own. It echoes a sentiment of another big Seattle business leader, Jeff Bezos, who gave similar reasoning when he moved out of Seattle, and into Miami, in late 2023. The Wall Street Journal reports that Schultz recently purchased a $44 million penthouse at the Surf Club, Four Seasons Private Residences in Surfside, a barrier island suburb of Miami. The penthouse is 5,500-square-feet with five bedrooms and a rooftop courtyard.
He further noted that the Schultz Family Foundation will continue to operate in Seattle, led by Vivek Varma, though "our private family office will move to Miami."
RELATED: 'A different kind of capitalist.' What motivates Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz?
In his online announcement, Schultz reminisced about moving to Seattle from New York City 44 years ago. He took a job at Starbucks in 1982, when it was only selling whole coffee beans. Since then, the coffee company dramatically grew its menu and expanded to worldwide dominance.
Schultz also expanded his personal business in Seattle with the purchase of the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team in 2001. He infamously sold the team in 2006, however, which led to the Sonics' move out of Seattle. Locals consider Schultz responsible for the loss of Seattle's NBA team. Schultz has publicly taken responsibility for the loss and has apologized for it.
Schultz's move comes a couple years after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced the same Seattle-to-Miami move (technically, Bezos lived in Medina). That decision came shortly after Washington's state Legislature passed a capital gains tax in 2021, which was upheld in the courts in 2023. As KUOW previously reported, Bezos has a history of choosing locales based on taxes. He started Amazon in Seattle partially because of the lack of income tax. With a residence in Florida, a state with no income tax, Bezos would save a considerable sum whenever he sold Amazon stock.
Florida has experienced a notable influx of super wealthy residents. Locals now refer to the wealthy suburbs outside of Miami as "Billionaire Bunker." California resident Mark Zuckerberg reportedly has purchased property on another barrier island near Miami (just down the street from Bezos). California is currently considering a one-time 5% billionaire tax.
RELATED: Washington state income tax passes House after grueling 25-hour floor debate
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When will UW's cherry blossoms bloom in 2026?
Arguably the most magical time of the year in Western Washington is almost here: cherry blossom season.
In Seattle, the most popular place to peep the trees is the University of Washington, where 29 Yoshino cherry trees create a pink canopy over the Quad — and draw thousands of visitors — every spring.
As of right now, those iconic trees are slated to reach "peak bloom" on March 20, according to the UW. "Peak bloom" is when 70% of the blossoms have opened.
If you can't join the massive crowds sure to pack the Quad that day, though, have no fear: Visitors can still get an "optimal viewing experience" the week before and after peak, according to the UW.
The cherry blossoms typically hit peak bloom between March 12 and April 3, with an average date of March 23. The UW says many plants started blooming a little earlier than usual this year because of the region's mild winter.
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Starbucks union pushes back against plans to close 5 Seattle stores
The union that represents thousands of Starbucks workers is pushing back against the corporation's plan to close five Seattle outlets, four of which are unionized.
Starbucks Workers United filed an unfair labor practice charge on Tuesday, March 3, with the National Labor Relations Board. The union reportedly wants to hold bargaining sessions with company representatives.
RELATED: Starbucks to relocate supply chain workers from HQ to new Nashville office
Starbucks announced plans this week to close five locations in early April. The affected coffeehouses are at:
- University District
- First Hill
- Seattle Center Armory
- Downtown's Metropolitan Park East building
- Seattle Children's hospital
Each of those locations, except for the Met Park East outlet, is unionized.
A spokesperson for Starbucks said the locations were selected based on financial performance and customer service. They said their union status was not considered.
Last year, Starbucks closed more than 30 outlets in Washington state and hundreds of others across the U.S.
Earlier this month, Starbucks announced that dozens of Seattle-based jobs would be relocating to its new corporate office in Nashville. Despite all the cutbacks, Starbucks plans to keep its headquarters in Seattle. This comes after the company cut 1,100 corporate jobs in 2025. More than 600 corporate employees were laid of in Washington state as part of those cuts.
For more than a year, the company has aimed to turn around lagging sales through its "Back to Starbucks" initiative — an effort to return to its roots as a neighborhood "third place" where customers feel comfortable to hang out.
As part of this plan, it cut back many menu items (though it still opted to roll out new products, such as protein drinks). During this time, it has offered ceramic mugs, free refills, and reversed its bathroom policy.
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Report finds King County corrections officers used excessive force, submitted faulty investigation
A report from the King County Ombuds finds the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention “more likely than not” used excessive force when officers punched and Tased a man during a jail booking on Nov. 10, 2024.
The report concludes that the corrections officers violated their agency’s use-of-force policies, and that the department's reporting about the incident contained “concerning deficiencies and errors.”
The Ombuds report was issued Nov. 18, 2025, just over a year after the incident.
When he was given an opportunity to respond to the findings, DAJD Director Allen Nance initially defended the officers’ actions as reasonable and necessary.
But after King County Councilmember Jorge Barón raised concerns about the findings, Nance submitted an updated response this week (included below), with an 11-point plan to address use of force and related oversight. In that letter Nance wrote, "we should have done a better job on multiple fronts related to the handling the matter that prompted your attention."
RELATED: CBP has a history of excessive force. Critics say they were unprepared for Minnesota
Barón told KUOW his concerns go beyond the specific use-of-force incident, to the fact that the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Force Review Committee failed to flag and refer the incident for any further inquiry, prior to the Ombuds bringing it to light.
“This incident — people can argue about whether it meets the criteria for excessive force or not — but I think most people would agree that this was a possible staff misconduct situation that should have triggered that additional more intensive review,” Barón said. “And that did not occur in this situation.”
Barón sent a letter to King County Executive Girmay Zahilay on Feb. 10 in which he said the department’s failure to trigger an internal investigation on its own was “deeply problematic.” He called Nance's initial response to the Ombuds report “dismissive and internally inconsistent.”
In Nance’s updated response March 2, he said his Internal Investigations Unit will look into the case. The agency will hire a national expert to review the policies and practices of its Force Review Committee (which did not refer the case for an internal investigation).
Nance also said he's already implemented a policy change for “a cool down period instead of immediate use of force, when individuals are uncooperative during the booking processes.”
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In Seattle, 9th Circuit judges consider Trump policy of mandatory immigrant detentions
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Wednesday in Seattle on the legality of the Trump administration’s expanded mandatory detention for immigrants who in the past have been able to seek release while awaiting the outcomes of their cases.
The class-action lawsuit led by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Rodriguez Vazquez v. Bostock et al., is one of a number of challenges to the detention policy making their way through federal courts across the country.
RELATED: U.S. has a quarter fewer immigration judges than it did a year ago. Here's why
Plaintiffs say the Trump administration’s reading of the law means more people are being detained during their removal proceedings, despite having U.S. citizen family members and other community ties, and no criminal record.
Attorneys on both sides asked the Ninth Circuit's three-judge panel to issue a decision as quickly as possible.
Seattle’s First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, a former immigration judge, is helping defend the government’s approach. Following Wednesday’s hearing, Floyd told KUOW the case is about fairness between people who enter the U.S. at a port of entry versus those who enter illegally.
“If you come to a port of entry and you knock on the door and say, ‘Can I come to the United States?’ it has been the law of the land forever that you are subject to mandatory detention,” he said.
RELATED: King County bans immigration detention facilities, joining other Western Washington cities
In comparison he said plaintiffs argue that “once you make it in and you’re here for a certain amount of time — nobody knows what that time is — that the rules shouldn’t apply to you anymore, and you shouldn’t be subject to mandatory detention.”
Floyd called the current legal landscape “very confused” and said conflicting rulings on this question are playing out across the U.S.
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Controversial bill spelling out removal for decertified sheriffs advances in Washington legislature
When the bill requiring new eligibility standards for sheriffs and police chiefs passed the Washington state Senate on Feb. 12, Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview) said Pacific County may be the bill’s potential “first victim.” The bill's requirement for five years’ law enforcement experience would disqualify their current sheriff, Daniel Garcia, a naval veteran who won office without prior law enforcement experience.
Now, Democrats in the House have defused that particular issue by exempting incumbents like Garcia from the new requirements.
RELATED: Stricter standards for Washington sheriffs approved in state Senate
Sen. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), the bill’s prime sponsor and the former sheriff in Snohomish County, told KUOW that the change “has lowered the temperature on a lot of things.” He noted that some sheriffs — like Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley — have signaled support for the new eligibility and background check requirements, while opposing the provision to automatically remove sheriffs who are decertified.
Lovick said existing state law only allows law enforcement officers, including sheriffs, to be decertified for “serious misconduct” and he said the fears that sheriffs will be targeted for decertification based on their political beliefs are misplaced.
“Out of the 39 sheriffs, I doubt if there’s a single sheriff that’s going to have to deal with this,” Lovick said. “But they’ll know that they will be held accountable.”
However, the elected sheriffs appear largely unified against a key aspect of Lovick’s proposal, SB 5974, which specifies that if a sitting sheriff is decertified by the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission, the position will be declared vacant to ensure that decertified sheriffs don’t remain on the job. In that event, county officials would appoint their replacement. The sheriffs promoted a different bill in which decertification would trigger a recall vote.
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, currently the state’s only appointed sheriff, said she would let her colleagues weigh in on the bill's implications for elected sheriffs.
“I can understand and appreciate the premise behind this proposed legislation and why it was drafted,” Cole-Tindall said in a statement. “I agree that minimum qualifications and basic standards be put in place.”
For herself, she pledged to abide by the eligibility requirements and decertification provisions in the bill.
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No ORCA card? No problem. Credit cards now accepted to ride Seattle transit
Seattle has officially launched the tap-to-pay feature for public transportation, an alternative to the ORCA card.
With tap-to-pay, Seattle joins other major cities that already allow riders to use credit cards or digital wallet for public transit fees.
Tap-to-pay can be used at all Sound Transit services, as well as King County Metro, Community Transit, and Pierce Transit. Eventually, the program will be expanded to Kitsap Fast Ferries, and the King County Water Taxi.
Sarthak Rijal, a rider waiting for the 1 Line on Capitol Hill Monday, welcomed the addition. He relies on his ORCA card to get around town and said the tap-to-pay option will be handy for tourists or anyone who wants to skip the hassle of buying an ORCA card. Tap-to-pay launched as Seattle prepares to welcome visitors this summer for FIFA World Cup matches.
RELATED: How Seattle is getting ready to host the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup
“I really appreciate it when I was in New York,” Rijal said, referring to that city's tap-to-pay option. “I can just go to the subway without having to wait.”
Sound Transit spokesperson David Jackson said it took time to coordinate with different agencies and technology platforms to integrate the new system.
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Supreme Court ruling against Trump tariffs gets bipartisan support among WA lawmakers
In Washington state, Democrats and some Republicans are welcoming the U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the president's ability to impose sweeping tariffs.
In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump could not invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to set tariffs on imports. The court said Trump exceeded his authority when he used the act to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners. Trump responded promptly that his administration has “other alternatives” to replace the tariffs struck down by the court.
RELATED: Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs
NPR reports that tariffs affected by the ruling represent about half of all the import taxes the government is collecting each month. Other tariffs were issued under different statutes which are not being challenged.
The federal government collected more than $200 billion in tariffs in 2025 driven by Trump’s executive orders, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Washington state Democrats hailed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, issued a statement headlined “Good Riddance.”
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Fresh off their Super Bowl victory, the Seattle Seahawks are officially for sale
The Seattle Seahawks are officially for sale.
A statement announcing the sale of Seattle's NFL team Wednesday was brief, but noted that the process "is estimated to continue through the 2026 off-season."
RELATED: Paul Allen's big-money legacy haunts the Seattle arts scene
The Estate of Paul G. Allen, which owns the team, "has commenced a formal sale process for the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise, consistent with Allen's directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all Estate proceeds to philanthropy."
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen amassed a range of prized possessions before he passed away in 2018, leaving it all in a trust managed by his sister Jody Allen. The trust has been winding down operations and selling off holdings ever since, such as Seattle's Cinerama movie theater that was recently taken over by SIFF. The Living Computer Museum closed in 2020, and its trove of technological history was auctioned off. The trust also owns the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team, which is currently in the process of being sold.
RELATED: Paul Allen treasures go up for sale: Art, outer space, and computer history
Rumors that Seahawks ownership was preparing to sell the team, after the Super Bowl, began swirling around Seattle in January. At the time, Seahawks management insisted that there was no news to share.
The announcement Wednesday makes it official that the process to sell the team has begun. According to the statement, "The Estate has selected investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the sale process, which is estimated to continue through the 2026 off-season. NFL owners must then ratify a final purchase agreement."
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'Black lives do matter. People do matter. Everybody is somebody': Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson's visit to KUOW
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson died Tuesday.
In a statement reported by NPR, Jackson's family said, "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family."
Read NPR's full obituary here.
In 2015, before a speech at an event for Microsoft, Jackson stopped by KUOW to speak with Bill Radke.
"There are those who were for abolition and those who were for slavery. The abolitionists won," Jackson told Radke. "There were those who were for racial segregation for law and culture. We won that battle. There were those who denied women, people of color, the youth the right to vote. We won that battle. When we fight, we win. We've never lost a battle we've fought. Never won a battle, unless we fought. So. there is a tug of war. There are those who simply profit from fear. We must get the joy of hope."
RELATED: Longtime civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84
They discussed a range of headlines of the day, including historical statues where the figures were slave owners. One such statue of George Washington was being discussed at the University of Washington.
"When you have the statue, on the lettering, the writing extols upon him great virtue. It does not mention slave master, it does not mention support for a crime against humanity," Jackson said. "That's a big piece of it, too. At least educate as to who this guy was."
RELATED: Remembering the night Jesse Jackson read 'Green Eggs and Ham' on 'Saturday Night Live'
They also discussed an incident at Western Washington University where a white student made threats against students of color. The threats prompted campus protests.
"Black lives do matter. People do matter. Everybody is somebody," Jackson said at the time.
Below is the 2015 article published by KUOW about Jackson's visit. Listen to the full audio below.
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Seattle Public Library intercepts Boston readers after Super Bowl bet
The real winners of Super Bowl LX are the Boston readers who will now be exposed to some Seattle culture.
The Boston Public Library unwisely entered into a wager with the Seattle Public Library ahead of the big game Sunday. The stakes: Loser hosts a list of books curated by the winner, directed at the losing region's readers.
The Seattle Seahawks, of course, dismantled the New England Patriots 29-13. The team celebrated the win with the city on Wednesday, somehow neglecting the literary victory.
RELATED: Seattle's 12s celebrate Super Bowl champion Seahawks
Seattle Librarian Eric Grob helped coordinate the list, which was built by him and his colleagues to highlight the region while also making a gentle jab at bummed Bostonians.
"Specifically, we asked for books that highlight and/or boast about Seattle and the PNW, the Seahawks, and Seattle sports more generally," Grob said in an email. "While some were clearly chosen to elicit laughter, it was also a chance to highlight some thoughtful and critical works."
The resulting list, dubbed "Seattle Picks for Patriots Fans," includes 35 books, movies, and music to show Boston why Seattle is great on and off the field.
It includes "Comeuppance Served Cold" by Marion Deeds, a historical fantasy novel set in Seattle. The selection is a nod to the retribution the Seahawks brought upon the Patriots, who beat Seattle in the 2015 Super Bowl after a game-ending interception at the goal line.
Seahawks fans — and reluctant admirers in Boston — may also recognize at least one author on the list. Former defensive end Michael Bennett's book "Things That Make White People Uncomfortable" is featured. The book discusses racism and police violence, Black athletes' relationship to institutions like the NFL, and athletes' responsibility to be role models.
Local sports journalism fans will also know the name Michael-Shawn Dugar, who covers the Seahawks for The Athletic. No list celebrating the Hawks' victory would be complete without Dugar's "The Franchise: Seattle Seahawks : a Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era."
The list also includes nods to the city's musical history, like "Broken Horses" by Seattle superstar Brandi Carlile, who performed "America the Beautiful" at Sunday's Super Bowl, and "Loser" by Clark Humphrey.
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