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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Seattle stayed cool in April while the planet felt record heat
Environment
Pink fawn lilies bloom beneath a vine maple in Shoreline's Twin Ponds Park in April 2024, an unusually cool month in the Seattle area despite global warming.KUOW Photo/John RyanThough you might not believe it if you live in Seattle, April 2024 was the earth’s hottest April on record, with the pollution-fueled heat expected to continue.
It was the 11th month in a row that surface air temperatures set a global heat record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the 13th month in a row that surface sea temperatures did so.
The service’s monthly updates on global air and sea surface temperatures are based on “billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.”
The Seattle area bucked the global climate trend in April.
Seattle was 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degree Celsius) colder than the city’s long-term average for April. With just 0.89 inches of rain, Seattle was exceptionally dry as well, with just a third of the 30-year average for April since 1991, according to the nonprofit Climate Central.
Mountain snowpack in Washington state is currently 40% below normal, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Most of the state is under a drought emergency declared by Gov. Jay Inslee on April 16.
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Seattle says 'Belltown Hellcat' driver ignored order to quiet ear-splitting car
Crime
The emblem of a Dodge Charger Hellcat. In March 2024, a 20-year-old man was charged with reckless driving in Seattle after months of allegedly driving his Hellcat through Belltown and downtown streets, loudly revving his engine and street racing. He allegedly reached more than 100 mph on downtown streets with 25 mph speed limits.Seattle is suing the so-called “Belltown Hellcat” driver for allegedly continuing to rev his souped-up racecar’s engine at high volume more than a month after the city ordered him to stop.
Downtown residents have complained for months about middle-of-the-night revving and backfiring from 20-year-old Miles Hudson’s car. Some mistook the backfiring for gunfire.
On March 29 the city gave Hudson until April 15 to stop violating the noise ordinance, and to fix modifications that made the car extremely loud.
Now the city says Hudson missed the deadline and has racked up penalties of up to $1,300 per day he failed to quiet his car — $28,600 maximum to date.
The lawsuit says Hudson’s car has continued making a racket in recent days. He’s no longer allowed to drive the vehicle, which is registered to his mother, after two reckless driving charges.
Video posted to his Instagram account three days ago shows another person driving and revving the engine while Hudson films from the passenger's seat, the city claimed.
The city is asking the court to require Hudson to pay his accrued penalties and the city’s legal fees.
He has 20 days to respond.
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Extra-low (and high) tides coming to Puget Sound this week
Environment
A blood star clings to a rock in Edmonds, Washington, on June 18, 2022.KUOW Photo/John RyanExtra-low tides on Puget Sound May 8 to May 12 bring opportunities to witness sea stars and other colorful creatures along local shorelines.
Near Seattle, the lowest tides are expected midday on Thursday and Friday.
Later in the summer, many Seattle-area beaches will feature volunteer naturalists who help visitors learn about what they’re seeing and how to avoid harming the exposed creatures at a vulnerable time of their lives. This week, visitors will have to tread carefully to avoid crushing small animals and replace any small rocks they pick up exactly as they found them.
Tidepoolers might also use apps like Seek by iNaturalist to help identify the otherworldly creatures often found in tidepools—or check out this list of the 25 most-observed tidepool creatures in Seattle.
The U.S. Coast Guard warns that extra-low tides are often followed by extra-high tides.
Sea level is expected to yo-yo as much as 17 feet this week near Olympia.
The high "tidal swings" generate strong and, in places, dangerous currents as massive volumes of water ebb and flow.
The Coast Guard is asking boaters to make sure their vessels are moored securely or moved well above the usual high-tide line.
The extra effort should keep any boats or paddleboards from heading out to sea with no one aboard.
More exceptionally low Puget Sound tides are forecast for May 24-27, June 4-9, and June 20-25.
Correction, 4:30 p.m., 5/9/24: An earlier version misstated the timing of beach naturalist programs, which begin May 24 in the Seattle area.
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Emergency declared for spongy moth invading Washington state
Environment
Washington state began a monitoring and eradication program for the spongy moth in 1974. It has since sprayed pesticide in areas where the moth has been detected.A foreign invader, of the pest variety, is posing imminent danger to plants in Washington state. The spongy moth has been sighted in Thurston and Skagit counties. The state is now revving up airplane engines to go spray two large areas to get rid of the moths.
"This imminent danger of infestation seriously endangers the agricultural and horticultural industries of the state of Washington and seriously threatens the economic well-being and quality of life of state residents," Gov. Jay Inslee stated in an emergency proclamation issued Wednesday.
RELATED: An invasive species, on San Juan Island?
The state is specifically calling out two spongy moth hot spots: a 920-acre area in Concrete, and 1,383 acres at Steamboat Island Road and Highway 101 near Olympia. Last year, 103 spongy moths were captured in these areas.
Under the declaration, the Department of Agriculture will begin spraying a bacteria that kills the spongy moth on Friday in Thurston County. The Skagit County site will be sprayed in the coming month.
The spongy moth is also known as Lymantria dispar L., and previously was referred to as the "gypsy moth." The Entomological Society of America changed the name in 2021 because it used a pejorative term for Romani people. The name was officially changed in 2022 to spongy moth, which refers to the moth's sponge-like egg masses.
It's one of the most destructive forest pests introduced into the United States, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Its caterpillars can attack more than 300 species of trees and shrubs. The department points to Massachusetts as an example of the threat — the moths defoliated one-third of that state's trees in 2017, and the next year, Massachusetts lost even more hardwood and oak trees.
Washington state's proclamation directs the Department of Agriculture to spray a bacterial pesticide that attacks caterpillars. Airplanes will spray Btk (bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) over the affected areas. The department says it doesn't harm other animals, such as birds or bees, or humans.
Agriculture officials say the spray is sticky, so nearby residents may want to cover cars and close their windows within 30 minutes of the spray. Otherwise, it can be washed off with soap and water.
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20 Seattle elementary schools could be closed due to budget crisis
Education
Kids file into Laurelhurst Elementary School on Friday, June 16, 2017, on NE 47th St., in Seattle, Washington.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerUpdated at 7:50 p.m. 5/8/2024
Twenty Seattle elementary schools could be closed for the 2025-26 school year, Seattle Public Schools leadership announced on Wednesday.
District officials have not said which schools will be on the chopping block — a list is expected to be released in June — but they say K-5 students would be better accommodated if the district downsized to 50 elementary schools, down from more than 70 schools.
The plan does not include any middle or high school closures, and it’s not set in stone. The board is expected to vote in the fall.
This reorganization of schools comes as the district faces a $105 million shortfall next school year, and similar shortfalls for the next several years.
The district’s precarious financial situation has been fueled by declining enrollment, including a loss of nearly 5,000 students over the last five years. Because state education funding is largely based on enrollment numbers, that five-year drop cost the district about $81 million of revenue.
The district has framed these closures – or “consolidations” – not just as a way to balance the budget, but also as a means to create more equity across the schools.
While some schools have additional staff – such as nurses, special education staff, librarians, art teachers, and social workers – other schools may not, or may have those positions for limited hours.
Superintendent Brent Jones told the board Wednesday he initially had reservations about school closures, because he knew how difficult it would be for the community.
But as he and his staff explored options for getting the district on more solid financial footing, Jones said he came to believe that “we have to be efficient so that we can be effective.”
“I’m convinced that bringing us to a smaller footprint is going to allow us to do more things,” he said. “If we shore up our foundation, we have much more opportunity to be excellent.”
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President Biden is coming to Seattle
Politics
President Joe Biden speaks at an event to celebrate Black History Month in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Washington.Patrick Semansky / Associated PressSeattle will get a presidential visit this week when Joe Biden swings through the city on Friday and Saturday.
According to Biden's re-election campaign, the president is attending fundraising events in Seattle on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11.
Biden's visit is likely to cause local travel delays on Seattle freeways and roads as his motorcade shuttles him around. Be prepared for disruptions.
There is no word of any official White House business happening.
According to the Northwest Progressive Institute, it's possible that the president could participate in additional events while in town. The Institute further notes that the cheapest tickets to the fundraiser are $500. They go as high as $50,000, and $25,000 will get you a photo with the president.
First Lady Jill Biden is also coming through the Northwest. She'll be in Portland on Thursday, May 9 for two events.
This story has been updated to note that President Biden will also be in Seattle on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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Tiffany Smiley is back. This time, she's running for Congress against another Republican
Politics
Tiffany Smiley speaks to a crowd as primary election results come in on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Issaquah. At the time, Smiley was the Republican challenger of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerTiffany Smiley is charting another course to Washington, D.C. This time, she's challenging a fellow Republican in an attempt to get into Congress.
"My journey to politics started at Walter Reed Army Hospital almost 20 years ago when I pushed back against gov dysfunction and won. Now, it’s time for me to push back from inside Congress, and win for my friends and neighbors in WA-04. Join me, as we take the fight to Congress!" Smiley wrote Monday morning in an announcement on X (formerly Twitter).
RELATED: Why polls got the Murray / Smiley Senate race wrong
Smiley is known to Washington voters from her 2022 campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. The Republican raised millions for the effort, and in the process, became a local GOP celebrity and has since been featured as a cable news talking head. Murray won that election with 57% of the vote, to Smiley's 43%. Now, Smiley is running to represent Washington's 4th Congressional District.
In her video announcement, Smiley leans into rhetoric echoing her 2022 campaign for Senate — her husband's combat injuries, highlighting issues of affordability and homelessness, and challenging government bureaucracy and "the swamp," a term common among former President Trump's MAGA supporters.
Smiley does not mention Dan Newhouse, the Republican who has represented the 4th District since 2015, nor does she comment on why she is challenging another Republican for the job (her campaign website also, so far, does not mention Newhouse).
Rep. Newhouse was notably among 10 U.S. House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump following the events on Jan. 6. Many of those politicians were voted out of office, or stepped down. Washington Congressional District 3 Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler also voted in favor of impeachment. She was challenged in the following primary by a MAGA Republican and was knocked out of the position. Newhouse, however, survived the 2022 primary and won re-election with 67% of the vote.
Smiley isn't the only Republican challenging Newhouse in 2024. Republican Jerrod Sessler, whose website touts an endorsement from Trump, is also running to represent the 4th District. Among Sessler's arguments against Newhouse is the representative's impeachment vote.
In her 2022 campaign for Senate, Smiley made headlines when her website removed all mentions of "election integrity" after the August primary. The term was widely used by Trump supporters and those who promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen by Biden. Smiley's online activity since 2022 has included content in support of Trump.
More recently, Newhouse has shied away from saying whether he would support Trump in the 2024 presidential election. He has been more known as a prominent voice against the re-introduction of grizzly bears to the North Cascades.
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An old horse named Razzle Dazzle and a loaf of white bread: Inside the runaway zebra rescue
Animals
Sugar the zebra photographed after being captured in a pasture near North Bend, Washington, on May 3, 2024.Regional Animal Services of King CountyNo one knew where Sugar had gone.
Five days earlier, Sugar and three other zebras, including her 4-month-old filly, bolted from a horse trailer on Interstate 90, east of Seattle. While the other zebras were returned, Sugar disappeared into the towering evergreen woods of the Cascade Mountains.
Pamela Trujillo knew, though. The 67-year-old barn manager watched, delighted, as the zebra befriended an old gelding who lives on her property, an Arabian named Razzle Dazzle.
“Razzle was her security blanket,” Trujillo said, describing how the two spent hours nose to nose. "He’s just a love. It was nice that he was able to enjoy a once in a lifetime girl."
It was this unlikely friendship that helped rescuers find Sugar, after an intensive six-day search involving multiple agencies, round-the-clock media coverage, and efforts by two separate groups to corral the runaway zebra.
On Friday, finally, Sugar’s adventure came to an end.
A retired rodeo cowboy from Mount Vernon, Washington, successfully captured Sugar and returned her to her owner, Kristine Keltgen, a 35-year-old aesthetician who is opening a petting zoo in Montana.
‘Would you be willing to help me?’
David Danton, 52, was the cowboy. He’d met Keltgen the week before, on the day her zebras sprang from her trailer. She’d just acquired them in Winlock, Washington, and was transporting them to Montana.
Danton had helped corral the zebras, and they’d checked in with Keltgen a few times throughout the week.
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THE ZEBRA IS A SHE-BRA. Does the North Bend ‘stallion’ just want to be free?
Animals
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 murder trial of Auburn police officer, 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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