KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Cringe-fest: KUOW newsroom brainstorms a 'cool' headline
Arts & Life
Screenshots from the KUOW newsroom Slack channel this week as an editor brainstormed a headline for a story about back-to-school outfits. We do not got it.KUOWEarlier this week, we published photos of what students at Roosevelt High School wore for the first day of school. Brainstorming a headline, editor Isolde Raftery asked her coworkers for help on Slack, the messaging platform.
We wound up with this headline: “First day fits lowkey slapped at Seattle's Roosevelt High,” for which we were mocked on X. Wrote Melissa Santos of Axios: “When local journalism is giving pick-me vibes.”
Fair. But what y’all don’t know is how bad it could have been. Here is that Slack thread, lightly curated, for your enjoyment, and our humiliation.
(You’re welcome.)
Isolde Raftery, online managing editor
What is a younger person word for "cool" these days?
Dyer Oxley, online web editor
dope. fire. extra?
Isolde
I think "fire" has been retired
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'Wimpy' winter ahead for Pacific Northwest despite La Niña prediction, climatologist says
Climate
A pedestrian walks along Green Lake on Friday, December 20, 2019, in Seattle.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerWith a few weeks left of summer, climatologists are looking to cooler months ahead.
La Niña conditions are expected in the Pacific Northwest this winter, which usually bring colder, wetter weather to the region. After a dry summer — and a below-average snowpack accumulated last winter — we could use the moisture.
RELATED: Late-summer heat wave bakes Western Washington — but not for long
Climatologist Nick Bond said this year's La Niña will likely be weaker than previously expected.
"The La Niña, compared to what we were looking at a few months ago, looks to be on the wimpy side, to the extent that it really impacts our weather in a major way," he said.
That could mean a lower-than-average snowpack for the second winter in a row.
"Just how much [a weak La Niña] stacks the deck toward more snow in the mountains, especially after the first of the calendar year, that kind of remains to be seen," Bond said of the implications for the snowpack.
In February, Bond described the snowpack conditions as "a bit alarming." That was especially true in the Olympic Mountains, where it was just about 29% of normal. Other parts of the state were better off, like the central Cascades, where the snowpack was at about 60-70% of normal.
RELATED: Washington's snowpack is suffering this winter. It's not going to get much better
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Late-summer heat wave bakes Western Washington — but not for long
Pablo, 9, jumps into the waters of Lake Washington in September.KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo ChiquizaMost of Western Washington will be under a heat advisory until 11 p.m. Friday, with higher-than-average temperatures expected and potentially record-breaking highs for the second day in a row.
RELATED: Five more Seattle libraries to become extreme-heat refuges
On Thursday, both Seattle and Olympia broke their previous records set in 1973, with highs of 90 and 95 degrees, respectively. Parts of the Olympic Peninsula got even hotter, with Shelton and Forks hitting 97 degrees.
The National Weather Service expected the Friday high in Seattle to reach 89 degrees. If it were to reach 90 again, though, that would be just the fourth time Seattle has seen back-to-back 90-plus-degree days in September.
The normal high for Sept. 5 at Sea-Tac Airport (Seattle's official weather station) is 75 degrees. For Sept. 6, it's 74. That means Thursday's forecasted high of 91 would be 17 degrees above normal. The record high for Sept. 6 is 90. And if 90-degree highs in September sound wild to you, that's because they are. According to the NWS, Seattle has seen 90-degree temperatures in the month of September just 12 times in the last 40 years.
The good news is things will get back to relative normalcy — you know, in the context of our changing climate — this weekend.
High temperatures will be back in the mid 80s on Saturday and the upper 70s on Sunday with lows in the 50s.
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There is now a movie about the praying Bremerton football coach
Politics
Joe Kennedy, a former assistant football coach at Bremerton High School, poses for a photo March 9, 2022, at the school's football field. He was fired after refusing to stop kneeling in prayer with players and spectators on the field immediately after football games. He sued over the matter and took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the Bremerton School District violated his First Amendment rights.Ted S. Warren / Associated PressLess than a year after Joe Kennedy returned to Bremerton High School to coach football and pray on the field, a bio film about the seven-year controversy is already in the can and heading to movie screens this October.
"I've been fighting my whole life ... so if you told me that saying a prayer on the 50-yard line is a thing that was going to get me into the biggest fight of my life, you cannot tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor," the main character states in the trailer for "Average Joe."
RELATED: Department of Education updates guidance on public school prayer
The recently released trailer also comes less than a year after Kennedy's memoir was published, which the film is based on.
In 2015, Kennedy garnered headlines when he refused to stop praying with students on the 50-yard line after Bremerton High School football games. Some players voiced concerns to district officials, reporting that they felt pressure to join in on the prayers to be in good standing with the coach and get play time. Kennedy has insisted that praying with him was never mandatory and no one felt pressured.
Still, the school district became concerned about any potential pray-to-play dynamic and other lines that could be crossed.
Kennedy was asked to pray privately. That briefly settled the issue, but Coach Kennedy eventually returned to the field with students after each game. He was placed on paid administrative leave, and eventually opted not to reapply for the job the following year (contrary to some reports, Kennedy was never fired from the job). At the same time, the issue spurred local pushback and arguments over religious freedoms. Satanists showed up to make a point. Pro-prayer groups flooded the stands and reportedly knocked over marching band members as they jumped on the field. The team's head coach was harassed and reported that he feared someone in the crowd could shoot him.
RELATED: What does Kennedy v. Bremerton mean for how schools handle religious speech?
The First Liberty Institute, an activist organization focused on religious issues, elevated the matter to the courts and filed a lawsuit in 2016. After multiple courts sided with the school district, the case traveled all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in the coach's favor in 2022.
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Utility rates slated to steadily rise in Seattle, starting in 2025
Government
Seattle City Light provides electricity to the city's residents.Seattle residents can expect higher utility bills starting in 2025. The City Council unanimously approved two plans this week that will nudge rates for City Light and Public Utilities a little higher each year.
According to City Light's Strategic Plan for 2025-2030, the city aims to annually raise electric utility rates during those years. This would be for both residential and business customers. A residential rate hike of 5.4% will come in 2025 and 2026, then a 5% rate increase for the next four years. This will cause monthly residential bills to go up an average of $5.14.
RELATED: Demand for electricity in the Pacific Northwest expected to jump 30%
This continues a rate-hike trend in Seattle. The city previously raised electricity rates 2% in 2022, and also approved hikes in 2023 (6% for residential and 5.6% for businesses) and 2024 (4.5% base rate increase).
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Photos: First day fits lowkey slapped at Seattle's Roosevelt High
Education
Charlie Rice, a sophomore at Roosevelt High School in northeast Seattle, wore an outfit in sync with his typical style on the first day of school, September 4, 2024. "I just found pieces on Amazon that I like," Charlie said. "My style tends to lean more toward pastels and oversized stuff."KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo ChiquizaOne thing never goes out of style: The sanctity of the back-to-school outfit. KUOW went to Roosevelt High School on Wednesday morning to see what students were wearing on their first day of school.
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Sound Transit had a little treble with this light rail station, so it changed its name for the local symphony
The Seattle Symphony, led by Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot, performing on stage in Benaroya Hall in 2023.Photo by Brandon Patoc, courtesy of Seattle Symphony.After years of surveys, meetings and deliberations, Sound Transit has officially changed the name of one of Seattle’s light rail stations downtown. What was once the University Street Station is now, "Symphony Station."
When transit riders hear that name announced, they might not realize how close they are to the Seattle Symphony. As the Associate Principal Flute player Jeffrey Barker explains, they can find the orchestra right upstairs.
RELATED: Light rail is helping Mountlake Terrace find its heart
“We have basically a light rail stop in Benaroya Hall, in our home," he said.
Both Benaroya Hall and the light rail station are located between Second and Third Avenues downtown, and between Union and University streets. Sound Transit replaced the University Street name to eliminate confusion with the newer stations that serve the University of Washington. In a survey, Symphony Station was the most popular alternative.
Barker said he’s proud to have the orchestra’s presence reflected in the new name.
“We want to make Benaroya Hall a place where the whole community feels welcome,” he said. “So to have that on a public transportation stop seems really perfect.”
When transit riders hear that name, he said, “If they’ve been to the symphony before I hope it reminds them of the last concert they heard. And if they haven’t heard the Seattle Symphony before, maybe it will inspire them to look us up.”
Officials with the Seattle Symphony and Sound Transit will hold an official renaming ceremony next Monday at 11 a.m., at the station’s Second Avenue entrance under Benaroya Hall.
RELATED: 'Like finally coming back to church'. Live audiences return to Seattle Symphony
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Here's what to expect from the Kroger-Albertsons trial in Oregon
Business
FILE - A customer removes her purchases at a Kroger grocery store in Flowood, Miss., Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Kroger and Albertsons are selling more than 400 stores and other assets to C&S Wholesale Grocers in an approximately $1.9 billion deal as part of their efforts to complete their merger, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)A federal court judge in Portland, Oregon heard opening arguments Monday in a case challenging the merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons. The hearing is critical, and could decide the merger’s direction.
“Typically, whoever wins at this preliminary injunction stage tends to win the overall war,” said Douglas Ross, who teaches antitrust law at the University of Washington.
RELATED: Kroger, Albertsons are selling 124 grocery stores in Washington
The Federal Trade Commission, along with eight other states and the District of Columbia, are asking the judge to pause the $24.6 billion deal while an administrative hearing in Washington D.C. determines a bigger question: Is the merger even lawful?
KUOW spoke with Ross about the Oregon hearing and other pending litigation related to the merger. The following conversation was edited for clarity.
Why did the FTC file two suits in two different jurisdictions?
Ross: “The FTC would prefer to stop a merger by suing in its own administrative process and getting an order from an administrative law judge which is then taken to the full Federal Trade Commission, the five commissioners who review it and decide what to do next.
The problem is, it takes months, if not a year or two, and until Federal Trade Commission has issued its final order, they can’t stop the parties from going forward with their merger.
In the meantime, they can ask the parties to cooperate and postpone the merger while the litigation goes on in Washington D.C., and if the parties don't cooperate, then they're forced to go into federal court and get an order blocking the merger. So that’s what they’re doing.”
RELATED: Here's what we know about the grocer buying Kroger and Albertsons stores in Washington state
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More Paul Allen treasures are up for sale: Art, outer space, and computer history
An original Pac-Man arcade cabinet. Astronaut spacesuits. Vintage computers that take up entire rooms. And a letter penned by Albert Einstein that is considered one of the most significant correspondence of the 20th century. Those are among the latest treasures to be auctioned off from the late Paul Allen's estate.
RELATED: Paul Allen's big-money legacy haunts the Seattle arts scene
“Never before has the market seen a collection of this diversity that so beautifully chronicles the history of human science and technological ingenuity – much less one assembled by a founding father of modern computing," Christie's America Chairman Marc Porter said in a statement. "It is a testament to the uniqueness and importance of these objects that one of the greatest innovators of our day collected, preserved, and in dozens of cases, restored them, while both drawing his own inspiration from them and sharing many of them publicly.”
There are three separate auctions showcasing a collection of treasures that Allen amassed during his life: "Firsts: The History of Computing from the Paul G. Allen Collection," "Over the Horizon: Art of the Future from the Paul G. Allen Collection," and "Pushing Boundaries: Ingenuity from the Paul G. Allen Collection."
The series of auctions marks the latest effort to shed portions of Allen's massive collections. While he was widely known as a co-founder of Microsoft, Allen spent much of his success on collecting items of historical significance — art, technology, pop culture, and more. He transformed part of this collection into the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and the Living Computers Museum and Labs.
After Allen died in 2018, corners of his estate were slowly sold off. Seattle's Cinerama movie theater, owned by Allen, was shuttered in 2020, and was eventually sold to the Seattle International Film Festival in 2023. Christie's previously took on a portion of Allen's private art collection in 2022, which collectively sold for $1.5 billion.
Seattleites, and the general geek community, may recognize many of the current auction items from the Living Computers Museum. The museum opened in 2012, but was shut down in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and never reopened.
What's featured in the auction?
"Firsts" and "Over the Horizon" are online auctions that kick off on Aug. 23 and run through Sept. 12. "Pushing Boundaries," however, is a live auction scheduled for Sept. 10.
"Firsts" features items that mark significant moments in computer and tech history. For example, there is a Tate's arithmometer made in 1892 (an entirely manual calculator). There are computers ranging from large to small, such as a 1959 IBM 7090 mainframe — a computer that takes up an entire room. Then there's a collection of microcomputers from the '70s and '80s (today, we would call them something like, "really large and heavy computers"). There are also coding printouts, early Microsoft company memos, a drone built by Vulcan technologies, and a pair of 2018 Puma RS Computer shoes.
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Chris Vance is once again a Republican ... for Harris
Politics
Chris Vance has thrown his support behind Republicans For Harris, a group of Republicans supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Vance was once chair of the Washington State Republican Party, and a Republican state lawmaker. More recently, he described himself as an independent as Donald Trump took over the GOP.Associated PressAmong the many political factions supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is a group from the other side of the aisle. Republicans for Harris is a national movement that has a handful of local Washingtonians on board.
“As long as Donald Trump defines the Republican Party, I and others are going to stand up and say, ‘Hell no,’ and fight back against it,” Chris Vance told Seattle Now. “We’re a big problem for him.”
RELATED: 'Republicans for Harris' want conservatives to vote Democrat in 2024 to topple Trump
Vance is a former chair of the Washington State Republican Party and former Republican state lawmaker. He spoke with Seattle Now to explain why members of the GOP are crossing the aisle for the 2024 election, but still aren't shedding their Republican ideals.
The national effort is supported by Republicans who oppose Trump and feel their party no longer represents them. They’re primarily targeting battleground states, which Washington is not. Vance explained that these GOP faithful are amplifying similar voices on social media, and at a local level, they're ringing doorbells and making phone calls in support of Harris.
“Republicans for Harris is an actual part of the Harris for President campaign. There is a Republican staffer hired by the Harris campaign to coordinate this, which is historic,” Vance said. “I don’t believe that you’ve had a Democratic political campaign hire Republican operatives to organize Republicans, but that’s how deep and wide the passion is among so many Republicans and former Republicans that Donald Trump can never ever step foot in the Oval Office again, not even as a guest.”
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Firefighters battle wildfire threatening small Western Washington town
Environment
The 2620 Road Fire near Brinnon burning, as viewed from above, in the early evening hours on August 18, 2024.Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management TeamA wildfire that ignited last Wednesday west of Brinnon in Jefferson County, has now burned 398 acres and is less than 10% contained. The blaze has prompted a significant firefighting response from across Washington state and beyond.
Norma Brock, public information officer for the Western Washington Incident Management Team, provided an update on the fire's status.
RELATED: Weekend rain a welcome relief as wildfire burns near Stehekin
"When we initially [started], we were having trouble getting up in the air due to all the heavy smoke and visibility. Once we got air resources we were able to fly around and do better mapping,” Brock said.
The Incident Management Team is collaborating with a team from Georgia on containment efforts. Firefighters are constructing lines around the fire and using a variety of strategies to control its spread. Brock noted that while recent weather has brought rain, it has not been significant enough to impact the fire's behavior. Winds continue to drive the fire's progression, complicating suppression efforts.
Firefighters are working around the clock, focusing on line construction to manage the fire's growth. Containment refers to digging or using natural boundaries that are strong enough to prevent the fire from spreading independently without constant supervision.
Brock said the steep terrain where the fire is burning is complicating the process, making it harder for crews to access the area safely.
RELATED: Calls for vigilance as Washington state battles historic wildfire surge
In her 33 years in Brinnon, resident Melissa Sherry has never experienced a wildfire like this, but she said the small town of less than 1,000 people trusts the firefighters to get the job done.
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Rising Sun Produce, a Ravenna fixture, set to reopen soon
Arts & Life
Virgil "Bud" Goodwin, has owned and operated Rising Sun Produce since 1979.KUOW Photo/Ruby de LunaThe lights will soon come back on at Rising Sun Produce, a beloved produce stand since 1979 in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood.
A fire in February forced the store to shutter. Owner Virgil "Bud" Goodwin said the past six months have been a challenge. But he’s been amazed at how customers, the neighborhood, even the landlord rallied to make sure the store returns.
RELATED: Beloved produce market in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood closes after fire. ‘We will be back’
"You just want to start crying," he said. "What else can you do, you know?"
On Thursday, Rising Sun will reopen at the same location on 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 65th Street.
Goodwin opened the door to reveal a bright space, free of soot and smoke. He had lived in Central Washington and hoped to own a farm there, but it wasn’t financially feasible. But he knew a lot of farmers — and their produce.
"So, I figured, let’s take a load of produce over to Seattle and see what happens," he recalled.
He discovered he enjoyed selling produce and making people happy with good deals.
"Maybe tomatoes that are a little ripe that grocery stores don’t want or avocados that are a little ripe," he said, for example. "You try to find those deals… that make people happy."
Goodwin said the store will carry mostly local produce for now. It will take another week to add dairy, wine, and other grocery items. Still, he said, he’s grateful to be back.
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