'Astonishing' increase in car theft charges as juvenile criminal cases surge in King County Car theft charges brought against youth were up by more than 500% in King County last year. That’s just one of the charges driving a 61% increase in juvenile criminal bookings in 2023, including violent crime, gun possession and burglary. Ann Dornfeld
Seattle child care teacher secretly dosed toddlers with melatonin, state finds A longtime teacher at a Seattle child care center secretly gave 1-year-olds melatonin to sedate them, according to findings by the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Ann Dornfeld
Does playing soccer on artificial turf increase cancer risk, especially in kids? Stephen Howie Play AudioListen 27 mins
Viral teen car theft trend has some Seattle 'Kia Boys' facing adult consequences One teenager's charges for allegedly stealing cars using a simple trick popularized on TikTok technique raises questions about how to handle the flood of recent youth car theft cases - especially when they land in adult court. Ann Dornfeld Play AudioListen 4 mins
King County says its contractor failed to pay $1.1 million to child care providers in subsidy program Fawsia Diriye, a child care provider in Kent, has been waiting on $1,400 from King County to cover some of her clients’ monthly bills. The payments are part of the Best Starts for Kids levy that King County voters approved in 2021. Diriye is among 330 childcare providers the county said were missing payments for the children they serve. Ann Dornfeld
Too many King County sexual assaults are pleaded down to lesser crimes, advocates say Advocates for sexual assault survivors say King County is letting too many defendants plead guilty to lesser charges - often, to non-sex-crimes. Ann Dornfeld
A boy named Adam: When psychosis spills onto Seattle streets (Lost Patients podcast) Sydney Brownstone Esmy Jimenez Will James
Two former Garfield High School athletic coaches accused of sexually assaulting student A former volunteer weight-training coach at the Seattle high school faces felony charges for allegedly serially raping a female student athlete. Separately, the former girls' basketball head coach was fired in 2022 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving the same student. Ann Dornfeld
Fewer people are having kids. But what led them to make that choice? Today, for many people of child-bearing age, the question of whether to have a kid comes down to the simple calculus: will having kids make you happy? Does reproducing add to your overall well-being? Hans Anderson Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 27 mins
