Seattle

Would you pay $700k to discourage a homeless encampment? Washington state did by buying rocks

In city planning terms, “hostile architecture” is the practice of using spikes, or bike racks, or cement blocks — really anything — as a design choice to prevent people from loitering or laying down in public places. Sometimes hostile architecture is actually hostile landscaping.

New mental health teams are hitting the streets in downtown Seattle alongside police

Through a pilot program launched last fall, the city’s 911 dispatchers are now directing a team of mental health professionals to certain calls alongside police officers.

Government

Seattle Police faces reckoning over 'culture' in 2024 as federal oversight winds down

The coming year could be a big one for the Seattle Police Department. City leaders are eager to regain local control of policing after years of federal oversight. Oversight partners and rank-and-file officers say a lot is riding on the contract the city is negotiating with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. But after a scandal that made global headlines in 2023, SPD is still responding to criticism and questions about its internal culture.

Crime

From informant for prohibition agents to the wife of Seattle’s biggest rumrunner. The amazing story of Elise Olmstead

Alongside Seattle bootlegger Roy Olmstead, somewhat hidden in his larger-than-life shadow, was his second wife, Elise, often known as Elsie. And her story, like those of so many other women, is just as fascinating in its own right, though it's less often told.

Arts & Life

Seattle's queens of Christmas camp are back

BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are coming back to Seattle for another take on their "The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show."