Seattle Now

It will now cost companies $100,000 to sponsor a worker on an H-1B visa. The change has prompted the UW Medical Center and Fred Hutch Cancer Center to pause H-1B visa hires. And that’s a big problem for healthcare where doctors and researchers are already in short supply. We’ll learn more from Seattle Times reporter Nina Shapiro. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s election season. So today, we’re bringing you a candidate debate hosted by Soundside's Libby Denkmann. We’re looking at the candidates running for one of the citywide seats on Seattle City Council. 2026 will be a big year for the council – there’s a looming budget deficit, potential federal funding cuts, and the continuous threat of federal troops being...

Thousands expected to protest in Seattle this weekend, mayoral candidates talk bike safety, and attorneys raise the alarm about unlawful ICE arrests. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local...

This week… The Mariners are inching closer to their first ever World Series appearance, but there’s still plenty of nerves. Half of Seattle's renters are moving apartments every two years. And which ice cream shop has the best banana split? If you’re brave enough to order one. KUOW Mariners Superfans Casey Martin and Andy Hurst are here to break down the week. We can only make S...

Seattle City Attorney candidates square off, White River Bridge to reopen Friday, and President Trump might shut down UW’s Primate Research Center. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about l...

At 10:16 this morning, you might want to DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON. It’s the Great Shakeout, a worldwide earthquake drill. While we won’t have much notice when a real earthquake happens, preparation is key to riding it out.  Today we’re talking all about earthquakes in PNW. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now...

Seattle City Council approves sales tax increase , Mariners return home for Game 3 of the ALCS, and we look at how the cost of housing is factoring into the Seattle mayor's race . It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your f...

Can you feel it? The city is buzzing with Mariners fever. The M's are closer to the World Series than they’ve been in a long time. We'll talk about how they got here and what this means with Seattle Now sports correspondent Vaughan Jones. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed.  Got questions about local news...

A local official apologizes and announces he won't run for re-election, an estimated 400-thousand Washington state residents could lose their health coverage, and smoke is impacting Washington's apple harvest. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seat...

One of Seattle’s most beloved storytelling events turns 20 years old tonight. Salon of Shame is a window into our cringiest selves. A place where people willingly read pages from their teenage diary, in front of a live audience at Theatre off Jackson. Today, we’re looking back on 20 years of shame with Jeannie Yandel and Phyllis Fletcher, who are also on the editing staff at...

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport responds to the federal shutdown, the Vashon Water Taxi starts its Saturday pilot, and Game 2 of the American League Championship Series is underway. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. Don't forget to leave us a Mariners voicemail at (206) 616-6746. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners suppor...

Generative AI is the source of a lot of angst.  For students, for workers, for artists.  We’ll talk to Bellevue-based science fiction writer Ted Chiang about how he thinks about it as a writer. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear...

It’s election season. So today, we’re bringing you the first in a series of candidate debates hosted by KUOW. This week, we’re looking at the candidates running for King County Executive Whoever wins this race will lead one of the largest regional governments in the United States.  And, for the first time in 16 years, there isn’t an incumbent on the ballot. Two county...

Starbucks to lay off nearly 1,000 more local employees, healthcare costs could double for some WA residents, and the Mariners are set to play their most important game in two decades. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in yo...

This week… A group of Mexican restaurants in Washington are asking for stricter enforcement against unpermitted food carts. The city has Mariners fever as the team prepares for a do-or-die game this evening. And what’s the first rule of Fight Club? A backyard fighting organization in Gig Harbor is giving people a place to blow off steam. UW Business Professor Jeff Shulman and Factal E...

Elected Dems denounce Trump's deployment of federal troops, SIFF will no longer operate the Egyptian Theater, and Westlake Park is closed until May. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local n...

Election day is less than a month away.  The stakes are high in Seattle’s mayoral race as the city grapples with affordability, policing, and homelessness. Seattle Times reporter David Kroman is here to talk about how the race between incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson is playing out. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gi...

Troops can't deploy to Portland yet , appeals court rules, Mayor Harrell signs executive orders amid National Guard escalations, and a massive heat wave is hitting the Pacific Ocean. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in you...

In late 2023, Seattle International Film Festival took a big swing - reopening the Cinerama, bringing back the chocolate popcorn, and rebranding the building as SIFF Cinema Downtown. But how is it working out?  New reporting suggests that the restored theater hasn’t been meeting expectations, as the organization tries to find financial footing. We’ll hear from arts reporters Margo...

Mayor Harrell to sign executive orders on potential troop deployments, Starbucks lays off nearly 370 WA workers, and WA signature gatherers for GOP-backed initiatives  say people are interfering with the process. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make...

In the years following the pandemic, the city of Seattle leaned into a strategy to convert hotels into shelters. At one point, the Civic Hotel was full of residents. But later, many of the rooms sat empty , even though the City of Seattle was still paying the rent. KUOW investigative reporter Ashley Hiruko is here to tell us what happened. Her new story is co-published by ProPublica. We...

Oregon and President Trump continue to fight over federal troop deployment, workers in Bremerton want pay during the government shutdown, and Yakima basin water is getting rationed. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your...

Dr. Quintard Taylor was a legendary scholar of Black history in Seattle and the American West. He passed away last month at 76 years old.  We’ll hear about him and his impact from a mentee and a friend. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to h...

Today, we’re bringing you the best from our KUOW Newsroom… Sometimes a species becomes so rare that you may not know it still exists - like puffins in the northwest. Catch up with the researchers trying to help them bounce back. And colleagues remember Dr. Quintard Taylor, a pioneering historian and former UW Professor Emeritus. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support u...

National historic sites close in WA due to federal shutdown, Harrell and Wilson debate, and it's an event-palooza in Seattle this weekend. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here  to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or sto...