Seattle Now

Ferguson took the oath of office Wednesday and immediately tried to set himself apart from his predecessor. At a press conference afterwards, members of the GOP seemed hopeful, despite Democratic control of the legislature.  Still, Ferguson has a big job and an even bigger budget deficit. Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner helps us sort through some of the challenges facing the new administra...

Gov. Ferguson signs three executive orders, drug trafficking ring busted in Seattle's CID, and WA's Supreme Court to decide fate of high capacity magazine ban. 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 ab...

Washington is a state that supports and protects transgender rights. But campaign promises from the incoming Trump administration are causing concern for the community. Access to gender-affirming care and legal protections could be restricted. We’ll hear from KUOW health reporter Eilis O’Neill about how the local trans community is preparing for potential new policy. We can only make S...

Governor Inslee gives his final speech in office, Starbucks reverses its open-door policy, and a beloved Central District restaurant makes a comeback. 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...

In Washington state, prisons are overseen by state officials, and are required to follow a set of standards. But city and county jails are not. A new proposal by state lawmakers would change that . We talk with Seattle Times investigative reporter Sydney Brownstone about how several deaths in Washington jails helped lead to this push for change. You can watch Governor Jay Inslee's final State of t...

L.A. shelter pets arrive in Seattle, WA lawmakers talk rent stabilization, and the Community Police Commission seeks to regroup from internal turmoil. 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 loca...

The final 2024 report from the US Department of Labor was strong.  Hundreds of thousands of jobs were added.  The unemployment rate fell from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent. Still some workers are really having a hard time finding something new. Business Insider’s Aki Ito reports that there's a recession among white collar workers right now. She explains what's going on.  Watch th...

Transit officials, riders, and employees honor Shawn Yim, fare enforcement returns to buses, and Eddie Bauer merges with JC Penny. 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 news or story idea...

In the last months of the year, 20 big cats died in an outbreak of bird flu in Washington State. KUOW’s Casey Martin and John Ryan report on how researchers in the state are racing to learn more before the next outbreak hits. 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 idea...

Governor-elect Ferguson opposes wealth tax to fix WA's budget, Microsoft to cut jobs, and Seattle Humane will take in 60 pets from Los Angeles shelters. 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 lo...

Today Seattle Now is sharing a documentary from the KUOW newsroom.  In today's episode, KUOW's Will James went deep on Seattle's embrace of Housing First.  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 from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow....

WA firefighters head to California, REI announces layoffs, and Harborview unveils new technology to help people with spinal cord injuries. 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...

The new year means Seattle minimum wage is up to $20.76 an hour. It also means the end of a $2.72 cent hour tip credit that small businesses and restaurants have been using to help balance the books. The choice to let that credit expire was built into the law. But it’s not that simple. We hear from Seattle Times reporter Jackie Varriano and bartender Chandler Sapp. Legislative Preview hosted...

Norovirus is spreading in King County, President Biden  expands oil drilling ban off WA coast, and former WA Congressman Jim McDermott remembers Jimmy Carter. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. The interview with Jim McDermott was produced by John O'Brien . We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us.  Tap here &nbs...

Washington lawmakers get back to work on Monday to kick off the 2025 legislative session . For 105 days, they’ll tackle issues like housing, education, and gun safety. But looming over it all is a projected budget deficit as big as $12 billion over the next several years. We talk with Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay about what to expect. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners su...

If you feel like you sat in more traffic in 2024, new data shows you may be right. A Seahawks coaching staff member was let go, and two notable Seattle entertainers received awards this weekend. 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...

Seattle needs more housing, that’s a widely accepted reality. How and where we build that housing is a lot thornier. Enter: the One Seattle Plan, the city’s proposal to address our housing shortage.  The details are still getting worked out, and some people don’t want these changes in their neighborhood, while others argue it doesn’t go far enough. We hear from Ryan Pa...

Orca mom still carrying her dead calf around Puget Sound, 2024 broke records for evictions in WA, and Whitman College grapples with the legacy of its namesake. 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 ab...

This week… Southern Resident killer whale J-35 is in mourning after losing a days-old calf. And Amazon’s Return To Office mandate began Thursday, and it’s going to change a whole lot in Seattle. Author and blogger Geraldine DeRuiter and Your Last Meal host Rachel Belle are here to ring in the new year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon workers return to the office, flu cases are spiking in WA, and parking tickets in Seattle just got more expensive. 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 story ideas to share...

It's 2025...  And a new year means a new job for one of the longest-tenured members of the Seattle Mariners. Not on the field, but in the broadcast booth. After 18 years, Mariners TV broadcaster Dave Sims is heading home to call games in the Bronx, for the New York Yankees. He’s here today to reflect on his time in Seattle, and some of his most iconic moments behind the mic. See omnystu...

We have one more lookback on our 2024 reporting, as we transition into the new year. Severe mental illness is a very visible problem in Seattle. In 2023, police responded to almost 10 thousand scenes of people experiencing mental health crises. Investigative reporters spent the past year asking big questions on the show Lost Patients about why so many people with severe mental illness end up untre...

We’re nearing the finish line of 2024, and wow what a year.  Boeing’s year started with a bang, but not in a good way. In January, a door-sized panel blew off of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet mid-flight.  They also got a new CEO and endured a 53 day machinist strike.  The Seattle Public Library, SeaTac Airport, and the Highline school district all got cyber attacked. Seattle Pu...

We’re rounding out a week of re-airing our favorite episodes of the year, and somehow just couldn’t go without putting in some pickleball. Pickleball continues to be both popular and controversial in Seattle. This episode we're returning to the Green Lake pickleball courts which were officially declared a pickleball hub by Seattle in June. And the upwards of 100 diehard fans would agre...

In 2024, we’ve talked to and learned from some of the region’s boundary pushing authors. One of them is local automotive journalist Victoria Scott. Victoria loves cars – as models of freedom, style, and engineering. She also thinks car culture doesn’t have to be so male-dominated.  Those two things drove her to write about and photograph trans women, nonbinary people,...