Seattle Now

This week… The Seahawks are in a good spot - one win away from the Super Bowl.  Washington State’s Legislature could require cursive lessons in schools and allow alcohol in large movie theaters. And we’re not done debating the name of our region’s big airport. They have a suggestion, but you may not like it. On the show we’re kind of having a public media party. We’ve got a KUOW panel here today with Producer Andy Hurst and Editor Phyllis Fletcher. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle leaders emphasize diversion, not charges for public drug use, WA's natural gas initiative is before the State Supreme Court, and the structures at Gas Works Park will stay in tact, for now.  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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last year, tariffs drove down traffic at the Port of Seattle. For hundreds of dockworkers, there is no longer enough work to go around. We’ll talk about how the port is doing and what it means for the wider Washington economy. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More tech layoffs hit Seattle, Gov. Ferguson requests $21 million from FEMA, and Seattle chefs are nominated for James Beard Awards. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Ruby de Luna. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a fresh start to the new year, people clean out garages… closets… and sheds.  They help an aging parent or college-aged kid move into a new space. Some stuff gets donated. Some items, sold.  But for the hard-to-part with stuff: people in Seattle turn to storage units. Doing his own winter organizing: Seattle Times business reporter Paul Roberts. He’ll tell us more about the self-storage industry. Listen to Seattle Now’s episode on Gas Works Park here. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Seattle schools shelter in place over reported ICE activity, Seattle Children's Theatre withdraws from Kennedy Center production, and the Crocodile venue is up for sale. 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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new law in Washington gives people the “Right to Repair” cellphones, computers, and appliances. Manufacturers must provide repair shops with the parts, tools, and instructions to fix digital electronics. One of the goals of the law is to prevent waste. To learn more, we spoke with Adrian Tan, who's policy and market development manager with King County’s Recycling and Environmental Services. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last summer, one of KUOW's Book Club selections was Seattle author Ijeoma Oluo’s 2024 bestseller, Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World – and How You Can, Too. In it, Oluo shows how people across the nation are creating positive change for racial equity within our most important systems – like the media, policing, education, and many more. The aim of the book is educational, but also to inspire direct action from its readers. In the revolutionary spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, here's KUOW's Katie Campbell's conversation with Ijeoma Oluo. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re bringing you the best from the KUOW Newsroom… A KUOW investigation found the district skipped some safety steps to keep methane out of Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School after it was rebuilt last year. Pierce is finding success in a different way of doing juvenile probation.  And a look into how the University of Washington became the epicenter of college sports drama over the past couple of weeks. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An assessment of the severity of this flu season so far, a possible funding boost for Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup, and a goodbye to the University District's last movie theater. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Zaki Hamid. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week… Wash-DOT began TWO YEARS worth of work on I-5. The University District lost its last movie theater And Sound Transit is making a big switch from cloth to vinyl seats. Stranger News Editor Vivian McCall and Arts and Culture Writer Jas Keimig are here to break down the week. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Wilson delays removal of Ballard encampment, state lawmakers want to conceal their private addresses, and UW now requires civil rights training after feds investigate alleged antisemitism on campus. 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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tension with ICE has been rising in cities across the country, including here in Seattle.  If you encounter a federal agent, it’s important to know your rights.  We’ll talk to Henry Hwang from the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feds to investigate four WA school districts over trans athletes, Gov. Ferguson wants to slash spending on climate change, and SPS skipped safety measures when rebuilding Rainier Beach High School. 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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve taken a trip through Sea-Tac Airport lately, you’ll notice that things are under construction. From widening roadways to revamping the C Concourse, there are a lot of changes being made ahead of this summer’s World Cup… and not a lot of time to do it. Patricia Murphy interviews Seattle Times Business Reporter Lauren Rosenblatt, and we’ll hear them break down the Sea-Tac construction jam. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. Ferguson gives State of the State address, lawmakers want to regulate AI companions, and the Varsity Theater is closing. 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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2026 legislative session kicked off this week in Olympia. State lawmakers have a lot to figure out – especially the budget that’s still underwater. One idea that's getting floated is an income tax on millionaires. Paul Queary is here to explain what lawmakers are getting up to. He’s editor and publisher of the Washington Observer. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Seattle-area saw several protests this weekend, a new legislative session brings several new bills, and avalanches are making ski season dangerous. 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? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asian market Uwajimaya is having a long overdue homecoming, sort of. Plans are in motion to open a new store in Tacoma next year. That's actually where the family-owned business first opened nearly 100 years ago. We’ll talk to Uwajimaya’s CEO, and the Puget Sound Business Journal reporter who broke the news. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re bringing you the best from the KUOW Newsroom… We’ll start with a story about a local family who self-deported to Guatemala earlier this week. The family of 3 and their cat left on Wednesday after losing their asylum case. Casey Martin has the story. Our other story comes from Bellingham. The city of Bellingham is conducting an internal investigation after evidence was uncovered that a staffer may have rigged a bidding process for a city contract to favor one vendor over another. What is new, though, is that the city employee allegedly used ChatGPT to skew the outcome.  At least one expert says it may be the first time AI has been at the center of this kind of scandal.  KNKX reporter Nate Sanford talked about it with KUOW’s Kim Malcolm in a recent interview. 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.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.