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Axios Seattle
Adopt a cat for $13 in Taylor Swift's honor, via Seattle Animal Shelter
To celebrate Taylor Swift's concerts in Seattle next weekend, the Seattle Animal Shelter is slashing the adoption fee for adult cats to $13 — Swift's favorite number — for a week starting next Tuesday. Why it matters: With more cats coming in every week, every successful adoption creates...
Try edible flowers to stretch the season of fresh-picked flavors
With a cool spring and slightly delayed planting season in the Pacific Northwest this year, many home grown fruits and vegetables are not quite ready for harvest. But that doesn't mean the hankering for fresh flavors is gone.Driving the news: Using edible flowers right now to liven up the look and taste of everything from cocktails to salads and savories to syrups can help bridge the fresh food gap and satisfy cravings, according to Erica Browne Grivas, a journalist and the Western director of Garden Communicators International.Edible flowers have been an integral part of many cultures' culinary histories, including ancient...
Seattle weighs where to expand off-leash dog parks
Seattle officials are seeking public feedback on where to put at least three new off-leash dog parks. Why it matters: City officials say the "exponential growth in the number of dogs" in Seattle over the past decade has created a need for more off-leash areas, where people can exercise and socialize their pets.
Sniffspot turns backyards into Airbnb-style dog parks
If you don't feel like going to a public dog park or you don't have one nearby, here's another option: Sniffspot, an Airbnb-style service where people rent out their backyards or private lands as dog runs. Details: Sniffspot was started in Seattle about five years ago and has since expanded...
Photos: MLB All-Star Week wraps up in Seattle
After nine straight losses to the American League, the National League won the 93rd MLB All-Star Game Tuesday night, wrapping up a week of baseball festivities in Seattle. Among the highlights:. Los Angeles' starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who will be a free agent soon, got a lot of love from...
Interest in ADUs rise across the Seattle metropolitan area
Interest in building accessory dwelling units — more commonly known as ADUs — spiked across the greater Seattle area thanks largely to new regulations encouraging the construction of secondary housing units.Why it matters: In cities like Seattle where affordable housing is a chronic issue, ADUs can help relieve the shortage while also providing extra income for property owners who rent them out.In 2019, the city of Seattle adopted legislation to remove regulatory barriers and make it easier for property owners to create ADUs in Seattle's single-family zoned lots. ADUs, which may also be called mother-in-laws or backyard cottages, can be...
State attorney general race intensifies as Nick Brown enters
Former U.S. Attorney Nick Brown will run for Washington state attorney general, competing against state Sen. Manka Dhingra, who has already declared her candidacy. Both are Democrats. Driving the news: Brown formally announced his bid for attorney general Wednesday, after resigning from the U.S. Attorney’s office last month. Context:...
Sorry stargazers, no northern lights show on tap
No need to go out of your way for a northern lights show that will not be anything special in Seattle or anywhere else this week.Driving the news: A story that went viral about the aurora borealis being visible in 17 states due to a solar storm is not accurate, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute that was widely cited as the source.The Geophysical Institute does not make aurora predictions, according to a statement sent to Axios from research associate professor Don Hampton, a space physicist at the Institute.Aurora predictions are issued by the National Oceanic and...
Murders, car thefts and other crimes rose in Washington state in 2022, report says
The murder rate in Washington state rose about 15% from 2021 to 2022, approaching levels not seen since the mid-1990s, according to a new crime report released Monday. But the rate of murders still trailed the historic high set in 1994. Driving the news: The annual crime report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) found that 394 people were murdered statewide in 2022.That's up from 338 in 2021.It's also higher than the 297 murders recorded statewide in 1994, which for years held the record for the highest number of annual murders — until it was surpassed...
Republicans want to let you opt out Washington's long-term care tax
Republican state lawmakers want to let Washington workers say "no thanks" to the new long-term care tax that started coming out of their paychecks earlier this month.Driving the news: GOP state senators held a press conference Monday announcing plans to propose legislation to let people opt out of Washington state's new 0.58% payroll tax.Yes, but: Democrats control the Legislature and haven't shown an interest in making significant changes.Catch up quick: The tax, which took effect July 1, pays for a state-run long-term care insurance program called WA Cares.Starting in July 2026, the program will provide eligible participants up to $36,500...
Gift from Quincy Jones helps save middle school jazz program in Seattle
A one-time gift from legendary musician Quincy Jones and a long-term grant from a Seattle foundation have rescued a historically important and beloved middle school jazz program that had been on the chopping block.Driving the news: Washington Middle School band students and parents are "incredibly grateful" for both the $50,000 gift from Grammy-winner Jones, and the commitment from the Seattle-based Nesholm Family Foundation to fund the program for years, Shay Miroite, the president of Friends of Washington Music, told Axios."The Nesholm gift is a game changer," said Miroite, because it will pay for the school's second full-time music position, allowing...
Catch the bug at Woodland Park Zoo's Story Strolls
Woodland Park Zoo is hosting Story Strolls this summer starting Tuesday featuring the children's book “Junebug: No Life Too Small” about a child who loves bugs and little creatures and takes steps to save them. Details: Each page includes English text, braille and a read-aloud QR code so...
Mt. Bagel, a much loved Seattle bagel shop, is back
The much beloved bagel purveyor Mt. Bagel has returned to Seattle after a prolonged absence — and, about two weeks after the opening of its new brick-and-mortar shop, a long line is still forming each morning.Yes, but: You probably won't find me braving that queue for a third time — at least, not any time soon.Details: I didn't get to experience the bagel bliss that Mt. Bagel inspired among Seattleites before it closed last May and moved to Oregon.Still, I anticipated I would have to update my Seattle bagel rankings accordingly after tasting these legendary bagels.The verdict: These bagels are...
Seattle extends COVID-era rules to help home-based businesses
Seattle has permanently adopted another COVID-era tweak, this time one aimed at helping home-based businesses.Driving the news: The Seattle City Council recently passed Bill 120520, also known as "Bringing Business Home."Some of the changes being made permanent include: the elimination of restrictions on the number of non-resident employees; the elimination of restrictions on the number of daily deliveries allowed; and the removal of the requirement that customer visits be by appointment only.The measures were first introduced to give home-based businesses the flexibility they needed to continue operating while adhering to COVID-19 safety regulations.What they're saying: "I see this as a...
How Seattle-area demographics have changed since 2000
Data: U.S. Census; Note: Estimates include people reporting one race alone; Hispanic individuals are also included in other categories, as they may be of any race; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosThe Seattle metro area's Hispanic, Asian and multiracial populations saw the biggest percentage increases between 2000 and 2022, per a new analysis from Axios' Kavya Beheraj and Alex Fitzpatrick.Why it matters: Such demographic data is a vital snapshot of how the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area's racial and ethnic makeup is changing over time, helping to inform policies and programs across the region.By the numbers: The region's number of Hispanic residents grew 174%, to...
Here are free events in Seattle as part of MLB All-Star Week
Much of the action for Major League Baseball's All-Star Week, which is being hosted in Seattle over the next five days, involves ticketed events, including tonight's HBCU Swingman Classic and next week's All-Star Game. But there's plenty else to do around town even if you don't have reserved seats.Marc Jones, the director of marketing for Seattle Center, said the goal was to create "free activities that people can enjoy in conjunction with all the All-Star fun happening throughout the city."Outside the stadiumsOutside T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field, there are free outdoor activities from Friday through Tuesday, including food trucks, batting...
Students can sue UW over COVID-era tuition, judge rules
A King County judge has certified a class of students in a lawsuit challenging the University of Washington's decision to charge full tuition and fees during the pandemic.That means the judge recognized that a whole group of people may have been injured by the university's actions and therefore may be entitled to compensation or relief.Details: The lawsuit accuses the university of unlawfully retaining tuition payments amounting to millions of dollars when campuses were closed and students had access only to limited online learning.Why it matters: Attorney Steve Berman told Axios the court's decision to let the case proceed as a...
One Seattle man's fight to save oaks over evergreens
David Perasso of Seattle is accustomed to skepticism when he presents his proposal to cut down conifers at Seward Park, but there is a greater purpose behind his idea: to save oaks.Driving the news: A conservationist since childhood who helped restore a grove of Garry oaks in Martha Washington Park, Perasso believes that cutting down a few healthy conifers at the south end of Seward would allow groves of heritage oaks there to thrive. Oaks support more biodiversity than conifers, he told Axios.And the Garry oak is part of Washington's history and the state's only native oak tree.Why it matters:...
Mothers are dying more often in Washington – especially if they're Indigenous, study finds
Data: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Map: Tory Lysik/Axios VisualsMaternal mortality rates nationwide have risen across racial and ethnic groups over the past two decades, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.The increase is especially notable among Indigenous women, including in Washington state — although white mothers saw a big increase in deaths as well, one of the lead authors told Axios Seattle.Why it matters: Researchers say most maternal deaths are preventable, yet the United States has one of the highest rates of such deaths among high-income countries.Details: The...
Black Coffee Northwest to replace closed Central District Starbucks
Black-owned coffee shop Black Coffee Northwest is taking over the Central District building where a Starbucks used to be.Why it matters: Black Coffee Northwest aims to fill a void created when Starbucks closed the location at the corner of 23rd Avenue and Jackson Street, which had become a gathering place in the historically diverse neighborhood.Black Coffee Northwest also provides free after-school programming, leadership opportunities for underserved youth, free mental health therapy, a podcasting studio program, tutoring, a music program, job training and more.With the new location next to a bus stop, Black Coffee Northwest is hoping the cafe will become...
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