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Seattle cop fired over remarks about Indian graduate student’s death
Officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the Seattle Police Department, according to an internal email sent to the department on Wednesday evening. Auderer was caught on body camera laughing about the death of an Indian graduate student after she was run over by another officer in 2023. Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr notified department staff of her decision by email. “For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department,” Rahr said. “For that reason I’m going to terminate his employment.” Rahr said at the root of the case lay “an extremely difficult judgment call of how to fairly balance ‘intent versus impact.’”
UW researchers find online rumors, but no major disinformation, after Trump assassination attempt
Researchers identified no major disinformation campaign by outside actors. Instead, it's rumors that circulated spontaneously by people trying to get attention for themselves or their causes.
Seattle's accessory dwelling unit boom continues, outnumbering single-family permits 2 to 1
Seattle has entered a new era of housing, with skyrocketing permits for backyard cottages and in-home apartments, primarily in the city's single-family zoned neighborhoods.
Wednesday Evening Headlines
Boeing machinists vote to authorize a strike, primary ballots are in the mail this week, and Barbie announces a Sue Bird doll. 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. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW. We want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback.
King County launches 100 day effort to confront gun violence
King County is in the midst of a coordinated effort to confront gun violence. Late last week, the county announced a 100-day initiative to combat shootings in the area. Gun violence is a national issue, and it’s the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, surpassing traffic collisions in 2020, and last month U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, declared gun violence a public health crisis. Guests: Celia Jackson - Director of Criminal Legal System Transformation in the King County Executive’s Office
Anonymous letter says police watchdogs ignored complaints against former police chief
A few months ago, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz was demoted following numerous HR complaints – and legal filings – during his time at the helm of the SPD. Those complaints include claims of discriminatory behavior by Diaz toward women and people of color. There were also rumors of a relationship with an employee. Diaz has denied those allegations, but in May, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that Diaz would no longer lead the department and appointed former-King County Sheriff Sue Rahr to replace him as interim police chief. But in a recent unsigned letter sent to the Seattle City Council, a whistleblower has alleged that the department’s issues could continue even after Diaz -- because the agency tasked with holding SPD accountable hasn’t been doing its job. KUOW’s Ashley Hiruko has been reporting on all of these developments and joined Soundside to discuss a letter confirmed to be written by a whistleblower within the Office of Police Accountability.
WA state suspends intake for convicted juveniles
Where do you put juvenile offenders when correctional facilities won’t take them? That’s the question many county judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials are facing after Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families closed both of the state’s youth correctional facilities to new inmates until further notice. To explain what’s happening and what it means for youth who are convicted of serious crimes, Soundside was joined by KUOW investigative reporter Ann Dornfeld. Guests:
Faced with limited work options, asylum-seekers are starting businesses in Washington state
A s Adriana Figueira tries to get her new business off the ground, she’s also navigating the asylum-seeking process. Figueira, who’s from Venezuela, arrived at the southern border of the United States less than a year ago, asking federal officials for asylum from political persecution. Since then, Figueira has been living and organizing with other asylum-seekers in the Seattle area, getting to know them and learning about their previous lives. Her business idea is to connect other new immigrants to freelance work opportunities so they too can make a living. The plan is to help people tap into the skills they’ve already got. “We need to know their talents above all else — what they dedicated themselves to beforehand,” Figueira said.
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird gets her own Barbie doll
Seattle Storm's Sue Bird has just hit another milestone — her own Barbie doll. "Barbie celebrates Sue Bird, the basketball legend who pioneered the way for growth in the women’s league with her record-breaking legacy and courageous voice that forever changed the game," Mattel's product description reads. "One of the most decorated players [in] the history of the sport, Bird is known for her fierce drive to win, egoless leadership, and clutch shots. On and off the court, she champions for equality and social justice." RELATED: Sue Bird returns to the Seattle Storm — as an owner
A dive into Seattle’s surf rock scene
Seattle’s music scene has a band, and a bar, for everyone. Even fans of surf rock, a genre that’s been around since the 60s, the days of Dick Dale and the Beach Boys. There’s plenty of bands playing it in a small, but passionate, scene in Seattle. KUOW Web Editor Dyer Oxley is here to tell us where to find it.
Tuesday Evening Headlines
Seattle increases penalties for street racing, climate protestors call out Amazon on Prime Day, and Seattle City Light wants to hike utility rates. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Gustavo Sagrero. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW. We want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback.
Should Joe go - or no? Congressman Adam Smith weighs in
Last night - President Biden sat down with NBC’s Lester Holt, and answered a question on everyone’s mind: will the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump change the election? His answer: "I don't know. And you don't know either." He’s right - we don’t know how last weekend’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump will change things. But, at least for now, some corners are calling for unity and dialing back extreme rhetoric.And public calls for the incumbent president to pass the torch within the Democratic Party have quieted, as attention instead turns to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The Race for District 3: Joe Kent
Washington’s 3rd Congressional District covers the southwest corner of the state, from Long Beach to Mount Adams, and from Yelm down to Vancouver. It’s also the home of one of the most fiercely contested congressional seats in the entire country. In 2022, Republican challenger Joe Kent defeated incumbent Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler in the Primary, but lost to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in the General election by roughly 2600 votes. This election, Kent is back for round 2, and looking to flip the district back to the GOP.
This Issaquah swimmer is going to the Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics get underway on July 26th. Among the many Pacific Northwest athletes headed to Paris, is 20-year-old Keana Hunter. The Issaquah High School graduate is a member of Team USA’s artistic swimming team. We talk with Hunter about her journey to the Olympics, her grueling training routine, and why the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming changed its name. Rep. Jayapal Town Hall: https://www.facebook.com/RepJayapal
Dan Blumstein: Fear and listening to your inner marmot
Here’s an episode for movie buffs, music nuts, animal lovers, and anyone dealing with anxiety. Yes, that's quite the range in a 40-minute chat, but Dr Dan Blumstein delivers them all in a fascinating conversation with Chris about FEAR. Dan is a professor of conservation biology at UCLA and author of the book The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild. He spent his career trying to better understand the emotion by looking at marmots. He says that animals can help us better understand ourselves. And we will explore what makes a scream a scream, and how to embrace our fears. This show would not be possible without listener support. You can help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by donating at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW, Chris Morgan Wildlife, and the NPR Network. This episode was produced by Matt Martin and edited by Jim Gates. The Wild is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
The Trump assassination attempt and why counterterrorism is hard to combat in the U.S.
This essay was adapted from an interview with Soundside host Libby Denkmann. Over the past 15 years or so, we have seen a rise in domestic terrorism in the U.S. that's primarily been far-right violence, white supremacist, and anti-government violence that has predominantly targeted minority communities. Some of the incidents that we think of as domestic terrorist attacks include the Charleston, South Carolina, shooting; the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, synagogue shooting; the El Paso, Texas, Walmart shooting; the Buffalo, New York, Tops Friendly supermarket shootings. We've also seen left-wing violence. But when you're looking at the lethal side of it, that has primarily targeted politicians – the 2017 shooting of the Republican team baseball practice, and in 2022, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had an armed threat at his house.
Surf X Surfwest: Riding the Northwest's surf rock wave
The Pacific Northwest is home to a small, but fervent surf rock scene with bands often accenting instrumental music with sci-fi and horror themes. It's a vibe that culminates at an annual surf music festival in Seattle. Surf X Surfwest 2024 is July 19-20 at Darrell's Tavern.
Northwest senators denounce political violence, Republican VP pick
Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell from Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon condemned political violence following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The two also voiced their concerns over his pick for vice president.
Monday Evening Headlines
WA politicians react to attempted Trump assassination, campaign launches to defeat Initiative 2124, and there are new recommendations for prostate cancer screening. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Gustavo Sagrero. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW. We want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback.
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