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Cringe-fest: KUOW newsroom brainstorms a 'cool' headline
Earlier this week, we published photos of what students at Roosevelt High School wore for the first day of school. Brainstorming a headline, editor Isolde Raftery asked her coworkers for help on Slack, the messaging platform. We wound up with this headline: “First day fits lowkey slapped at Seattle's Roosevelt High,” for which we were mocked on X. Wrote Melissa Santos of Axios: “When local journalism is giving pick-me vibes.” Fair. But what y’all don’t know is how bad it could have been. Here is that Slack thread, lightly curated, for your enjoyment, and our humiliation. (You’re welcome.)
'Wimpy' winter ahead for Pacific Northwest despite La Niña prediction, climatologist says
With a few weeks left of summer, climatologists are looking to cooler months ahead. La Niña conditions are expected in the Pacific Northwest this winter, which usually bring colder, wetter weather to the region. After a dry summer — and a below-average snowpack accumulated last winter — we could use the moisture. RELATED: Late-summer heat wave bakes Western Washington — but not for long Climatologist Nick Bond said this year's La Niña will likely be weaker than previously expected.
Israeli soldiers fatally shot an American woman at a West Bank protest, witnesses say
NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Israeli soldiers killed a Seattle woman protesting against settlements in the West Bank on Friday, two protesters who witnessed the shooting told The Associated Press. Two doctors said she was shot in the head. The U.S. government confirmed the death of 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi but did not say whether she had been shot by Israeli troops. The White House said in a statement that it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing of a U.S. citizen and called on Israel to investigate what happened. Eygi was a graduate of the University of Washington's psychology department.
Casual Friday with Rachel Belle and Maleeha Syed
This week… Seattle Public Schools welcomed students back, but there are concerns about their physical and mental safety. The New York Times gave its recommendations for spending 36 hours in Seattle, including quite a few stops in the U-District. And knock knock! campaigns in the tight Public Lands Commissioner race sent people door to door to make sure their ballots counted.
There is now a movie about the praying Bremerton football coach
Less than a year after Joe Kennedy returned to Bremerton High School to coach football and pray on the field, a bio film about the seven-year controversy is already in the can and heading to movie screens this October. "I've been fighting my whole life ... so if you told me that saying a prayer on the 50-yard line is a thing that was going to get me into the biggest fight of my life, you cannot tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor," the main character states in the trailer for "Average Joe." RELATED: Department of Education updates guidance on public school prayer The recently released trailer also comes less than a year after Kennedy's memoir was published, which the film is based on.
Can astronauts vote… for lands commissioner?
Sound Politics is talking elections on land... and in space this week. Up first: Scott and Libby start a little closer to home, and talk about one of the closest primary races in state history. It was a tight race to determine who would take second place in the fight for Washington State Land Commissioner. After the first statewide hand recount for a primary since 1960, it looks like Democrat Dave Upthegrove will face off against former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in November's general election. Scott will explain ballot curing - a process Republicans and Democrats used to help voters fix their rejected ballots.
Thursday Evening Headlines
WA's Republican Party is suing the King County Elections Director, Seattle students return to new safety initiatives, and the Bellevue Arts Museum has closed its doors. 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. 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 Council considers housing development for middle-income residents
The King County Council is considering a proposal that would build rent-restricted workforce housing for people who make too much to qualify for low-income housing, but struggle to afford rent. Under the new proposal, put forward by King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, the county would use local government bonds to borrow at least $1 billion to build, renovate, or convert buildings into public housing. If given the green light, the rent from those properties would be used to pay back that debt and cover operating costs. The county’s Executive Office would work with developers and housing authorities to iron out the details and implement legislation surrounding the project by March. The number of housing units has yet to be determined, but the proposal identifies three income brackets it could potentially serve: RELATED: Cities in Washington can no longer make vague promises to build enough 'affordable housing'
Asahel Curtis' photography continues to suprise archivists nearly a century later
At the turn of the 20th century, Asahel Curtis was a prolific photographer who traveled throughout Washington. His work captured the state as it underwent big changes, owing to rapid industrialization. For decades, a massive collection of Asahel’s glass plate negatives has been held at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. The plates are aging, however. In the 1980’s, historians and staff were able to digitize around 3,000 of his most essential photographs. That left about 58,000 to go. Now, thanks to renewed interest and funding, historians are working on capturing the rest of Curtis’s images. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
"The importance of giving folks their flowers" - Black & Loud Fest highlights Black performers across the PNW
If someone asked you to name three Rock musicians that are Black, could you? Some people might be able to, but in general there aren’t a lot of them. This is despite the fact that the genre traces its roots back to Black blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues artists in the United States. The rock music industry and academic scholarship of the genre instead tend to focus on white voices. That’s according to research from the University of Ottawa. Cameron Lavi-Jones says that’s part of what inspired him to create the band King Youngblood, which he fronts. It’s also why, along with co-founder Anthony Briscoe, Lavi-Jones created Black & Loud Fest.
In Seattle area, 988 mental health hotline supports tens of thousands in crisis
When people call 988, they get immediate help — but from a trained crisis counselor instead of law enforcement or paramedics. So far, close to 100,000 people have called or texted 988 from Puget Sound-based area codes.
Utility rates slated to steadily rise in Seattle, starting in 2025
Seattle residents can expect higher utility bills starting in 2025. The City Council unanimously approved two plans this week that will nudge rates for City Light and Public Utilities a little higher each year. According to City Light's Strategic Plan for 2025-2030, the city aims to annually raise electric utility rates during those years. This would be for both residential and business customers. A residential rate hike of 5.4% will come in 2025 and 2026, then a 5% rate increase for the next four years. This will cause monthly residential bills to go up an average of $5.14. RELATED: Demand for electricity in the Pacific Northwest expected to jump 30% This continues a rate-hike trend in Seattle. The city previously raised electricity rates 2% in 2022, and also approved hikes in 2023 (6% for residential and 5.6% for businesses) and 2024 (4.5% base rate increase).
The Seahawks are back... but someone is missing
The Seahawks kick off their season this Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It’ll be the first time in 14 years that Pete Carroll won’t be on the sidelines. We’ll get a season preview from Seattle Now senior producer Andy Hurst and Brian Nemhauser, who covers the team for Hawkblogger.com We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattlenow
Wednesday Evening Headlines
Suspect in I-5 shootings taken into custody, lands commissioner race is officially set, and the South Lake Union Streetcar is running again. 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. 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.
Burien faces new challenge to homelessness policy, this time on religious grounds
There’s a new wrinkle in the debate over homelessness policy in the city of Burien. Last September, Burien passed a controversial ordinance banning camping in much of the city, Meanwhile, a local church decided to step in and offer its property as a temporary encampment for the homeless. Burien requested that the church, the Oasis Home Church, get a “temporary use permit” for the encampment. They declined to do that and are now bringing another lawsuit against the city, arguing that Burien was infringing on their religious freedom to provide a place for homeless residents to stay. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes
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