The August primary is right around the corner. And it’s an odd year election, with a long ballot. KUOW’s Cat Smith is here to break down the candidates and incumbents in two of Seattle’s biggest races: the mayor and city attorney. Learn more about taking a Beach Naturist Shore Stroll . 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 s...
Jul 21, 2025•15 min
Today, we’re bringing you the best from the KUOW Newsroom… King County’s health department has published innovative and educational comic strips about public health issues for more than 15 years. The county hires local comics artists to tackle issues such as long term covid, preparing for a natural disaster and how to deal with a failing septic system. Kyle Norris talked to Meredith Li-Vollmer, the heartbeat behind this popular project, about comic books, bringing excitement to public health mes...
Jul 19, 2025•9 min
A federal judge in Tacoma says Washington can't enforce a new law against Catholic priests, multiple state agencies are bracing for federal cuts and get ready for extreme I-5 closures that begin this weekend. 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! Ema...
Jul 18, 2025•8 min
This week… Seattle is known for being a magical place this time of year, but we’ve just upped the ante. It’s Hot Rat Summer! The notorious mosaic at Cal Anderson Park is sparking heated debates about art, graffiti and rats. Plus, new statistics show Seattleites love to ride Lime e-bikes and scooters… But aren’t great at wearing helmets. We’ll dig into all of it with Science Journalist Jane C. Hu and Seattle Met Food and Drink Editor Naomi Tomky. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners sup...
Jul 18, 2025•26 min
The US House votes to rescind public radio money, Seattle Public Schools continue to look for a new superintendent, and Amazon carbon emissions rise. 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...
Jul 18, 2025•12 min
Nothing like a splash in the water to help beat the unbearable temperatures this week. But before you dive in, check your beach it could be closed. King County water field testers are out all summer checking the water for bacteria and toxic algae that could make you and your pet sick. We'll tag along for a test at Lake Sammamish. Check the King County website for water quality updates here . We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now i...
Jul 17, 2025•15 min
The new federal budget bill is making it hard for Washington to meet sustainability goals, King County is re-upping its commitment to being a welcoming area for immigrants, and people in the Green Lake neighborhood are fighting to save their favorite music venue. 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 new...
Jul 16, 2025•8 min
The Mariners have a superstar. Cal Raleigh has become the face of Seattle baseball. People love him for his home run hitting and his iconic nickname. Seattle Now Sports Correspondent Vaughan Jones is here to talk about Cal’s phenomenal season, filled with home runs, accolades, and a big derby win. 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! E...
Jul 16, 2025•15 min
Puget Sound Energy asks customers to dial back their electricity use, Bumbershoot ticket prices decrease, and Bothell changes their zoning to encourage more new housing. 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...
Jul 15, 2025•9 min
Awareness around neurodivergence, which encompasses conditions like autism and ADHD, has increased in recent years. And with that are calls for accommodations. One of those is the physical environment at work. HOK , a global design and architecture firm, has spent years researching how to design spaces tailored for a more neurodiverse workforce. They redesigned their downtown Seattle office to see how their employees would respond to the accommodations. And so far the results have been positive....
Jul 15, 2025•13 min
A well-known farm labor organizer in Washington’s Skagit Valley is giving up his deportation fight, Washington state bans two invasive ivy species, and PCC Community Markets returns to downtown Seattle. 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 ...
Jul 14, 2025•8 min
Young people are using AI. And there’s concern this could result in a decline in critical thinking skills. UW PhD student Aayushi Dangol talks about a game she designed to help kids think critically about AI. Check out AI Puzzlers! 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-...
Jul 14, 2025•14 min
Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW Podcast - Meet Me Here. You probably have different types of friends you do different things with - friends you go hiking with, take to baseball games, or go out to eat with… But do you have any ART friends? People you can take to cultural events like gallery shows and museum exhibits, and engage in thoughtful conversations about art? Meet Me Here’s Jeannie Yandel spoke with arts community leader Leilani Lewis about the importance of having an...
Jul 12, 2025•12 min
A southern Washington county passed a resolution this week to re-emphasize that is an "non-sanctuary" jurisdiction, summer heat could impact the region's light rail tracks, and Fourth of July fun has a price tag... In unincorporated Pierce County, that's upwards of $200,000. 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. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions abo...
Jul 11, 2025•8 min
This week… DoorDash imposed a second fee increase in two years in response to legislation from the Seattle City Council. TSA scrapped a 20-year-old law that requires people to take off their shoes at airport security. And did anyone see that salmon fly through the air and land in the seats at T-Mobile Park? Too Beautiful to Live Co-Host Andrew Walsh and KUOW Director of Community Engagement Zaki Hamid are here to break down the week. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap...
Jul 11, 2025•25 min
King County Assessor John Wilson resigns from the King County Executive race, wildfires and drought hit the state, and we officially have a new police chief. 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 ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org , leave us a voicemai...
Jul 10, 2025•13 min
Southern resident orcas are using kelp tools to groom each other. The fact our local orcas do this grooming together, as a social behavior, is a big deal. Dr. Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research explains more about it and what it could mean for future marine research. 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 seattl...
Jul 10, 2025•14 min
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has plans to backfill funding to Planned Parenthood cut by the new federal budget bill, Microsoft is putting billions into funding AI training programs, and the King County Council wants to protect the region from flooding as rescue and recovery efforts continue in Texas. 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 i...
Jul 09, 2025•9 min
In one of his first actions back in office, President Donald Trump required federal agencies to only recognize two biological sexes, based on sex “at conception.” Although a judge blocked that executive order, things are still complicated at the passport office. Seattle Gay News Publisher Renee Raketty experienced this first-hand here in Seattle, and spoke with other people experiencing it too. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle No...
Jul 09, 2025•14 min
Seattle filed to end the Seattle Police Department's federal consent decree, the Belltown hellcat gets sentenced, and we stop to smell the roses. 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 ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org , leave us a voicemail at (206) 6...
Jul 09, 2025•13 min
Governor Bob Ferguson has fulfilled a campaign promise by seeking bids to build new ferries. And after a long bidding war that began last year, Eastern Shipbuilding Group will be tasked with producing these first-in-America ferries at a cost of $715.4 million dollars. But Ferguson’s choice of the company has sparked some backlash. You see, there were only two companies who submitted bids. One of them is based in Washington State… but Ferguson chose the one in Florida. Seattle Times transportatio...
Jul 08, 2025•13 min
Washington’s public schools may be affected by a lack of federal funding, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are laying off Bellevue employees, and is that a crack in the glass floor of the Space Needle? Officials say not to worry. 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 ideas to share? ...
Jul 07, 2025•7 min
June brought a slate of closed restaurants in Seattle, from a half-century-old dive bar to some of the city’s most high-end dining. But it was also a good month for new spots, with two popular rooftop bars debuting in Central Seattle just as the weather heats up. Tan Vinh breaks down all the trends in openings and closings this month with Seattle Eats producer Clare McGrane. Read more about The College Inn Pub ’s closure, Sea Creatures Restaurants’ pivot and this summer’s new openings in The Sea...
Jul 07, 2025•14 min
Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW Podcast - Meet Me Here… If you’re looking to get out and dance in Seattle, you’ve probably stumbled on a themed dance night. “Taylor Swift Night,” “2000s Dance Party,” “Dance Yrself Clean…” the options are endless. You can even let your inner angsty teenager out at emo night. Emo has taken over clubs in the Seattle area, and across the USA, with events like the monthly Emo Nite at Neumos. Meet Me Here’s Dyer Oxley sat down with Emo Nite DJ Dan...
Jul 05, 2025•19 min
This week… It’s Independence Day, and Washington has a complicated relationship with fireworks. Washington retail giant Costco might be going to court for its affordable athleisure wear. And Visit Seattle has a new employee - Emerald, a generative AI program made to give recommendations to tourists. Factal Editor Joe Veyera and UW Professor and podcast host Jeff Shulman 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 Se...
Jul 04, 2025•24 min
King County official arrested , Trump's spending bill means less money for Seattle, and Sea-Tac Airport prepares for huge crowds over the holiday 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 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 a...
Jul 04, 2025•15 min
Microsoft says it will cut 9,000 employees from its workforce, about 4% of its staff. Layoffs are nothing new at the company – it shed 10,000 jobs just two years ago – but this latest reduction brings the year's total to roughly 15,000 workers. Alex Halverson, reporter for The Seattle Times , has been following these Microsoft layoffs and found some of what's steering decisions about headcount and the future of the company. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to m...
Jul 03, 2025•16 min
Microsoft cuts more jobs , City Attorney Ann Davison says Seattle could be targeted by Trump, and WA officials worry about fireworks sparking wildfires. 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 ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org , leave us a voicemail at ...
Jul 02, 2025•7 min
You may have noticed something peculiar lately in Seattle: Three properties on a single lot, two of them connected by a skybridge. It all has to do with ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, and how developers are trying to maximize the amount of living space on a single lot. We talk with freelance journalist Jane C. Hu , who's written about this trend of 3-pack developments for the New York Times. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle N...
Jul 02, 2025•14 min
Washington lawmakers and healthcare providers react to President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill move through Congress, Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson has an idea for a new revenue source for the city, and researchers say orcas know that sharing is caring. 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 new...
Jul 01, 2025•9 min
