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2 weeks ago | 
m.kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
More than 500 law firms across the United States have signed a legal brief supporting Perkins Coie in a fight against President Trump. The Seattle-based law firm was targeted last month by the Trump Administration with a sweeping Executive Order. The order directs the federal government, in almost all cases, to not hire Perkins Coie or use contractors associated with the firm.
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3 weeks ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
Bellevue-based startup OneCourt says its devices enable the “first tactile sports broadcasts." The goal is to give a deeper game experience for sports fans who are visually impaired, and to deliver it in real time. A social media influencer recently went viral when he took the tablet for a spin at a Trailblazers game. Portland was the first NBA team to provide OneCourt devices at every home game, but more have followed.
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3 weeks ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Sarah Leibovitz |Shane Mehling
The fight over fluoride in drinking water is not new – it’s been around ever since public programs began in the 1940s. But now, there is a push to end fluoridation programs. United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr has criticized fluoridation, claiming it contributes to a host of afflictions, including bone cancer and thyroid disease. Around the country, some areas are taking actions to end fluoridation.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
Washington’s Democratic lawmakers are pushing forward with a promise they made last year to change a law they saw as problematic … but that they helped pass anyway. The law in question came from a voter initiative, commonly known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights. It was a Republican-led effort to increase parents’ ability to monitor their kids’ school records, including medical and mental health and counseling.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
WWAMI is an acronym for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho… and it refers to a program created by the University of Washington that allows dozens of medical students from those states to study at the UW School of Medicine. The aim is to produce highly-skilled doctors who will go back and practice in rural, underserved areas of the Western U.S. But not everyone is happy with the 54-year-old program.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
The One Seattle Comprehensive Plan is working its way through city council. It dictates how the city will grow over the next twenty years, including where density is allowed. While the details are still being worked out, the comprehensive plan has a new type of zoning: Neighborhood Centers. This part of the plan could affect up to 30 neighborhoods in Seattle – including places like Montlake, Madrona and Queen Anne – and has met with vocal opposition from many residents.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
Eleven people have died at a South King County jail over the last two years. The most recent was on February 1st. Since 2023, the 800 bed facility – called the South Correctional Entity or SCORE – has had over three times the average in-custody death rate for Washington jails. Despite this, it’s become the de facto facility for minimum-security cases from all over the region, including the Port of Seattle, Bellingham and Bellevue.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling
Surge pricing. When there is a lot of demand for rideshares, fares can double or triple their usual rate – or even more. But a first-of-its-kind bill is looking to slow the surge in Washington State. SB 5600 would cap surge pricing and make sure drivers get more of a share of those extra dollars. The bill was inspired by the expected flood of attendees Seattle will be handling during the 2026 World Cup games, but it would also apply to other large events.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Alec Cowan |Shane Mehling
Clad in a big, bulky menswear suit, “Julia” Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei stomps around the stage at the Theater off Jackson in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. She glares over a fake beard, holding audience members’ gazes, and shakes the program for this very play in one hand. The actor and playwright is channeling the censorship she experienced in her home country of Iran.
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1 month ago | 
kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Shane Mehling |Hans Anderson
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has made clear he has no intention of changing course based on one of the new directives from the Trump Administration. Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued a so-called Dear Colleague letter, which stated that any institutions receiving federal funds from that Department would be required to eliminate all race-based programs – including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs – or risk losing federal funds.
