Seattle
Looking for child care in Washington? A new online marketplace aims to help
Parents across Washington may soon be able to search in one place online for child care openings in their neighborhoods. Kinside, a Seattle-based startup, has launched a website where families can find real-time prices and openings at child care centers. Currently, the program only allows people to search for openings in the Seattle area, but […]
How housing and homelessness ballot initiatives are faring so far in this year’s election
This story was updated at 5 p.m. Friday to reflect the latest results. In local elections around Washington, measures to protect renters are so far receiving mixed support, while initiatives to impose new restrictions on homeless encampments and raise millions of dollars for affordable housing are receiving strong backing from voters. County auditors continue to […]
In parts of Washington, backyard cottages and in-law suites are on the rise
After Laura Craig’s father unexpectedly died in 2020, she and her family began looking at new housing options for her mother. Craig, who lives in Snohomish County, wanted to build an apartment above her family’s garage, but the county at the time did not allow for “accessory dwelling units” of that kind. The regulations were […]
How housing and homelessness are shaping local elections across Washington
An expensive mayoral race in Spokane where candidates are fighting over vastly different approaches to solving homelessness. A proposed Seattle levy that could pay for more affordable housing across the city. Ballot initiatives in Tacoma and Bellingham that could protect tenants from steep rent increases and evictions. Housing shortfalls and homelessness hang heavy over this […]
How developers helped shape Seattle’s controversial tree protection ordinance
On June 1, the mood was exuberant at Art Marble 21, a sunlit Seattle bar and meeting space. The event was the annual “mixer” of the Seattle Builders Council, a division of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS), “the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association.” But the occasion was not […]
Washington gained more residents last year, but growth slowed
People are still moving into Washington faster than they’re moving out, driving up the state’s population. But growth is down slightly from previous years. The state’s population expanded by about 1.1% year-over-year, mostly due to migration and housing growth, according to the Office of Financial Management. The previous year, the state population grew by about […]
WA counties to distribute hundreds of kits to stop emergency bleeding
Local governments in the Puget Sound region plan to distribute around 1,700 kits to control bleeding from people’s injuries to schools and other sites. The kits, which include gauze, tourniquets and other medical supplies, are intended to give bystanders a way to slow a wounded person’s blood loss before first responders arrive to help. The […]
Ready for its close-up, Washington sees moviemaking rebound
With the pandemic ending and state aid in hand, Washington is enjoying a resurgence of interest from makers of movies and television shows. Spokane, Whidbey Island, Seattle and Lynnwood are among communities that provided backdrops for productions that employed nearly 1,700 people and generated $11.5 million in local spending between July 2020 and June 30, […]
Seattle regaining residents after shrinking during the pandemic
The vast majority of American cities are shrinking, but new data shows that a few are regaining residents after population declines early in the pandemic — bolstered, perhaps, by the rapid construction of new homes. Seattle, Houston, Atlanta and Tucson, Arizona, are among the cities that lost population between 2020 and 2021 but now have more people […]
Franz kicks off gubernatorial campaign at Seattle event
SEATTLE – Housing, reproductive health, climate change and rising living costs are all top of mind for 2024 gubernatorial hopeful Hilary Franz. Franz, Washington’s public lands chief, made her first foray onto the campaign trail Monday at the Edgewater Hotel pier, in front of a large mural of orcas and a group of supporters. Franz, […]