There’s only 6 hours left to vote in today’s primary elections. Only 20% of voters in King County have turned in their ballot so far. Boomers are out voting Gen Z by almost 5 to 1.
sam j leeds
@samjleeds.bsky.social
radio producer based in Seattle @citycastseattle.bsky.social formerly: Futuro Media, before that: NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot they/them | https://samjleeds.xyz/
So, you’re about to publish something that you just know is going to be met with harassment, or worse. There’s a lot you can do to make an attacker’s job harder, and it all starts with understanding your online footprint. Read our advice column to learn more.
Ask a security trainer: Expecting doxxing?
Journalists sometimes work on stories that draw unwanted personal attention or culminate in public disclosure of personal information. But there’s plenty you can do to prepare
freedom.press
An initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play
We ran the numbers: That's about 875 one-way first-class tickets to Chicago.
Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 5d agoSeattle police chief Shon Barnes is getting $700,000 in a settlement for leaving the department, PubliCola has confirmed.
Seattle police chief Shon Barnes is getting $700,000 in a settlement for leaving the department, PubliCola has confirmed.
Email just went out internally at City Hall: Shon Barnes has (officially) resigned as police chief of Seattle.
Reached by phone on Thursday, [Seattle Police Chief Shon] Barnes declined to say whether he was still chief and that the decision “is up to the mayor.” He said he was off for the day. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Police Chief Shon Barnes taking day off amid turmoil
Reached by phone on Thursday, Barnes declined to say whether he was still chief and said that the decision “is up to the mayor.”
seattletimes.com
Multiple Sources Say Police Chief Barnes is Out; Mayor’s Office Not Responding to Questions The chief has been under fire over his frequent trips out of town, after flying back from Dallas partway through a planned two-week absence to respond to a mass shooting at Seattle Center.
Multiple Sources Say Police Chief Barnes is Out; Mayor's Office Not Responding to Questions - PubliCola
By Erica C. Barnett On Wednesday night, multiple sources in several branches of city government told PubliCola that Mayor Katie…
publicola.com
A public bank in Washington could help us build housing, offer low interest student loans, provide disaster relief, and give our region fiscal autonomy. I talked about public banks with @janehu.bsky.social @bretthamil.bsky.social on today's episode of CityCast Seattle: megaphone.link/CC9576254694
Should WA Start a Public Bank? Plus, a New RapidRide Bus and Base Jumping off the Space Needle by City Cast Seattle
megaphone.link
NEW: Seattle politicians are no longer bickering over the kids' lunch money. After a contentious week, the mayor and city council have agreed on a plan to fund both universal free school meals and targeted food assistance, without delay. Via @thestranger.com: www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
Seattle City Council and Mayor Strike a Deal After Messy Fight Over School Meals - The Stranger
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and members of the Seattle City Council have squashed the beef over school meals, reaching an agreement to pay for universal free meals during school days and vouchers for t...
thestranger.com
In this unified proposal, universal school meals will be paid for in '26-'27 using one-time funds. The FEPP Levy will pay for the program in '27-'28 as well as the food support for students outside of the classroom for 6 years. A vote on the FEPP funding is happening during the meeting today.
Mayor Katie B. Wilson@mayor.seattle.gov · last wk.Feeding every student in Seattle is a goal the City Council and I share, and I am grateful we were able to work together to find a fiscally responsible path forward. Full release: https://council.seattle.gov/2026/07/28/mayor-councilmembers-agree-on-plan-to-improve-food-access-for-seattle-students/
Connor Nash wrote about his experience trying to ask the police chief a question based on my reporting that Barnes was out of town during yesterday's shooting (at a conference in Dallas) and that two sources told me he planned to be out of town through mid-August.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: I Asked the Seattle Police Chief a Question. The Response Went Viral.
Sometimes, a reporter becomes a part of a story, and somehow, today that reporter was me. On July 26, something terrible happened in Seattle: There was a mass s
southseattleemerald.org
Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social · last wk.Um holy shit - Police Chief Shon Barnes got PISSED at @soseaemerald.bsky.social reporter Connor Nash when Nash asked about my reporting that Barnes is out of town a lot; Barnes said, "No YOU listen!" and then angrily said my "reports are WRONG." My reporting is based on his schedule.
The two-year-old boy who was injured in yesterday's shooting has been discharged from Harborview. All surviving victims are now out of the hospital. @kuow.org live updates here: www.kuow.org/live-updates...
Live updates: 3 dead in Seattle Center shooting; 1 suspect in custody as police search for another
A 15-year-old suspect is in custody following a mass shooting at the Seattle Center on Sunday that left three people dead — including one person believed to have been involved in a gunfight that broke...
kuow.org
When ICE agents make a stop and a car is left behind, it’s usually towed and impounded. Then fees accumulate and it’s on the family to pay. When Angel Tepale gets the call, he holds the vehicles at his own small lot and tries to find the rightful owners, all for no charge.
This Seattle-area mechanic offers free tows for vehicles left behind after ICE arrests
When ICE agents make a stop and a car is left behind, it’s usually towed and impounded. Then fees accumulate and it’s on the family to pay. When Angel Tepale gets the call, he holds the vehicles at his own small lot and tries to find the rightful owners, all for no charge.
kuow.org
Shots fired! Mayor Wilson responds to the new school meal plan: "Now Council is proposing to pull this funding from our general fund, which is already facing a $175 million deficit. I look forward to seeing which critical services they plan to cut from the general fund to make their numbers work."
@guyoron.net has been covering the fight over universal meals in Seattle schools all week for @thestranger.com. After voting to delay the implementation of the program for a year, and getting yelled at, Hollingsworth, Strauss, and Foster announced a face turn. www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
Seattle City Council Revives Universal School Meals - The Stranger
So it turns out students may get universal free school meals this fall after all! This afternoon, Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth and Councilmembers Dionne Foster and Dan Strauss anno...
thestranger.com
WOW. New announcement from Seattle CMs Strauss, Hollingsworth, and Foster saying they will fund universal school meals starting in the fall after all by using the general fund. Hard to see this as anything but a realization of the high political price they paid for their votes yesterday.
Amendment passes 6 votes in favor, 3 against. Universal free school meals will no longer be funded this upcoming school year.
CHUM News@chum.news · 2w agoAhead of this morning’s City Council vote on funding universal free school meals, CHUM News interviewed educators, students, and nutrition experts. Respondents saw universal meals as a helpful *first* step that can set up other food-access programs for success: www.chum.news/food-fight
The Seattle City Council just voted 6-3 to approve Joy Hollingsworth's amendment to delay universal school lunches for kids, replacing them with vouchers for qualifying low-income parents to buy groceries over school breaks and weekends. Eddie Lin, Alexis Mercedes Rinck, and Rob Saka voted no.
Today on the podcast, @janehu.bsky.social is joined by @bretthamil.bsky.social and @samjleeds.bsky.social to talk about the most consequential races on the primary ballot. Plus a midweek medley of news about Kalshi, renters' rights to A/C, and if we're all suffering from sunshine guilt.
Your Guide to the Primary. Plus: What’s Sunshine Guilt? - City Cast Seattle
Today on the podcast, host Jane C. Hu is joined by contributor Brett Hamil and creative producer Sam J. Leeds to talk all about the most consequent...
seattle.citycast.fm
Hooray! We are funding the big fat Seattle Transportation Measure and also I survived listening to Rob Saka talk for what felt like 4 hours straight www.thestranger.com/news/the-sea...
The Seattle City Council Didn’t Totally Screw Up Mayor Katie Wilson’s Biggest-Ever Seattle Transit Measure to Expand Bus Service in the City - The Stranger
It took over three hours of debate in the Seattle City Council’s Select Committee on Seattle Transportation Benefit District, a slew of dumb amendments, a few good amendments, and sitting through Comm...
thestranger.com
To all those gagging on wildfire smoke who can’t stay inside! Here’s a few things you can do to stay safer. I made this comic for @realchangenews.org a while back, and updated it with more info for the new issue of Barn Sour comix newspaper #wildfiresmoke
Skagit Valley farmers, like Anne Schwartz who helped shape how we eat, are now working hard to pass the shovel to the next generation of organic growers.
Skagit Valley farmers, who shaped how we eat, work to pass the shovel to next generation
seattletimes.com
Heads up on a personal update: The next two weeks will be my last at The Seattle Times. Next month, I'll join Libby Denkmann as co-host of KUOW's Soundside, where you'll hear me four days a week. It's a big change that I'm very excited to make, though of course I'm sad to leave the Times.
(2/2) "Though the topic is often grim, the writer doesn’t shy away from being irreverent, or even funny, where appropriate. Any alt weekly that wants to start a trans beat (which I would argue is vital today) should use these stories to show the way forward."
(1/2) My trans beat coverage for The Stranger won a first-place national award from AAN! A judge's comment better described what I set out to done than I could (or would be willing to say about myself): aan.org/aan/announci...
Announcing Winners and Placement for 2026 AAN Awards • AAN Publishers
Willamette Week and Lookout Phoenix Lead a Field of Fantastic Journalism and Art Lookout Phoenix claimed three First Place awards in only its second year of full eligibility, but it was Willamette Wee...
aan.org
We're looking for a local fiction editor! - Commission + edit one piece of fiction from a local writer each month - Rolling application, but we’ll review new candidates until *at least* Jul 24 🗓️ Pay: $175/mo (grows as our budget grows) Info below: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
CHUM NEWS | FICTION EDITOR
CHUM NEWS | FICTION EDITOR SUMMARY | CHUM News is looking for a Seattle-area fiction editor to join its ranks. The editor will commission and edit one piece of fiction from a local writer every month...
docs.google.com
@sound-transit.bsky.social says both 1 & 2 lines are running again, about 15 hours after a reported power outage at the UW station www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us...
Mayor Katie Wilson at Six Months In: “Incredibly Proud of What We’re Accomplishing” Part 1 of our in-depth interview with the mayor about her accomplishments and setbacks over the past six months.
Mayor Katie Wilson at Six Months In: "Incredibly Proud of What We're Accomplishing" - PubliCola
The mayor talks about her shelter plan, encampment sweeps, why news vouchers aren’t happening this year, and more. By Erica…
publicola.com