Seattle Now

Gun safety measures advance in Olympia, lawmakers consider ban on flavored nicotine products, and we visit some Seattle spots that are serving up non-alcoholic cocktails. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week…  Costco is making a big change in its food court… Coca-Cola, anyone? Microsoft is reportedly in talks to become the American operator of TikTok - paging Clippy And one of Seattle’s most beloved third places might be staying open after all. A group is currently in talks to take over operations of the Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill. We’ll dig into all of it with Ticket Editor Chase Burns and Factal Editor Joe Veyera. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Costco truck drivers could go on strike Friday, Century Ballroom might be saved after all, and two Seattle theaters formalize plans to merge. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project: www.nwirp.org Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network: https://waisn.org/ WAISN Deportation Defense Hotline (Monday-Friday; 8am-6pm) at 1-844-724-3737. The Trump administration made good on a promise to increase deportations across the US.  So what does it mean that Washington is a sanctuary state? And Seattle a sanctuary city?  We’ll hear from deputy director of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Vanessa Gutierrez about what people should know about federal laws, and our local laws too. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr ends her tenure, downtown Seattle rents are rising, and PNW blood supply levels are dangerously low. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. Hear Soundside's full interview with Sue Rahr here. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you identify as a different gender than the one you were assigned at birth, until recently, you had the option of identifying as that gender on federal documents like a passport.  If you identify as nonbinary, you had the option to mark “X”. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump changed that. We’ll hear more about what that means for trans and nonbinary people from Stranger Queer Culture and Politics Reporter Vivian McCall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WA sues over Trump funding freeze, Burien toughens public camping ban, and financial losses at WA hospitals are finally slowing down. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you give up drinking this month? If you didn't, chances are you know someone who committed to “Dry January.” We visit Magnolia's Figurehead Brewing to talk with co-owner Bob Monroe, who's brewing non-alcoholic beer, with the goal of creating community, whether you drink or not. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Bob Ferguson released a plan to support families of deported immigrants, the Seattle City Council filled its vacant seat, and Seattle Storm are saying goodbye to a franchise icon. 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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The University of Washington opened a behavioral health hospital last May, with a price tag of almost 250 million dollars.  It was built for the long-term care of patients who’ve been involuntarily committed due to struggles with mental health, and expectations for the hospital were high.  But a shortage of public defense attorneys has kept the 150 beds mostly empty. And the patients the hospital is hoping to take in are often being sent back home. Seattle Times mental health reporter Jayati Ramakrishnan explains why.  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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.