Seattle Now

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 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.

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 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.

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) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 transportation reporter Nicholas Deshais explains the Governor's reasons.  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.

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? 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.

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 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 Seattle Times. Recommendations in this episode: Firn, Pioneer Square Cantina Del Sol, Capitol Hill Closed restaurants: Bateu and Boat Bar, Capitol Hill (temporary) General Porpoise donuts, Laurelhurst and Capitol Hill The College Inn Pub, University District Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com. 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.

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 Danny Vigill to talk about the growing trend of emo dance nights and chatted with Sub Pop's Michelle Fegahli and KUOW's Teo Popescu about their emo favorites. 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… 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 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.

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 at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 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.