Microsoft Pledges $500 Million to Tackle Seattle Housing Crisis
Microsoft pledged $500 million to address homelessness and develop affordable housing in response to the Seattle region’s widening affordability gap.
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Seattle Braces for Its Worst Traffic Headache in History
A major commuter highway on downtown Seattle’s waterfront will shut down for good Friday, ushering in what officials say will be one of the most painful traffic periods in the history of the booming Pacific Northwest city.
Read moreTerrorist Bus Ad Is Protected Free Speech, Ninth Circuit Finds
A Washington county violated an anti-Muslim group’s free speech rights when it refused to run bus ads displaying the names and headshots of 16 purported terrorists, the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday.
Read moreToo Soon to Fight Seattle Union Law, 9th Circuit Says
A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday upheld the dismissal of a challenge to a Seattle ordinance allowing app-based drivers to unionize, agreeing the claims are not ripe.
Read moreFederal Judge Blocks Release of 3D-Printed Gun Blueprints
A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the release of downloadable 3D-printed gun files on Tuesday, less than a day before they were to be released online.
Read moreSeattle Bans Plastic Straws, Utensils at Restaurants, Bars
Looking for a plastic straw to sip your soda? It’s no longer allowed in Seattle bars and restaurants.
Read moreSeattle Plastics Ban
Eight years after passing a law to ban straws and plastic utensils in Seattle’s bars and restaurants, the ban took effect Sunday and businesses that don’t comply now face $250 fines.
Read moreSeattle City Leaders Sued for Violating Public Meetings Law
The Seattle City Council violated public meetings laws by deliberating in private before a special vote on Tuesday that repealed the newly passed employee head tax on large businesses, a suit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court claims.
Read moreSeattle Homeless Tax Repealed After Pushback From Businesses
In a surprise move, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to repeal a $275-per-employee homeless services tax on the city’s largest businesses passed unanimously just weeks ago.
Read moreRide-Hails Can’t Hide Behind Trade Secrets in Public Records Spat
The city of Seattle might have to hand over data from ride-hail companies like Lyft to a private citizen as part of a records request, even though the records may contain the companies’ trade secrets, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Read moreSeattle Passes Tax on Big Business to Fight Homelessness
The Seattle City Council voted today to fund homeless services with a $275-per-employee tax on the city’s largest businesses, including Amazon.
Read moreNinth Circuit Revives Fight of Seattle Ride-Hail Union Law
The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s challenge to Seattle’s ordinance allowing app-based drivers like Uber and Lyft to unionize, finding the law could violate federal antitrust rules.
Read moreHousing
The Rental Housing Association of Washington and others sued Seattle on Tuesday in King County Court, saying the city’s “Fair Chance Housing Ordinance” unconstitutionally prohibits landlords from screening applicants for criminal records.
Read moreDefamation
Seattle police officers Scott Miller and Michael Spaulding claim in a federal complaint that Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant defamed them by calling them murderers and racial profilers after they shot a violent felon and rapist as they tried to arrest him, and that she did so “for personal gain.”
Read moreUS Expels 60 Russian Diplomats, Shutters Seattle Consulate
The Trump administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close, as the United States and European nations sought to jointly punish Moscow for its alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain.
Read more$1.5M Reward Offered in US Attorney Murder Investigation
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced additional reward money totaling $1.5 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for murdering federal prosecutor Tom Wales.
Read moreSeattle Pot
Following San Francisco’s lead – and five years after Washington state legalized recreational marijuana – Seattle is looking at automatically clearing past misdemeanor convictions for pot possession.
Read moreSeattle Faces Challenge to Ride-Hail Unionizing Ordinance
An appellate panel grilled attorneys representing Seattle in a hearing over the constitutionality of the city’s first-of-its-kind ordinance allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize, repeatedly asking why the rules didn’t violate antitrust laws.
Read moreTrain Speeding 50 MPH Over Limit Before Deadly Derailment
Federal officials confirmed an Amtrak train was hurtling 50 mph over the speed limit when it careened off an overpass south of Seattle, spilling cars onto the highway below and killing at least three people.
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