Amazon's carbon emissions jumped 16% in 2025. The driver: massive data center buildout ^49.4%

KUOW Public Radio - By Monica Nickelsburg, Stephen Howie - 7/1/2026, 11:05 PM

Framing Effect 32.9% - Negativity Bias 27.8% - Appeal to Emotion 18.6%

Amazon's latest sustainability report shows that carbon emissions from the online retail giant jumped by 16% in 2025, driven in large part by its multi-billion dollar data center buildout. Amazon has pledged to have net zero emissions by 2040, but the data center requirements of artificial intelligence have raised questions about the... more

Stalking charges dropped against King County Assessor John Wilson ^27.1%

KUOW - By Stephen Howie - 6/16/2026, 12:25 AM

Framing Effect 17.3% - Biased Writer Voice 14% - Confirmation Bias 13.5%

Criminal charges accusing King County Assessor John Wilson of stalking his ex-fiancée Lee Keller have been dropped by the city of Seattle after Wilson's attorneys submitted a series of texts allegedly sent from Keller to Wilson in May. "I'm probably making a huge mistake, but I'm just following my heart," Keller texted on Friday, May 22.... more

Seattle will turn on stadium-area cameras during World Cup after all, Mayor Wilson says ^35.3%

KUOW - By Stephen Howie, Amy Radil - 6/5/2026, 10:22 PM

Availability Heuristic 24% - Appeal to Authority 14.3% - Framing Effect 13.7%

After a briefing from Seattle Police and the FBI, Mayor Katie Wilson reversed course on surveillance cameras and agreed to turn them on in Seattle's stadium district when the FIFA World Cup kicks off this month. "The safety and security of residents, visitors, and fans is our highest priority, and I understand that many community members... more

Washington seniors face denied, delayed care under AI Medicare review program ^40.8%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 5/29/2026, 3:02 PM

Negativity Bias 32.6% - Framing Effect 14.4% - Hasty Generalization 12.3%

Five months into a pilot program that uses AI to review certain Medicare procedure requests, Washington seniors face new hurdles and worsening health outcomes, according to health care providers and lawmakers. The program, which incentivizes participating private companies to deny procedures, has become the target of a repeal effort by... more

Starbucks lays off 61 Seattle tech workers ^23.1%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 5/11/2026, 8:20 PM

Confirmation Bias 12.4% - Unattributed Quote 12.4% - Fundamental Attribution Error 12%

Starbucks is laying off 61 corporate tech workers in Seattle. The coffee giant said the cuts are the result of a reorganization in its technology department at the Starbucks Support Center, according to a worker adjustment and retraining notification submitted to the state. The positions impacted include IT, cybersecurity, technical... more

Canvas cyberattack halts learning at Washington state universities ^43.1%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 5/8/2026, 12:59 AM

Availability Heuristic 24.1% - Negativity Bias 21.9% - Ambiguity (Equivocation) 21.9%

The online platform used by teachers to communicate with students at major Washington universities suffered a global outage Thursday after it was reportedly hacked. The University of Washington reported the Canvas outage at 1 p.m. “due to an apparent security incident.” “Canvas is fully inaccessible to all users at this time,” the notice... more

Lummi Nation accuses Whidbey Telecom of digging up, ignoring remains at Point Roberts ^79.1%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 4/28/2026, 10:31 PM

Negativity Bias 29.6% - Appeal to Emotion 14.3% - Framing Effect 12.6%

The Lummi Nation filed a lawsuit Monday that accuses Whidbey Telecom of repeatedly digging up and disturbing Native burial grounds at Point Roberts. "This wasn't an accident. It was a series of decisions," said Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, who is representing the tribe. The lawsuit names the Langley-based telecom... more

Every tire produces a chemical that kills coho salmon. Can scientists pump the brakes? ^6.4%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 4/10/2026, 2:04 PM

Negativity Bias 14% - Appeal to Authority 10.6% - Overconfidence Bias 10.4%

What do you do when one of the most lethal substances to aquatic life emanates from every tire on the road? That's the question facing scientists and environmental engineers as mounting evidence shows that 6PPD-quinone, a chemical produced by tires to protect rubber from degrading, is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic animals, even... more

Between ICE and a hard place: WA farmworkers fear deportation, family separation ^13.1%

KUOW Public Radio - By Stephen Howie - 3/23/2026, 10:33 PM

The couple from Oaxaca sit side by side inside a small Mount Vernon apartment, blinds down and curtains drawn. They have spent their entire adult lives planting, pruning, and harvesting food and flowers in Washington's fertile Skagit Valley. Like many people who come to the U.S. in search of a better life, they focus much of their energy... more

Mixed reaction, calls for congressional action: Washingtonians react to widening war with Iran ^69%

KUOW - By Scott Greenstone, Stephen Howie - 3/3/2026, 1:43 AM

Washington lawmakers and politically active Washingtonians with ties to Iran had a range of reactions Monday to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the Islamic Republic's counterstrikes on Israel and its Arab neighbors. Washington's Democratic U.S. senators rebuked President Donald Trump for starting a war without seeking... more