Ashley Hiruko

CORRECTING earlier post

Seattle Mayor’s Race: Wilson now leads Harrell by 1,346 votes.

STILL within the mandatory recount range - barely

Katie Wilson pulls ahead of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell – by 91 votes

Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson is now ahead in this nail-biter of an election count.

Journalism tip: If someone says drop the story, that’s a sign to keep reporting.

Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG

I am declaring a Mariners State of Emergency

Shhhh!

"It Was Cold": Mothers Who Lost Children to Gun Violence Say Harrell Ignored Their Pleas for Help - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett D’Vonne Pickett, the owner of The Postman mailing and shipping store and in the Central District,…

"It Was Cold": Mothers Who Lost Children to Gun Violence Say Harrell Ignored Their Pleas for Help

“What mothers go through in crisis is not a one-time opportunity—it’s ongoing."

publicola.com/2025/10/16/i...

Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them. Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel's rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

Early last year, Seattle signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using rooms as shelter space at the Civic Hotel and other buildings.

Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

By @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social, with @kuow.org

COLUMN | What This Mayoral Election Owes 'Black Seattle' From City Hall to the Central District, Seattle's mayoral race raises deeper questions: Who speaks for "Black Seattle," and what does real representation look like beyond the ballot? Marcus Harrison…

COLUMN: What this mayoral election owes "Black Seattle."

Marcus Harrison Green looks beyond identity politics to ask how Black Seattleites are actually doing — featuring voices from across the diaspora and scrutiny of both Harrell and Wilson.

Read here: soseaem.org/3IVyOSC #Seattle

Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them. Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

"Because it is Lisa" and "because I want her out of the homelessness business." That's what Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington said when asked why she denied a request by Purpose Dignity Action, headed by Lisa Daugaard, to open a shelter in North Seattle.

www.propublica.org/article/seat...

Seattle paid for shelter beds that it left vacant despite a massive need for housing Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

By December, Seattle taxpayers were paying a hefty $4,200 a month per empty room — at a time when thousands of Seattleites were without a roof over their heads.

Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them. Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

NEW: After paying for hotel rooms to shelter homeless people, Seattle deliberately left them vacant.

By the end of 2024, taxpayers were spending $4,200 a month per empty room at a time when thousands of residents were without a roof over their heads.

Seattle paid for shelter beds that it left vacant despite a massive need for housing Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

Great reporting by @kuow.org's @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social and @propublica.org: Seattle spent millions on hotel rooms to shelter unhoused people. Then it stopped filling them www.kuow.org/stories/seat...

Really good reporting from @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social on shelter beds being paid for but left unfilled, seemingly in part over a deputy mayor's personal dislike of a prominent Seattle homelessness services provider.

New @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social investigation from @kuow.org / @propublica.org:

Excellent local piece here from @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social + @kuow.org + @propublica.org.

Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them. Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

NEW: Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them. by @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social @kuow.org

ProPublica Names Ashley Hiruko as a Northwest Fellow ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

I feel so lucky to be able to work alongside such talented people.

Kevin was kind and curious. When he asked how you were doing, he really wanted to know the answer. He genuinely cared.
I’ll miss him

When a Top Mayoral Staffer Was Accused of Sexual Assault, These Women Decided It Was Time to Come Forward - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett Late last September, Mayor Bruce Harrell put a high-ranking longtime staffer, external affairs director Pedro Gomez,…

Weekend reading: A now-former top staffer to Mayor Bruce Harrell, Pedro Gomez, has been accused of raping a woman he met through Harrell's office. PubliCola spoke to several women who say he also preyed on them, including one who said she never reported her own assault.
publicola.com/2025/03/21/w...

A must-read story by Erica Barnett.

@kuow.org has a handy guide to Washington state's legal challenges to the Trump administration.

Thanks to @teopopescu.bsky.social for this Trump Tracker: www.kuow.org/stories/trum...

In case you missed this over the weekend: Former Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell described what it was like working for Mayor Bruce Harrell.

Fantastic reporting by @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social

Excellent reporting by @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social

Monisha Harrell breaks silence on her uncle – and former boss – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell Monisha Harrell describes the mayor’s office as being a dog-eat-dog environment where white male advisors vied for power and influence. She said her experience, as a high-level woman ignored by the ma...

been hitting refresh all day

www.kuow.org/stories/moni...

NEW: In August, Seattle canceled Nickelsville’s proposed 15-unit tiny house village in Rainier Valley. Until now, it was not clear why. Records obtained by @realchangenews.bsky.social show that some neighbors complained to the city prior to the permit denial.
www.realchangenews.org/news/2025/03...

Monarchs are doing better than last year which is good. But they're way below sustainable thresholds. The Fish and Wildlife Service rightfully promised these butterflies protections last December. Keep your eyes on Trump to make sure he doesn't reverse them.

biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

Swap the logo? Sell the car? Seattle, a Tesla town, grapples with Elon Musk in Trump's orbit From replacing the car's logo with another to getting rid of the vehicles altogether, KUOW heard from dozens of local drivers about how they're navigating the politics of Tesla ownership in 2025.

From replacing the car's logo with another to getting rid of the vehicles altogether, KUOW heard from dozens of local drivers about how they're navigating the politics of Tesla ownership in 2025.

Woman says she was 8 months pregnant when Seattle Mayor Harrell pulled gun on her, leading to his 1996 arrest Rose Sanchez may not remember every detail of the encounter between her family and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell from that late night in 1996. But there are details she told KUOW she’ll never forget, li...

I missed this earlier this week, maybe others did too.

KUOW has this exclusive that digs deeper into the 1996 arrest of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in Iowa, years before he was an elected official in the Seattle area.

Story from Ashley Hiruko and is a must read.

www.kuow.org/stories/woma...

Woman says she was 8 months pregnant when Seattle Mayor Harrell pulled gun on her, leading to his 1996 arrest Rose Sanchez may not remember every detail of the encounter between her family and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell from that late night in 1996. But there are details she told KUOW she’ll never forget, li...

ICYMI: My latest story on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.