Today, we’re bringing you the best from the KUOW Newsroom… We’ll start with a story about a local family who self-deported to Guatemala earlier this week. The family of 3 and their cat left on Wednesday after losing their asylum case. Casey Martin has the story. Our other story comes from Bellingham. The city of Bellingham is conducting an internal investigation after evidence was uncovered that a staffer may have rigged a bidding process for a city contract to favor one vendor over another. What is new, though, is that the city employee allegedly used ChatGPT to skew the outcome.  At least one expert says it may be the first time AI has been at the center of this kind of scandal.  KNKX reporter Nate Sanford talked about it with KUOW’s Kim Malcolm in a recent interview.

Oregon officials condemn Border Patrol shooting in Portland, lawmakers consider new restrictions on automated license plate readers in WA, and star QB Demond Williams Jr. will remain at UW after all. 

This week, Seattle is late in getting rid of gas-powered leaf-blowers.  A Seattle tour guide lost big on Jeopardy!  And two Reddit users are trying to answer a burning question: which Seattle Happy Hours are actually worth it? Seattle Times Food Writer Tan Vinh and Entrepreneur and Drag Queen Chase Burns are here to break down the week.

Federal agents shoot two people in Portland, Mayor Katie Wilson supports a capital gains tax, and Microsoft denies reports of mass layoffs.

Washington State Ferries is having a tough time selling two decommissioned boats that have been on the market for more than four years. Washington’s current fleet is aging. As more ferries are retired, finding the right owner presents a major challenge. Journalist Tom Banse wrote about this conundrum for the Washington State Standard.

State Dems want to make it easier to redraw Congressional maps, WA officials issue correction over pollution prevention, and UW remembers goalkeeper Mia Hamant.

It’s been a busy week for Mayor Katie Wilson.  And her constituents have a lot of expectations… The new Mayor promised to tackle some of the city’s biggest issues.  We’ll hear from KUOW Politics Reporter Scott Greenstone on what to look for in Wilson’s first few months leading the city.

WA continues to recommend childhood vaccines despite federal guidance, flu activity is high in WA, and Sen. Patty Murray reflects on the January 6th riot.

The Seahawks are in prime position to make a Super Bowl run. They've earned the number one seed in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Jerry Brewer is here to help us understand how the Seahawks got here and what comes next. He’s a senior columnist for The Athletic.

Local leaders and community members are reacting to the American military action in Venezuela, Seattle city leaders are being sworn in, and the state legislative session starts one week from today. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning.

It’s the first week of the new year. And if you haven’t made a resolution yet, it’s never too late. We’ll get into the psychology of successful resolutions and goal setting with UW Psychiatry Professor Dr. Koriann Cox.

Today, we’re bringing you stories from public radio newsrooms across Washington… Washington state is trying to encourage every student to apply for the college aid they qualify for. The recent flooding across Washington State is a good reminder of how important it is to have an emergency kit on hand. And Wenatchee veterans don’t have a local Veterans Affairs center. Now, one group is hosting a weekly game night to help build community. 

This week… Gen Z is trying hard to step into the home ownership game. Amazon users got outraged over an abridged version of "It's a Wonderful Life." And it's the first Casual Friday of 2026, so it's time to set some goals. Author and blogger Geraldine DeRuiter and Factal Editor Joe Veyera are here to break down the week.

This New Year's Day, we're bringing you a bonus episode from our friends at KUOW's arts and culture podcast Meet Me Here. Men are reading less. Reading less than women, not reading as much as before. But Author Daniel James Brown's book The Boys in the Boat broke through. This week we’re getting lit with Author Daniel James Brown and tackling the ~discourse~ to find out how authors like him are writing authentic men, complex men. Plus, we give you a ton of recommendations of books and authors that will make anybody want to read.

Conservative campaign has two ballot initiatives planned for 2026, Metro bus and light rail trips are free on NYE, and WA gets millions for rural healthcare.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy are getting closer… Including the fan-favorite sport of curling. Two members of Team USA Curling have Seattle roots, and they’re ready to compete for the gold. Ben Richardson and Luc Violette are here to talk about their time on the ice in Seattle, and now for Team USA.

New laws take effect on January 1st, Seattle-area Somalis say childcare providers are being doxxed, and Alaska Airlines has another IT outage.

A stretch of Highway 2 reopens, lawmakers want to fix a loophole in WA's plastic bag ban, and downtown Seattle's getting a retail shakeup.

It’s the last week of 2025 and so much happened! Our summer was defined by a rogue rat mosaic in Cal Anderson Park. Starbucks closed its fanciest store in Seattle: the Capitol Hill Roastery. Seattle’s nude beach Denny Blaine now has a fence between the clothed and unclothed. And Seattle elected its youngest mayor ever while pushing out its more moderate incumbents. There’s a lot to reflect on, and thankfully our friends over at Week in Review took time to look back on the year for their Year in Review event. Bill Radke hosted the panel of Libby Denkmann, Phyllis Fletcher, and Sandeep Kaushik. Mayor elect Katie Wilson and Attorney General Nick Brown were there too. We're bringing you an excerpt from the evening.