People

In the DJ booth at KEXP

Cheryl Waters never thought her volunteer gig would lead to a job, much less a 25-year career in live radio. Back in 1994, Cheryl was volunteering her Friday nights (Saturday mornings, technically) to work 1 to 6 a.m. in the DJ booth at KCMU. Twenty-five years later, the station is now called KEXP, and Cheryl […]

/ September 20, 2019

Got questions about the ferry? This captain has answers

Washington state has the largest ferry system in North America with 22 vessels in Puget Sound and 25 million riders per year. It’s up to Captain John McMillen to make sure tourists and regulars alike make the journey safely back and forth from Coleman Dock to Bainbridge Island. He’ll be the first to tell you: […]

/ September 6, 2019

Meet the man behind Seattle’s Somali news source

Runta means “the truth,” in Somali. It’s also the name of a Seattle-based news website, founded by longtime journalist and Somali refugee Mohamud Yussuf. Mohamud started the paper while he was living as a refugee in Nairobi, Kenya, back in 1995. He moved to Seattle a year later, and decided to restart Runta in 2001 […]

/ September 6, 2019

Remembering the viaduct’s first hater

Maybe you remember him for his pranks. Or perhaps his generosity. Or maybe you just really like his clam chowder. Whatever the reason, Ivar Haglund has become an almost mythical figure in Emerald City. That’s why we decided to launch our video series about the Seattle Waterfront this week with a look back at the […]

/ August 9, 2019

From prison to paycheck

Building a life after prison is no easy task. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, formerly incarcerated people are almost ten times more likely to end up homeless, and they face an unemployment rate five times higher than the national average. FareStart is a Seattle organization looking to put a dent in those numbers locally. […]

/ August 9, 2019

Going back to work, and school, at 61

We sat down with Diane Nardi to to talk about the difficulty of going back to work (and school) at age 61. While she has stable housing now, Diane experienced homelessness in the past. That’s part of the reason she’d like to find a position helping other folks navigate housing and health resources. She’s planning […]

/ August 5, 2019

Working full-time while homeless

What does it take to hold down a job while struggling with unstable housing? And, is a job enough to find stability? Joey Pollitt is a longtime Seattleite. He had a place in Belltown for a decade, but lost it in 2005 after he was laid off from his recycling job. After that, Joey picked […]

/ August 5, 2019

Q&A: Can card games can help us understand each other better?

Potlatch the game in action (📸: Jonathan Tomhave) Visit one of our city’s many gaming lounges — like Cafe Mox in Ballard or Raygun in Capitol Hill — and it’s obvious: Card games are hugely popular in Seattle. Playing can offer more than just a chance to unwind and relax. For people like Seattleite Jonathan […]

/ July 31, 2019

Long live the local corner store

Ever seen a prize-winning radish? Back in 1915, a trip to the Cone & Steiner general store in Seattle would have scored you some prodigious produce. Fast forward a hundred years or so, and Dani Cone has revived her great-grandfather’s corner store. These days you probably won’t find many radishes, but Dani has stocked her […]

/ June 20, 2019

Gardening where the high rises grow

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining (sometimes), and JoJo Tran wants you to fall in love. Spring is the perfect time to begin a new romance…with your garden. JoJo has been planting and harvesting vegetables as a community gardener in Seattle’s Cascade P-Patch for 20 years. He’s seen plenty of changes in the […]

/ May 7, 2019