Ariel Van Cleave

In the last year, two local Muslim women started a project meant to increase understanding about their religion and culture. And now they're hoping to expand that effort nationally.

Foster kids in Washington state have been housed in hotels and state offices at a higher rate than ever, over the past year. It's a practice that's costing taxpayers millions of dollars, and it's further traumatizing some of the state's most vulnerable citizens.

The sheer number of forest fires across the western United States has many pointing to climate change as a big reason for their intensity. But another issue is likely contributing to the problem: forest management.

After weeks of air quality issues throughout from wildfire smoke and high temperatures nearing 90 degrees, changes are coming. We've been seeing smoke clearing out and cooler temperatures rolling in over the last week. 

When you think of roller derby, you’re probably going to picture two teams of women dressed up in crazy outfits, wild hair flowing out of the bottom of a helmet and a lot of hitting.

But the players who are part of Centralia’s Rainy City Roller Dolls see the sport a little differently. It’s become an outlet for a group of misfits to cobble together their own family.

KNKX music host Abe Beeson is celebrating his 20th anniversary of hosting Evening Jazz. He sat down with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick to talk about his early days in radio and what he has planned to commemorate the milestone. 

You can join Abe for his 20th anniversary show tonight at 8 p.m. on KNKX.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has nominated Debra Smith as her pick to manage Seattle City Light. The CEO position is the highest paid in the city and, if confirmed, Smith will lead one of Seattle’s largest departments.

Alice in Chains has a new album out Friday called Rainier Fog. The band got its start in Seattle back in the late 1980s and rose to fame as part of the grunge movement.

The “Save the Showbox” campaign has picked up more momentum this week after the Seattle City Council voted to temporarily expand the boundaries of the Pike Place Market Historic District.

Tens of thousands of supporters also have signed a petition calling for the venue to receive landmark status.

This summer, jails in King County expanded offerings for medically-assisted treatment to help people with addictions.

The jails have been providing methadone treatments through a third-party vendor. In June, officials added another medication called buprenorphine.

This story was updated Wednesday at 5:44 p.m. with results from the Pierce County prosecutor's race.

Early primary results are confirming many of the expectations of those closely watching the races. But they also seem to speak broadly about Democrats' chances in Washington going into November.

Thursday is the deadline for the Trump administration to reunite families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border because of its “zero tolerance” immigration policy. Some kids were taken from their parents and sent to various facilities across the country: detention centers, converted warehouses and shelters.

This story originally aired on September 27, 2017.

Pinball was considered gambling in the 1950s and 1960s. But Seattle's city leaders, police and King County Prosecutor Charles O. Carroll all turned a blind eye to the game as part of what was known as the "Tolerance Policy." 

If you’re a local musician or band looking for new ways to get your music out there, you’re in luck. The Seattle Public Library has opened its submission period for a project called “Playback.”

Everett native Bill Johnson has been coaching basketball for the last three years in an unlikely place: a remote village in Tibet called Ritoma.

The City of Seattle is being sued for violating the Open Public Meetings Act. The three attorneys who filed the suit claim the city didn’t notify the public adequately ahead of a city council meeting Tuesday, during which the council voted to repeal a “head tax” on large businesses.

The federal government has denied a state request for tribes to qualify for Medicaid funding to pay for care done by mid-level providers known as dental health aide therapists. The Washington State Health Care Authority is appealing that decision.

Across the bay from Port Townsend is a narrow little hunk of land called Indian Island. It’s a crucial component of the great big machine known as the Pacific Northwest Navy Fleet, with ships stoping there to load up before heading out on the open ocean.

But it’s also hugely significant to another group of people -- Puget Sound area tribes. Like most things, it belonged to them before it became non-Indian property, but ever-so-slowly, Indian Island is beginning to open up to its original inhabitants.

Conversations around immigration reform have come up a lot in the last few years. It's an issue that affects the Puget Sound region directly with thousands of highly-skilled workers from other countries living and working here because of the H1-B visa.

The Northwest Folklife Festival starts Friday and runs through Memorial Day. The annual gathering highlights different cultures found in the region through stories, art, film, dance, food and song. There will even be opportunities for festival-goers to take the stage.

The 44th Annual Seattle International Film Festival kicks off Thursday. It is said to be the largest and most highly-attended film festival in the country. More than 145,000 people are expected to attend the 25-day festival at several Seattle-area venues.

More than 400 films from 90 countries will be shown, with some films geared toward younger audiences. And, for the tenth year, SIFF has selected some young people to help judge which of those films are the best. KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick talked with three of them.

Seattle already knew Robinson Cano would be out of the Mariners lineup for several weeks, the result of a broken bone in his right hand. But now his absence will be significantly longer.

The All-Star second baseman was suspended for 80 games on Tuesday for violating baseball's drug agreement, becoming among the most prominent players disciplined under the sport's anti-doping rules. Cano tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic that can be used to mask performance-enhancing drugs.

The Okanagan River is pushing past its banks in eastern Washington because of rapid snowmelt in the mountains. It’s been more than 40 years since the area has seen this kind of event with emergency crews filling sandbags rather than preparing for wildfires.

This type of flooding, and the response, isn’t new for the people who live on the west side of the mountains in the Chehalis River Basin, with the most recent catastrophic flood happening about a decade ago.

A group has been gathering signatures for a ballot initiative meant to prevent new taxes on groceries in Washington state. The Yes! To Affordable Groceries initiative was drafted in direct response to Seattle’s sugary beverage tax.

That took effect at the beginning of this year and has already generated more than $4 million in revenue.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about a potential hockey franchise coming to Seattle, as well as the dream of welcoming back a basketball team. As many fans wait patiently for official word on either, another sport has arrived on the scene: professional rugby. The Seattle Seawolves had their first home game April 22.

Three high schools from Western Washington are part of this year’s Essentially Ellington competition: Mountlake Terrace, Ballard and Roosevelt. Students in each of the jazz bands will be playing with a dozen other top-ranked schools from across the country on the Rose Hall stage at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Seattle leaders could vote on the proposed "head tax" for high-earning businesses as early as next week. Revenue from the controversial tax is meant to fund affordable housing initiatives and continue the city’s fight against homelessness.

It’s supposed to rain again Saturday, so what better way to spend your day than inside a bookstore in search of your next novel? There will be 23 independent bookstores in the Seattle area taking part in an annual event celebrating the brick-and-mortar locations.