Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · Aug 5

WA tenants facing eviction are supposed to have the right to an attorney. Instead, this is what many cases in King County look like as legal aid groups struggle to keep up with a soaring number of evictions.
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

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David Kroman @kromandavid.bsky.social · Jul 29

Extremely cool opportunity: The Seattle Times is hiring a DC correspondent. Rare these days for a local paper. seattletimes.applytojob.com/apply/oVo010...

D.C. Correspondent - The Seattle Times - Career Page

We’re seeking a a D.C.-based correspondent to uncover how federal power touches lives in the Pacific Northwest!

seattletimes.applytojob.com

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The Seattle Times @seattletimes.com · Jul 3

Wilson, who has been in elected office for a decade and is a candidate for King County executive, was booked into the King County Correctional Facility Wednesday, according to records.

King County Assessor John Wilson arrested in stalking investigation

Wilson, who has been in elected office for a decade and is a candidate for King County executive, was booked into the King County Correctional Facility Wednesday, according to records.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · Jun 12

Looking for a temporary journalism gig in Seattle? We're hiring a housing/real estate reporter to fill in while I'm at a fellowship, roughly August-May. Details here and my DMs are open! seattletimes.applytojob.com/apply/rPnhnC...

Business Reporter, Real Estate (Temporary) - The Seattle Times - Career Page

We are seeking a driven reporter to temporarily cover real estate business reporting!

seattletimes.applytojob.com

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David Kroman @kromandavid.bsky.social · Jun 9

As of now it would: Repeal the city's roommate ordinance and restrict the winter eviction moratorium to people who had an unexpected loss of income. Moore wanted a roll back of the city's law mandating landlord offer new leases to current tenants, but the Housing Consortium opposed.

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David Kroman @kromandavid.bsky.social · Jun 9

Though Cathy Moore is leaving, the long-discussed landlord-tenant legislation she was drafting might still be on the table. In fact, the bill had already shifted away from her and toward CM Solomon -- who is no longer a landlord -- and the mayor's office.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Changes to Seattle’s renter laws likely to be proposed

Councilmember Cathy Moore’s announcement earlier this week that she would step down from her position seemingly threw into question that effort’s future.

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by Heidi Groover

Daniel Beekman @dbeekman.bsky.social · Jun 6

Trump’s travel ban shakes up WA immigrant communities www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

‘Another layer of cruelty’: WA immigrant communities shaken by Trump travel ban

The Seattle region has large numbers of people from several of the countries named in the ban, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea and Iran.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · Jun 5

The current monthly mortgage payment for a mid-tier home (per Zillow) with 20% down. And this is by metro area, so it assumes a home price lower than you'll ever find in Seattle proper. RIP San Jose.

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 30

WA gets its official rent increase cap for the rest of this year: 10%. This applies to you unless your rental was built in the last 12 years, is subsidized, or in certain cases where your landlord lives on site.

Commerce announces 10% rent cap for the rest of 2025
Calendar year 2026 rent cap information will be available in July
OLYMPIA, Wash. — As required by Chapter 209, Laws of 2025 (Engrossed House Bill 1217), the Department of Commerce published a maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed on the Department’s website at the Landlord Resource Center.

The maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed through Dec. 31, 2025: 10%

The maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed for calendar year 2026 will be published shortly after release of June 2025 data by the federal U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is expected in July 2025.

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 24

Best neighborhood, sorry to the rest!!!!

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 24

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really don’t. Live in my car.”
Some tenants welcome WA’s new cap on rent hikes. Others fear it’s too little too late.
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

Assessing the pros and cons of WA’s new rent hike cap

A new state law caps increases in rent for many tenants across Washington. As tenants welcome new stability, landlords worry more regulations could be on the way.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 21

"Journalists, on the other hand, are obligated to point out everything that sucks, no matter what. This is why journalists are unpopular. Along with their personalities."

Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · May 21

Journalism is a slow and uncertain grind with no shortcuts and if that is unsatisfying, well, imagine how we feel!
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/free-advic...

Free Advice For Rich Idiots Who Have Some Bright Ideas About Media Ventures

The unsatisfying truth.

www.hamiltonnolan.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 15

Who's got ideas for the Bastyr campus? www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 12

Should real estate agents be able to list homes that not everyone can easily see? Seller choice or fair housing nightmare? Inside Seattle real estate's current beef: www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

The private home listings most buyers aren’t seeing

The debate about private home posts highlights fault lines about the role of listing services, the interests of buyers versus sellers and questions of fundamental fairness.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 9

I'm so excited and honored to be part of this group (!!!!!) and learn in new ways (fun) about our broken housing market (depressing). Send me your best Ann Arbor recs!

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 8

Also -- SB 5313 preventing your landlord from making you waive your right to participate a class action lawsuit. I reported here on how those waivers have become more common in leases from the biggest landlords (who also face allegations of price-fixing):
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

Want to sue your landlord? Seattle-area tenants ran into a roadblock

Some of the country's biggest landlords make renters waive their right to join class-action lawsuits, but it may take a test case to see if those waivers can be enforced.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 8

Gov. Ferguson signs:
-cap on rent hikes
-parking reform
-condo law changes
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Gov. Ferguson signs slate of 10 new WA housing bills into law

Easily the most contested housing bill of the session, House Bill 1217 limits the amount a landlord can raise rent on tenants in a yearly period.

www.seattletimes.com

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · May 6

Trump's war on woke comes for Seattle housing programs www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

White House blasts Seattle housing program as ‘woke,’ pitches budget cuts

President Donald Trump's 2026 budget proposal would slash funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, bringing cuts to key programs in WA.

www.seattletimes.com

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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · Apr 30

ICYMI, @ryanjhaas.bsky.social and I made a podcast last year about Jesse Johnson, who spent 17 years on Oregon's death row. It's a shocking case. Perhaps what's even more shocking is that a show about this level of injustice could be lost in our news cycle. So, this award feels nice.

Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · Apr 30

"Hush" won first place in the National Headliner Awards for investigative podcasts! @leahsottile.bsky.social and I brought for the story of Jesse Johnson, a man who spent 17 years on death row and many more locked up for a crime he says he didn't commit.

Listen here: www.opb.org/show/hush/

A screenshot of the National Headliner Awards page showing Hush won first place for digital investigative podcast.

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · Apr 30

Congrats! Looking forward to reading!

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Heidi Groover @heidigroover.bsky.social · Apr 27

After years of tenant advocates pushing for rent-hike limits in WA, lawmakers just passed a bill to cap many rent increases at 7% + inflation or 10%, whichever is less. Now the question is, will Gov. Ferguson sign it? via @ssowersby.bsky.social
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

WA bill to cap rent hikes clears both chambers, heads to governor

OLYMPIA — Democratic lawmakers passed a compromise version of a bill to cap yearly rent increases Sunday, the final day of the state's 2025 legislative session. The latest version of House Bill 1217,...

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by Heidi Groover

Dara Lind @daralind.bsky.social · Apr 25

Shoutout to Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, who’s been on the Judge Dugan story all week. You can catch up on his coverage here www.jsonline.com/staff/264800...

Daniel Bice

Daniel Bice is a columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Watchdog team.

www.jsonline.com

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Nick Deshais @nickdeshais.bsky.social · Apr 22

Pike Place Market, the Seattle icon and tourist draw, is going (partially) car free beginning tomorrow.

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Pike Place Market banning most vehicle traffic in test run

Regular traffic on Pike Place will be cut off, with certain exceptions. The goal of restricting cars is to improve Market access and safety for pedestrians.

www.seattletimes.com

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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · Jan 6

“Leaving no crystal unturned, Sottile unearths intriguing similarities across disparate fringe groups (near-constant antisemitism, frequent female leadership) that bolster her thesis that cults are a feature, not a bug, of American spiritual life.”

www.publishersweekly.com/9781538742600

Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age by Leah Sottile

Journalist Sottile (When the Moon Turns to Blood) offers an ambitious study of Love Has Won, a spiritual group and alleged cult....

www.publishersweekly.com

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