Civic - GeekWire

Climate projects land $75M to boost environmental justice, job training in Washington state

by Gillian Dohrn on June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 at 1:18 pm

The Washington State Department of Commerce and the City of Seattle this week allocated close to $75 million in funding for community-led clean energy projects and climate-related job training programs.… Read More

UW disinformation researchers will continue work amid reports of Stanford group crisis

by Lisa Stiffler on June 14, 2024June 14, 2024 at 2:11 pm

As the presidential campaign was heating up four years ago, the University of Washington and Stanford University led a nonpartisan cohort that monitored and publicized in real time their research… Read More

City and state leaders in talks to create Seattle-based AI-focused incubator for startups

by Taylor Soper on June 10, 2024June 11, 2024 at 11:28 am

Entrepreneurs building AI-fueled startups may soon have a new resource in Seattle, thanks to an effort from city and state leaders. Earlier this year, Washington state lawmakers approved $800,000 in… Read More

Proposal to bring digital kiosks to Seattle streets raises debate: Public benefit or landscape clutter?

by Kurt Schlosser on June 6, 2024June 6, 2024 at 5:18 pm

A proposal to bring 30 interactive digital kiosks to downtown Seattle — in the hopes of enhancing public safety, wayfinding, Wi-Fi access, community engagement and more — spotlighted the potential of the… Read More

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DoorDash vows to remove controversial consumer fee in Seattle if new minimum wage passes

by Taylor Soper on June 5, 2024June 5, 2024 at 3:22 pm

DoorDash for the first time has publicly promised to axe a $4.99 fee on consumer orders if the city passes a revised minimum wage law for delivery drivers. The company… Read More

Seattle scraps plans for controversial gunshot detection tech as it explores ways to curb crime

by Lisa Stiffler on May 31, 2024May 31, 2024 at 5:27 pm

The City of Seattle won’t test a controversial gunshot detection technology system after all. Mayor Bruce Harrell on Friday announced next steps for the city’s Crime Prevention Technology pilot project… Read More

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Seattle lawmakers postpone vote on new minimum wage law for food delivery drivers

by Taylor Soper on May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 at 1:24 pm

The Seattle City Council will delay a planned vote on a new minimum wage law for food delivery drivers. Council President Sara Nelson, who introduced the proposed legislation, issued a… Read More

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Seattle restaurant owners sound off on delivery apps as council votes on minimum wage law

by Taylor Soper on May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 at 1:27 pm

It hasn’t been an easy road to recovery for many restaurant owners since the pandemic hammered their businesses. They’ve dealt with inflation, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and the fallout… Read More

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Seattle resident files FTC complaint alleging Uber, DoorDash mislead customers with ‘junk fees’

by Taylor Soper on May 23, 2024May 23, 2024 at 9:09 am

A new complaint asks the Federal Trade Commission to investigate fees that Uber and DoorDash added to customer orders in Seattle following the implementation of a minimum wage law earlier… Read More

Bipartisan bill aims to bolster AI education and workforce training in the U.S.

by Lisa Stiffler on May 23, 2024May 23, 2024 at 2:15 pm

Sen. Maria Cantwell introduced new legislation Thursday packed with initiatives to strengthen American education and workforce training in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state and… Read More

Seattle’s economic strength helps propel it to No. 6 in new ranking of top 1,000 global cities

by Kurt Schlosser on May 21, 2024May 21, 2024 at 9:52 am

A new ranking of the top 1,000 largest cities in the world puts Seattle among elite company, thanks largely to the economic strength of the city, driven by its tech… Read More

Bump in the boom: Seattle growth slows as city falls out of top 10 fastest-growing big cities in U.S.

by Kurt Schlosser on May 16, 2024May 16, 2024 at 9:27 am

Seattle’s population growth suffered a bit of a bump in the boom as the city fell out the top 10 fastest-growing big cities in the country, according to new U.S.… Read More

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Revised minimum wage law for delivery drivers moves forward in Seattle, set for full council vote

by Taylor Soper on May 9, 2024May 9, 2024 at 10:13 pm

New legislation that would lower recently implemented minimum wage standards for Uber Eats and DoorDash delivery drivers in Seattle took another step forward on Thursday. The Seattle City Council’s governance,… Read More

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Uber CEO says minimum wage law in Seattle has ‘hurt the people that it’s supposed to protect’

by Taylor Soper on May 8, 2024May 9, 2024 at 8:03 pm

Follow-up: Revised minimum wage law for delivery drivers moves forward in Seattle, set for full council vote Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he’s expecting a “positive outcome” from a potential… Read More

Can tech help cities plan for disasters? 7 ideas from an urban resilience hackathon

by Chuck Wolfe on May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 at 10:34 am

Editor’s note: Chuck Wolfe participated in this hackathon and is an affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington. The University of Washington last month hosted an atypical urban planning… Read More

Drawing parallels to post-World War II, Sen. Maria Cantwell says U.S. needs an ‘AI Bill for education’

by Taylor Soper on May 3, 2024May 4, 2024 at 7:51 am

For the U.S. to maintain a competitive edge in the global artificial intelligence race, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) says there are lessons to take from post-World War II. Speaking at… Read More

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DoorDash rips Seattle over minimum wage law; reports record quarterly revenue of $2.5B

by Taylor Soper on May 1, 2024May 3, 2024 at 7:37 am

DoorDash dedicated two large paragraphs of its first quarter earnings report and spent several minutes on a call with analysts to voice opposition against controversial minimum wage laws for delivery… Read More

News Brief

Seattle mayor joins tech leaders on Homeland Security’s new AI safety and security board

by Taylor Soper on April 26, 2024April 26, 2024 at 2:30 pm

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is among a group of 22 representatives that are part of a new Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board organized by the Department of Homeland Security.

Techie-turned-lawmaker uses his Microsoft chops to challenge the status quo as a state senator

by Lisa Stiffler on April 25, 2024April 25, 2024 at 8:38 am

After a decade working in the tech sector, Joe Nguyen tackled his new role as a state senator like any good program manager. He sat down and created a process… Read More

Washington state launches program to cut costs of new and used EVs for low-income residents

by Lisa Stiffler on April 24, 2024April 24, 2024 at 10:21 am

Washington leaders on Tuesday announced a $45 million program aiming to make electric vehicles more affordable for the state’s low-income residents. The Washington EV Instant Rebates Program will provide rebates… Read More

FTC bans all new non-compete clauses and strikes down most existing agreements

by Lisa Stiffler on April 23, 2024April 23, 2024 at 2:26 pm

Goodbye, non-competes. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today released its final rules addressing non-compete clauses by banning all future agreements. Non-competes have traditionally restricted workers from taking jobs with a… Read More

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After lobbying by Uber and DoorDash, new proposal would overhaul Seattle’s minimum wage law

by Taylor Soper on April 23, 2024April 26, 2024 at 7:53 am

After a controversial minimum wage law for food delivery drivers in Seattle went into effect in January, tech giants including Uber and DoorDash made it clear they weren’t happy. They… Read More

Initiative to axe carbon emissions law could ‘slam the brakes’ on Washington’s climate tech sector

by Lisa Stiffler on April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 at 9:08 am

Washington is leaning into the fight against climate change. Seattle-area tech giants Microsoft and Amazon have set ambitious carbon reduction targets and invested millions to meet those goals. The state… Read More

Amazon, Microsoft back campaign against initiative that would defund climate efforts in Washington

by Lisa Stiffler on April 17, 2024April 18, 2024 at 10:48 am

More than 100 companies, tribal groups, union organizations, environmental nonprofits and political groups are backing a campaign to defeat a November ballot initiative that would scuttle Washington state’s most impactful… Read More

Washington governor signs bill that could stoke semiconductor industry, draw CHIPS Act funding

by Nathalie Graham on April 3, 2024April 4, 2024 at 11:28 am

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law that key players hope will be a boon for the semiconductor industry statewide and may open the door for more federal… Read More

A boost for fusion power: With new law, Washington state leaders signal support for sector’s next steps

by Lisa Stiffler on March 28, 2024April 4, 2024 at 9:16 am

While the reality of affordable fusion energy is still an atom-smashing twinkle in physicists’ eyes, the state of Washington is moving ahead with plans to support the nascent commercial fusion… Read More

Interview: Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown on the future of the region’s innovation economy

by Todd Bishop on March 28, 2024March 29, 2024 at 7:43 am

SPOKANE, Wash. — Lisa Brown brings a unique background to her role as Spokane’s mayor, taking office in January after a tightly contested race. She came to Spokane in 1980… Read More

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Meet Nala, the police dog that sniffs out electronic devices to fight internet crimes against children

by Kurt Schlosser on March 27, 2024March 27, 2024 at 10:18 am

Nala has a nose for electronics. But she’s not your run-of-the-mill tech geek with a passion for gear and gadgets. A specially trained electronic storage detection (ESD) K9, Nala is… Read More

News Brief

Instacart to pay $730K to settle alleged violations of Seattle’s gig worker sick time ordinance

by Kurt Schlosser on March 26, 2024March 26, 2024 at 3:43 pm

Grocery delivery company Instacart has settled with the Seattle Office of Labor Standards for alleged violations of the city’s Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance.

Office-to-residential conversion is a trendy idea for downtown resurgence — but has big challenges

by Chuck Wolfe on March 24, 2024March 23, 2024 at 10:31 pm

Office-to-residential conversions are frequent fodder in discussions of the post-pandemic city, downtown regeneration, and hopes to contain rising housing costs. Remote work is here to stay, especially in hybrid form… Read More