Civic – Page 3 of 59

Seattle mayor wants to tap more revenue from payroll tax on big business to plug budget holes

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Tuesday announced details of his planned 2025-26 budget, which includes $287 million collected from the Payroll Expense Tax to plug holes in the city’s general… Read More

Port of Seattle’s refusal to pay bitcoin ransom highlights cybersecurity dilemma

The Port of Seattle is dealing with a common conundrum facing victims of a ransomware attack: to pay, or not to pay. Rhysida, the ransomware group that carried out an… Read More

AI nonprofit TrueMedia gets real with release of free deepfake detection tool ahead of elections

TrueMedia, the Seattle-based nonpartisan nonprofit that is using AI to detect deepfakes and combat disinformation, made its technology available to the public on Tuesday. The no-cost, web-based tool, which was… Read More

PCC is bringing its grocery market back to downtown Seattle. Will hungry tech workers follow?

PCC Community Markets announced Friday that it is returning to the base of the Seattle skyscraper it left in January. It’s also relocating its corporate headquarters office to the same… Read More

A look inside a Seattle middle school that just banned cellphone use on campus

Many of the students arriving at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School on a sunny Thursday morning paused before entering the building to turn off their cellphones, lock them inside gray… Read More

Public schools leader urges Washington state districts to devise rules limiting smartphone use

The head of Washington’s public schools on Wednesday issued a notice to districts across the state encouraging them to come up with plans for limiting or banning students’ use of… Read More

City of Seattle gets $17.2M in federal funding to implement building emissions policy

The City of Seattle is receiving $17.2 million from the Department of Energy to implement a landmark program that aims to slash the carbon emissions associated with buildings to zero… Read More

Washington sees ‘overwhelmingly positive response’ to EV rebates – but critics question costs

Krista Cortese, her husband and their toddler were making due with the 2003 Mazda hatchback that they got years ago from a neighbor. But the Seattle family was spending $230… Read More

Washington State Dept. of Transportation warns toll customers about using bill-pay service Doxo

The Washington State Department of Transportation is cautioning customers about using Seattle-based bill payment company Doxo to pay Good to Go! toll bills. In an orange flyer being inserted in… Read More

Cyberattack at Port of Seattle is the latest example of increasing threats to critical infrastructure

Follow-up: Port of Seattle outage continues two days after suspected cyberattack by ‘nefarious characters’ A cyberattack at the Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over the weekend is another… Read More

A year into Downtown Activation Plan, reviving Seattle relies on more than return of office workers

City of Seattle officials said downtown is in better shape than it was a year ago but there is much more work to do — including but not limited to… Read More

Washington state officials hope new $75M battery research center will help meet energy demands

There’s growing concern about the nation’s ability to meet future energy demands, driven in part by the AI boom and advances in clean tech. A new research center in Eastern… Read More

This nonprofit wants to break down barriers for entrepreneurs — with help from U.S. policymakers

Victor Hwang has been a founder, an investor, and a champion of people who start companies. His grandfather ran a small retail store in Taiwan, and his parents started a… Read More

Seattle searching for solutions to charging cable thefts while meeting EV driver demand

At a recent climate event, representatives from Seattle City Light proudly displayed an electric vehicle charger with a cable that retracts neatly into the unit when not in use. It’s… Read More

City of Seattle increasing in-office work to three days for more than 13,000 employees

The City of Seattle announced Monday that it will increase the required number of days for in-office work for executive branch employees from two days to three starting this fall.… Read More

‘AI House’ in downtown Seattle will serve as a hub for AI startups and entrepreneurs

Plans are moving forward for a new hub in downtown Seattle focused on AI startups, with support from city and state leaders. AI2 Incubator, the Seattle-based startup organization and venture… Read More

Startup 425, a program supported by Seattle-area cities, launches new accelerator

Startup founders in the Seattle region have another accelerator option to help jumpstart their businesses. Startup 425, a non-profit funded by six Seattle-area city governments, on Thursday announced a new… Read More

Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman, Vinod Khosla sign ‘VCsforKamala’ pledge started by Seattle investor

A new initiative led by Seattle venture capitalist Leslie Feinzaig — aiming to garner support for presidential hopeful Kamala Harris — has attracted signatures from Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman, Vinod Khosla, and… Read More

Steve Ballmer launches ‘Just the Facts’ video series to better inform American voters on key issues

Ahead of the 2024 election, USAFacts founder and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is launching a new video series called “Just the Facts,” aimed at explaining to Americans the government… Read More

DoorDash adding more delivery fees ‘to remain operationally sustainable’ in Seattle

DoorDash said it will add new delivery fees for orders in Seattle, blaming “inaction” from the City Council related to a minimum wage law for drivers implemented in January. The… Read More

Privacy engineer’s vision to use tech for good fuels his bid for Seattle City Council

Tariq Yusuf‘s wake-up call came from Google. He was working as a security software engineer for the tech giant when the company came under scrutiny for the use of its image… Read More

Washington to provide $200 energy credits to low-income households ahead of vote on climate law

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday is highlighting a statewide program that will provide $200 energy credits to help low-income residents pay their electricity bills. The $150 million program is… Read More

Washington leaders pitch state’s sustainable aviation innovation at global aerospace summit

Sustainable aviation is a hot topic at the giant Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom this week, and the largest delegation of Washington business and government leaders to ever… Read More

Seattle-area ports vying for $500M in federal funding to boost zero-emissions tech

Seattle-area seaports have teamed up to go after $500 million of federal funding to bring zero-carbon technologies to maritime operations. The ports of Seattle and Tacoma along with The Northwest… Read More

Seattle’s new CTO brings Silicon Valley experience north to take on city’s tech challenges

Rob Lloyd grew up a military kid who lived in 12 states and three countries and went to seven schools by the time he graduated high school. He hopes Seattle… Read More

Businesses around Amazon HQ are bustling, a year after tech giant’s return-to-office mandate

During the sunny, summer lunchtime rush around Amazon’s Seattle headquarters campus one day last week, it almost looked and felt like business as usual. More than a year after the… Read More

New visa application centers for India open in Seattle area

The India Visa Application Center has opened in Seattle, adding another link in a growing connection between the Emerald City and India. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell last week helped cut… Read More

Projected 30% spike in electricity demand in 10 years supercharges energy summit in Seattle

After decades of relative stability in the Pacific Northwest’s energy demands, dramatic changes are coming fast. Over the next decade, the region’s electricity needs could spike 30%, said Crystal Ball,… Read More

New data reveals impact of minimum wage law on food delivery drivers and orders in NYC

Delivery drivers working for platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats in New York City saw wages grow by more than $7 per hour following implementation of a new minimum… Read More

DoorDash and Uber fed up with Seattle council standstill on food delivery driver pay

DoorDash and Uber are chomping at the bit for regulatory action in Seattle. The tech giants have been lobbying lawmakers for six months to address a controversial minimum pay law… Read More