Skyway Affordable Housing & Early Learning Center

by Lauryn Bray


At the end of April, the Washington State Senate Committee released the amended 2023–2025 Biennial and 2023 Supplemental Capital Budgets, which included $6 million in funding for an affordable housing and early learning center project in Skyway. Originally, the proposed budgets allocated only $3 million for the affordable housing part of the project; however, after residents, activists, and legislators continued to advocate for the needs of the Skyway community, an additional $3 million was carved out in the amended budget for an early learning center.

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‘Elevators Ep. 1’ Pays Homage to the Seattle Dance Scene in Its First Edition

by Victor Simoes

Editors’ Note: “Elevators Ep. 1” was slated for last December, but inclement weather forced the show to reschedule. “Elevators” will now take place Friday, June 2, at the Clock-Out Lounge


“I want people to feel that cinematic, nostalgic, déjà vu-type sensation. I hope people meet there and fall in love because of a moment they had dancing with somebody at our event. I want there to be that tangible and indescribable magic.”

This is how Aaron Walker-Loud, artist, band director, composer, producer, educator, and one-third of Elevators, described his hopes for the Big World Breaks and Vinyl Sound production “Elevators Ep. 1,” kicking off at the Clock-Out Lounge on Friday, June 2.

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OPINION | After-School Programs Are Vital for Children but Still Out of Reach for Most Parents

by Gennette Cordova


As a child growing up in Seattle in the ʼ90s, I had the great fortune of receiving a wide range of non-familial nurturing, from the Miller Jet coaches to the Leschi Elementary School teachers. At Garfield Community Center, where I spent years enrolled in the after-school program and the summer camp, I always knew I had eyes on me. Eyes of adults who both cared about my well-being and would be quick to let my mom know if I was out of line.

When I became an adult who was responsible for children, I learned that after-school programs in our city aren’t readily available to many families. This is something that’s hard for me to understand, particularly in one of the wealthiest cities in the nation. 

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Massive Monkees Celebrates 24 Years With a Hip-Hop Dance Competition, Community Jams, and Live Music

by Victor Simoes


Celebrating 24 years of evolving a distinctly Seattle hip-hop culture, Massive Monkees will kick off their yearly celebration, Massive Monkees Day, on Saturday, May 27. The three-day event will include a hip-hop breaking competition with cash prizes for the winners, outdoor events with vendors and food, and live performances from Seattle’s legendary B-boy crew. 

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CID Announced as One of 11 Endangered National Historic Places

by Alexa Strabuk 譚文曠

(This article was originally published on the International Examiner and has been reprinted under an agreement.)


Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) has been named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2023 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, a coalition of organizations and community stakeholders announced May 9 during a press conference at Hing Hay Park. It is the first time a Washington State site has made the list since it was started in 1988. 

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OPINION | Making a Difference for King County Families With Child Care Subsidies

by BillieJo Barrios


As a single mom with a 5-year-old and 16-year-old, with no child support, living in King County, where rents don’t stop skyrocketing, I wanted to say “yes” to my teenage daughter when she asked to go to cross-country camp with her track team.

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Unreleased Investigation Sheds Light on Police Use of Tear Gas on Protesters in 2020

Report reveals officers who made decisions to permit police tear gas use were treated only as witnesses by OPA.

by Carolyn Bick

The Emerald’s Watchdragon reporting seeks to increase accountability within our city’s institutions through in-depth investigative journalism.


The Emerald has obtained documents that reveal new information regarding one of the two open 2020 protests-related investigations into former Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Carmen Best. The documents the Emerald obtained are draft reports that specifically regard the investigation into the use of tear gas on protesters on June 7, 2020, into the early hours of June 8, 2020. The incident ties into the abandonment of the East Precinct on June 8, 2020.

While these documents are technically drafts of a forthcoming report by the Seabold Group — the outside agency the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) contracted to investigate the two cases involving Best — they appear to highlight several key points, based on the investigative interview snippets contained within. Based on the file names of the documents the Emerald received, Seabold submitted its first draft report on Oct. 26, 2022, and an amended draft report on Jan. 4, 2023. The Emerald will be focusing on the most recent version of the draft report, dated Jan. 4, 2023. Neither draft report contains conclusions.

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Amplifying the Authentic Narratives of South Seattle