Kate Walters
Reporter
About
Kate Walters is a reporter covering Covid-19 and the many ways the pandemic has impacted our lives. She's covered personal experiences of community members, state and local policies, affects on the healthcare system, and more. In the past, Kate has reported on homelessness for KUOW, as well as general assignment stories ranging from city hall politics to sea stars. Originally from Australia, Kate studied journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She started her career in public radio at WXXI in Rochester, NY.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Stories
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It’s a no to pickleball and a yes to wildlife for Seattle’s Lincoln Park
After almost a year of campaigning, wildlife advocates in Seattle were handed a win this week. A city plan to place six pickleball courts on a disused tennis court pad in Lincoln Park in West Seattle has been scrapped.
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You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here: Reduced hours return to two Seattle beaches
Starting Friday, Golden Gardens and Alki Beach will have reduced hours. This is the third year the city has implemented early closure of beaches in an attempt to curb violence and crime.
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Washington overdose deaths continued to rise in 2023 while national trends declined, but there's hope
Overdose deaths in Washington state continued to rise last year, bucking the national trend. According to preliminary data released by the CDC this week, reported overdose deaths across the U.S. fell by roughly 5 percent in 2023, compared to 2022.
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Solar storm could make Northern Lights visible from Seattle
A geomagnetic storm is hitting the Earth right now has the potential to impact satellites, GPS, radios, and power grids, but its most immediate impact for the Pacific Northwest might be more positive — a rare glimpse at the Northern Lights.
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Seattle will soon have a place for people to go after surviving an overdose
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced millions in funding Thursday to create a post-overdose recovery center that will provide a space for people to stabilize following a non-fatal overdose.
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A ‘tool of last resort’: PSE may shut off power in some areas when fire risk is high
This year’s wildfire season may bring a new wrinkle for some Puget Sound Energy customers. The utility has said it may begin to use temporary power shut-offs in some communities to prevent powerlines from igniting blazes in risky weather conditions.
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Seattle mayor wants big money for big changes on city streets, sidewalks, and bridges
Nearly $1.5 billion over eight years. That’s how much Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell wants voters to approve for things like street repairs, bridge maintenance, construction, improved safety, and an expanded bike network across the city.
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From informant for prohibition agents to the wife of Seattle’s biggest rumrunner. The amazing story of Elise Olmstead
Alongside Seattle bootlegger Roy Olmstead, somewhat hidden in his larger-than-life shadow, was his second wife, Elise, often known as Elsie. And her story, like those of so many other women, is just as fascinating in its own right, though it's less often told.
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Hundreds of patients receive threatening emails after Fred Hutch cyberattack
Hundreds of people who have been patients at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have received threatening emails following a cyberattack on the institution’s networks in November.
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Is Seattle's new drug law working?
It's been about six weeks since Seattle's new law against public drug use and possession went into effect. The ordinance was written to bring the city in line with a new state law that treats things like having or using fentanyl in public as a gross misdemeanor. One of the directives handed down to Seattle Police is to emphasize diversion when enforcing the law. So how does that work? And how is the effort going?