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The Year in Pictures: Memorable moments of 2023

December 22, 2023 / 11:36 am

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In the last year in Seattle and western Washington, we witnessed moments of both heartache and joy. Loss and celebration. Community and resilience.

F

rom protests to floods, wildfires to pointe shoe fittings, we documented the lives and stories of Washingtonians as the year's events unfolded. In April, Indigenous survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system shared their experiences with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, on the "Road to Healing" tour. In July, Wedgewood neighbors rallied to save a roughly 200-year-old ancient cedar tree, Luma, from development. In September, 57,000 Beyonce fans dressed to impress during the Seattle stop of her Renaissance tour.

Here are some of the images that stayed with us.

caption: Lummi elder Ernestine Lane receives a gift after sharing her experiences at the Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the Tulalip Gathering Hall on Sunday, April 23, 2023, during the “Road to Healing” tour. The yearlong tour provides opportunity for Indigenous survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system to share their experiences.

'I'm still healing.' Boarding school survivors recount stories of abuse, trauma

caption: Hundreds gathered to protest the MV Cape Orlando, a U.S. military vessel bound for Israel, on Monday, November 6, 2023, at the Port of Tacoma.

Pro-Palestinian protesters block Port of Tacoma entrance, saying they believe military supplies leaving for Israel

caption: Kieyira Flintroy of Las Vegas poses for a portrait while waiting in line to see Beyonce’s Seattle stop on the Renaissance World Tour on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Photos: Beyoncé fans dress to impress in Seattle

caption: Competitors watch from the shoots during the Basin City Freedom Rodeo on Friday, June 17, 2022, in Basin City.

caption: The sun sets on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the Freedom Rodeo in Basin City.

A true story of family, fraud, land and power in the American West

caption: A view of the upper Skagit River from the Diablo Dam, one of three dams in the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project supplying power to the city of Seattle, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Whatcom County.

Getting fish passage over Skagit dams will take decades

caption: Aliyah Sadoune, 15, of Kent, listens to speakers as thousands gathered at Westlake Park to show support for Palestine on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in Seattle.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian marchers gather in Seattle after communications cut off in Gaza

caption: Iryna, left, and Olena, smile for their photographer shortly after getting married on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at a home in Bellevue.

caption: Olena, left, and Iryna, right, smile while tossing bouquets to their wedding guests shortly after getting married on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at a home in Bellevue.

A love story delayed: Ukrainian couple seal their vows after years of discrimination

caption: From left, Noah Enter, 8, Ainsley Enter, 5, and Lucas Enter, 2, listen to noises made by flood water bubbling up through the roadways cracks, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, along Francis Road in Clear Lake.

Heavy rain relents in Western Washington, but floodwater, damage remains along swollen rivers

caption: Kraken fans celebrate during a playoff game on April 24th, 2023, at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

caption: Pam James is portrayed outside of her home on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Union.

A Native grandma smuggled her grandkids out of their abusive boarding school. She hid them in the mountains

caption: Dancers with the Grand Kyiv Ballet rehearse ahead of their performance of Snow White, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

caption: Kateryna Kukhar, principal dancer with the Grand Kyiv Ballet, applies makeup in a dressing room before performing as Cinderella in Snow White, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

How Bellevue became home to Ukraine's ballet diaspora

caption: Flames painted on a mailbox are shown charred by the Gray Fire that burned over 240 homes and over 10,000 acres on Sunday, September 3, 2023, along the west side of Silver Lake in Spokane County.

caption: Chrissy, left, and Andres, right, share a kiss while marching with Entre Hermanos, Seattle’s Latinx LGBTQ+ organization, during Seattle’s Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25, 2023, in downtown Seattle.

The many glowing faces of Seattle Pride weekend

caption: Hadley Kalal, 10, smiles back at her mother after getting up on pointe for the first time during a pointe shoe fitting on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Bellevue.

For these Pacific Northwest ballerinas, getting 'en pointe' is the ultimate milestone

caption: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office hosted the 2023 Indigent Remains ceremony on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Kent. Faith leaders read aloud the names of 302 people who died in King County last year who either could not pay for a burial service or whose family could not be located by the county.

A record number of people died in King County last year without family to bury them

caption: Heavy smoke from wildfires blankets the region, as seen here from Fritz Hedges Waterway Park on Sunday, August 20, 2023, in Seattle.

Want to get outside? Go now, before the smoke returns to the Seattle area

caption: Supporters of Luma, the 200-year-old culturally modified elder cedar tree at risk of being cut down to make way for a development project, attend a gratitude gathering for the double trunked tree on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle.

How Luma, an ancient cedar, has transfixed Seattle

caption: Zayvion Jones, 9, center, reacts while getting his ball signed by a player on Friday, July 7, 2023, before the first ever HBCU Swingman Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Photos: First game of All-Star Week features HBCU student athletes

caption: Homes and cars destroyed by the Gray Fire are shown on Sunday, September 3, 2023, along the west side of Silver Lake in Spokane County. Over 10,000 acres and 240 homes burned in the fire.

Scenes from an Eastern Washington town devastated by wildfire

caption: A large crowd led by Jewish Voice for Peace - Seattle gathered to light candles on the second night of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, December 8, 2023, at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Photos: Candles lit in Seattle as calls for a ceasefire in Gaza continue

caption: Young fans react after high-fiving OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe as she walks onto the field to play her final NWSL regular-season home game against the Washington Spirit on Friday, October 6, 2023, at Lumen Field in Seattle.

caption: Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird share a hug following Rapinoe’s last regular-season NWSL home game against the Washington Spirit on Friday, October 6, 2023, at Lumen Field in Seattle.

'Forever Reign.' A celebration of Megan Rapinoe in Seattle

caption: Brian Conner tends to horses as the sun sets on Thursday, August 11, 2022, in Pendleton, Oregon.

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Megan Farmer
Visual Journalist

Megan Farmer joined KUOW Public Radio as a visual journalist in 2017.
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Juan Pablo Chiquiza
Social Media Strategist
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