Opinion Voting rights, representation and the future of democracy in the nation's fruit basket Yakima's population is nearly half Latinx, yet it took a tumultuous voting rights battle to open the door to more Latinx elected officials. Now the city council has just one. by Nikkita Oliver / January 7, 2020 / Updated at 11:43 Jan. 7, 2020
Opinion King County's new youth jail and the false promise of 'zero youth detention' The county named for Martin Luther King Jr. is investing vast amounts of money in a facility intended to incarcerate children. by Nikkita Oliver / February 11, 2020
News Calls, texts to helplines surge amid COVID-19 Over the course of the stay-at-home order, the federal Disaster Distress Hotline alone has seen calls from Washington state increase sevenfold. by Dean Russell & Jamie Smith Hopkins & Sally Deneen InvestigateWest / April 24, 2020
Opinion Why I’m holding my applause for Washington’s new foster care law It’s laudable that the state law focuses on preventing family separations, but is it enough? by Claudia Rowe / May 11, 2021
Opinion WA still holds teens in solitary confinement — and worse, suit says A lawsuit claims three teenagers were handcuffed while in isolation, violating the state’s own policies and raising profound moral questions. by Claudia Rowe / April 22, 2021
Inside Crosscut Columnist Claudia Rowe on neutrality and what kids tell us about WA The longtime education reporter explains how decades of covering schools shaped the perspective she brings to her new column. by Claudia Rowe / April 6, 2021
Opinion The movement to defund Seattle police is not a personal attack Chief Carmen Best's resignation must not distract from the work of overhauling public safety and investing in Black communities. by Nikkita Oliver / August 20, 2020
Opinion Empower King County youth to invoke their rights with police Young people too often waive their Miranda rights during encounters with law enforcement. We need to fix that. by Nikkita Oliver & Dominique Davis & Sean Goode / August 13, 2020
Mental health support can't keep up with wildfires or hurricanes As climate change drives more and more disasters, mental health support is in greater need than ever. America is not ready. by Dean Russell & Jamie Smith Hopkins & Molly Taft & Sally Deneen Columbia Journalism Investigations, Center for Public Integrity and InvestigateWest / September 23, 2020
Opinion Washington high court charts less punitive path on juvenile justice With the Monschke decision, the state Supreme Court expanded the definition of youth in murder cases. No other court has done so. by Claudia Rowe / April 1, 2021