Ashley Hiruko, KUOW

Ashley Hiruko

KUOW

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • KUOW

Past articles by Ashley:

6 women accused a Seattle hip-hop artist of sex trafficking, allege police ‘did virtually nothing’

The tape recorder clicked on. It was a cold night in early December 2020 when William Guyer, a veteran Seattle Police detective, asked a young woman to recount months of alleged abuse and sexual assault. → Read More

Seattle rape cases moved to back burner, police insiders say

Doss said a big part of the staffing problem is attributed to officers out on extended leave. This issue began in 2020, he said by email. Many of the officers on extended leave now are using their accrued time, likely before departing permanently. Some of those were employees who refused to get vaccinated by Oct. 18, Doss said. The Seattle Police Department declined to provide KUOW with details… → Read More

I was assaulted, this Seattle teen told school leaders, but no one kept her abuser away

The students’ chants reverberated through the wood-paneled walls at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, where Seattle Schools board members were meeting. → Read More

No school Friday for Seattle, Bellevue. Teachers say they are exhausted

There will be no school for students on Friday, Nov. 12, Seattle Public Schools announced just days before, on Tuesday. A district-wide email sent out to Seattle parents today says an “unusually large number” of school staff are taking Friday — the day after Veterans Day — off, and that the district lacks “adequate personnel to open schools with the necessary environment for high-quality… → Read More

Seattle’s police watchdog wants a job in Phoenix. Two former city employees aim to thwart him

Andrew Meyerberg, the head of the office that oversees police accountability, appears to want out of Seattle. “The job has a shelf life,” Myerberg said. “It's a really difficult job, and it's a stressful job.” Myerberg is a finalist for a job with the City of Phoenix for a position similar to the one he currently has, overseeing a recently created department like Seattle’s accountability office.… → Read More

Seattle mayoral candidate Lorena Gonzalez will stop running political ad after backlash

More than 190 Asian-American leaders and residents signed on to a letter demanding the removal of a political ad against Seattle mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell, which was paid for by Lorena Gonzalez’s campaign, who he is running against. The open letter said the ad invoked racial bias and stereotypes. Harrell called the ad "wrong" and said it politicized "victims of sexual violence." Gonzalez… → Read More

This Seattle woman says the courts barely protect her from domestic violence

Domestic violence impacts # of people each year. Here's one woman's account of navigating the system. → Read More

Outages that hit thousands of Seattle area homes are heat-related, utilities say

“Every surface in my entire apartment is radiating heat. I touch the wall. I touch the floor, the tub, it was all radiating heat.” → Read More

We asked for Mayor Jenny Durkan's text messages, and this is what we got

It was June 2020, and Seattle Police’s East Precinct was a flashpoint as protestors called for police reform. → Read More

This Redmond woman was fatally shot by police after calling 911 for help

When Andrea Thomas Churna moved into her luxury apartment in Redmond, Washington, last summer, she was looking forward to a fresh start. She had recently moved back to Washington state from California, to raise her 7-year-old son with her ex-husband. One month later, on a balmy fall night, Churna dialed 911. “I think someone’s trying to kill me at my apartment,” Churna told emergency dispatchers… → Read More

'Kind of excited, kind of nervous.' Seattle elementary students return to the classroom

Monday was landmark day in Seattle Public Schools as many elementary students, as well as some older students with disabilities, returned to school buildings for the first time in more than a year. → Read More

'I'm being called a racist. Not true,' says embattled Sheriff Ed Troyer after trailing Black newspaper carrier

Ed Troyer, the Pierce County sheriff, is in hot water three months into his first term. In late January, Troyer called 911 on a Black newspaper delivery driver, who the sheriff deemed suspicious, but who, it turns out, was just delivering papers in an affluent Tacoma neighborhood. The Seattle Times first reported on this incident. Now several groups, including the Washington Black Lives Matter… → Read More

A legend at Garfield High School, Rick walked the halls for half a century. This is his story

Wendell Hicks, known to the Central District as “Two Brick Rick,” and “Garfield Rick,” died last week. He was 69. The cause was pneumonia, his appointed guardian said. → Read More

Seattleites are preparing for post-election unknowns in their own ways

With an uncertain Election Day outcome on the horizon, Seattleites say they are preparing for any and everything. → Read More

This Auburn cop killed 3 and injured others. His department didn't stop him — outsiders did

Within a 12-year career, Auburn police officer Jeffrey Nelson has killed three people. Records obtained by KUOW reveal a litany of allegations that he has habitually engaged in misconduct, both toward civilians and colleagues alike. → Read More

How Seattle-area progressives feel about Biden: Four months ago versus now

KUOW spoke with six progressives in May 2020 about their thoughts on Joe Biden winning the presumptive nomination. Now, four months later, after a summer of Covid, civil unrest, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we asked them for their updated thoughts. → Read More

Dangerous maggot larvae found in apples that Gov. Jay Inslee gifted to wildfire-ravaged town

Over the weekend, Gov. Jay Inslee brought honey crisp apples from his orchard to eastern Washington. → Read More

Home Depot isn't following Washington state's mask mandate. Says it's risky for staff

The man was the cashier's first customer of the day at the Home Depot in Tukwila last Wednesday, July 8. He wasn't wearing a mask. This was one day after businesses in Washington state started being required to enforce mask wearing of customers. → Read More

Second inmate dies in Washington state; National Guard begins mass testings at Coyote Ridge

Another inmate has died after being infected with the novel coronavirus at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Eastern Washington. The National Guard is now being called in for mass Covid-19 testing, among other pandemic measures. → Read More

Mayor Durkan: Seattle Police will return to East Precinct in near future

Seattle Police will soon return to the East Precinct, said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan during a Monday press conference. Police left the precinct on June 8, after days of protests against police brutality. → Read More