Featured Stories

Dan Shapiro Dan Shapiro launched his first startup 18 years ago. It failed. But he’s learned ...
Rachel Belle

How to be a CEO of a startup, from a guy who knows

Dan Shapiro launched his first startup 18 years ago. It failed. But he's learned from mistakes and headed four successful startups since. His new book wants to help you skip the failures.
11 years ago
“The travel agent industry has been transformed. It’s definitely not going away,”...
Rachel Belle

Does anyone use a travel agent anymore?

Now that booking travel online is a breeze, does anyone still use a travel agent? The short answer: yes. And it sounds like they can save you loads of money.
11 years ago
Imagine Cup’s judges, from left: Thomas Middleditch from ‘Silicon Valley,’ Micros...
Rachel Belle

A ‘Silicon Valley’ actor uses his TV character’s skills to judge a Microsoft start-up contest

Three hundred and thirty thousand college students, from 100 countries, competed in Imagine Cup, Microsoft's start-up competition. And they got Thomas Middleditch, of "Silicon Valley" fame, to be a judge.
11 years ago
A former CNN anchor came up with innovative Independence Day Clothing after watching her autistic s...
Rachel Belle

A new line of reversible clothing with no tags or buttons is perfect for kids with autism

A former CNN anchor came up with innovative Independence Day Clothing after watching her autistic son struggle for 45 minutes to get dressed.
11 years ago
A confession board is popping up sporadically around Seattle, and you can jot down your deepest dar...
Rachel Belle

Bare your secrets on a public ‘confession board’ in Seattle

A confession board is popping up sporadically around Seattle, and you can jot down your deepest darkest secrets, anonymously, for the world to see.
11 years ago
Researchers from around the world have considered why tomato juice tastes differently at 35,000 fee...
Rachel Belle

Why do you only drink tomato juice on airplanes?

Have you ever wondered why you order tomato juice on an airplane but rarely, or never, on the ground? Studies have been done, and experts have weighed in on the phenomenon.
11 years ago
Rachel Belle poses awkwardly with Russell Wilson, after their interview at VMAC. (Rachel Belle)...
Rachel Belle

Russell Wilson explains why he chooses to Eat the Ball

Russell Wilson took time to chat about a new football-shaped bread called Eat the Ball. But Rachel Belle took the opportunity to ask questions we've all been wondering.
11 years ago
Pluto is the last “planet” many people alive now will see in their lifetime. (NASA via ...
Rachel Belle

The first spectacular photos of Pluto, explained by a UW Carl Sagan Fellow

UW astronomer explains how after nine years, three billion miles and $700 million, we are finally getting the first high resolution photos of Pluto.
11 years ago
At least one person has reached their tipping limit and is now handing out economics lessons. (AP)...
Kipp Robertson

Pretty soon only the rich will be able to dine in Seattle

At least one person has reached their tipping limit and is now handing out economics lessons.
11 years ago
Everett’s Northway Aviation’s 1999 Cessna 172S (Photo courtesy of Northway Aviation)...
Rachel Belle

Fewer Americans are getting their pilot’s license, recreationally and commercially

In the last five years alone, the number of Americans who have a pilot's license has dropped by 34,000. It's simply too expensive for most, plus the magic and excitement that used to surround air travel has subsided.
11 years ago
Here’s hoping for an old fashioned snowy winter up at Steven’s Pass this year, just lik...
Rachel Belle

Does another warm El Niño winter mean another snowless season at the ski resorts?

Forecasters are predicting El Niño will continue to blow warm air on western Washington through the winter months, and possibly all the way through spring. But even after last year's dreadfully dry ski and snowboard season, folks at Steven's Pass don't seem too worried about the conditions this winter.
11 years ago
Amalia Morsi opted for Top Pot doughnuts and A La Mode pies at her 2014 wedding. (Photo courtesy of...
Rachel Belle

Death to the wedding cake! Modern couples are choosing doughnuts and pie instead

Modern couples are choosing to shun the classic wedding cake in favor of fun handheld treats like doughnuts, ice cream sandwiches and macarons.
11 years ago
Preschoolers dance and sing, while the residents look on, at their weekly sing-a-long. (Photo by Ra...
Rachel Belle

A preschool inside a West Seattle nursing home brings joy to young and old

West Seattle's Intergenerational Learning Center is a preschool with participants between the ages of six months to 90.
11 years ago
(Photo courtesy of You Kick Ass)...
Rachel Belle

Get your own, personal superhero action figure made by Bellevue’s You Kick Ass

Mark Cuban, of "Shark Tank" fame, invested $100,000 in Bellevue's You Kick Ass, a company that will turn a picture of any person into a superhero action figure.
11 years ago
Edith’s Ballard house was stripped to the studs. People come from all over the world to visit...
Rachel Belle

Edith Macefield’s Ballard home could be demolished

The saga of Edith Macefield's 115 year old home continues as its latest owners find it is too expensive to get up to code. Now, it may be donated or demolished.
11 years ago
Tai Tung’s owner, Harry Chan, with Combination No 1, which has been on the menu since the res...
Rachel Belle

‘A Taste of Home’ tells the story of history, food in Seattle’s Chinatown

Two documentarians from Singapore became fascinated with the food and history of Seattle's Chinatown.
11 years ago
Former Seahawk Joe Tafoya wears a Down Range Baby bag while toting his daughter. (Photo by Clane Ge...
Rachel Belle

A local cop designed a manly, durable diaper bag for baby toting dads

Local cop, Jeff Shepard, was not a fan of the floral, pastel diaper bags on the market. So he designed his own. Now he sells his Down Range Baby bags, designed by a Lakewood military bag and bulletproof vest manufacturer.
11 years ago
Alex Stone and his best bud, service dog, Fraser. (Photo courtesy of Alex Stone)...
Rachel Belle

A Seattle man is throwing a huge retirement party for his service dog

Seattle's Alex Stone is never without his service dog, Fraser. Born with cerebral palsy, Fraser is the only reason Alex was able to live independently and travel. But it's time for 10 year old Fraser to retire.
11 years ago
Recent UW grad, and founder of the UW Mindfulness Project, Alysha Greig, leads hundreds of students...
Rachel Belle

Anxiety is now the No. 1 mental health issue plaguing college students

Anxiety is now the most common mental health diagnosis among college students, knocking depression into the number two slot. The American College Health Association says one in six college students have been diagnosed with, or treated for, anxiety within the last year.
11 years ago
Mother Hildegard in the barn at Our Lady of the Rock. (Rachel Belle/KIRO Radio)...
Rachel Belle

A profile of the river rafting, four-letter word blurting nun on Shaw Island

Our Lady of the Rock's Mother Hildegard says it's hard to recruit new, young nuns these days, especially in the famously nonreligious northwest.
11 years ago
Mother Hildegard at Our Lady of the Rock, Shaw Island. (Photo by Rachel Belle)...
Rachel Belle

Prayer and Work: the life of a Benedictine nun on Shaw Island

On Shaw Island, the smallest and least populated San Juan Island reached by ferry, is Our Lady of the Rock, a monastery home to seven Benedictine nuns.
11 years ago
Larry Lawton, ex-con and founder of the Reality Check program. (Photo courtesy of Larry Lawton)...
Rachel Belle

An ex-con on how intelligence and street smarts equal a successful prison escape

Ex-con Larry Lawton says intelligence, street smarts, inside help, and lots of free time are the perfect storm for a successful escape.
11 years ago

Does family trump business?

The founder of Virgin once again made headlines with the announcement that the UK-based group is now offering some staff up to one year parental leave on full pay.
11 years ago
WTA volunteers working on a trail reroute at Easy Pass, in the north Cascades (Photo by Barbara Ell...
Rachel Belle

Find a hike or help build a trail with the Washington Trails Assocation

Fifty-six percent of Washingtonians hike, but most hikers probably don't know that many of the state's trails are maintained by volunteers.
11 years ago