Featured Stories

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
Jason Parker (left) co-founded Seattle’s Copperworks Distillery with Micah Nutt. (Photo court...
Rachel Belle

Washington has more craft spirit distilleries than any other state, and more to come

Washington has more craft spirit distilleries than any other state, Seattle has more than any other city and King County more than any other county in the US.
11 years ago
Some of the students in Cindy Jamieson’s Human Development class, and their babies, at Seattl...
Rachel Belle

A 24-hour parenting simulation turns Seattle teens off the idea of having babies

At Seattle's Nathan Hale High School, students get lifelike baby dolls that are programmed to cry at random times throughout the day and night.
12 years ago
(Left to Right) Geffen Records Susie Tennant, Marco Collins, and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Kr...
Rachel Belle

Legendary Seattle DJ Marco Collins is the subject of the new SIFF film ‘The Glamour and the Squalor’

Marco Collins is a legendary DJ. While working at 107.7 The End in the early 90's, Marco was the first in the world to play Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, and the list goes on and on. This week is the world premiere of the documentary, "The Glamour and the Squalor," a film that explores Marco's rise and fall in the drug heavy grunge music scene.
12 years ago
MyNeighbor allows neighbors to borrow items laying around the home. (Image courtesy of MyNeighbor)...
Rachel Belle

Less buying, more borrowing: A new Seattle app connects you with your neighbors

MyNeighbor connects people who need to borrow something with people willing to share, meaning less buying and a chance to meet your neighbors.
12 years ago
A baby harbor seal relaxing near the Puget Sound (Photo by Isobel Alexander)...
Rachel Belle

It’s almost harbor seal season, and you can help keep them safe

Puget Sound beaches see more harbor seals than any other marine mammal, but when some people see them hanging out on the sand they think the seal is in danger. They're usually not. But the Sno-King Marine Mammal Response volunteers field calls and respond to beaches to calm situations and make sure the seals are left alone.
12 years ago
Wine and coffee sommelier, Erik Liedholm. (Photo courtesy of John Howie Steak)...
Rachel Belle

Seattle gets its first certified coffee sommelier, and he likes Starbucks

Seattle is known for coffee, but until now it didn't have it's very own certified coffee sommelier. Erik Liedholm has changed all that.
12 years ago
Some people may not care that Seattle’s oldest Mexican restaurant is closing, but for some it...
Kipp Robertson

Closure of popular Seattle restaurant is a blow to nostalgic

Some people may not care that Seattle's oldest Mexican restaurant is closing, but for some it's like losing a piece of the city.
12 years ago
Maitri Christensen (right) and her sister Annie Swanson stand next to their family’s map, whe...
Rachel Belle

One year, one Tacoma family, and a trip to 59 national parks

Following President Obama's "Let's Get Every Kid In A Park," initiative, a Tacoma mom and her two daughters are spending the next year visiting every national park.
12 years ago
Julie Metzger (center) poses with moms and daughters after one of her classes. (Photo courtesy of J...
Rachel Belle

The Puberty Lady teaches the birds and the bees in Seattle

Girls squirm, laugh and take notes, as Julie Metzger teaches the stages of puberty at Seattle Children's hospital.
12 years ago
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Rachel Belle

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker & His Star Actress

A new book details the unbelievable story of a young Kim Jong-Il who once kidnapped a South Korean actor and director and forces them to fall in love and make films for him.
12 years ago
Texas, Lori’s French bulldog, dries off after a Strawberries & Cream shampoo treatment. (...
Rachel Belle

Pamper your pooch with homemade, edible shampoos and treatments

Sister and brother team behind Seattle's High Maintenance Bitch brand are coming out with a new book of recipes for health and beauty treatments for your dog.
12 years ago
32 year old Burrito is the youngest, and only male, chimp at Chimp Sanctuary NW (Photo courtesy of ...
Rachel Belle

Cle Elum chimp sanctuary brings fresh air, freedom to captive chimps

In rural Cle Elum, amongst the fresh air, trees and rivers, is a chimp sanctuary where seven chimps now live freely after a lifetime of being tested on for medical research.
12 years ago
Uncle Tobias, dad Jared and uncle Dominic Cortese with newborn baby Carl. (Photo courtesy of the Ma...
Rachel Belle

Real-life Seattle ‘Full House’ family is the answer to the city’s rent crisis

Three and a half months ago, Seattle's Julia Massey and Jared Cortese became parents to baby Carl. They wanted to move to a bigger place, but couldn't afford it on their musician salaries. So they rented a bigger house with Jared's two brothers to save money, create a stronger community for themselves and raise their son in a close knit family atmosphere.
12 years ago
(Photo courtesy of CC Images: Alex)...
Rachel Belle

Living with an ex: a divorced Seattle couple lives together, raises kids together

Whitney and Brian live in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood with their two kids, only they got a divorce 10 years ago. The pair, who call themselves friends and a team, decided to raise their kids together, in one house, while living in separate bedrooms.
12 years ago
(Photo by CC Images: Steven Damron)...
KIRO Radio Staff

Amidst skyrocketing rents, some Seattle landlords are keeping it real

As rents rise in Seattle, there are still real estate unicorns refusing to gouge their tenants, and keeping their rents affordable despite their neighbors.
12 years ago
(Photo by CC Images, Omar G!)...
Rachel Belle

Behind the scenes of the Seattle Wine Awards

It's the 10th year of the Seattle Wine Awards, and for two days, 20 wine experts hole up in a hotel conference room drinking and judging 1,200 wines. What sounds like a dream job is actually quite tedious.
12 years ago
Elephants Shirley (67 years old) and Tarra (41 years old & the sanctuary’s first elephant...
Rachel Belle

A Tennessee elephant sanctuary would take Seattle’s elephants, says Woodland Park Zoo never contacted them

Woodland Park Zoo's elephants, Chai and Bamboo, are on the road to the Oklahoma City Zoo where they will find a new home. But elephant activists say a sanctuary is better for the elephants. The zoo says the sanctuaries aren't accepting elephants and are riddled with disease. But one elephant sanctuary says this is not true, and the zoo has never even contacted them.
12 years ago
Manny poses with his bicycle, looking younger than his 80 years. (KIRO Radio/Rachel Belle)...
Rachel Belle

Uncle Manny, 80, still rides his bike to work every day

An 80-year-old Lake City man has been riding his bike to work for the past 22 years, rain or shine. On his seven mile daily commute, he gets a good look at the neighborhoods, its people, and nature.
12 years ago
Iris Scott leads a finger painting class in her Brooklyn loft. (Photo courtesy of Iris Scott)...
Rachel Belle

Adult coloring books are selling by the millions, selling out on Amazon

When was the last time you colored? You know, crayons, coloring book? Perhaps you haven\'t colored since you were a kid. But right now, on Amazon, the top two best selling books are both coloring books. For adults. Adults are channeling their inner child, and achieving calmness and creativity through coloring and finger painting.
12 years ago
An Eritrean meal, served on homemade injera at Momona Cafe on Martin Luther King Jr S in south Seat...
Rachel Belle

Plate of Nations showcases immigrant family run restaurants in Seattle’s Rainier Valley

Rainier Valley has the most diverse zip code in the United States, which means there are restaurants from all around the world, many of them run by immigrant families. Twelve of these restaurants are being highlighted in a promotion called Plate of Nations. Each restaurant is offering a $15 and $25 meals that can serve 2-4 people.
12 years ago
Tacoma’s Dan Booher has camped out at 22 Chick-Fil-A openings across the country. (Photo by R...
Rachel Belle

Chick-Fil-A opened in Bellevue, but is it worth the hype?

The first Washington Chick-Fil-A franchise opened in Bellevue this morning, and 100 people camped out in the parking lot over night, and were rewarded with free chicken for a year. But Rachel Belle wanted to find out if the chicken is as delicious as the hype.
12 years ago
Many of us have a love/hate relationship with the Internet. It can be fun and useful, until we&#821...
Rachel Belle

Internet addicts, There’s an app that can force you offline

Many of us have a love/hate relationship with the Internet. It can be fun and useful, until we're on Facebook until 2 a.m. But a couple of apps allow us to block certain websites, or the entire Internet, for periods of time so we can get stuff done. Or have hours of Internet free fun with our family and friends.
12 years ago
(AP file photo)...
Rachel Belle

Applying to college? Don’t let your mom do all the work

At Seattle Pacific University, they have a lot of involved parents, but sometimes it's too much.
12 years ago