David Trainer was helping out at an encampment for homeless people when he first met Ivan Dempsey. Ivan had a dog. David had a dog. It was cold: David offered gloves, and Ivan accepted hand warmers. They had a friendly interaction, though nothing out of the ordinary. On the way back home, out of nowhere, David had a thought: “What would it be like to have Ivan move in with me?” he said. “I know that’s crazy talk. I don’t know the guy, he’s a stranger.” David pushed the thought away. But he

Getting out of prison is a chance to make a fresh start. But people who’ve paid their debt to society often find there’s another debt hanging over their heads. And that can be a huge hindrance to getting life back on track. It’s called a legal financial obligation, or LFO. These are fees imposed on criminal defendants. Some help pay for running the court. Some are for restitution to the victim. Some are simply for punishment. Even when LFOs start out as a few hundred dollars, they can balloon

Malik Shakoor is the first Muslim religious coordinator, or chaplin, for the Washington State Corrections Center in Shelton, Washington. He prefers to think about his position this way: a religios corrdinator who happens to be Muslim. When Shakoor was growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, a pastor predicted that someday Shakoor would become a man of God. Back then, Shakoor loved basketball. He was talented, too. One day at church, the pastor laid hands on all of the children and announced what

Bill Bernat jokes that he used to be secretly arrogant — so secretly, that he didn’t even know it himself. “I didn't realize how crazy my behavior was at the time,” he said. That included things like starting meetings at work with angry outbursts at people who didn’t deserve it. “I was really unable to empathize with other people,” he said. “I had a little of that in me, and then you combine it with addiction and, say, a diagnosis of bipolar 2, and I was hurtful to people.” Underneath that, he

Former Mariners infielder Lenny Randle is best remembered in Seattle for a single play. On May 27, 1981, he got on his hands and knees and blew a slow rolling ground ball out of bounds. It was one of the few notable things that happened to the Mariners in their early years. That year was a mediocre season, in a series of other mediocre seasons by a mediocre baseball team, but Randle was involved in another notable off-field incident in 1981 — the recording of a funk song about the Kingdome.

Snowfall and freezing temperatures have blanketed western Washington this week. On Tuesday night, areas of Port Angeles received up to two feet of snow. And before that, winds in eastern King County led to the closure of U.S. Highway 2 at Skykomish. We wanted to hear how residents are dealing with those events, so KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco made some phone calls. He talked to Noah Glaude, the assistant library director of the North Olympic Library System and Henry Sladek, the mayor

Hours after she was sworn in on a historic first day of the 2020 legislative session Jan. 13, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, talked live with KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco. It was part of our special KNKX Connects to Olympia broadcast in the Temple of Justice on Jan. 13. They discussed legislative priorities, including gun-control bills, what her swearing in means for representation in state government — and some pretty neat bipartisan socks.

As part of our KNKX Connects to Olympia broadcast at the Temple of Justice on Jan. 13, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib talked live with KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco. They discussed the tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Washington’s role in global trade and challenges facing Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration.

Rep. My-Linh Thai moved to the U.S. when she was 15, as a refugee from Vietnam. Now, she’s a Democratic representative for the 41 st District, which includes Bellevue and Mercer Island. She talked live with KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco, during our KNKX Connects to Olympia broadcast on Jan. 13, about the changing face of the Legislature, among other issues.

As part of our KNKX Connects to Olympia broadcast at the Temple of Justice on Jan. 13, Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, talked live with KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco. The House minority leader discussed Republican priorities in the Legislature — including Initiative 976 — and homelessness, among other issues.