Seattle's 2023, wrapped
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
With 2023 almost in the rearview mirror, we wanted to take a look back on some of the biggest stories of the year.
Driving the news: The city grappled with big problems like rising homicide rates and fentanyl deaths, homelessness and housing affordability and a contentious City Council election that saw the highest turnover in decades.
Details: Due in part to the continued popularity of remote work, Seattle lagged many other cities' pandemic recoveries with higher office vacancy rates and lower downtown foot traffic despite return-to-work mandates from Amazon and other large companies.
- But special events during the summer, such as MLB All-Star Week, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour, as well as a record-setting number of cruises, brought visitor numbers close to pre-pandemic highs.
Zoom out: Washington became the 10th state to ban assault weapons with the passage of a measure that prohibits the sale, manufacturing and distribution of more than 50 types of semiautomatic firearms.
- We saw the disintegration of the Pac-12 with the departure of 10 schools, — including the University of Washington and the University of Oregon — and WSU and OSU ultimately gaining control of the conference.
- Out-of-state patients increasingly sought abortions in Washington after legislators enacted protections following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, which resulted in strict restrictions on the procedure in some states.
- Lawmakers in Washington passed measures that protect health care for transgender patients even as other states limited gender-affirming care for transgender young people.
Zoom in: Here are a few of the stories that racked up the page views on our site this year.
- Hazardous heat comes to the Pacific Northwest
- New Washington state rules promoting heat pumps face pushback
- 'Shrooms go mainstream with Washington state medical trial
- El Niño may bring extreme weather to West Coast
- Washington's rejected vanity license plates
- Seattleites challenge Fox News' spin on the city's crime
- Daylight saving time sends Seattle into the dark
1 cool thing: It was a record-breaking year for Bigg's killer whales in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia, with 1,220 reported sightings by October, per the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
What's next: In the coming weeks, we'll be mapping out our coverage for 2024, and we'd love to know what you want to see.
- What topics or issues would you like to see us cover? More city politics and business? What about food, sports and reviews?
- Email [email protected] and let us know!