Amy Radil
Reporter
About
Amy Radil is a reporter at KUOW covering politics, government, and law enforcement, along with the occasional arts story. She got her start at Minnesota Public Radio in Duluth, and freelanced for Marketplace and other programs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amy grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Williams College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Stories
-
Crime
Why is Aurora Avenue crime concentrated in Seattle, not Shoreline?
There’s general agreement that Aurora Avenue North is starkly divided at North 145th street — the border between the cities of Seattle and Shoreline. The main question is why.
-
Race & Identity
2 men face RICO charges for violent home robberies in Western Washington that targeted Asian Americans
Federal prosecutors in Seattle have indicted two men on rarely used racketeering charges, related to a series of violent home robberies throughout Western Washington targeting Asian Americans in 2022. They said the charges follow a lengthy investigation across multiple jurisdictions that remains ongoing.
-
Crime
Seattle City Council considers 'prostitution loitering' law amid intense debate
The bill would put new gross misdemeanors into Seattle’s criminal code, targeting people charged with prostitution-related offenses, with special emphasis on pimps and buyers of sex.
-
Seattle City Council's SOAP and SODA Zones, explained
-
Crime
Prosecutors won’t charge woman who says she abandoned newborn in Ballard
Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a woman who admitted abandoning the body of her newborn along a Seattle roadway. They said they lack independent evidence to prove that a crime was committed and that the baby, who had a gestational age of just 32-36 weeks, was in fact born alive.
-
Politics
Washington nonprofit goes public with claims against state lawmaker and founder
The board of the nonprofit Civil Survival is now speaking publicly about its alleged reasons for firing Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons. Simmons is the founding director of the legal aid and advocacy organization but as KUOW reported this week, Simmons was placed on administrative leave in August 2023 and received a notice of termination two weeks ago on July 15, 2024.
-
Crime
Seattle officials revisit ‘exclusion zones’ to disrupt drug activity, sex trafficking
Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison and members of the city council are seeking new criminal penalties to ban certain people from zones of drug-related crime and prostitution.
-
Law & Courts
'They canceled me': Rep. Tarra Simmons fired by nonprofit she helped found
Tarra Simmons, the first formerly incarcerated person elected to the Washington state Legislature, was recently ousted from the criminal justice nonprofit she founded. She is now battling the organization’s leadership over that decision.
-
Law & Courts
Garfield County pledges to keep jail shuttered after suicide went undetected
Family members of a man whose suicide went undiscovered in Garfield County jail for 18 hours have settled their claim, in an agreement approved by a superior court judge on Monday. Kyle Lara’s parents say the most important part of the agreement has already occurred: the closure of the jail where he died.
-
More mentors, better facilities, gear that fits. WA police departments are upping their game to recruit more women
Just 12% of police officers nationwide are women. Washington state lags behind that already low number at 11%. Several law enforcement agencies statewide have signed on to a goal to increase women in the ranks. They’re recruiting women by offering strong mentorship programs and better-suited gear and facilities, among other strategies. But success is mixed, and larger agencies especially continue to struggle.