Civic – Page 17 of 59

Judge removes ‘Compassion Seattle’ charter amendment from ballot; initiative aimed to curb homelessness crisis

A state judge removed the “Compassion Seattle” measure from the November ballot on Friday, saying the proposal to change the… Read More

High-speed rail proponents make another push for Pacific Northwest project; poll shows voter support

Three of every five voters in Oregon and Washington support a regional, high-speed rail line, according to a poll released… Read More

Zillow Group faces antitrust scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over $500M ShowingTime acquisition

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent a letter on Thursday to the FTC that raises antitrust… Read More

U.S. senators question Amazon about its use of palm-reading biometric data

New Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is facing questions about how the company plans to use the data it gathers from… Read More

Census data shows Seattle’s population surge over last decade, fueled in part by tech job growth

Seattle’s population grew by 21% to 737,015 people and King County swelled by more than 300,000 residents since 2010, according… Read More

How Washington state’s potential federal infrastructure largess could spark a broadband fight

Rep. Drew Hansen, a longtime advocate for increasing the reach and affordability of broadband in Washington state, found himself both… Read More

Report: Amazon awarded secret $10B NSA cloud computing contract, Microsoft files protest

Amazon Web Services has received a $10 billion cloud computing contract from the National Security Agency, according to a report… Read More

City of Seattle charges Postmates nearly $1M for underpaying more than 1,600 food delivery workers

Delivery company Postmates will pay nearly $1 million to fund back wages and inadequate contributions to the City of Seattle’s… Read More

Mining its own data, CityBldr builds tool to show cities the best places to build affordable housing

Engineers at CityBldr knew they were sitting on a goldmine of zoning and land data. After all, that’s how the… Read More

Amazon pressured Alabama workers and union vote should be redone, labor investigator recommends

Amazon stepped outside allowable guidelines and improperly pressured Alabama warehouse workers against unionizing the Bessemer fulfillment warehouse in April, and… Read More

GeekWire’s Great Race II: By taxi, Lyft, e-bike, bus and more — here’s who won in Seattle rush hour

We had a ton of fun testing Seattle’s transportation options through rush hour traffic during our inaugural GeekWire Great Race… Read More

ACLU of Washington: Port of Seattle’s facial recognition tech ‘ban’ misleading, inadequate

Accusing the Port of Seattle of making promises it can’t keep, the American Civil Liberties Union called on the port… Read More

Compassion Seattle initiative qualifies for ballot: Will it change the downtown business outlook?

As downtown Seattle tech businesses implement plans to return to offices that have been vacant for more than a year,… Read More

Spin promises fix for AI glitch that makes scooters sound loud alarm on popular Seattle trail

One of the most interesting features of the shared Spin scooters that rolled out this month in Seattle is technology… Read More

Disney’s Orlando consolidation could impact up to 200 tech and administrative jobs in Seattle

An effort by Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division to consolidate operations in a “business-friendly climate” could result in the… Read More

Microsoft’s tribal land acknowledgement a great step but ‘more needs to be done,’ Native American mayoral candidate says

At the outset of Microsoft’s Inspire partner conference this week, co-hosts Aliesha Pulliam, a communications manager, and broadcast journalist Elise… Read More

Port of Seattle bans facial recognition tech by law enforcement; some private use remains permitted

The Port of Seattle Commission voted Tuesday to ban the use of biometric technology for surveillance and security purposes by government… Read More

Emails indicate Amazon’s use of force while seeking JEDI cloud contract, GOP lawmakers say

Previously undisclosed emails appear to indicate that as Amazon pursued the now-canceled $10 billion JEDI cloud contract, it enlisted such… Read More

New presidential order will push for net neutrality, limit large mergers, restrict non-compete clauses

In an effort to promote more business and labor competition, President Biden today will issue a sweeping executive order to… Read More

Seattle set to add fourth scooter option as Spin offers high-tech model to improve rider habits

Seattle’s scooter share fleet is growing. Spin, the micromobility company backed by Ford Motor Co., is set to receive a… Read More

Washington state joins antitrust suit against Google over app store management, commission fees

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Wednesday joined a multistate, antitrust lawsuit targeting Google’s Play store as unfair to… Read More

Can ride-sharing technology change local transit? Seattle-area county testing app-based bus system

Can civic mass transit operate as a ride-sharing service? The Routing Company aims to find out on Bainbridge Island near… Read More

Pentagon cancels $10 billion JEDI cloud contract after long feud between Amazon and Microsoft

JEDI is canceled. The Pentagon said today it will nix the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, a… Read More

Initiative to curb homelessness crisis in Seattle likely to qualify for November ballot

The group pushing the Compassion Seattle ballot measure which seeks to overhaul city policies toward its persistent homeless crisis will… Read More

Amazon seeks recusal of FTC Chair Lina Khan in antitrust examination of $8.5B MGM deal

Facing scrutiny over its proposed $8.5 billion purchase of MGM Studios, Amazon is seeking the recusal of FTC Chairwoman Lina… Read More

Elizabeth Warren says Amazon-MGM deal requires ‘meticulous antitrust scrutiny’ in letter to FTC

In a letter sent to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, Sen. Elizabeth Warren asserted that Amazon’s billion-dollar bid for… Read More

Microsoft reorgs legal team, lays out plan to ‘earn the public’s trust’ amid heightened tech regulation

In a new memo obtained by GeekWire, Microsoft President Brad Smith laid out how the company plans to navigate increasing… Read More

Uber to pay $3.4M in settlement for 15,000 Seattle drivers’ unpaid sick leave, back wages

Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards reached a $3.4 million settlement with Uber to resolve claims for back wages and unpaid… Read More

Amazon says proposed antitrust bills will have ‘significant negative effects’ on sellers, consumers

Amazon responded Tuesday to proposed antitrust legislation introduced by members of the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, saying… Read More

Review of Amazon-MGM deal will be led by FTC, now chaired by Big Tech critic Lina Khan

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission — not the Department of Justice — is expected to lead the investigation into Amazon’s… Read More