Tobias Coughlin-Bogue

Jobs, Journalism, Justice

Articles by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue

Jeff Cheung, founder of Unity and There Skateboards, holds a raffle and skate jam in a parking garage the day after the "Ruining Skateboarding" video premiere.

‘Arguably the gayest skate video’ gives sport new dimension

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 23, 2022

On March 13, a gaggle of skateboarders crowded into the Northwest Film Forum to do what they’ve done many times before: watch the premiere of a full-length skate video. Full-length videos are a potent form of cultural currency within skateboarding. They typically consist of “parts” from individual skaters — collections of their best tricks set to music — stitched together into a 30- to 60-minute film. Skateboarding, like everything else, has seen its content shrunken down into made-for-social-media snippets. No subculture is safe from TikTok. ...

Middle-aged Asian man in cap, scarf, and barn jacket holds sign that says "No U.S. War."

Is social housing the solution to Seattle’s affordability crisis?

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 16, 2022

Social housing, a publicly owned housing option made famous by its resounding success in Austria, was the sole topic of a panel discussion on March 10. The panel was put together by House Our Neighbors! (HON) — a political committee of Real Change — and University of Washington (UW) Honors Students with the express goal of exploring social housing as an option for Seattle. ...

Green pot plants in rows with brown fence and Mount Rainier in background

WSLCB will require pesticide testing on all pot

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 16, 2022

On March 2, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) adopted final rules requiring all cannabis to be tested for pesticides. While Washington state has required pesticide testing on all “medically compliant” cannabis products for several years, the vast majority of cannabis sold in the state is intended for the recreational market. All other states where cannabis is legal test for pesticides proactively, meaning that each batch is screened before sale, while Washington has historically used a complaint-based system. ...

Photograph of chefs' forearms as they plate food

Going ‘gig’: Is introducing on-demand work to restaurants a good idea?

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 9, 2022

Poached, the well-funded Portland startup that quickly overtook Craigslist as the restaurant industry’s jobs hub, has been quietly rolling out a new innovation, one that could completely upend the way people work in restaurants. And no, it’s not the VR rig that lets restaurant workers roll silverware remotely, featured in the company’s April Fools spoof video. It’s a new feature called “Shifts.” ...

Side of warehouse-like office building, seen from below, with several blown-out windows

Two-alarm fire takes a toll on local nonprofits

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 2, 2022

The Rainier Center building, home to a plethora of area nonprofits, caught fire on Feb. 19. The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) responded to the second story blaze at around 1:30 a.m. The fire quickly spread to the third floor, leaving a man in his 30s seriously injured and gutting the northwest corner of the building. SFD contained the fire in half an hour, and the victim was taken to Harborview in serious condition. However, according to Barbara Ohno, the building manager, the building remains shut down and without power, a major blow to operations for its tenants. ...

Insulin, outdoors

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 9, 2016

Homeless people with diabetes struggle to manage their treatments and diets

Terrence Brown was homeless for about 14 months just over a year ago. He also has Type 2 diabetes.

It was a constant effort managing these two realities. Being diabetic meant having to adhere to a strict routine in his diet and medication. Being homeless meant that maintaining routines was sometimes impossible.
...

The Jungle is often the only option for homeless families, pet owners

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | March 2, 2016

In the wake of January’s horrific shootings, The Jungle has become the subject of a lot of scrutiny. Mayor Ed Murray, a smattering of Seattle City Councilmembers and a mess of reporters have made pilgrimages there in the past month. In response to the shootings, Murray directed city staff to create a report on living conditions in The Jungle. It was released on Feb. 17.

The report describes the sprawling system of camps, located along the support pillars that lift Interstate 5 and along the greenbelt abutting the area, as “lawless,” “dangerous” and “unsanitary.”
...

Nickelsville embroiled in another split between residents and management

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | February 24, 2016

At midnight on Feb. 20, a Nickelsville encampment on South Dearborn Street became an unauthorized encampment. The status change came after the campers voted out Scott Morrow, a long-time encampment and shelter organizer for Nickelsville and the Seattle Housing and Resource Effort (share), the organizations responsible for running several encampments around King County, including new encampments sanctioned by the city of Seattle in 2015. On a Facebook page called “Occupy Camp Dearborn,” campers posted an explanation of their decision.
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First safe injection sites coming

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | February 24, 2016

Seattle will soon see its first safe injection sites, says Shilo Murphy, director of the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, which operates Seattle’s longest running needle exchange and its only pipe exchange. The sites will be open within two months, he said.

The sites will be set up in vans and shipping containers so they can be moved around as needed.
...

First safe injection sites coming

By Tobias Coughlin-Bogue | February 24, 2016

Jobs, Journalism, Justice

‘Arguably the gayest skate video’ gives sport new dimension

Is social housing the solution to Seattle’s affordability crisis?

WSLCB will require pesticide testing on all pot

Going ‘gig’: Is introducing on-demand work to restaurants a good idea?

Two-alarm fire takes a toll on local nonprofits

Insulin, outdoors

The Jungle is often the only option for homeless families, pet owners

Nickelsville embroiled in another split between residents and management

First safe injection sites coming

First safe injection sites coming

May 4-10, 2022

May 11-17, 2022

May 11-17, 2022