Brandon Block
@brandonblock.bsky.social
š¤ 120
š„ 74
š 17
Investigative reporter. formerly Cascade PBS, The Olympian, Report for America
Flock exec threatening WA's public records act indicates this could be a major ruling. Cities now waking up to the abuse potential of mass surveillance software.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
loading . . .
WA cities reconsider license plate cameras after judge's ruling
Police in Washington are backpedaling on using Flock Safety cameras after a tattoo artist filed lawsuits asserting their databases are public record.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/wa-cities-reconsider-flock-cameras-as-judge-rules-their-data-is-public/
10 days ago
1
2
0
I talked with
@kuow.org
yesterday about the story of Alex Kuhnhausen, a 25-year-old WA prisoner who died last year from an infection that prison medical staff failed to treat and corrections officials kept hidden from his wife.
www.kuow.org/stories/help...
loading . . .
"HELP ME!!! HELP ME!!!" WA prison kept woman in dark while her husband was dying
In April, 25-year-old Alex Kuhnhausen died of a bacterial infection he contracted at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/help-me-help-me-wa-prison-kept-woman-in-dark-while-her-husband-was-dying
23 days ago
0
5
4
reposted by
Brandon Block
about 1 month ago
Alex Kuhnhausen developed a bacterial infection while in solitary confinement. The repeated failures that followed offer a rare look at how decisions made by prison officials can turn treatable ailments deadly,
@brandonblock.bsky.social
reports.
www.investigatewest.org/how-a-wa-pri...
0
4
6
reposted by
Brandon Block
Jacob Jones
about 1 month ago
From youth labor violations to housing abuses to pandemic aid fraud, Cascade PBS investigative reporters cast light into undercovered corners of Washington. Our final Impact Report and a thread of some of the team's best work:
www.cascadepbs.org/impact-repor...
loading . . .
Investigations team caps four years with state law, policy reforms
From youth labor violations to housing abuses to pandemic aid fraud, Cascade PBS investigative reporters cast light into undercovered corners of WA in 2025.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/impact-report/2025/10/investigations-team-caps-four-years-with-state-law-policy-reforms/
1
19
12
reposted by
Brandon Block
Josh Cohen
about 2 months ago
Really good reporting from
@ashleyhiruko.bsky.social
on shelter beds being paid for but left unfilled, seemingly in part over a deputy mayor's personal dislike of a prominent Seattle homelessness services provider.
add a skeleton here at some point
0
23
6
I was on
@kuow.org
yesterday talking about why Thurston County leaders never pursued a property management company that Auditors suspected of running a $940,000 pandemic aid fraud scheme.
www.kuow.org/stories/what...
loading . . .
What happened to nearly $1 million of pandemic assistance in Thurston County?
A case of fraud put a stop to emergency aid in Thurston County for months, but county leaders never pressed charges against the alleged perpetrator or demanded the money back.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/what-happened-to-nearly-1-million-of-pandemic-assistance-in-thurston-county
about 2 months ago
0
3
1
Whatcom County Council has now introduced legislation to increase oversight of lawsuit payouts in continued fallout from my reporting on the favorable treatment of a former public works director accused of sexual harassment.
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
0
2
2
reposted by
Brandon Block
Cascade PBS Union
2 months ago
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
1
13
13
New investigation: Auditors flagged dozens of payments to Lance Bensonās property management company as suspected fraud. But county leaders chose to go after the nonprofit aid distributor instead.
www.cascadepbs.org/investigatio...
loading . . .
Olympia āDiaper Guyā named in $940K rent aid fraud investigation
Auditors flagged dozens of payments to Lance Bensonās property management company as suspected fraud. But county leaders chose to go after the nonprofit aid distributor instead.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/investigations/2025/09/olympia-diaper-guy-named-in-940k-rent-aid-fraud-investigation/
2 months ago
0
5
5
Five years after a wildfire started by its power lines torched the town of Malden, Avista utilities has settled lawsuits with hundreds of victims for $27 million ā but done little to prevent future fires.
www.cascadepbs.org/investigatio...
loading . . .
WA families struggle to rebuild after utility-sparked wildfires
Five years after its power lines started a devastating fire in Malden, Avista has settled lawsuits for $27M ā but fallen behind on disaster prevention.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/investigations/2025/08/wa-families-struggle-to-rebuild-after-utility-sparked-wildfires/
4 months ago
0
0
0
Self-styled green energy leaders OR and WA lag far behind in adding renewables. I interviewed OPB reporters Tony Schick and Monica Samayoa who report the regionās maxed out transmission grid is stalling growth.
www.cascadepbs.org/podcasts/nor...
loading . . .
Itās (Still) Not Easy Going Green: Bonus Episode
Despite ambitious goals toward combating climate change, Oregon and Washington lag far behind other states when it comes to adding renewable energy.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/podcasts/northwest-reports/2025/06/its-still-not-easy-going-green-bonus-episode/
6 months ago
0
0
0
New docs show that jail guards failed to respond to requests for medical help in the hours before David McGrath and Kevin Wiley died at the Issaquah City Jail.
www.cascadepbs.org/investigatio...
loading . . .
Issaquah pays $5.5M to settle jail deaths as costs mount statewide
Two men died after requesting medical help they never received. WAās nation-leading jail death rates have led to millions in payouts, and local reforms.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/investigations/2025/06/issaquah-pays-55m-settle-jail-deaths-costs-mount-statewide
6 months ago
0
0
2
WA Democrats opted to extend child support garnishments as part of their plan to balance the state's budget deficit, just one year after voting to end the practice.
www.cascadepbs.org/investigatio...
loading . . .
WA lawmakers walk back agreement to end child support garnishment
Legislators voted last year to stop intercepting payments meant for low-income families. Now with a budget deficit, they plan collections through 2029.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/investigations/2025/05/wa-lawmakers-walk-back-agreement-end-child-support-garnishment
7 months ago
0
3
7
reposted by
Brandon Block
ProPublica
7 months ago
NEW: Oregon and Washington ranked near or at the bottom of the country for adding renewable energy during the past decade, despite pledges to eliminate fossil fuels from power generation. With
@opb.org
loading . . .
How the Pacific Northwestās Dream of Green Energy Fell Apart
The Northwest states passed aggressive goals to decarbonize the power supply but left it to the Bonneville Power Administration to build the transmission lines needed for wind and solar. The agencyā¦
https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-washington-green-energy-bonneville?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-bsky&utm_content=5-12
12
267
78
Kurt Beckett consulted for multiple wind and solar companies seeking development permits. Now he leads the agency tasked with permitting his ex-clientsā projects.
www.cascadepbs.org/investigatio...
loading . . .
New Washington energy chairās industry ties raise ethics questions
Former energy consultant Kurt Beckett now heads the agency tasked with permitting his ex-clientsā wind and solar plants.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/investigations/2025/04/new-washington-energy-chairs-industry-ties-raise-ethics-questions
7 months ago
0
0
1
WA's workplace safety agency taking unprecedented enforcement action after
@lizzgiordano.bsky.social
investigation found a teen lost his legs doing prohibited work for construction company Rotschy
add a skeleton here at some point
7 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Brandon Block
Genna Martin
8 months ago
We were out picketing today to let
@cascadepbsnewsroom.bsky.social
know we want a fair contract now!
add a skeleton here at some point
0
9
2
reposted by
Brandon Block
Josh Cohen
8 months ago
The
@cascadepbsunion.bsky.social
is back on the march holding another lunch time info picket. And today weāre joined by 9 community members (not to mention all the honks in solidarity) who know Real News costs Real Money! Weāre gonna keep fighting til we get the fair contract we deserve.
loading . . .
1
30
6
When Seattle pioneered the $15 minimum wage a decade ago, supporters and opponents made equally dramatic predictions about its impact. Both were wrong,
@sanfordnate.bsky.social
reports.
www.cascadepbs.org/politics/202...
loading . . .
How Seattleās record-high minimum wage has ā and hasnāt ā paid off
Though the cost of living remains above the $20-plus pay floor, activists say raising wages has been a success and are pushing other cities to follow suit.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2025/03/how-seattles-record-high-minimum-wage-has-and-hasnt-paid
8 months ago
0
3
0
š§µintroducing "It's Not Easy Going Green," a new Cascade PBS podcast from
@maleeha-syed.bsky.social
and I about Washington's clean energy transition and its discontents (Kermit graphic by
@jcohenwrites.bsky.social
).
www.cascadepbs.org/its-not-easy...
(1/4)
8 months ago
3
4
6
you reached the end!!
feeds!
log in