City Council & Local Government
Live coverage of council meetings, agenda analysis, budget deep-dives, and follow-up reporting on every motion that passes — or doesn't.
Council coverageReporting on Bothell with rigor, reading it with care.
Independent coverage of city council, schools, public safety, and the people shaping life in Bothell. Trusted by thousands of neighbors who want the full story, not the spin.
6+ yrs
Covering Bothell city hall, schools, and neighborhoods
1,200+
Public-records requests filed and reported on
48 hrs
Average turnaround on verified community tips
0 ads
From candidates or ballot campaigns — ever
What we cover
The beats that shape daily life in Bothell
From a contentious zoning vote to the next school bond, our reporting follows the decisions, dollars, and debates that touch every household north of the Sammamish.
Northshore School District
School board meetings, levy and bond explainers, teacher pay, curriculum debates, and profiles from classrooms across Bothell and Kenmore.
Schools deskLand Use, Zoning & Growth
Housing density debates, downtown redevelopment, the Canyon Park subarea plan, and what new construction means for traffic, water, and schools.
See prioritiesPublic Safety & Justice
Bothell Police accountability reporting, court coverage, the new public-safety levy, and data-driven stories on traffic, fire response, and emergency preparedness.
Safety deskCommunity Voices
Letters, op-eds, and long-form interviews with the people behind Bothell — small-business owners, immigrant elders, students, and longtime residents.
Submit a storyTaxes, Budgets & Public Money
Where every property-tax dollar goes, how the city's general fund is built, the truth about utility rates, and investigations into how public money is spent.
Budget tracker
Why readers stay
Built for people who want Bothell to work.
Independent local journalism isn't a luxury — it's how a city of 48,000 keeps its government honest and its neighbors informed. Here's what sets our work apart.
01
Sourced, not syndicated
Every story is reported from a Bothell address, in a Bothell meeting, or on the record with a Bothell resident. No wire copy, no national templates.
02
Right of reply, always
Anyone criticized in our pages gets a meaningful chance to respond in the same story. Corrections are published prominently, not buried.
03
Records over rumor
When we say "the city spent $4.2M," you can click through to the source document. Public-records requests are the foundation of the work.
04
Reader-funded, ad-free
No paywall on civic news. No display ads. No sponsored content. The readers pay, and the readers decide what we cover next.
How a story gets made
From tip to publication — our editorial process.
Transparency doesn't stop at the byline. Here's exactly how a tip becomes a story you can trust.
1
Tip intake
Submit a tip by form, email, or Signal. We log every submission and acknowledge within 48 hours, even if we don't pursue it.
2
Verification
Cross-check claims against public records, on-the-record sources, and at least one independent witness before drafting a word.
3
Reporting & right of reply
Every named subject is contacted, given specific allegations, and quoted accurately. Silence is noted; refusal is noted.
4
Editorial review
A second editor reads for accuracy, fairness, and legal exposure. Headlines are written to inform, not to bait clicks.
5
Publication & follow-up
Stories are published with source links. Corrections, updates, and follow-up reporting are tracked in a public changelog.
What neighbors say
Trusted across the 98011 and 98021.
From a Canyon Park small-business owner to a Northshore parent to a former council member — here's how readers describe the work.
"I read the council recap before I read the meeting agenda. The reporting is the only place I get the unvarnished version of what was actually said, not the press release version."
"As a parent I need to know what's actually happening in the school district, not just the optimistic newsletter. The bond coverage last spring saved me from showing up to a vote I didn't understand."
"I've been on both sides of a story in this paper — once quoted, once criticized. Both times the journalist called, gave me the piece in advance to check quotes, and let me respond. That matters."
Get involved
Local journalism is a community project. Join ours.
Whether you've got a tip, a story to tell, an hour to volunteer, or a few dollars a month to chip in — every form of support keeps this work independent and free for every Bothell reader.
See all ways to help