Sami West is an Online Editor/Reporter at KUOW. She focuses on education-related issues, including financial challenges in Seattle Public Schools, violence in schools, teacher shortages, and the youth mental health crisis, alongside the ongoing impacts of Covid on education. Sami's work has been featured in KUOW Public Radio, OPB, and Spokane Public Radio.
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Seattle, United States (Local)
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Sami West's reporting predominantly focuses on education, with a specific emphasis on local educational issues in Seattle and Washington state. Given this focus, she is likely to be interested in pitches that relate to education policy and developments within the Seattle school district and broader Washington state educational system.
Sami frequently includes government announcements and data citations in her coverage, indicating an interest in official sources of information as well as statistical evidence supporting educational trends or policies. Pitches offering expert commentary from educators, policymakers, or researchers with insights into local education issues would align well with Sami’s reporting focus.
Pertinent topics for pitches might include but are not limited to school closures, student mental health initiatives within schools, academic performance trends supported by data analysis, funding challenges for special education programs in the region or any other newsworthy developments related to Seattle Public Schools specifically or Washington state’s educational system more broadly.
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By: Libby Denkmann, Gabrielle Healy, Sami West
The Space Needle is painted as a soccer ball ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Seattle.
By: Sami West
A high school wrestler is suing Washington state over its policy on transgender athletes, alleging that a trans athlete sexually assaulted her during a match.
By: Sami West
Parents of a second grader are suing a school district on Seattle’s Eastside, alleging officials failed to protect their 7-year-old from sexual abuse.
By: Patricia Murphy, Anna Marie Yanny, Sami West
Amid the magic of a Pacific Northwest summer, there’s a moment many residents have come to dread: the arrival of wildfire smoke. It’s officially here. Forecasters predict the Puget Sound region is in for not just scorching temperatures, but also smoky skies through Wednesday or early Thursday.
By: Sami West
As wildfires continue to ravage East and Central Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday unveiled a new emergency proclamation that suspends a number of state laws for residents affected by the blazes.
By: Sami West
Firefighters from both Moses Lake, Washington, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, spot-check a neighborhood that burned to the ground on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in northwest Spokane. “This is by far and large the worst one we’ve been on, like, hands down,” said firefighter Steve Moyer.
By: Paige Browning, Sami West, Natalie Akane Newcomb
The Orca Behavior Institute recorded a record-breaking number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea in July.
By: Sami West, Paige Browning, Natalie Akane Newcomb
Animal lovers in the Puget Sounds have been buzzing this summer about several recent sightings of orcas, sometimes close to shore. That's prompted the question, why? Whale scientists think there are two reasons for the apparent trend.
By: Noel Gasca, Sami West
The Trump Justice Department has now sued 21 states over policies that grant in-state tuition to immigrant students.
By: Tiffany Camhi, Sami West, Noel Gasca
The Trump administration is cracking down on states that grant in-state tuition at public colleges to all resident students, regardless of immigration status.
