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MAY 20, 2026
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amilton International Middle School seventh grader Raven Amrhein will represent Washington state at the Scripps National Spelling Bee later this month, competing against about 250 of the nation’s top student spellers. According to Seattle Public Schools, Raven won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee for King and Snohomish counties, earning a spot at the national competition in Washington, D.C. Raven is the only student from Washington state competing in this year’s national bee. The competition will take place May 27 and 28, with rounds broadcast on Scripps Sports and ION. For Raven, the trip to nationals is the result of years of practice, persistence and a long-running interest in words. Raven’s spelling journey began in second grade at Cascadia Elementary. Early attempts did not end in victory, but each missed word became part of the learning process. Words such as “brocade” and “procrustean” left a lasting impression, helping build the foundation for future competitions. By fifth grade, Raven had won their school spelling bee. They went on to place second at regionals in 2024 and fourth in 2025 before winning the regional bee this year. Now, as a Hamilton seventh grader, Raven is preparing for the national stage with a demanding study routine. Seattle Public Schools reported that Raven studies hundreds of words each day, using memorization, online practice tools and official spelling resources such as “Words of the Champions,” a collection of words from past spelling bees. Raven’s interest in words started early. According to Seattle Public Schools, Raven has hyperlexia and began reading at 18 months old. While decoding words came naturally, understanding them developed over time. That early connection to language has since grown into a competitive skill. “I don’t think I’m a genius,” Raven said in the district’s release. “I just think that I have memorized a lot of words.” The Scripps National Spelling Bee tests more than spelling alone. Competitors also face vocabulary rounds and written tests during Bee Week, along with activities, tours and events for participating students. Raven also has a favorite word. Once, it was “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” These days, Seattle Public Schools reports, Raven’s current favorite word is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine dust. If you’re wondering how to pronounce it, you’re in good company. Even Steve Harvey had to pause when the word made a memorable appearance on Little Big Shots. For Hamilton and Seattle Public Schools, Raven’s trip marks a point of pride. For Raven, it is the next step in a spelling career built one word, and one remembered mistake, at a time.
Staff Report
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eattle has opened four new free public restrooms in Pioneer Square and the stadium district, and the cost is drawing almost as much attention as the bathrooms themselves. The one-year pilot program will cost the city $465,000 for four restroom units, including cleaning and maintenance, according to reporting by KIRO 7. That works out to more than $116,000 per restroom for the year. The Seattle Department of Transportation says the restrooms are part of a partnership with Throne Labs, a company that provides movable, solar-powered restroom units. Two restrooms are located at Second Avenue South and South Washington Street, and two are located at First Avenue South and South Charles Street, outside Lumen Field. The facilities are scheduled to be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. City officials describe the pilot as a way to provide clean, accessible restrooms in one of Seattle’s busiest areas. Pioneer Square and the stadium district regularly serve commuters, tourists, event crowds, service workers, nightlife visitors and people experiencing homelessness. Seattle has long struggled with a shortage of public restroom access, and the problem is visible downtown. Without places to go, people use alleys, sidewalks, building
SDOT
Staff Report
City of Seattle Spent How Much on 4 Pioneer Square Restrooms?!
entrances and other public spaces. That creates sanitation concerns for residents, businesses, visitors and city workers responsible for cleanup. Mayor Katie Wilson defended the expense in an interview with KIRO 7 “If you look at how much money the city does already spend addressing sanitation issues that arise because we don’t have toilets, this is actually, I think, a pretty cost-effective way to deal with the issue,”
HOW THE RESTROOMS WORK
are solar-powered, supported by backup batteries and equipped with built-in water and waste tanks. That allows them to operate without traditional plumbing hookups, which the city says makes them faster and more cost-efficient to install than permanent facilities. The units include ADA access, grab bars, baby-changing stations, touchless toilets and handwashing stations. They also include NaviLens codes to assist people who are blind or have low vision.
The new restrooms are not standard portable toilets. SDOT says the Throne units
RESTROOMS, 2
Seattle Keeps the Starbucks Name, Nashville Gets the Growth Staff Report
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tarbucks says Seattle is still home. The job numbers tell a more complicated story. The Seattle-born coffee company is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs tied to its Seattle operations while building a new corporate hub in Nashville expected to house up to 2,000 support jobs over the next five years. The shift has intensified questions about whether one of Seattle’s most recognizable companies is quietly moving future growth elsewhere, even as it continues to call Seattle its headquarters. The company recently disclosed plans to eliminate 61 technology jobs at its Starbucks Support Center in Seattle, with layoffs expected to take effect between June 20 and Aug. 28. The cuts are tied to a reorganization of the company’s technology department and are separate from the company’s larger restructuring and Nashville expansion plans. Starbucks also announced a broader round of 300 U.S. corporate layoffs and several regional office closures as part of CEO Brian Niccol’s ongoing turnaround strategy. Reuters reported that the company is closing regional support offices in Atlanta, Burbank, Chicago and Dallas, while coffeehouse employees are not included in the corporate cuts.
NASHVILLE GETS THE GROWTH
In April, Starbucks announced a $100 million investment in Nashville, where it plans to build a major corporate hub and add up to 2,000 support jobs over five years. The company has said the Nashville office will “complement” its Seattle headquarters rather than replace it, but its own announcement makes clear that some support roles will move from Seattle to Tennessee.
JHVEPHOTO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Queen Anne Middle School Student Heads to National Spelling Bee
VOL. 107, NO. 21
In a message to employees, Starbucks Executive Vice President and Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the Nashville roles would include new jobs, insourced work and “in some cases, moving select teams from Seattle to Nashville.” She wrote that some Starbucks Technology teams were told they would move to Nashville, while others would remain in Seattle. The company has framed the move around growth in the South and East, proximity to suppliers, and access to technology talent. But for Seattle workers, the expansion has raised a more immediate question: whether their jobs will stay here. Some employees have reportedly resisted relocation. The New York Post reported that
some Seattle-based Starbucks office workers were reluctant to move to Tennessee, citing concerns about lower pay tied to Nashville’s lower cost of living, job security, and political or cultural differences between Seattle and Tennessee.
MORE CUTS, MORE QUESTIONS
The recent Seattle technology layoffs are only one part of a broader restructuring. Reuters reported that Starbucks expects to pay about $120 million in severance and reduce the value of certain real estate by about $280 million as part of its latest costcutting plan.
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