Nate Sanford

Hello, RANGE. It’s me, Daniel Vintage Inlander journalist Daniel Walters is returning to local journalism right here at RANGE.

Daniel Walters is back, and in RANGE form! Vintage Inlander reporter Daniel Walters explains why he’s returning to local journalism, and why that has allowed him to experience happiness again:

Border patrol detains 10-year-old Spokane girl and her dad, sends them to Texas detention center Arnoldo Tiul Caal dropped his daughter off for school at Logan Elementary the morning of Friday, Jan. 9 with the unnerving sense that they were being followed.

NEW: Federal agents have detailed a Spokane 10-year-old and her father.

They remain in a Texas immigration detention center.

The judge that is set to oversee the case has a 90%+ denial rate for asylum claims. www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...

Rally against ICE in downtown Seattle:

Bellingham employee suspected of using AI to manipulate contract bid process VertexOne of Houston eventually was awarded a five-year, $2.7 million contract for utilities billing software.

#GiftLink We're chasing this compelling story, originally from @sanfordnate.bsky.social, about a city of Bellingham employee accused of using #AI to rig a competitive bidding process regarding a $2.7 million contract.
www.bellinghamherald.com/news/politic...

A bid rigging scandal in Bellingham may involve ChatGPT At least one expert says it may be the first time AI has been at the center of procurement fraud.

I did an interview with KUOW about my reporting on a Bellingham city staffer asking ChatGPT to "exclude" a company from a public contract:
www.kuow.org/stories/a-bi...

Two side by side screenshots. The left screenshot shows a ChatGPT conversation log. The user asks ChatGPT to "create one or more utility biling software or busines relationship requirements that would favor VertexOne over Origin Smart City." ChatGPT produces a long listt of suggested requirements. The right side of the screenshot shows a requirements matrix attached to the utility billing RFP. Two of ChatGPT's suggested requirements appear verbatim in the requirements matrix.

The staffer asked ChatGPT to write requirements that would "favor" one specific company.

They also asked the AI to tailor a different requirement to "exclude" another company "without explicitly saying so."

Bellingham staffer asked ChatGPT to ‘exclude’ vendor from city contract Public records uncovered by Cascade PBS and KNKX show a city employee asking ChatGPT for help tipping the scales to ensure a preferred vendor would be awarded a contract.

Records show a Bellingham city employee asking ChatGPT for help tipping the scales to ensure a preferred vendor would be awarded a large city contract last year.

The city said it was launching an independent investigation after I reached out for comment
www.knkx.org/government/2...

Bellingham staffer asked ChatGPT to 'exclude' vendor from city contract An expert in procurement fraud says it’s the first time he’s seen AI used this way: “a classic issue that happens in government procurement… just with a modern veneer.”

Fascinating exposé by @sanfordnate.bsky.social today. The headline is damning enough, but the details of the story are object lessons about using genAI in the workplace, including: it encourages people to say the quiet part out loud, and records the result.

www.cascadepbs.org/all/2026/01/...

Seattle journalists dive into the headlines that shaped 2025 YouTube video by Seattle Channel

It’s been a tumultuous year in local politics, with voters supporting new leadership in the city & county. Journalists @ericacbarnett.bsky.social, @sanfordnate.bsky.social, & Greg Kim break down biggest stories of 2025 & what they mean for year ahead. Watch full show w/ @callananseattle.bsky.social

Oakland is quietly incorporating AI into city work From 311 chatbots to ChatGPT-written emails, Oakland officials are working with a local university to consider AI use across the city.

From 311 chatbots to ChatGPT-written emails, Oakland officials are working with a local university to consider AI use across the city.

The Houston Chronicle secured ChatGPT queries submitted by employees of Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office between July 1 and Sept. 18 through a records request. The technology has clearly found its place in the judge’s office.
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...

This is incredible. King County elections is now saying they have 45,000 ballots left to count. If Wilson gets exactly the same margin of those as she got today she'll take the lead by... 20 votes!

Speaking of razon thin races -- this council race between an incumbent conservative Republican and a young pro-choice activist is starting to look like a huge upset for progressives in Spokane:

a man is writing on a whiteboard with the words it 's simple math written below him Alt: a man is writing on a whiteboard with the words it 's simple math written below him

Seattle politics nerds explaining the next week of ballot counting

According to King County elections they had "a LOT" of dropbox activity in this election (emphasis theirs). They expect there's probably another 230-235K ballots countywide, so probably 115K or so in Seattle. Tonight will be a drop of 50-55K countywide, 25K or so in Seattle.

Wilson: “I think we’re feeling really optimistic. We’re expecting the later ballots to trend our way, so we will be out there trying to make sure every vote is counted, very hopeful for a good final result.”

First ballot drop shows Harrell ahead of Wilson 53% to 46%.

Wilson says it’s within the range of what her team expected, and she’s hopeful they’ll catch up as more ballots are counted.

Packed house at Katie Wilson’s election watch party:

Less than 20% of registered voters across WA had returned their ballots as of 5 p.m. Monday. That puts the state on track for record low turnout. Data shows returns lagging even in places with high-profile contests for offices like county executive and mayor. Voters can return ballots until 8 p.m.

Empty cubicles in the Cascade PBS newsroom

Crosscut is dead. Long live Crosscut. Today’s the official last day for me and my Cascade PBS newsroom colleagues. We did good work over the decades and it is supremely sad to see it shut down.

Staff sex abuse in Idaho women’s prisons largely unchecked InvestigateWest reporting exposes sexual abuse by guards, retaliation against victims and a system that fails to track the scope of the problem

More than two dozen women incarcerated in an Idaho prison told us they were sexually abused by staff.

And we identified 37 prison workers accused of sexual misconduct toward imprisoned women in the last 10 years. Most resigned or faced few consequences. www.investigatewest.org/staff-sexual...

Shutdown got you down? Bone up on your FOIA strategies at our AccessFest panel at 2:30 EST.

Cracking government secrets: Smart FOIA strategies that work

With @jasonleopold.bsky.social @sanfordnate.bsky.social @fishnette.bsky.social

@ire.org

I'm speaking on a panel at IRE's AccessFest today about how to obtain government chatbot records!

The Curse of the Middle Guy: Ferguson’s first 8 months as governor Expectations were high for Bob Ferguson. For many across the political spectrum, the reality has been baffling and disappointing. What happened?

The last story I edited before Monday's news was @laureldemkovich.bsky.social's excellent examination of Bob Ferguson's first 8 months as governor, a tenure marked by low public approval, decisions baffling to Dems and Republicans, and reduced press availability.
www.cascadepbs.org/politics/202...

Donate to Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed, organized by Isabella Breda On Monday, Sept. 22, Cascade PBS announced that it would be s… Isabella Breda needs your support for Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed

It’s difficult to find the words to express how our unit is feeling right now, but we’ll take a stab at it: shocked, disappointed, angry, gutted. @cascadepbs.bsky.social’s choice to eliminate long-form written reporting is a massive loss for our community in a critical moment. tinyurl.com/LayoffFund

FOIAFriday

Tomorrow, KNKX reporter Nate Stanford will be joining us about ChatGPT logs and how you can obtain them through public records.

Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

I’ll be talking about my reporting on government AI use on MuckRock’s FOIA Friday podcast this week, and on a panel at @ire.org AccessFest conference next month.

This investigation wouldn’t have been possible without support from the editors + news team who Cascade PBS decided to lay off this week

We want to know how local governments are using ChatGPT. Here’s how you can help. Help us understand how governments use this latest technology.

MuckRock is requesting ChatGPT logs from local governments across the country. Have a suggestion for us? Let us know!

Seattle Area Trans Women Are Being Attacked by Groups of Men Warning: This story contains descriptions of violence. “Go to Pony, go to Pony, go to Pony—there’s more people there,” said a frantic woman as she approached Madison Carstens and her friends next to t...

Earlier this month, three trans women were beaten by a group of young men in Seattle's gay neighborhood.

According to the county prosecutor's office, there's been at least four more group beatings since June 2024. In one case, strangers joined in. The kicker?

www.thestranger.com/news/2025/09...