Hey folks, as you may have may have noticed, we’ve been doing some tinkering behind the scenes as we’re figuring out how we’re running this outfit.

That’s included a bit of experimenting, like testing how folks respond to standalone articles being sent directly to inboxes, rather than linked together in a newsletter. Or trying out running a long feature-style story versus a few smaller hits each week. Or getting to the edge of how much caffeine my body can tolerate for late-night writing without vibrating through the walls and waking the kids. I even learned how to set up an RSS feed in 2026. (It was embarrassingly simple. Consider checking it out though, if you use an RSS reader!)

It’s been about six months since our first story and to be candid, I’m proud of what we’ve done so far. As far as rough metrics go, folks here are way more likely to open and read this newsletter than most of its kind. People care about reported news in Shoreline, and that’s heartening to me.

So now, my goal is to keep going and keep growing. We’ve got a few ideas for asking folks and offering options to support us, but until we sort that out, the thing that helps the most is spreading the word. Forwarding stories and emails to friends, or sharing them where you think folks might enjoy them.

I’ve gotta do my part, too. I’m figuring out a strategy for social platforms like Bluesky, Instagram and Threads, with photo and video content.

But I’ve gotta ask: what do you, the reader, want to see? What are you curious about? Who are the people in this city that you want to learn about? Who do you want to praise? What’s making you uncomfortable? You can always reach me at [email protected] or through Signal at theosprey.13.

We’ve got some fun stuff this issue — a big long feature, some city policy, some state politics. Thank you, as always, for reading.

- David

We spent quite a bit of time with the folks from Ridgecrest Books, and plenty of folks who have worked with them, for this story, getting a peek at the ins-and-outs of the bookselling business and learning just how much a good bookseller means to authors.

Stick around to read about Ridgecrest’s work on the Highland Terrace Elementary School Book Fair. To hear leaders at HTES tell it, Ridgecrest has helped them shift the culture of reading in their school for the better. Check out the whole story here!

(Also, I was surprised to find that Shoreline — as far as I could find — has not had a bookstore in its city limits in longer than anyone I’ve spoken to could remember. Please let me know if there was a bookstore in Shoreline’s past!)

Washington’s 32nd District Sen. Jesse Salomon and Rep. Lauren Davis recapped the end of the legislative session and took answers from constituents at a town hall in Shoreline on Sunday. The looming threat, of course, is the state’s budget, which Davis believes might require “wholesale restructuring of our tax code.”

Solomon also considered that the legislature may need to do more to audit and examine state-funded programs — and that he hopes he’ll get the buy-in from his Democratic colleagues to do so.

“I fear there’s embezzlement happening, criminal embezzlement, and we’re just not looking at it enough,” Salomon said. “I can say I tried. I think it would be great to have a broader partnership in my caucus to do it.”

Read more here.

The Shoreline City Council cancelled its April 27 dinner meeting with Flock Safety, the controversial security tech company that’s been working with cities to build a national network of surveillance cameras.

According to Mayor Betsy Robertson, “several council members” said they weren’t interested in meeting with Flock. The company’s name came up many times over the last few months, especially as residents grappled with the idea of setting up speed enforcement cameras along 175th Street.

Don’t expect the birds to be back, though. “There are no plans to pursue a conversation with Flock,” Robertson said.

Check that out here.

The city saw an overall drop in reported crime during 2025, per the Shoreline Police Department’s annual report. Property Crime and Violent Crime each dropped last year; however, “crimes against society” — a category including drug crimes and prostitution — went up by more than 58%. That, per SPD, was caused by a unit focusing on those crimes.

SPD is also planning to shore up its traffic unit with a new car focused on DUI enforcement. That comes not long after the department returned an officer back to traffic enforcement after months of temporarily reassigning that car to patrol duty.

Police Chief Tommy Collins told the council Shoreline Police are planning on shoring up its ranks with the help of the King County Sheriff’s Office during Seattle’s time hosting the FIFA World Cup this summer.

Check that out here.

Thanks for reading The Osprey’s Weekly Update, we very much appreciate it. If you haven’t yet, consider subscribing. And, as always, please feel welcome to email me with questions, comments, story ideas, and your thoughts on how the Mariners should deal with the pitching rotation. See you again soon.

Take care,
David