'Seattle News Weekly': Renton's abandoned building, hate crimes
SEATTLE - The city of Renton has received criticism from community members this week, due to safety hazards in abandoned buildings. Additionally, this week, a serious hate crime occurred in Renton, involving teenagers who chased and beat a transgender woman.
On episode six of the "Seattle News Weekly" podcast, FOX 13 Seattle Anchor David Rose and Renton Mayor Armando Pavone discuss a former Boeing office building that has become a safety hazard and sparked local businesses' frustrations due to vandalism and squatting, along with a recent attack on a transgender woman in Renton and how the region is planning to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
'Seattle News Weekly S1E6': Mayor of Renton on abandoned buildings, youth crime and World Cup prep
On the sixth episode of the "Seattle News Weekly" podcast, FOX 13 Seattle anchor David Rose and Renton Mayor Armando Pavone talk about abandoned buildings in the city dropping property tax revenue. The two also discuss a recent attack on a transgender woman by teenagers in Renton, and how the city is preparing for the 2026 World Cup.
On the podcast, Rose asked Mayor Pavone about the costs of this building, both pertaining to the dollar amount of fines the city has implemented on the property and surrounding businesses' costs for security and fixes. Pavone said that once the property owners saw the fines increased to $3.5 million, it got their attention.
They further discussed the legal steps the city of Renton would need to take in order to properly help the situation, ethically and legally.
Earlier this week, four young men in Renton were arrested in connection with a hate crime assault of a transgender woman. The woman said young men were harassing a security guard, which led her to ask them, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Later that evening, the woman was walking back through the area, when two of the teenage brothers chased down and beat her near the Renton Transit Center Monday evening.
On the podcast, Mayor Pavone said, "We need to take a stronger stance."
The podcast concluded with a discussion over the regional approach for the large influx of visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the mayor, the whole county is coming up with a plan to make the event as enjoyable for visitors as possible.
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Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible, or YouTube.
The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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