Keiro Northwest announced on Dec. 14 that Tomio Moriguchi, former CEO of Uwajimaya and co-founder of Keiro Northwest, accepted the position of board president. Outgoing Board President Frank Fukui said, “Tomio and his contemporaries did what was once thought impossible, and Keiro is still here despite the challenges of the industry and the changes to […]
Mayor Durkan nominates Mariko Lockhart
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced on Dec. 19 she is nominating Seattle Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Interim Director Mariko Lockhart to a permanent position, pending confirmation by the City Council. “For her entire career, Mariko has proven time and again that she is committed to advancing equity across education, affordability, and the criminal justice system,” […]
ACRS music video
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) released its very first music video about the agency in November. The original song “The First One There,” performed by AAPI musicians Daniel Pak and Geo Quibuyen, looks at how ACRS came to be, what it has stood for over the last 45 years, and its role in the […]
85°C Bakery in ID holds soft opening
85°C Bakery Cafe held a soft opening at its new store at 5th Avenue and Jackson Street beginning the last week of December. The chain, which has more than 1,000 stores worldwide, operates three other locations in the area, in Federal Way, Tukwila, and Lynnwood. Nicknamed the “Starbucks of Taiwan,” 85°C specializes in fresh breads […]
University student accused of poisoning roommate
EASTON, Pa. (AP) – A former Lehigh University student has been accused of poisoning his roommate. Prosecutors announced on Dec. 20 that 22-year-old Yukai Yang will be charged with attempted homicide and related offenses. Authorities say Yang, a chemistry major, sickened his roommate with thallium and possibly other chemicals last spring. Juwan Royal experienced symptoms […]
No charges against Chinese billionaire in alleged assault
By The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors said on Dec. 21 that Chinese billionaire Richard Liu will not face charges after a woman accused him of rape while he was attending a University business program in August. Liu, founder of the Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was arrested Aug. 31 on suspicion of felony […]
US returns 3 disputed bells taken from Philippines in 1901
By JIM GOMEZAssociated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — For over a century, the Bells of Balangiga have not rung in the Philippines, a silence that the president last year called “painful.’’ Now, the revered bells will once again be heard in the country. Hundreds of Filipino villagers in 1901, armed with bolos and disguised as […]
Critique of Thai Miss Universe gown linked to royal insult
BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai social media influencer who criticized a gown worn by her country’s Miss Universe contestant could end up in court after another online personality filed a complaint with police charging that her thumbs-down fashion comment defamed the royal family. Kitjanut Chaiyosburana, a businessman and politician, said that he filed his complaint […]
ICHS mourns passing of founding volunteer Jan Ko Fisher
By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Jan Ko Fisher, one of the founding volunteers for International Community Health Services (ICHS), passed away on Dec. 7. She was the longest serving board member in ICHS’s history, filling that role since 1975. ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola said, “[Jan] was our direct connection to ICHS’s past. She represented our […]
Seattle firm sues federal government for denying H-1B visa
By StaffNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY SEATTLE — Architecture firm, MG2 Corp., is suing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in federal court over the agency’s decision to deny a work visa to one of its employees. MG2 said USCIS violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it denied its H-1B petition amendment on behalf of Bharath Raj […]