Denise Whitaker

KOMO 4 TV First man cured of HIV meeting with Seattle scientists to recreate cure (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jun 18, 2013 at 3:45 PM PDT Last Updated: Jun 18, 2013 at 6:45 PM PDT

The first person ever cured of HIV was in Seattle Tuesday, meeting with scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where they're in the midst of a $20 million project to defeat HIV for good, and working to recreate this cure for others.

KOMO 4 TV Breast cancer survivor to climb Mt. Hood in hopes for a cure (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jun 12, 2013 at 4:38 PM PDT Last Updated: Jun 13, 2013 at 10:22 AM PDT

An Auburn woman who battled cancer head on now fights for others she's never even met.

KOMO 4 TV Storm water pond dedicated in memory of woman who drowned (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: May 22, 2013 at 12:46 PM PDT Last Updated: May 22, 2013 at 7:45 PM PDT

Kate Fleming was one of the country's most talented narrators of audio books. But in 2006, she was trapped in her basement recording studio and drowned when an intense rain squall pushed through Seattle during the Hanukkah Eve storm.

KOMO 4 TV Local law enforcement cracking down on distracted drivers (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: May 20, 2013 at 6:09 PM PDT Last Updated: May 20, 2013 at 6:12 PM PDT

KOMO 4 TV Are you smarter than a kindergartner? These kids will put you to the test (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: May 15, 2013 at 12:12 PM PDT Last Updated: May 15, 2013 at 12:32 PM PDT

The kindergarten class at Bryant Elementary might look like a bunch of ordinary 5- and 6-year-olds, but listen to what they're saying and asking and you learn otherwise.

KOMO 4 TV 'The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance' (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: May 10, 2013 at 4:29 PM PDT Last Updated: May 13, 2013 at 7:25 AM PDT

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Marybeth Dingledy was biking to her bench this week when she crashed right into a car.

KOMO 4 TV Little-known 'mystery' program turns desperation into hope (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 31, 2013 at 6:30 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:37 PM PDT

A single mom, homeless and unemployed, ended up connected with what some might think is an unlikely source for help. The free program is rebuilding lives - but few people know it exists.

KOMO 4 TV Charges could be filed after discovery of sick bald eagles (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 26, 2013 at 4:52 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 27, 2013 at 11:56 AM PDT

Animal rescue workers at West Sound Wildlife Center saved the lives of six bald eagles found in terrible shape over the weekend.

KOMO 4 TV 5 airport control towers in state get the ax due to federal budget cuts (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 22, 2013 at 4:38 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 22, 2013 at 6:50 PM PDT

The gauntlet fell on five air traffic control towers in Washington Friday when the FAA released the list of 149 towers it will close across the country starting next month, due to those automatic federal government budget cuts.

KOMO 4 TV Simple device could be key to survival in school lockdowns (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 21, 2013 at 6:07 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:29 PM PDT

More than a dozen school districts in our state are looking to improve safety during lock downs with a simple device invented by a Thurston County man.

KOMO 4 TV Tolls could go up on Tacoma Narrows and 520 Bridges (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 19, 2013 at 5:19 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:37 PM PDT

Drivers should brace for higher costs to travel on the 520 Bridge and on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge after a state Transportation commission voted to raise tolls Tuesday afternoon.

KOMO 4 TV Wild animal sanctuary in need of help itself (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 15, 2013 at 5:56 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 15, 2013 at 6:59 PM PDT

Facing a huge budget shortfall, Sarvey Wildlife Center just had to lay off 20 percent of its paid staff and is struggling to help its animal clients.

KOMO 4 TV Prime city real estate about to be up for grabs

By Denise Whitaker Published: Mar 8, 2013 at 11:14 AM PDT Last Updated: Mar 8, 2013 at 12:29 PM PDT

Looking for a plot to invest in, or build your dream home? Seattle City Light's off-loading some unused property.

KOMO 4 TV Sequester could cut state's nutrition program for kids (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 28, 2013 at 5:44 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 28, 2013 at 6:59 PM PDT

The looming sequestration and the resulting cuts will leave tens of thousands of children in Washington state at risk of losing their link to nutrition.

KOMO 4 TV Study: Spike in number of advanced breast cancer cases in young women (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 27, 2013 at 7:01 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 27, 2013 at 7:01 PM PDT

This new study, which solely focused on metastatic breast cancers in women under age 40, shows the number of cases have more than tripled since the 1970s.

KOMO 4 TV N. Seattle attacks spark interest in self-defense (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 22, 2013 at 12:33 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:28 PM PDT

Many people are scared after a series of unsolved attacks, so a North Seattle gym is offering a free self-defense class.

KOMO 4 TV Man hit in exact spot where daughter was hit years ago (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 8, 2013 at 5:31 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 12:35 PM PDT

Des De Castro has been working as a crossing guard for more than a dozen years. And on Monday, he was struck by a car in the very same crosswalk where his daughter was hit years ago.

KOMO 4 TV Seattle teachers' MAP boycott gains nationwide support (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 6, 2013 at 5:53 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 6, 2013 at 7:17 PM PDT

A protest against a test has now stretched from Seattle all the way to the East coast. Hundreds of teachers nationwide say they stand with Garfield High School teachers who refuse to give their students the map test.

KOMO 4 TV Warrant issued for man accused of dumping emaciated puppies (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Feb 1, 2013 at 6:15 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:16 PM PDT

Christopher Merrick is accused of dumping emaciated and dehydrated dogs in the woods near JBLM. Investigators say the animals' ribs were protruding and their paws were swollen to twice the size. Some had their eyes swollen shut with mucus. Others were bleeding from open sores.

KOMO 4 TV Driver questions school-zone traffic camera hours (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jan 25, 2013 at 5:58 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 25, 2013 at 6:39 PM PDT

There is no police officer and no warning; just a speeding ticket in the mail. That's the way it works in four Seattle school zones. One North Seattle driver saw one such traffic camera snapping a photo when he drove by some 90 minutes before the start of school.

KOMO 4 TV Seattle teachers to rally against use of MAP test (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jan 21, 2013 at 4:06 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 21, 2013 at 5:43 PM PDT

Dozens of Seattle Public Schools teachers say they don't believe the test belongs in Seattle classrooms, and they plan to rally on Wednesday to have their voices heard.

KOMO 4 TV Garfield High teachers refuse to give standardized test (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jan 10, 2013 at 7:22 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 10, 2013 at 7:22 PM PDT

A group of teachers at Garfield High School have refused to administer a district-mandated standardized test they believe is flawed.

KOMO 4 TV Olympia bans camping on city-owned property (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jan 9, 2013 at 7:23 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 9, 2013 at 7:36 PM PDT

Troubling surveillance images prompted the city to ban homeless camps on city property.

KOMO 4 TV 2 Bellevue police commanders demoted over affair (Video)

By Denise Whitaker Published: Jan 8, 2013 at 2:29 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 9, 2013 at 10:20 AM PDT

Two commanders with the Bellevue Police Department have been demoted following an investigation that found the two had an affair.