KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
Have any leads or feedback for the KUOW Blog? Contact Dyer Oxley at dyer@kuow.org.
Stories
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Person without a ticket gets through SeaTac security and almost flies to Hawaii
A Delta airplane at a gate at SeaTac International Airport on May 15, 2024.Someone without a ticket was able to get around security at SeaTac International Airport and get on a Delta flight to Hawaii on Christmas Eve. Airline staff, however, caught them before takeoff.
"As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended," Delta said in a statement. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
The incident happened on Delta flight 487 on Dec. 24. The flight is between Seattle and Honolulu. While the plane was being taxied to the runway, the unticketed passenger was found. The plane then returned to the gate around 1:05 p.m. and the person was kicked off. Police then found the person in an airport bathroom where they were arrested by Port of Seattle police.
The event prompted additional security checks, including a search by a K9 unit, causing the flight to be delayed by more than 2 hours.
According to the Port of Seattle, the person was able to pass through TSA security on the evening of Dec. 23. They did not have a boarding pass, yet went through normal screening. The person was also able to get onto the plane without scanning a ticket at the gate.
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Instacart joins Uber in suit to block new Seattle law for gig workers
Law & Courts
Instacart is joining Uber in a lawsuit against the city of Seattle over a new law scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2025, that would require companies to give gig workers 14 days’ notice before deactivating them.
Uber filed a complaint last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle seeking an injunction against the new rules. They say the Seattle law is unconstitutional because it violates Uber’s First Amendment rights by changing the language the company uses when implementing its policies.
RELATED: A court blocks a couple from suing Uber over a car crash because of Uber Eats' terms
Instacart reinforced those objections by filing its own complaint against the city on Tuesday. Instacart said it has policies to ensure integrity, safety, and efficiency, which Seattle’s law would override.
The Seattle City Council originally passed the “App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance” in August 2023.
The law makes it harder for companies to fire gig workers without giving a clear reason. In addition to giving workers two weeks’ notice, the law requires companies to investigate each case and give workers a chance to contest those decisions.
RELATED: Uber and Lyft are fighting minimum wage laws. But in this state, the drivers won
Companies would also have to provide notice to gig workers before most deactivations and provide the worker with records substantiating the move.
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Whooping cough cases in Washington state might hit 2,000 by end of 2024
Health
Nurses Fatima Guillen, left, and Fran Wendt, right, give Kimberly Magdeleno, 4, a Tdap whooping cough booster shot in Tacoma, Washington.AP File Photo/Ted S. WarrenCases of whooping cough continue to climb in Washington state.
So far in 2024, close to 2,000 cases have been reported, compared to just 78 at the same time last year. This year’s total is the highest since 2012.
RELATED: How measles, whooping cough and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.'s watch
Dr. Scott Lindquist, an epidemiologist with the Washington Department of Health, told KNKX that whooping cough, also known as pertussis, does have a vaccine, so it typically goes through peaks and valleys every year.
“But we’ve also seen our vaccinations decreasing,” Lindquist said. “Therein sets up a perfect chance to have multiple outbreaks of pertussis around the state.”
Whooping cough causes a severe cough and can last for months. It is especially dangerous for infants.
Early symptoms are fever, runny nose, and a cough, but it can develop into violent, uncontrolled coughing fits that leave infected people struggling to breath. The name comes from the high-pitched sound people make when inhaling after a cough.
Whooping cough moves from person to person through the air when people sneeze or cough and others breathe in those particles. People can be contagious for at least two weeks after a cough starts.
RELATED: Washington is getting whooped by whooping cough
In addition to whooping cough, King County reports an increase in emergency room visits for children between the ages of 5 and 17 suffering from walking pneumonia. Those cases have accounted for roughly 5% of ER visits since October.
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Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu
Health
This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue).Associate Press / CDCPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide.
RELATED: The CDC has confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in a human in the U.S.
Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for the virus. The product was sold through distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, as well as Canada’s British Columbia.
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” Oregon Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz said in a Tuesday news release. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.”
The recalled product is packaged in two-pound plastic bags with “best if used by” dates of May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. The company and Oregon authorities said that consumers who bought the recalled product should throw it away immediately and contact the place of purchase for a refund.
RELATED: Here's why bird flu fears are intensifying
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Heavy rain, snow, and high winds, oh my! Western Washington Christmas forecast
A bridge in Sequim, Wash. built in 1915 over the Dungeness River that has been incorporated into modern hiking trails.Santa will be surfing an atmospheric river into the Pacific Northwest in 2024, as the region is slated for a wet Christmas.
Which might look something like this...
“It is a very active period," said Dev McMillian, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. "We have a lot of hazards to consider. Bottom line, going into the holiday, primarily on Christmas Day, we have an atmospheric river that will bring high wind, heavy rainfall, and heavy snow at high elevations.”
RELATED: Atmospheric rivers aren't new. Why does it feel like we're hearing about them more?
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2024 recap: Readers' top KUOW stories from this year
Arts & Life
If there were any trends among all you KUOW readers over 2024, it was your love of animal stories (even if those animals are not very nice) and talking about the weather.VariousIf there were any trends among all you KUOW readers over 2024, it was your love of animal stories (even if those animals are not very nice) and talking about the weather.
RELATED: Listen to Bill Radke's 2024 Year in Review
But it wasn't all animals, sun, and rain. A range of other issues dominated your conversations throughout the year. Here are the top 15 stories that got the most attention on KUOW.org in 2024.
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I gave the Garfield High School victim CPR. Now I’m pulling my son from school
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'I was very concerned.' U.S. Rep. Adam Smith reflects on Biden's 2024 presidential campaign
Politics
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., speaks during the House Armed Services Committee on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Rod Lamkey / Associated PressIt's perhaps easy for Democrats to critique Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' presidential runs, now that the election is decided, but Washington Congressmember Adam Smith says that he had concerns about Biden for a few years.
"I think it was a really bad decision on behalf of Joe Biden and the people around him to decide to have him run again," Smith told NPR's Steve Inskeep.
RELATED: How AI deepfakes polluted elections in 2024
At the start of summer 2024, particularly after a poor debate performance with Republican Donald Trump, Smith was among a growing chorus of Democrats calling for Biden to step aside and let another party member run for the White House.
In July, Smith openly called for Biden to drop out of the race, saying "the stakes are simply too high." He added that the president should drop out as soon as possible, "to give the new ticket the maximum amount of time to make its case to the American people." When Vice President Kamala Harris took Biden's place, she had just over 100 days to campaign for president.
Inskeep's conversation with Congressmember Smith comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report, detailing the experiences of a handful of Democrats who spoke of difficulty scheduling meetings with the president, limited communication, and a tight inner circle around Biden.
Smith said he started developing an opinion about Biden, and a potential run for a second term, back in 2021, the president's first year in office. At the time, the United States was planning its exit from Afghanistan. As the lead Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Smith was highly anxious about the situation. He reached out to the White House and requested a meeting with the president.
"I was concerned that they were being overly optimistic about what was going to play out," Smith said. "But more than anything, I just wanted an interaction with the White House to talk about it, share policy concerns and where we're going in anticipation of the Afghan government collapsing once we pulled out."
Smith never heard back from the president in the lead up to the withdrawal. White House staff said they would try to get a meeting scheduled, but nothing happened. That's not too unusual. Presidents are very busy. But Smith felt an issue like leaving Afghanistan was important enough to prompt a conversation.
"I was not worried at all about the president's ability to do the job," Smith said. "I was not worried that he had any sort of mental problem or that he was not physically healthy to do the job. But the second piece of it is, and I've said this before, I never for one second thought it was a good idea for Joe Biden to run at the age of 82 for a second term. I had those concerns. There wasn't any particular reason at that point to go out publicly and start saying, 'Oh, he shouldn't run again.' That was 2021."
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More food safety rating signs coming to King County in 2025
Arts & Life
King County's new food safety ratingsCourtesy of Public Health Seattle and King CountyYou’ll be seeing more food safety rating signs — complete with their corresponding faces — come January. The signs indicate facilities have gone through health inspections. Once limited to restaurants, those signs will soon be posted on food trucks, food carts, and even stores selling meat and seafood.
RELATED: How's your favorite food cart's hygiene? New King County rules aim to make that transparent
Eyob Mazengia, the food safety program manager for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said all those food vendors and suppliers already undergo inspections. But their ratings have historically been posted online and were not readily visible.
“Many customers don’t either have the time or may find it difficult to access our website and may actually not be aware that these facilities are indeed getting routine inspections,” Mazengia said.
A rise in unpermitted food trucks and carts in the county also prompted the expansion of the physical signs. Still, Mazengia said the issue is more than a business permit requirement.
RELATED: Illegal food pop-ups are booming in Seattle
“It is not just that they purchased a license to operate,” he explained, “but rather it is a comprehensive review of their operation.”
That review includes whether they have proper handwashing facilities, and whether they follow food-handling safety protocols.
Just don't expect the signs to appear everywhere all at once.
Mazengia said the process of issuing the green signs will take several months. Some businesses will receive temporary signs to indicate they have a permit and are awaiting an inspection for their safety rating.
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Washington families seek jail improvements, one settlement at a time
Law & Courts
Ivan Howtopat carrying his nephew. His family has filed a claim against Klickitat County for his 2023 death in the county jail.Courtesy of Melissa HowtopatIn a new legal settlement finalized Dec. 4, commissioners for Klickitat County in south-central Washington have committed to broad changes intended to improve medical care at their jail and prevent suicides.
The commissioners have taken over jail supervision from the county sheriff, Bob Songer, and his appointed jail director, Loren Culp, who also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2020. County leaders also agreed to require additional staff training, audits, and on-site medical services.
It’s the result of a local outcry over jail conditions and a civil rights claim by the family of Ivan Howtopat. He was an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation who died by suicide in the jail while experiencing opioid withdrawal in May 2023.
RELATED: To address overcrowding, WA plans new juvenile corrections facility at a state prison
In a statement, Ivan’s mother Melissa Howtopat said, “Losing a child was the worst pain I have ever experienced and I would give all the money in the world to have Ivan back. I hope that this settlement, and the commitments to policy changes the County made in our agreement, will ensure that nobody else’s children will die in that jail.”
Attorney Corinne Sebren represented the Howtopat family. She said the county will pay the Howtopat family $2 million.
As part of the settlement, Klickitat County also committed to improved medical and mental health care, including screening and monitoring the people held in jail for opioid withdrawal and suicide risk.
The county has hired a new jail superintendent and will perform an independent audit of the jail within a year of the new supervisor’s start date.
Sebren said getting the county to commit to these changes is “a really powerful mechanism, it’s a tool we have started using more and more in our settlements.”
RELATED: Secret payments, damning audit. King County’s youth violence prevention effort, mired in scandal
Lori Zoller chairs the Klickitat County board of commissioners. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.
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'Kraven The Hunter' will not have audiences cravin' more
Arts & Life
Aaron Taylor Johnson stars as Kraven in "Kraven the Hunter," which is part of Sony's brand of Marvel movies.SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.From actors to writers and directors, "Kraven the Hunter" had all the talent it needed to make a decent superhero (or supervillain) movie. Yet, "Kraven" merely delivers another round of clichés and plot holes — the main character is awesome, the bad guy is also awesome, and they're gonna have a big fight. And that fight is akin to a 5-year-old bashing their action figures together while making "bam-bam" noises.
RELATED: 'Y2K' does for Millennials what 'Dazed and Confused' did for '70s kids
"Kraven the Hunter" tells the story of Sergei Kravinoff, who was attacked by a lion as a young man on a hunt in Ghana, but he was revived by a mysterious potion that gives him special, animalistic powers. Kravinoff endeavors to chart his own course through life, running from family drama (his dad is a gangster constantly overcompensating for a severe inferiority complex), while learning to use his powers. He takes on the name Kraven and hunts down people he deems as bad. His methods are rated-R level brutal and bloody. Along the way, he connects with a high-powered attorney named Calypso (another Marvel villain, not that they let that show in this movie), makes time for his little brother's birthday, kills a lot of people, and ultimately cannot escape his family drama.
For a taste, check out this violent and bloody trailer (some clips here are not actually included in the final cut of the movie).
Between the characters, the backstory, the side stories, and action, this movie has little energy left for depth or originality. Will this rise above Sony Picture's poor comic book movie record? No. Is this a decent addition to the overall Marvel movie universe. Maybe. Aside from "Venom," "Kraven" is perhaps the best of Sony's collection of lackluster Marvel movies. It can certainly be a fun watch for fans, but won't often be revisited in the future.
Years ago, as Marvel began building its cinematic universe, it also licensed out some of its Spider-Man characters / villains to Sony Pictures to make movies of its own. While Marvel Studios went on to dominate, and change, Hollywood, Sony's films became known for, well, simply being bad ("Madame Web," "Morbius"). Except for the "Venom" series, which was generally well-received by fans. With "Kraven the Hunter," it's clear that "Venom" was an anomaly.
"Venom" was able to overcome any faults with a little humor. It appears that "Kraven" attempted to overcome its faults by cranking the movie up to an R rating. However, any potential for laughs has been replaced with gruesome violence.
Perhaps the main reason that "Kraven" doesn't work is its story. You can see little details and themes that writers placed along the way (character quirks, family drama, humans vs nature, and vigilante justice). But you never get to linger on any of this as the movie is interrupted by one flaw or another.
Kraven is renowned for being the world's greatest hunter, yet he seeks help from Calypso, because she's a lawyer and can therefore find people he cannot. After that, Kraven reminds us that he is the world's greatest hunter and there is nobody on the planet he cannot find.
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Sea-Tac Airport says major expansion will do little harm. Neighbors don’t buy it
Environment
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shown on July 22, 2024, plans a major expansion.KUOW Photo/John RyanSea-Tac Airport is planning a major expansion, and some neighbors are crying foul.
Airport officials intend to build a new terminal and 19 new gates in the coming decade to handle more flights and relieve crowding. Planning documents maintain that the project would have “no significant impact” on health or the environment.
The cluster of expansion projects, dubbed the “sustainable airport master plan,” would result in just a 2% increase in passenger volumes above what would occur if the projects aren’t built, according to airport officials.
RELATED: Washington state hits the reset button on its search for a new airport site
“The passengers are coming, whether or not we're able to manage it into a passenger experience that folks are going to be happy with,” said airport spokesperson Perry Cooper.
“Those folks are still going to come here over the years because the region continues to grow, and we don't have another major airport that all those passengers can be going to,” Cooper said.
Airport planners predict Sea-Tac would handle 58 million passengers in 2032, versus 57 million without the expansion, up from 46 million passengers in 2022.
A coalition of neighborhood and environmental groups called the Sea-Tac Airport Community Coalition for Justice has been rallying opposition to the plan.
“For the communities in Beacon Hill, Chinatown, and Duwamish, there has not been an accounting for the added harm that's going to be coming their way,” said Maria Batayola, chair of the Beacon Hill Council and the Sea-Tac Airport Community Coalition for Justice.
Nearly two-thirds of the 420,000 residents near the airport (in Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila) or under its main flight paths (in Beacon Hill, Chinatown-International District, and the Duwamish Valley) are people of color, according to Batayola. More than 1 in 4 are immigrants or refugees.
Communities within 10 miles of Sea-Tac Airport are home to a majority of King County’s Black and Latino people, but only a third of the county’s white people.
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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is running for re-election in 2025
Elections
Bruce Harrell speaks to a crowd of supporters during an election night party on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at Block 41 on Bell Street in Seattle.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerBruce Harrell wants to be the first Seattle mayor to be elected to a second term in nearly 15 years. His re-election campaign has officially been launched.
“During my first term, we’ve made real progress and put our One Seattle approach into action — advancing our shared priorities by uniting the people of our city together around common values," Harrell said in a statement, shortly after his re-election campaign filed paperwork with the city's Ethics and Elections Commission.
Harrell's statement goes on to say his administration has "delivered public safety solutions, kept parks and sidewalks open and accessible while moving people into shelter and housing with services, made historic investments in affordable housing, prioritized a transportation system focused on safety, and passed nation-leading climate legislation."
But Harrell says there is "more work to do." His campaign announcement, however, is light on what that work includes, other than to say that Seattle needs to keep "moving forward as a city that is welcoming, affordable, and safe."
Harrell's campaign aims to break Seattle's somewhat shaky mayoral record in recent years. Greg Nickels was the last mayor to serve more than one term in office (2002-2010). Mike McGinn served one term. In 2017, Mayor Ed Murray resigned amid allegations of past sexual abuse. After that, Harrell stepped in to act as mayor for a week, then Councilmember Tim Burgess looked over the office for a few weeks until Jenny Durkan was elected. Durkan served one term.
RELATED: Harrell is 'still learning' how to address public safety
Harrell ran for mayor against his council colleague Lorena González in 2021 and was elected with nearly 59% of the vote.
His re-election campaign touts increased shelter referrals, a roughly 80% reduction in tent encampments, and a 60% decrease in RVs. However, it doesn't cite how many of those people have made it off the street and into stable housing. Harrell's campaign also notes that wages for human service providers went up under his administration, and the city established "a dual public health and public safety approach to the crisis of fentanyl" that contributed to "an 18% reduction in fatal overdoses."
Harrell's office formed the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department which combined 911 responses with behavioral health providers. And as the city grapples with a shortage of law enforcement officers, the mayor's campaign says that job applications for the Seattle Police Department are up the highest they've been in 10 years.
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