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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'Work hard to get ahead,' Seattle Boomers say. 'Extra work, extra pay,' Gen Z says
The concept of a work/life balance "was not a thing" for most of Baby Boomer Eileen's career. You worked, and then you worked even harder to get ahead.
Fast forward a few generations and you come to 22-year-old Jade, a member of Gen Z.
"I refuse to, most times, even check my email when I’m not on the clock, definitely won’t respond to anything … there is a true boundary between my work and my personal life, and I never really let those bleed into each other," Jade told KUOW.
Both are workers in Seattle, but work quite differently. Why?
RELATED: Still grappling with staff shortages, Seattle area restaurants get creative
There's a generational gap among the workforce. Employers are trying to understand this gap amid an ongoing national worker shortage. Millennials are now the largest group in the workforce, with Gen Z coming on the job more and more each day.
In the latest episode of "Booming," a podcast about Seattle's growing pains, KUOW's Monica Nickelsburg endeavors to answer: Why does Gen Z, and some Millennials, have a reputation for being difficult to work with (if they're working at all), and why they're less inclined to go above and beyond at work?
The answer may not be what you assume.
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Warm-water turtle rescued from Salish Sea after fishermen find her stunned by cold
A loggerhead sea turtle, a species usually found in warmer waters much farther south, was spotted near the Washington-British Columbia border in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Sunday.
A father and son checking their crab traps near Pedder Bay at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, across the strait from Port Angeles, Washington, spotted an 80-pound turtle, floating listlessly in a kelp bed.
After conferring with a local zoologist and provincial authorities, the fishermen captured the cold-stunned turtle and transported it by boat, wheelbarrow, SUV, and ferry to the Vancouver Aquarium for emergency care, according to the Victoria Times-Colonist.
The female turtle’s core body temperature had fallen to 52 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Vancouver Aquarium spokesperson Todd Hauptman.
Like other cold-blooded reptiles, sea turtles rely on their surroundings to maintain their body temperature.
Loggerhead sea turtles in the North Pacific Ocean begin life as eggs buried on sandy beaches in southern Japan. Young turtles migrate to waters near Mexico and southern California, an intercontinental swim of 6,000 miles or more.
Somehow, this immature female, believed to be 15 to 20 years old, wound up off the Washington and British Columbia coast mid-winter and was stunned by the cold.
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Washington's snowpack is suffering this winter. It's not going to get much better
State climatologist Nick Bond was expecting a lower snowpack this year — but not this low.
Washington state has been on the warm side, with the exception of a deadly cold snap in mid-January. In fact, Seattle recently experienced its warmest January week on record after also going through the city's warmest December on record.
The warmth, and subsequent snowpack struggles, haven't been entirely unexpected. Washington is in the middle of an El Niño winter, which brings warmer and drier conditions to the region.
But it's also part of a global trend: The 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade, according to NOAA. And climate scientists have already said there is a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the top five warmest years.
RELATED: Seattle records its warmest December. What does that mean for mountain snowpack?
Higher temperatures may mean more precipitation falls as rain instead of snow, thus affecting the snowpack.
Bond said he expected the snowpack to be low this winter, but the extent to which it is "is a bit alarming," especially in the Olympic Mountains, where it's at just about 29% of normal. Other parts of the state have been better off, he said, like the central Cascades, where the snowpack is at about 60-70% of normal, he said.
A low snowpack in the winter translates to less water supplies for agriculture in the summer and a drier landscape that could fuel a nastier wildfire season.
"By no means are [snowpack levels] historically low, but they are getting low enough for concern," Bond said. "And the the problem is that at the end of these El Niño winters, it tends to be on the warm, dry side. So, it'd be unlikely — not impossible, but unlikely — for us to really get a healthy snowpack at this point."
RELATED: Seattle just had the warmest week in January on record
Bond said he's hoping for a cool, wet spring to delay the start of summer, when the snowpack will melt. But as we continue to grapple with a warming climate, he said years like this will get more common.
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Why are these killer whales increasingly showing up in the Salish Sea?
Traditionally, "resident" orcas have lived in the Salish Sea. They're the orcas we associate with the waters around Seattle. But another variety, "transient" orcas, have generally hung out along the West Coast, away from the interior territory of the locals — at least, that's the way it used to be. Transient orcas, aka Bigg's killer whales, appear to be sticking around the neighborhood more often.
"We know the rise of the Bigg's (orcas) is definitely a real phenomenon," said Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute. "If we compare to eight years ago ... we’ve seen about an eight-fold increase in the number of sightings in the Salish Sea, so it’s been a dramatic rise.”
RELATED: It's getting quieter in Puget Sound and easier for orcas to find dinner
The Salish Sea stretches from Olympia at the south, up through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and up into Canada along the eastern shore of Vancouver Island. Resident orcas are historically common in this region.
Shields notes that Bigg's killer whales are "thriving" and are now being sighted in the Salish Sea more often than they ever have. Over the past couple decades, the Bigg's killer whale population has grown by about 2-4% annually. Previously, observers may have expected to see these orcas showing up locally for a few days, but over the years, they've begun hanging around for weeks or months at a time.
Part of this phenomenon is due to the rise in social media and digital photos, which help organizations like the Orca Behavior Institute track whale sightings. They only track events, instead of every single person posting whale sightings online, including duplicates. But social media doesn't explain the entire story.
Resident and Bigg's orcas have different diets, and that also explains why transients love local water so much.
“The southern residents are struggling due to lack of abundant salmon that they feed on, and the transient Bigg’s killer whales are thriving because what they eat is abundant," Shields said. "They are going after harbor seals, sea lions, porpoises, and all of those populations have recovered dramatically in recent decades. So it’s no surprise that they are coming in to take advantage of what is an incredibly abundant food source for them (around Puget Sound)."
Bigg's killer whales can be divided up into two groups, Shields said — inner coastal and outer coastal. It's the inner population that has been showing up around the Salish Sea in recent years. There are an estimated 380 whales in this group, and about 250 are estimated to be hanging around our local waters each year.
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Federal Way gun store owner to pay $3 million for violating Washington gun law
Washington has concluded the first case it filed against a firearms store for violating the state's ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines.
Federal Way Discount Guns was found guilty of committing "egregious and brazen violations” of state law in April 2023, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Tuesday as he announced a multimillion dollar settlement that will close the case.
RELATED: How an $8 rifle spurred a change to Washington's background check law
According to the AG's Office:
- The Federal Way gun store, and its former owner Mohammed Baghai, are ordered to pay $3 million
- $1 million will go back to the state to cover the cost of litigating the case
- $2 million will go to local law enforcement to help counter gun violence
The AG's Office reports that after the state's ban on high-capacity magazines went into effect in July 2022, Federal Way Discount Guns sold nearly 4,000 of the magazines, despite the store being informed by distributors that they were illegal in Washington. The store continued to sell the products after the state sued over the violations in December 2022. It was the first lawsuit the office filed over the new ban.
According to the case presented by the Attorney General's Office, four investigators from the office were sent into the store over four months and purchased a total of nine high-capacity magazines, including a 50-round drum magazine. In each instance, the clerk threw away the receipt so there was no record of the product being sold. It was also commented on by staff that the sale was illegal. The store's owner, Baghai, handled one transaction for a 30-round magazine for an AR-style rifle, and a 33-round magazine for a Glock pistol.
“They knew they were violating the law, and they continued to sell these magazines," Ferguson said. "It took a court order to get them to follow the law. They fought our investigation every step of the way, including ignoring a court order to cooperate. They were held in contempt of court as a result of that.”
Baghai has since sold the shop to a family member and has moved out of state. The defendants have 30 days to pay the $3 million. Ferguson said he is confident the state will be paid and noted that the former owner owns millions in real estate investments, and has recently sold $5 million worth of land.
RELATED: 7 graphics on kids and guns in the Seattle area
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Digital reading is on the rise in King County. How do I even do that?
KUOW recently reported that the King County Library System was the second-most popular library across the United States, digitally speaking.
That inspired a great question from a reader: What the heck does that mean?
King County Library System cardholders checked out more than 8.8 million online titles in 2023. Not only does that make the King County Library System the second-most popular library with digital readers in the U.S. but also the third-most popular in the world, according to OverDrive, a digital-reading platform.
OverDrive notes that global digital readership shot up 19% in 2023, over 2022, with 662 million online checkouts.
Reader Jeannine wanted to know more about digital books, particularly how to read them and how to check them out at KCLS.
The short answer is libraries can loan eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital materials online. Readers can use apps like Libby to check out items and read or listen to them on their mobile devices, like e-readers and even their phones*.
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Seattle light rail service is back to normal... for now
Rejoice, light rail riders. Regular service resumed on the 1 Line Monday morning.
Riders were pleased to get back to the regular schedule after three weeks of train repairs that caused significant delays and crowds, particularly during peak hours. Sound Transit wrapped up repairs on Sunday.
That's a relief for riders like James Warren, who commutes from his home in West Seattle.
"I'm a dedicated transit rider," Warren said. "I'm looking forward to getting back to full strength and the system being improved."
RELATED: The One Line is back... for now
According to Sound Transit, 500 feet of northbound tracks between University Street and Westlake were repaired at the sharpest curve in the entire light rail system. The rails were reportedly worn and would have become a safety hazard if they weren't replaced.
Crews also replaced damaged "bond boxes," which provide signal connections to the tracks, and worked on several smaller projects, including repairing some southbound sections of rail and cleaning artwork.
Sound Transit officials are well aware that riders' patience has been tested over the last few weeks.
RELATED: Seattle light rail is about to get heavy for those who don't pay the fare
"We really apologize to riders for that," Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher said. "But this was work that we had to do. It's going to make the system more efficient. It's going to make the ride smoother for riders. So, it's just really part of the overall improvements that we need to do."
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Washington lawmakers crack open a fresh bottle deposit bill
State lawmakers in Olympia are once again considering a proposal to establish a bottle deposit program for Washington state.
The basic idea: Pay 10 cents per can/bottle, and return the container to get the money back. In a video promoting the proposal, State Rep. Monica Stonier explained that there is a need to increase recycling rates in Washington state.
RELATED: Where does it all go? The journey of San Juan recycling
“I was really surprised to learn about how all of the things I’ve been telling my children about the recycling process — how important it is to sort and take our stuff down to the curb — how unclean that process is and how we are not really recycling to the highest degree that we think we are in this state. The bottle bill really refines that for beverage containers," Stonier said.
“I want to make sure that what we’re telling our kids about recycling is really the truth, and that is what I think the bill does."
The effort is happening via HB 2144, which is currently going through the committee process.
The main idea is that a 10 cent deposit would be added to the price of every beverage can or bottle in the state. Customers can return those containers to a store (most likely an automated kiosk at a store) to get a voucher for the deposit money.
According to Washington's House Democratic Caucus: “Consumers will be able to return bottles at larger retail locations (determined by store size and sales volume). Those stores will have a bottle return kiosk so it won’t be the store’s staff that actually handle the returns. The kiosk will spit out a voucher that can be redeemed for cash in the checkout line.”
Distributors will be tasked with crafting a system to make it all to work. They'll charge stores 10 cents per container. The stores will pass that fee on to customers. Customers will return the containers to get the money back, and the system will then operate in reverse. The goal is to have the deposit money balance out.
The Washington Food Industry Association opposes the bills. It has placed opposition to the bottle deposit proposal on its list of 2024 legislative priorities. According to a statement on its website:
"WFIA does not support deposit return systems for beverage containers, instead we encourage the Washington State Legislature to look at Washington’s existing structure for funding, waste reduction, recycling and consumer education for creative solutions that will make a difference in reducing plastic waste in our waste streams."
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Lynnwood pays $550K fine for running afoul of standards for sewage burning
Processing sewage — it’s a dirty job for any city.
One way governments choose to process that waste is through incineration, however, the process of burning waste has to adhere to strict standards, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act.
An aging incinerator the city of Lynnwood uses to process waste has become less efficient. At the beginning of 2020, it fell out of compliance with those standards. Now the city has paid more than $550,000 in penalties to the EPA. The city will have to decommission the incinerator to comply with the standards.
The EPA will receive progress reports from the city as it works toward that goal. The agency looks forward to receiving the first of those progress reports later this month, said Bill Dunbar, spokesperson for the EPA Region 10 office in Seattle.
Northwest Public Broadcasting's Lauren Gallup has the full story here.
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Seattle will start enforcing its anti-graffiti law again
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office said it will resume enforcement of the city’s anti-graffiti ordinance, in the wake of a favorable ruling by a federal appeals court.
The city has been barred from enforcing the ordinance making illegal graffiti a gross misdemeanor for the past seven months.
RELATED: Seattle wants to put its money where its graffiti is
Last June, U.S. District judge Marsha Pechman ruled in favor of four people who challenged Seattle’s property destruction ordinance as unconstitutional. They had been arrested for writing anti-police slogans in chalk and charcoal on public property.
Pechman prohibited enforcement of the ordinance’s graffiti-related provision, saying it was overly vague and broad and raised free speech concerns. But now a three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has struck down that injunction.
The appeals court ruling concluded that Pechman “speculated about possible vagueness in hypothetical and fanciful situations” and that her concerns did not outweigh the many legitimate applications of the anti-graffiti law.
The ruling stated, ”By failing to inquire into the ordinance’s numerous lawful applications, the district court was unable to analyze whether the number of unconstitutional applications was substantially disproportionate to the statute’s lawful sweep.”
RELATED: Art vs art — $1 million worth of murals coming to Seattle walls
Braden Pence, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement that their lawsuit will continue.
“Our fight for the right to criticize the Seattle Police Department in children’s sidewalk chalk written on public property without fear of arrest and booking into jail is not over,” Pence said. “The Ninth Circuit left open paths whereby Judge Pechman can still find the anti-writing ordinance unconstitutional, and we look forward to continuing to pursuing these claims in court.”
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Seattle just had the warmest week in January on record
Seattle's average temperature in the past week was 53.8 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, that was the warmest seven-day period between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1 on record since 1984.
This after Seattle experienced its warmest December on record. Statewide, it was the third warmest December on record, according to the Office of the Washington State Climatologist. Plus, 2023 was the planet’s warmest year on record, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
“After seeing the 2023 climate analysis, I have to pause and say that the findings are astounding,” said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick. “Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record — it was the warmest by far. A warming planet means we need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change that are happening here and now, like extreme weather events that become both more frequent and severe.”
"We will continue to see records broken and extreme events grow until emissions go to zero,” Kapnick said.
Seattle may see more winter records broken this year. The NWS Climate Prediction Center is forecasting spring-like conditions over the next month.
Part of what is driving above-average temperatures is the fact that we're in the middle of an El Niño winter. El Niño conditions are typically warmer and drier in Washington.
Deputy state climatologist Karin Bumbaco explained the conditions Washington saw in January during a meeting of the Water Supply Availability Committee. Those conditions included both severe cold and the unprecedented warm spell just this week.
Bumbaco attributed the severe, and deadly, cold snap in mid-January to a rare "one-two punch" of conditions at the time. To summarize her very technical explanation, the cold snap resulted from a temporary weakening of El Niño conditions and changes in the polar vortex. In other words, the event was not typical of an El Niño.
And here's an interesting side note: The cold snap was more extreme than our recent warm spell in terms of variance from the normal. Temperatures during the cold snap fell up to 24 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures were up to 13 degrees above normal during the warm spell.
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Friends, family, and legacy. 'The Book of Will' teaches Seattle the meaning of life
In the wake of William Shakespeare’s death, two actors embark on an improbable journey to publish his complete works and ensure the playwright’s legacy lives on. Laughter ensues.
“The Book of Will” is a witty, historical-drama showing at Seattle’s Taproot Theater. It kicks off the Greenwood playhouse’s 48th season, while also introducing audiences to themes of friends, family, and friends becoming family. These themes will persist through all of Taproot’s shows this season.
With a well-paced first act, lively characters, and a bevy of Shakespeare references flying past you so fast, it’s hard to count them all, award-winning playwright Laura Gunderson presents a story that unfolds beautifully. I’ve read a ton of Shakespeare, and even I was unable to catch every reference. But the delivery, the pacing, and the energy of the performance keeps the audience engaged. My favorite moment occurs in the opening scene of act two, when the comedy is non-existent and we have two grieving characters bearing their souls in a discussion of life, death, God, and the importance of the arts.
My recommendation
“The Book of Will” is definitely worth seeing. If you are into the stage, this is a good show to ease into the new theater season. I’m sure there will be plenty of heavy stuff coming in the months ahead, so an engaging, heartfelt comedy is a nice treat to get folks back into theaters this year.
What to expect (spoilers)
This production is really fun. Even if you are not the biggest Shakespeare fan, there is plenty to connect with. Friendship, love, legacy, and honor are universal themes that are relatable to everyone. If you are Shakespeare fan, however, then you are in for a treat because this production is an ode to the legendary bard.
The play opens with seasoned actors, Henry Condell (Reginald Andre Jackson), John Heminges (Eric Jensen), and Richard Burbage (Nolan Palmer), sitting in the Globe Pub discussing a horrible rendition of “Hamlet.” The three friends are former actors in Shakespeare’s company and are livid that people are producing productions with Shakespeare's name that didn’t properly represent his work.
After a scene where the trio confront the young actor who played Hamlet so terribly, Palmer delivers a wonderful monologue to demonstrate how to properly embody a Shakespeare character. The audience vocally expressed appreciation for Palmer's artistic diatribe, but in the very next scene, we learn his character, Richard Burbage, has died. This spurs the last two remaining actors from Shakespeare's company, who are now the last two actors with true knowledge of Shakespeare's plays, to begin the seemingly impossible journey to collect and publish the complete works of William Shakespeare.
The first act was certainly enjoyable. The back-and-forth nature of the dialogue — the scenes taking place in the pub with chummy pals bantering over ale — was gripping, but there was something missing. There was a depth that was never quite reached. Great comedy needs to be paired with drama in the same way that sweet needs to be balanced with salt. The contrasting nature of pleasure and pain is what makes each sensation so impactful. The opening act of this production had all the highs, but the lows weren’t enough to create the necessary appreciation for the highpoints.
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