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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Pierce County power-grid attacker sentenced to federal prison
A Puyallup man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for sabotaging four electrical substations in Pierce County on Christmas Day 2022.
Jeremy Crahan, 40, pleaded guilty in September and was sentenced on Friday.
Crahan and co-conspirator Matthew Greenwood, 32, of Puyallup have been ordered to pay $235,699 for the damage they did to the power grid.
Greenwood is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19.
They attacked three electrical substations before sunrise Christmas morning and a fourth that night, knocking out power to about 15,000 customers.
Crahan’s defense attorney, Lance Hester of Tacoma-based Hester Law Group, blamed “methamphetamine-impacted decision-making” for the pair’s “most unfortunate of plans”: a plot to knock out power over wide areas before robbing local businesses and banking machines.
The pair managed to steal about $100 from the cash register of a Thai restaurant, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
A spokesperson for Tacoma Power told The News Tribune it would take “multiple years” to fully repair its Graham and Elk Plain substations, both attacked on Christmas Day 2022.
Federal prosecutors say the men were plotting more attacks, involving sawing trees to fall on top of power lines, when they were arrested.
FBI officials say the two men are not suspected in a separate string of attacks on the Northwest power grid last year.
As KUOW and OPB reported in January, at least some of those attacks appeared to follow instruction manuals put out by neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists.
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Washington state phases out super-polluting gases used in refrigerators, air conditioners
You’ve probably never seen or smelled a hydrofluorocarbon, but these synthetic gases are inside the air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps in most Washington homes and businesses.
Washington state is phasing out these super-pollutants, known as HFCs.
HFCs can be hundreds or thousands of times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide, the main pollutant overheating the planet. Pound for pound, the most common refrigerant in home-cooling appliances, known as R-410a, traps 2,000 times more heat than carbon dioxide does.
HFCs are a small part of the human threat to the climate at the moment now—about 3% of the United States’ annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and 4% of Washington state’s emissions, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
But they are the fastest-growing source of climate damage.
Starting Jan. 1, it will be illegal to sell or install air conditioners, heat pumps, and dehumidifiers for residential use in Washington if they contain the worst of these super-pollutants — those at least 750 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In 2025, HFCs more than 150 times more potent than carbon dioxide will be banned from many commercial uses.
Existing equipment and retail inventory aren’t covered, but big users like supermarkets, hospitals, and seafood plants have to register their HFC use and take action to prevent leaks.
“The goal here really is to allow those systems to continue operating through their natural lifespan, because they are obviously significant investments for a business, but doing so in a way that is minimizing the amount of refrigerant that's leaking out of them,” said Leonard Machut with the Washington Department of Ecology.
Newer HFC coolants already on the market — and widely adopted in motor-vehicle air conditioners — do about two-thirds less climate damage than the ones being banned.
The vast majority of climate impact from cooling devices comes from the electricity they use.
“You should not be sacrificing efficiency for these refrigerants,” said engineer Curtis Harrington with the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at the University of California, Davis.
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Photos: Candles lit in Seattle as calls for a ceasefire in Gaza continue
A large crowd gathered Friday evening for a Jewish led rally at Pike Place Market in Seattle to light candles on the second night of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, and demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"On the second night of Chanukah, we in Jewish Voice for Peace-Seattle rekindle our own commitment to struggling for a lasting ceasefire and full Palestinian freedom," read a press release for the event.
"As Jews, we say not in our name. As Americans, we say not on our dime. We demand that Senator Patty Murray call for an immediate, lasting ceasefire and vote no on any more weapons to Israel."
In front of Pike Place Market, 'No Aid for Genocide' was spelled with electric candles.
“Chanukah means dedication, and until the ceasefire ends we are rededicating ourselves to fight for justice,” said Wendy Elisheva Somerson, speaking to the crowd.
“The Israeli government is counting on us to be too tired and too weary to go on. But the people of Gaza refuse to give up and so do we."
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Bloodworks NW removes barriers for gay, bisexual donors
Starting Wednesday, gay and bisexual men in the Pacific Northwest have more freedom to donate blood than they have had since 1985.
This year the FDA changed its donor restrictions that had come out of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and Bloodworks Northwest implemented the modernized rules Wednesday.
The old rules made it challenging for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, requiring lengthy wait periods.
Now all donors, no matter their sexual orientation, will follow the same donation policies.
Until 2015, men who had sex with men were not eligible to donate due to an indefinite deferral. After 2015, they could not donate unless they waited 12 months from their last sexual interaction.
There is still a waiting period to donate, however. Any person who has had anal sex and a new sexual partner or more than one partner will need to wait three months from that time.
Bloodworks Northwest says that the new FDA rule "further ensures safety of the blood supply, treats all potential donors equally and enables more people the opportunity to donate blood."
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Atmospheric river hits Western Washington with high winds, heavy rain, and possible flooding
December is off to a busy start in terms of the weather.
Another atmospheric river is moving into Western Washington today. It's expected to bring the heaviest rain Monday evening and into Tuesday. Some of the lowland areas are looking at getting anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches by Wednesday morning. Coastal areas could get as much as 6 inches by then.
Plus, National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott said conditions could get "disgusting" in the mountains, with both the Olympics and the Cascades looking at nine to ten inches of rain. That's means a lot of snow at higher elevations will start melting and could cause some rivers to swell.
"We're really concerned about anything from about King County up through about Skagit County. That's where the most significant river flood is going to be," Wolcott said. "But, really, anywhere in Western Washington has rivers that are susceptible to precipitation amounts that we're looking at over the next couple of days."
Most of the region will be under a flood watch until at least Wednesday night.
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Okanagan River salmon eyed for endangered-species protection
A fisheries agency is asking for public input on whether to list a salmon from the Columbia River Basin as an endangered species.
The agency isn’t from Washington state or even the United States: It’s Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the fish are Okanagan Chinooks.
They are the only remaining Chinook salmon in Canada's portion of the Columbia River Basin.
To reach their Canadian spawning grounds, these fish have to swim past 10 dams on the Columbia and Okanogan rivers in Washington state. (The international river is spelled “Okanagan” north of the border and “Okanogan” to the south.)
Another dam about 17 miles north of the international border blocks off habitats farther upriver altogether.
Canadian officials say dams and fishing in Washington are key factors in the salmon’s steep decline, as well as damage to their Canadian spawning habitat.
Only 10 wild Okanagan Chinooks spawned in 2018, down from an average of 50 from 2013 to 2017 and up from an average of nine individual fish from 2008 to 2012, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Department officials did not respond to a request for more recent numbers.
The Canadian government rejected an independent expert committee’s recommendation to declare Okanagan Chinook endangered in 2010.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is taking public comment on the proposed listing under Canada’s Species at Risk Act until Dec. 5.
About 85% of the Columbia River Basin lies within seven western states. The remaining 15% is in the province of British Columbia.
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The North Cascades Highway goes wild for the winter
A rare, yet annual, event took place Thursday night in Washington’s North Cascades.
A roadless area roughly doubled in size.
The Washington state Department of Transportation shut down State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, at 6 p.m. Thursday for the winter.
The closure inconveniences drivers traveling between eastern and western Washington but reconnects the wildlands north and south of Highway 20.
Avalanche danger beneath the jagged peaks of the North Cascades forces the snowy highway to close each winter.
The effective disappearance of 37 miles of highway beneath a blanket of snow gives wide-ranging carnivores like wolverines and lynx more room to roam for several months.
Those species thrive in roadless landscapes, where disturbance from humans and their motor vehicles is minimal.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the wolverine as a threatened species outside of Alaska on Wednesday, 29 years after environmental groups petitioned the agency to do so.
The agency listed lynx outside of Alaska as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2000.
Biologists estimate that fewer than 50 Canada lynx remain in Washington, according to the nonprofit Conservation Northwest.
The wolverine population in the Washington Cascades is probably fewer than 25 individuals, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Woodinville staple Molbak's says its been pushed out of major development project
The Molbak's Garden and Home store says it's been pushed out of a massive redevelopment project that's been in the works in Woodinville for about 15 years.
The Woodinville staple and beloved east side business of 67 years was supposed to be the centerpiece of The Gardens District. A statement from Molbak's described the project as a “city in a garden,” which was supposed to include housing, retail, restaurants, and a brand new Molbak's garden center.
However, according to Molbak's, the developer, Green Partners, recently informed the store that it is no longer part of the project and the agreement to include Molbak’s is now cancelled.
“We’re shocked and devastated that Green Partners is cutting us out of The Gardens District,” said Julie Kouhia, CEO of Molbak’s. “We’re still reeling from this news and considering a range of options as we work to better understand this sudden change.”
No explanation was given, according to Molbak's.
Green Partners is associated with Cascade Asset Management Company, which manages the assets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation trust and the Gates family.
In a statement provided to KUOW, a Cascade spokesperson said the company was "surprised" by Molbak's announcement "given that we have no plans to remove Molbak’s Garden + Home from its current location." According to the statement, Molbak's still has "years remaining on its lease."
"While Cascade is no longer planning to develop the Gardens District, we had been negotiating with Mr. Molbak toward the inclusion of his family’s business as a key feature of a possible future Gardens District," the statement reads. "However, Mr. Molbak upended the discussions even in the face of Cascade’s offer of concessions, including free rent. We expect that the Gardens District will serve the needs of Woodinville, regardless of what Molbak’s decides is in its interest."
As of June, though, the project seemed to be heading down right path — at least from Molbak's perspective.
According to Molbak's statement, a Green Partners spokesperson was at a Woodinville City Council meeting on June 20 and expressed the company's "pride" in the project: “It is a pretty rare circumstance we find ourselves in, with such a storied business and a beloved business like Molbak’s. We take great pride in what we have been able to put together with them and to create a project that integrates it for the next 65 years.”
The statement from Molbak's also included comments from Woodinville Mayor Mike Millman, who spoke in favor of keeping the store involved in The Gardens District.
“Woodinville has been working hard to create a vibrant and walkable downtown ... all while preserving and enhancing iconic Woodinville businesses like Molbak’s,” Millman said. “This Molbak’s-centric vision is why we are excited about this project and is why your Council approved the project in a 5-2 vote this past summer and this is still what the majority wants built now.”
Update notice, Wednesday, 11/29/23 at 12:57 p.m.: This story has been updated to include a statement from Cascade Asset Management Company.
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Incoming: King tides to Puget Sound
The highest tides of the year are on their way.
“King tides” are expected in Puget Sound on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings (Nov. 28-30).
King tides come every November, December, and January, when the moon, sun, and Earth line up just right.
The gravitational pull of the sun on the sea is slightly greater during those months: Earth’s elliptical orbit brings our planet 3% closer to the sun in early January than it is in July.
On Tuesday, the king tide is forecast to swell past Dungeness Spit at 5:20 a.m., then round the corner at Port Townsend at 6:14 a.m., pass Seattle at 6:25 a.m., slosh into Olympia at 7:10 a.m., and reach Shelton and the far end of Puget Sound from the Pacific Ocean around 7:51 a.m., according to Washington Sea Grant.
The Olympia and Shelton areas get the highest tides on Puget Sound, just as the end of a bathtub gets the highest sloshing.
King tides can bring coastal flooding, especially if combined with winter storms.
Low-pressure storm systems can boost high tides an extra three feet in Puget Sound.
READ: Sea level on steroids: Record tides flood Washington coastlines
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday calls for high atmospheric pressure, which tends to squish the tide down, similar to laying your head on a pillow.
This winter’s highest tides in Puget Sound are expected to arrive in January, shortly after Earth passes closest to the sun, a phenomenon known as perihelion.
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Seattle City Council approves 2024 budget with money for housing, homelessness, and mental health
The Seattle City Council approved the city's 2024 budget Tuesday, including more money for homelessness services, housing, and mental health support at Seattle Public Schools.
The plan comes after weeks of tweaking Mayor Bruce Harrell's $7.8 billion budget proposal, which largely followed the the biennial plan originally passed last fall.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said the package greatly increases the city's investment in affordable housing.
"This biennial budget yields a $600 million investment into affordable housing," she said. "Housing that's not just affordable rental units, but two-, three-, and four-bedroom units and also first-time homeownership opportunities."
In addition to money for housing, the final package includes:
- About $1.5 million for a controversial gunshot detection program. Some critics have said the program is unreliable and could lead to over-policing in some communities.
- $20 million for mental health supports for Seattle Public School students, coming from a small increase in the payroll tax on large companies.
- $300,000 for a pilot private substance use treatment for people who are homeless or dealing with unstable housing.
This is the final budget process for six of nine Council members, who either lost their reelection bids or decided not to run again. That means it will be up to the newly shaped — and decidedly more centrist — Council to figure out how to make up for a more than $200 million revenue shortfall during next year's budget process.
District 3 Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who did not run for reelection, was the sole "no" vote. Sawant has voted "no" on every budget during her three terms on the Council. She celebrated the win for student mental health, but said the overall package didn't go far enough for working people.
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Sam Altman saga takes another twist with his return to OpenAI
Sam Altman is returning to OpenAI less than a week after he was ousted from the company he co-founded.
Now, as he's set to return, several board members who fired Altman are out; According to The New York Times, the only holdover will be Adam D’Angelo, the chief executive of the question-and-answer website Quora.
"I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together," Altman said in message late Tuesday on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Altman's return caps several days of drama in the tech world, starting with his sudden ouster by the OpenAI board on Nov. 17 for reasons that are still unclear. By Monday, he was set to join Redmond-based Microsoft, a multi-billion-dollar investor in OpenAI. Microsoft hired Altman and Greg Burkman, OpenAI's president who had resigned in solidarity, with the intention to form a new AI research team at Microsoft.
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Five NPR 'Books We Love' for readers in the Pacific Northwest
It's the most wonderful time of the year: NPR released its annual "Books We Love" list this week.
A daunting 381 books made the cut for 2023. So if you (like this reader) curate your personal reading list according to NPR's recommendations, you've got a lot of new material to consider.
We did some of the hard work for you and found five books that may be of interest to readers in the Pacific Northwest.
"A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them" by Timothy Egan
KUOW listeners may recognize the latest title from Seattle author Timothy Egan. "Soundside" spoke to Egan in April about his book exploring the often-overlooked story of the Ku Klux Klan's power in northern states and the testimony that brought down its most powerful leader.
Egan documents the people attempting to expose the KKK and the woman whose testimony ultimately brought down the Grand Dragon of Indiana and one of the most powerful men in the nation.
Doug Berman, the self-described benevolent overlord of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" wrote this of "A Fever in the Heartland":
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