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
-
First significant rainfall since April arrives in Western Washington
Get ready for what will be one of the wettest weeks the Seattle area has seen in quite a while.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Dustin Guy said you'd have to go back to early April to find another 24-hour period with as much rain as Western Washington has experienced since Sunday. Some areas could get up to an inch of rain when it's all said and done Monday.
RELATED: Start saving water, Seattle, utility says. We’re in drought conditions
It's not stopping either. The rain will continue through Tuesday and into Wednesday, maybe even Thursday. In fact, the National Weather Service in Seattle said Sunday night that the following 24 hours would be "the wettest we've seen in months." Boy, we need it, too.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting that the fall and winter ahead will be a bit warmer and drier than normal. The Puget Sound region is already experiencing either "moderate" to "severe" drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Seattle Public Utilities has even asked its customers to voluntarily conserve water. The north Cascade Mountains are in "extreme" drought. That's where a few wildfires continue to burn.
Continue reading » -
Get ready for sword fights and quarterstaffs as Robin Hood swashbuckles in Seattle's backyard
Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor in Village Theatre’s production of "Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood," now playing in Issaquah with an upcoming run next month at the Village Theatre in Everett. This production, based on the book by award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, is a quick-witted and farcical tale of a fight against tyranny. And in this case, the fight is literal — with swords, arrows, and a slew of insults.
The hijinks are plentiful and the writing from Ludwig is clearly meant to be the lighthearted journey of a young man who is thrust into a movement for justice. Robin Hood’s character arc moves from a charming noble, whose life takes an abrupt shift when a villager who has been accused of stealing, is about to have his hands cut off on Robin Hood’s property.
This event is the spark that sets Robin Hood ablaze in his fight for justice. Before this moment, he was oblivious to the plight of the poor villagers, who in the absence of their king, had fallen victim to the greed and corruption of the king's brother, who had seized control of the land.
Here’s what to expect
This production is packed with puns, tricks, pranks, and jokes, but what stands out most is the fight choreography. The onstage sword fighting was great and there was a captivating scene when Robin Hood, played by Ricky Spaulding, and Little John, played by Quinlan Corbett, have a duel on top of a fallen tree using quarterstaffs. It was a great scene! The balance of the narrow log, the swinging of the large sticks, and the speed and coordination necessary to pull it off well was a very high degree of difficulty that provided an excellent spectacle for the audience.
The battles with swords, quarterstaffs, and even the way they managed to use bows to shoot arrows on stage was a delight. The multi-level staging and the use of a rotating platform combined with the fight choreography to make this production feel like an on-stage version of an action comedy.
Here’s what's missing
There’s a level of depth that I longed for while watching this production. And to be clear, the play works as is, but I believe the true beauty of theater is in the art form's ability to take strong stands on social issues. This play was not written recently, but the themes we see on stage are contemporary — the poor people are hungry, unsheltered, and overly taxed by the powerful elite. There was room to dig a little deeper, and to bring these issues home.
As I sat in the theater, about 20 minutes away from Seattle, where housing and homelessness are constantly on the tips of all the political tongues, there were times in the play when it was hard to lean into the funny and forget how real these issues are. When Robin Hood learns that Much the Miller is about to have his hands cut off for stealing food to feed his starving family after taxes became too high for him to afford to both pay those taxes and buy food — I wanted to stay in that moment longer. I wanted more from our hero. Instead, Robin Hood played the well-known child’s joke of pointing a finger to Sir Guy’s (the noble in charge) chest, and when the noble looked down, Robin flicked his nose. In fact, Robin cleverly got Sir Guy again immediately, and the audience rumbled with laughter both times. The joke absolutely landed with what seemed like the entire audience outside of myself, but at that time I didn’t want the funny. I wanted space to allow the absurdity of the situation to sit with all of us. The taxes were unjustly raised to the point where a working citizen couldn’t afford to both pay taxes and feed his family. So, he paid taxes and stole food and was now about to have both of his hands cut off.
The production was rife with these moments where opportunities to go beyond surface-level societal critiques were presented, only to have the story swiftly pushed forward by a witty one-liner. And even though the quips landed at an impressive rate, I still left the theater wishing the journey was just a little deeper. When the king finally returns to make everything right again, and Robin Hood is vindicated and no longer viewed as an outlaw, he gives an eloquent few lines on his new-found understanding of how we all live for one another. Robin Hood says that’s the bargain we all make for each other. This final moment of recollection was poignant and captured the sentiment that the protagonist learned. But it would have landed even more firmly if there had been times throughout the production when the action slowed and allowed for Robin Hood to mentally grapple with the plight of the people he was fighting to protect.
Who this is for
Continue reading » -
No more selling stolen goods in the CID, Seattle police say
Seattle is launching a campaign to counter illegal street vending — the selling of stolen goods — in the Chinatown-International District.
The effort is a partnership between the Seattle Police Department the city's Department of Transportation.
The city is placing 19 signs around 12th Avenue South and Jackson Street, which state: "No buying or selling merchandise." The signs will be posted in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
"We've noticed that the criminal conduct centers around stolen merchandise being sold on the sidewalks here," Captain Steven Strand says in an SPD video, also noting that a goal of the campaign is a reduction in retail thefts, and a reduction in drug use in the area.
Police say city officials found sellers peddling stolen merchandise on the sidewalks at this location, and that this is a problem for local businesses and people using nearby public transit.
"Individuals block pedestrian access to the public right-of-way by selling predominantly stolen goods on the sidewalk and at bus stops in this area," the police said in a statement. "The project aims to deter crime, through public education on illegal activities, improve safety and accessibility on sidewalk routes for all ages and abilities, as well as ensure access to public transportation."
Police also say they are planning for "outreach and enforcement action" at 12th Avenue and Jackson Street.
Captain Strand says that after all the signs are up, a flier will be distributed in the neighborhood "from the community to the community" about the illegal street vending issue.
Continue reading » -
Seattle council members call for action after another controversial police recording
Seattle City Councilmembers are calling for the Seattle Police Department to take action after another officer was allegedly caught on a recording using derogatory and offensive language.
The latest call for action comes from Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.
“This act of anti-Asian hate from a Seattle officer is disgusting and undermines the Seattle Police Department’s ability to provide basic public safety," Herbold said in a statement Saturday. "How can our APIDA communities feel safe calling the police?"
She's in agreement, she said, with calls made by the Seattle Community Police Commission and other council members for Police Chief Adrian Diaz to develop an action plan to target issues of racism within the department.
Councilmember Tammy Morales said there needs to be a focus on accountability at the police department.
"How can SPD expect the public to trust them while it remains silent as these incidents happen? What does SPD leadership plan to do to regain control of the department, address its toxic culture, and rebuild this complete breaking of trust?" Morales said in a statement.
"The reality is that no other city employee would be excused from this behavior, where they can laugh and joke about killing somebody, spit racist slurs, and continue taking home a six-figure paycheck."
RELATED: Fake tombstone and Trump flag renew questions about Seattle police culture
The statement came within hours after The Stranger published a report Friday about an ongoing dispute between a Seattle police officer and his Kenmore neighbors. The Stranger published audio from one interaction in 2022. In it, Officer Burton Hill can allegedly be heard using sexist language and a racial slur when addressing his Chinese-American neighbor. A complaint has been filed with Seattle's Office of Police Accountability.
According to Morales, Hill has had four complaints of bias policing while with SPD. She is demanding a "plan of action" from the Seattle Police Department in response to the news coverage.
Also within hours of report, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz published his own response to the news, confirming that a bias/hate complaint has been sent to the Office of Police Accountability. Diaz said he has placed Officer Hill on administrative leave.
"Although I will ultimately defer, as I am required, to the outcome of OPA’s investigation, racist language is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with the high standards the department sets for its employees," Diaz said in his statement. "While I’m grateful the complaint was filed with OPA, not knowing about this for one year causes me concern. For this reason, I have instructed my staff to review this officer’s arrest and investigation history."
"As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as Chief of Police, racist comments and behavior by department employees will not be tolerated."
Chief Diaz also apologized to the neighbor and the community for the incident, and added that there is "more work to do to build trust between the department and the people we serve.”
Continue reading » -
Bellevue closed two elementary schools. Are middle schools next?
The Bellevue School District is considering more school consolidations — this time at the middle school level.
District leaders unveiled a timeline for potential school consolidations at a school board study session Thursday, and called for parents, students, and community members to join a Superintendent Advisory Council to help inform their decisions.
The district has also hired two demographers to study enrollment trends for the next eight years across Bellevue’s five middle schools, and assess whether consolidating into fewer schools would allow the district to better maintain existing programs and services for students.
Earlier this year, the Bellevue School Board decided to close two elementary schools — Wilburton and Eastgate — as part of a school consolidation plan. The district had lost about 10% of its students over the last three years, creating a budget deficit of $20 million this school year.
Bellevue is far from alone: School districts across the state and nation have been grappling with severe budget shortfalls in the wake of the pandemic. Consequently, many school communities had to have painful conversations about what programs, services, and jobs leaders should cut — or whether they should close schools.
Earlier this week, Seattle Public Schools leaders also laid out a timeline for this year's budget process as the district faces a $104 million shortfall and may have to consolidate schools next fall. School officials were able to close a $131 million gap last year without closing schools.
In an interview with KUOW earlier this year, Bellevue’s new superintendent, Kelly Aramaki, acknowledged the district is still in a financially precarious time. Enrollment is projected to shrink another 8% over the next decade. But Aramaki says he’s ready to face it head on with structural changes.
“I think the worst thing we could do for our kids and for the community is to not be in control of our finances and then just be constantly cutting and trimming back,” he told KUOW. “That is not the kind of future that we want."
RELATED: Bellevue’s first Asian American superintendent reflects on his family’s 120-year US journey
Under Bellevue’s new timeline, data from the demographers is expected to be made public by the end of this month.
Next month, district officials will review that data as part of community forums at all five middle schools, and create a plan for “equitable and targeted outreach to specific groups.”
Continue reading » -
Is Washington state in another Covid surge?
It seems that almost everyone knows someone who has Covid in Western Washington these days, or has heard of someone who has had it recently. But in this post-pandemic emergency era, how do we know if we're in a surge?
Reductions in community testing mean data on case numbers is no longer reliable. However, Pavitra Roychoudhury is a virologist with UW Medicine and she's been watching numbers that indicate local levels of Covid. Roychoudhury keeps track of local hospitalization counts, as well as virus levels detected in wastewater. These indicate if levels are higher or lower in the area.
“The rates of hospitalizations — that is people who are in the hospital either with Covid or due to Covid — is rising in Washington and other parts of the U.S. So that is certainly indicating that something is going on," Roychoudhury said.
She added that while Covid levels detected in wastewater have also been rising, locally, they may be starting to level off.
RELATED: What will virus season look like in Washington state this year?
Nationally, hospital numbers went up to 20,000 at the start of September, the highest that count has been since March. While it's a recent uptick, it's still a low number when compared to the more than 150,000 hospitalizations that were seen in late 2021 and early 2022.
Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that hospitalizations in King County went up 8.7% in the week leading up to Sept. 9, to a total of 137 admissions, which the agency considers "low."
The uptick in Covid cases has been anticipated, as UW Medicine virologist Dr. Helen Chu told KUOW's Seattle Now in August.
"It doesn't take much to tip this over the edge, and I anticipate that once schools start and the weather gets colder, and people start gathering in doors, and all of the other viruses come back, those hospitalization numbers will start to go up," Chu said at the time.
RELATED: Covid dashboard upgraded to include flu and RSV in Washington state
Continue reading » -
Start saving water, Seattle, utility says. We’re in drought conditions
Just a couple days ahead of fall 2023 officially starting, there is snow in Washington's mountains and rain expected soon in the lowlands. Meanwhile, the region continues to deal with drought conditions, which have prompted Seattle Public Utilities to urge residents to voluntarily reduce water usage.
The summit at Crystal Mountain got its first snow of the season Wednesday. It was just a light dusting that didn't stick around for very long. Snow also fell at the Sunrise entrance at Mount Rainier this week.
Heavy rain is expected as early as Monday, when an atmospheric river is slated to arrive in the Puget Sound region. That could continue through Wednesday. The region needs it.
Most of Washington state continues to deal with drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Parts of the Puget Sound region are dealing with "moderate" to "severe" drought conditions.
Continue reading » -
Free Covid tests by mail are back, starting Monday
The Biden administration is whirring the covidtests.gov website back to life.
Starting Monday, the federal government will send up to four free Covid-19 rapid tests per household to anyone who requests them.
This announcement comes with a recognition that Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. peaked in January for the past three years running and that testing is an important component of minimizing the spread of the infection.
Many of the pandemic programs that allowed Americans to get tested, treated and vaccinated for Covid — all for free — went away this year as the pandemic emergency designation expired.
But now the Department of Health and Human Services, through its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, is making a $600 million investment in manufacturing of Covid tests.
The money has been awarded to 12 U.S. manufacturers and will buy 200 million tests. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the idea is to bolster the U.S. supply chain and reduce reliance on overseas manufacturers.
The first batch of free rapid tests by mail went out during the omicron wave of January 2022 — that was the apex of Covid infection seen so far. The free test offer was renewed several times, with a total of 755 million free tests distributed.
The government suggests you don't throw out unused tests even if the expiration date has passed. First, check the lot numbers of any you have on hand at covidtests.gov — the expiration dates for many have been extended and the website will list them.
The strategic preparedness office also gives free Covid tests to long-term care facilities, low-income senior housing, uninsured individuals, and underserved communities.
[Copyright 2023 NPR]
Continue reading » -
Here's when Seattle Public Schools will announce possible school closures
The timeline to potentially close some Seattle schools is getting clearer.
The district has not yet identified any specific schools on the chopping block, but has said closures could happen in fall 2024 as part of a plan to address a $104 million budget shortfall fueled by declining enrollment.
“This year is going to be a tremendous challenge,” Superintendent Brent Jones said Wednesday at a school board budget work session.
Under the new timeline, Jones would lay out the budget proposal in mid-November, which would likely include a list of any schools being shuttered.
Leading up to that, in October, district officials plan to provide an update on the latest enrollment numbers and community feedback from its “well-resourced school” meetings over the summer, and share general budget cut strategies.
District officials were able to close an even larger shortfall last year by draining a $42 million rainy day fund and making more than $30 million in cuts in the central office.
But now, administrators said Wednesday that the district needs to focus on long-term, structural budget cuts — including likely school closures and consolidations.
Despite the Washington state Supreme Court’s landmark McCleary ruling that funneled billions of new dollars into schools, administrators say funding doesn’t allow for students to get all the resources they need in schools with lower enrollment.
“Small schools no longer match up with the state allocation model,” Art Jarvis, deputy superintendent of academics, said Wednesday.
By launching a multi-year budget planning process and starting that process earlier in the year, Jones hopes to head off future deficits. As of Wednesday, district officials project a $129 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
Continue reading » -
How to keep carbon in Washington's forests
When forests burn, there is a specific type of environmental harm that might not immediately come to mind: Carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere.
A new study has found locations in Washington state where protecting trees could have the biggest impact on carbon storage and community safety.
“When fire burns through an area, it releases a large part of that carbon by burning the tree up," said Michael Case, a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy.
The Nature Conservancy, the University of Montana, and the U.S. Forest Service found forests in Central and Eastern Washington, California, and Arizona are hot spots — they pose the biggest risk of burning and leaking the most carbon into the atmosphere.
Case says prioritizing thinning and burning stands within these hotspots could lower wildfire risks, and help with carbon storage.
This comes after the federal government earmarked billions of dollars for reducing wildfire risks, forest managers are prioritizing what to address first.
Continue reading » -
Seattle 'poised' to get serious about public drug use, Mayor Harrell says
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell made the city's new drug law official Wednesday, when he signed the recently passed bill. The law will take effect on Oct. 20.
“We are poised to address the crisis with the seriousness that it is,” Harrell said, after he and City Attorney Ann Davison toured Evergreen Treatment Services in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood Wednesday.
Next, Mayor Harrell will issue an executive order sometime over the next few days, which will provide guidance for police on when to make arrests, and when to divert people to supportive programs. Seattle’s ordinance emphasizes that police should make arrests only if the person using drugs also poses a threat to others.
“Our officers are up for that,” he said. “So they’re not playing the role of caseworker that has been misdescribed by some accounts. What they’re simply doing is assessing threat as they are trained to do, and quite frankly that is their core competency.”
The tour at Evergreen was the first opportunity for Harrell and Davison to comment on the city's new law, which was controversial as it worked its way through the council process. They said that the tour wasn't timed to coincide with the passing of the ordinance. Instead, the visit was in honor of National Recovery Month. Evergreen offers medication-assisted treatment and wraparound services for adults with opioid use disorders.
The Seattle City Council approved the bill Tuesday with a 6-3 vote, aligning the city's drug law with the state's law, making drug possession and public use a gross misdemeanor.
Supporters expressed hopes that the new law will strengthen the city’s ability to respond to open-air drug markets and steer people to treatment and support before they overdose.
City Attorney Ann Davison says she is “relieved” that the law was passed.
“We really do need to be intervening with people in a meaningful way and making our public spaces safer, so I’m glad we can proceed on that,” she said, adding that her office will look at the cases that are referred by police to see if there are further opportunities to help people seek treatment and avoid prosecution.
“We will look at each case and make that determination based upon the facts of that case,” she said. “Knowing that we are an additional place for that exit way into treatment.”
Continue reading » -
First lady Jill Biden coming to Seattle this week
First Lady Jill Biden is slated for another visit to Seattle this week. Unlike many high-profile visits in the past, when politicians fly in and out of town within a day, Biden will spend Thursday and Friday in the area.
The first lady is fundraising locally for the Biden Victory Fund, as part of the 2024 election campaign. This includes events in Shoreline and on Mercer Island, according to The Seattle Times, which cost thousands of dollars to attend.
She also plans to talk about President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot Initiative" at Seattle's Fred Hutch Cancer Center on Friday.
RELATED: Vice President Kamala Harris visits Seattle, promotes 'Bidenomics'
Biden is expected to arrive at King County International Airport in Seattle on Thursday evening, Sept. 21. As she is transported around the city, expect traffic delays throughout the region's roadways, especially on the freeways, such as I-5 through Seattle, and I-90 across Mercer Island.
Biden's trip to Seattle is part of a West Coast tour that also includes Los Angeles and San Diego. She will travel through California on Saturday, following her appearances in Seattle.
This is Biden's third visit to the Seattle area during her tenure as first lady. She previously visited the area in October 2022, when she spoke to students at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, and also came to support events for military caregivers and wounded soldiers. Biden also visited with military families and organizations during her March 2021 visits to Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Whidbey Island.
The first lady's September visit to Seattle comes nearly a month after Vice President Kamala Harris came through to promote "Bidenomics" and the administration's efforts to combat climate change.
Continue reading »