KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Are you ready for a full, super, blue moon ... that might actually be red?
Blue moons aren't actually blue. Keep that in mind Wednesday, Aug. 30, when a very rare type of moon passes overhead.
What type of rare moon? Adding it all up, the moon will be a full moon, a supermoon, and a blue moon all at once. But again, "blue moon" is just a saying, which means something that doesn't happen very often. The moon won't actually be the color blue.
However ... since we are in the territory of rare occurrences, Alice Enevoldsen, an astronomy teacher at South Seattle College and a NASA solar system ambassador, noted that there is a (tiny) chance that conditions could align to actually give us a blue, blue moon.
"If you go out and you see the moon tomorrow night, if you get lucky, and you happen to see it through the clouds, and it does look blue, the reason for that is going to be a specific kind of wildfire smoke," Enevoldsen said. "If there are particulates in the air of about one micron, then that can actually filter the light that we're seeing and make it so that the moon will look blue, usually."
RELATED: How to watch a supermoon
This phenomenon is the same reason that the moon could look red or orange at night. It's because particulates in the air can scatter different wavelengths of light (similar to how light breaks into different colors when it passes through a prism, or ya know, like that Pink Floyd album cover). It's also why sunlight can look more red or orange. Enevoldsen noted that it's the size of the particulates that can influence what hue shines through.
"But if we happen to just have a gust of the right kind of smoke go across the moon, that would be one micron particulates, then we would actually see that blue color, which has nothing to do with the fact that it's a blue moon; that could happen at any time," she said. "It's absolutely mind boggling that there is a thing going on right now that could turn it blue, probably won't."
Again that's rare. It's more likely that, with the potential of wildfire smoke, the moon could appear red — a red ... full ... super... blue moon.
The moon rises shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday, and sets around 7 a.m. Thursday morning. Even if the blue doesn't shine through, Wednesday's moon is still a rare sight to behold.
While it is close to a circle, the moon's orbit around the Earth is an elliptical journey (just like all orbits) — sometimes it is closer and sometimes it is farther away. On Wednesday, Aug. 30, the moon will be the closest to the Earth in its orbit. That makes it a supermoon.
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Jack Kerouac wrote about this fire lookout, currently threatened by fire in WA
As crews battle the Sourdough Fire in Washington's north Cascade Mountains, one corner has received particular attention for its place in literary history.
"I believe it's an author. I learned about this today, actually. Author Jack Kerouac ... he based some work off of a person who was operating out of that lookout,” Thomas Kyle-Milward with the state Department of Natural Resources told KUOW about the Sourdough Lookout.
“So it has some historical significance, which is one of the reasons why such pains were taken to make sure it was safe.”
RELATED: Evolving ecology — wisdom from 30 years as a fire lookout
Kerouac stayed at a nearby lookout, Desolation Peak, and wrote about the Sourdough location, where fellow poet Gary Snyder previously worked. For a few years, this corner of the Cascades served as a summer home, place of inspiration, and source of boredom for writers before their bylines garnered fame.
Both the Sourdough Mountain Lookout and the Desolation Peak Lookout have views of Ross Lake, where a nearby wildfire has threatened hydroelectric operations that power the city of Seattle. Crews have dropped fire retardant around the Sourdough Lookout. Kyle-Milward noted that it's the second time retardant has been used in the park. Tin-foil-like material has been wrapped around the structure to protect it from any flames, making it look like a big baked “potato,” as KUOW's John Ryan reported in early August.
The Sourdough Lookout is no longer operational, and is only staffed when needed, according to Kyle-Milward.
Across Ross Lake, a few miles north, is Desolation Peak, surrounded by dry tinder and a rocky landscape. Rocks are space, and space is illusion when it comes to wildfires that rip through a mountainside.
Desolation Peak gets its name from Lage Wernstedt. He was the first recorded person to scale the peak in 1926, after which he gave it the name that stuck — Desolation Peak — because a wildfire had recently charred the vast surrounding landscape.
Fire lookouts were constructed in the years that followed to watch for such fire threats. That’s when the writers came.
What is that feeling when you're fighting a wildfire away from where a beat poet once looked out on the plain? It's the too-huge flames vaulting us, and its good-bye, but we lean forward to the next crazy fire erupting beneath the skies.
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13 South Seattle home invasions targeted elderly Asian Americans, police say
Robbers have been forcing their way into the homes of residents living in South Seattle in recent months, leading city leaders and police officials to address the spree. Police said some victims have been pistol whipped.
There have been 14 incidents reported to police since June in several neighborhoods in the following zip codes: 98108; 98118; 98144; 98178.
Elderly people of Asian descent have been targeted in all but one of these incidents, police said Tuesday during a press conference.
"They're going after people they think are easy targets," said John O'Neil, police spokesperson.
Although police said it appears they're targeting Asian Americans, police said it doesn't amount to a hate crime.
Police described the suspects as working in groups ranging in size from three to seven people carrying guns who either rob people outside their homes or force their way inside to steal money and valuables. In one instance, a 10-year-old was led through a house at gunpoint while the family was robbed.
This pattern has emerged before. In 2016, detectives investigated several cases in which Asian American families in the Beacon Hill area were targeted. At the time Seattle Police wrote that in each of these cases, the suspects targeted households that had large amounts of cash on-hand.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell spoke on the recent increase of robberies on Monday.
“It’s just unacceptable,” he told KUOW.
Harrell said he’s recruiting police officers everywhere he goes, alluding to the ongoing staffing shortage within the Seattle Police Department. The department has a goal of recruiting 125 officers a year, a target which Harrell hopes they’re on track to reach this year.
“I hope that our City Council understands the need for strong public safety in all these areas as well,” Harrell said.
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Pink salmon are having a great 2023 return in Puget Sound
Did you know pink salmon are quite considerate? They schedule their returns during odd-numbered years. That makes things easier for folks watching salmon communities around Puget Sound, and in 2023, they are observing one of the largest pink salmon runs in the past decade.
Matt Bogaard with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is one such salmon expert who keeps track of these numbers.
"We're forecasting to see about four million Pink Salmon returning to Puget Sound this year. That's right around the 10-year average," Bogaard said. "We did see a run size of a little over 8.5 million in 2013. And we've had several large run sizes since, but in the last two pink salmon cycles, we've seen declining run sizes. So it's great to see a larger number coming back this year."
RELATED: One way to help coho salmon survive NW pollution
The 2023 pink salmon run is expected to peak now through early September.
In 2021, about 3.7 million pink salmon returned to Puget Sound.
"Pink salmon tend to swim in high-density aggregations, sort of at the shoreline, so they are a bit easier for folks to observe. They're typically chasing their preferred food source and honing in on their natal stream habitats," Bogaard said.
In recent years, the Pacific Ocean experienced consecutive La Niña cycles, which created favorable conditions for the young salmon. That could be one reason that pink salmon numbers are so high for marine observers, recreational catches, and commercial observations this year.
"We've also seen an increase in abundance in some of our other stocks," Bogaard noted. "Baker [River] sockeye, for example, has had one of the highest run sizes on record. So we're hoping that the pink, and other stocks, follow suit."
"I think we have some really positive inclinations, so far, that we should see a higher abundance of pink salmon communities here, which is great for us to meet our conservation objectives, but it's also going to be excellent to hopefully provide an increase in both recreational opportunity, as well as commercial opportunity, and for tribal co-managers as well," he said.
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Stop flying drones near wildfires. Firefighters are grounding planes as result
"Our firefighting operations are more important than those 12 likes you'll get on Instagram."
The Washington State Fire Marshall's Office has often reminded people that it's not a good idea to fly drones through wildfire zones. There are, after all, firefighters and aircraft in those same areas trying to operate amidst the chaos. But last week, the office felt the message might hit a bit harder if translated into the language of the internet.
RELATED: Ready, Set, Go — What to know about evacuating Western Washington wildfires
In case that wasn't clear: Don't fly a drone near wildfires.
Fires continue to surge in Washington state.
More firefighting personnel are set to arrive at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Monday after lightning strikes sparked more than 45 new fires southeast of Mount Rainier on Aug. 24-25.
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Tiny house villagers get internet in Seattle
People living in tiny house villages in King County are getting an upgrade this summer: Fast, reliable internet service.
The Seattle Public Library and King County are donating Wi-Fi hotspots to help villagers get online without having to leave their tiny houses.
This month, Raven Village opened its tiny houses in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. It has private rooms, a shared kitchen, onsite laundry, and a Wi-Fi hotspot for villagers to get online.
“We all know that everything — jobs, schooling, resumes, even the basic internet stuff that you have to do just to live, like bills, has to be done online,” said Joshua Goldman with the Low Income Housing Institute.
Reliable internet can be hard to come by, he said, especially at night when libraries and coffee shops are closed.
“Homeless shelters don't have Wi-Fi. We don't talk about it, but they don't,” Goldman said. “The Salvation Army has, like, a broadband system they can use, but at peak hours it's almost unusable.”
This summer, King County and the Seattle Public Library donated Wi-Fi hotspots to villages in Seattle and Tukwila.
“Installations are going great. We're actually talking about a village in transition right now, it's just coming into Seattle in the future here and already having it set up so that when they land the village becomes permanent we can offer them free Wi-Fi as well,” Goldman said.
He says internet access is essential for people trying to escape homelessness.
“Some individuals don't even have the basic stuff like a social security card and an ID,” he said. “Without internet, they can't get those things.”
Goldman says some villages had hotspots before, but the devices were not weather resistant and relied on batteries. The new hotspots are hard-wired and can support up to 20 devices at a time.
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Are kids in danger when wildfire smoke hits, even on 'moderate' days?
The Puget Sound area has seen good, moderate, and dangerous air quality in the last few weeks due to wildfire smoke. Last weekend was especially bad, but many people hit the streets and parks anyway.
The forecast this weekend is for moderate air quality, but even that is a concern, especially for children.
Dr. Catherine Karr is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She puts a fine point on that distinction:
"Kids are not small adults. That's our mantra in children's environmental health," Karr said. "They are growing and developing and their organs are undergoing transformation and development. The lungs are part of that. And the brain is a really important organ that we're starting to see concerns for exposure to air pollutants in children."
Karr said new studies suggest that exposure to higher levels of air pollution in early life may have effects on children's brain development, and lead to behavior problems or cognition problems. She urged parents and caregivers to be aware of how a child is reacting to conditions.
"If you pay attention and are aware of the air quality in your community, and you see on days when it's moderate that your child is coughing or wheezing, they are a more sensitive person, and so indeed you would definitely want to be aware and make changes for that kid," she said.
Changes might include staying inside, building a box-fan filter if you don't have air filtration in your home, setting your car air conditioner to re-circulate, and making sure kids are masked properly.
"Cloth masks do nothing," Karr said.
Karr said it's generally OK for some kids to play outside when the air quality index is in the moderate range, but she cautioned against more vigorous activities that lead to heavy breathing.
Karr noted that if it's safe and comfortable enough to close doors and windows, you can reduce exposure by about 50%. And if you're able to filter your indoor air, that figure rises closer to 80%.
For more information, Karr suggests visiting the following websites:
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One way to help coho salmon survive NW pollution
There is an air filter for your car, a filter for your tap water, and air filters for our smoky Northwest air. Now, there could be a filter to help the region's struggling salmon.
According to a new study from Washington State University, using simple biofilters on stormwater runoff can dramatically increase the survival rate of newly hatched coho salmon.
“This study highlights how vulnerable the fish are as soon as they hatch to the toxic impacts of stormwater runoff,” said lead author and associate WSU professor Jen McIntyre. “Biofiltration appears to be very effective at preventing that acute lethal toxicity. We also found that it prevented some of the sub-lethal effects, but not all of them.”
RELATED: Seattle salmon has a huge bite out of his head. Will it reach its home stream?
The effects of chemical-carrying stormwater runoff from roads, and other places, into streams and rivers has recently received a lot of attention. After years of searching for the cause of so many salmon deaths, researchers discovered in 2020 that a tire stabilizer (6PPD) breaks down into a toxic substance. As tires wear down on the road, their rubber, and all the chemicals they carry, wash into local bodies of water where fish and wildlife encounter them.
RELATED: Tribes call for national ban on salmon-killing chemical in car tires
WSU research also helped pinpoint the fish-killing culprit. The information prompted congressional hearings. The tire industry has been ordered to find safe alternatives to these chemicals. Tribes have petitioned for a national ban on the use of such chemicals.
In the meantime, mitigation methods, such as those in the recent WSU study, could help improve environmental conditions. The study put contaminated stormwater through natural biofilters — a combination of mulch, compost, sand, and gravel.
Researchers exposed coho eggs to water taken from 15 Seattle-area storm drains, which contained metals and fossil fuel chemicals that often wash off our roads. While the eggs, which are protected by a shell, survived, once the coho hatchlings encountered the contaminants, nearly all of them died.
Professor McIntyre notes that this could explain why coho have disappeared from some waterways in the Northwest.
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Grace periods, protection from cancellations: WA shields insurance policyholders amid wildfires
Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has issued an emergency order with special protections for policyholders in those areas where wildfires are burning.
People affected by the Gray Fire or the Oregon Road Fire will have extra time to pay their premiums, and will be shielded from cancellations and non-renewals until at least mid-October. The order applies to homeowners, renters, and people with auto and commercial insurance policies.
Stephanie Marquis is a spokesperson for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
Marquis said Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the order “to make sure that people impacted by the current wildfire area...if they, say, can’t get to their house, they can’t make a premium payment for their insurance — that they have a grace period where they are not going to be cancelled.”
“The typical notice for nonrenewal is 45 days, and that has been suspended up until October 17," she said.
Marquis said the emergency order could be extended or expanded depending on wildfire activity in the coming weeks.
The basis for the order is Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency declaration made Aug. 19.
“Once the governor declares a state of emergency, the insurance commissioner has the authority to do his own order directing insurance companies to add some extra protections for people that may be impacted by a natural disaster," she said.
Marquis called the order a proactive measure meant to prevent additional hardship for policyholders in the fire zones.
“We’ve all seen the devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires in Eastern Washington,” Kreidler said in a statement. “People are worried about their own and their families’ safety and protecting their property. I don’t want them to have to worry about losing their insurance coverage while the emergency is ongoing and the difficult recovery for the community begins.”
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Your dog and your health: Today So Far
- Why GameWorks stayed in Seattle.
- The health of our dogs, and us, could be related.
- Things could get smoky again.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 25, 2023.
It's not that I want GameWorks to move to Bellevue. Rather, Bellevue has a serious lack of pinball machines. If GameWorks did move across Lake Washington, it would nearly double the number of pinball machines in that city, which is currently six. Luckily for Seattle, GameWorks is staying right where it is in downtown. But as Soundside reports, a move to Bellevue was on the table when the arcade recently ran into Seattle's "fun tax." The fee on amusement devices placed a hefty price tag on operating in the city. The Seattle City Council just nixed this fee, so all is good. But the incident led Soundside down the (sometimes violent) history of Seattle's amusement industry. Now, on a personal note, GameWorks, you only have four pinball machines yourself, so let's work on that.
You need to interact with people in your life for good health. We know this because dogs need social interaction. This is one takeaway from an aging study over at UW Medicine. One of the researchers told KUOW there is a lot of overlap between good health habits of humans and dogs — good sleep, diet, and exercise. Another factor is socializing, just interacting with people. There is evidence that people do better if we hang out with others. According to this study, it's the same for dogs. In fact, dogs seem to do better when there is another dog in the home, or with families.
Be aware this weekend: It could get smoky. Not nearly as smoky as last weekend, when Seattle briefly had the worst air quality in the world (which, I'm pretty sure at least a quarter of that haze came from the Japanese Breakfast show at Zoo Tunes). But this weekend could be enough for the region to dip down into "moderate" air quality. I bring this up because there is also a red flag warning in the central Cascades (right next to the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area) that officials are closely watching. That's fancy Weather Service talk for, "Holy poopy, if a fire started, it would be super bad!" Conditions have aligned so that if a fire emerged on our side of the mountains, it would spread fast. That could mean more smoke.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
James E. Tillman, Viking scientist and University of Washington professor in his office at The Viking Computing Facility. This department collected data for NASA from the Viking lander on Mars. The lander arrived on the surface of the red planet in 1976. Tillman processed the data about the planet at UW until 1982. It was the first on-the-scene information coming from Mars. (Courtesy of Rachel Tillman)
DID YOU KNOW?
NASA's Viking 1 and Viking 2 missions were the first to ever land a device on Mars. Each Viking had an orbiter and a lander. The orbiter collected data from above Mars, while the lander roamed the surface. Part of this mission was to determine if there was life on Mars. Neither rover found conclusive evidence of life, but it did send back the first images of Mars from its surface, and provided important data about the planet's chemistry. It took Viking 1 and Viking 2 a total of 11 months to travel from Earth to Mars. The Viking 1 lander touched down on July 20, 1976, which was the seventh anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Both Viking missions were slated to last 90 days, but each orbiter continued to function for a few years. The Viking 1 orbiter stopped transmitting in 1980, and the Viking 2 orbiter stopped transmitting in 1978.
ALSO ON OUR MINDS
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What will fall 2023 weather be like in the Northwest?
While Western Washington can expect the remainder of August to be warm, even hot, it will start to feel more like fall as September sets in, even though autumn doesn't officially start until Sept. 23.
When fall does arrive in the Northwest, things could remain dry, and a bit warmer than usual.
"We're around a 33% to 40% chance of seeing above-normal seasonal temperatures, with precipitation chances possibly being 40% to 50% below the seasonal average," National Weather Service meteorologist Dev McMillian told KUOW.
El Niño will continue to influence the weather throughout the rest of 2023, which usually means warmer and drier conditions. (La Niñas have generally brought the region colder and wetter seasons.)
The Pacific Northwest region continues to battle wildfires in multiple locations. Heat and drought, combined with plenty of fuel on the ground, has kept fires burning in Spokane County. So far this summer, the National Weather Service has issued a handful of red-flag warnings for the west side of the Cascades, warning of increased risks of fires emerging in the region.
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King County Sheriff's data shows misconduct down, excessive force up
Misconduct allegations are down, and use-of-force allegations are up for the King County Sheriff's Office, according to its latest data.
A new report compiling 2022 data from the King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight shows the number of misconduct allegations made against deputies dropped by 22% in 2022, compared to the previous year.
RELATED: King County Sheriff urged to provide more interpreters for non-English speakers
The Internal Investigation Unit said that among the 334 complaints filed in 2022, the majority (71%) came from community members, and less than a third (29%) came from within the department.
The number of excessive force complaints did increase, however, from 58% to 73%.
Most of the complaints originated in South King County, more specifically in places like White Center and Burien.
Other takeaways from the 2022 report:
- Complaints coming from inside the Sheriff's Office went down by 44%. Complaints from the community dropped by 8%.
- A total of 60 allegations of excessive force were investigated in 2022; none were sustained — half were found to be justified and 40% were unfounded, according to the report.
- 5% of deputies were the subjects of 40% of allegations.
- More than 70% of deputies received no allegations.
- The most allegations against sworn officers came from zip code 98168, which covers an area south of Seattle, bordering Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila, and White Center. Sheriff's Office Precinct 4 covers this region.
RELATED: Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall graduates from police academy
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