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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Stay cool Seattle: Today So Far
- August heat wave could set records.
- Seattle City Light turned the power back on.
- Washington's GOP has a new leader.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 15, 2023.
Quick hits
- Just how hot was July? Hotter than anything on record
- Why lasers could help make the electric grid greener
- If you never got a Covid booster, get one now: experts say
You may have noticed that it's quite hot outside. As a longtime Northwesterner, anything above a scorching 70 is hot to me, but with thermometers reaching into the 90s, we're talking about temperatures that could be cause for alarm. Records could be set. This heat wave will continue until at least Wednesday at 11 p.m. That's when the local heat advisory ends. But as the National Weather Service told KUOW, keep in mind that a lot of these forecasted temperatures are for around Puget Sound waters. It will be a bit warmer more inland. Don't forget to check on pets and your more vulnerable neighbors. Maybe find a fountain, and eat some watermelon.
On top of the heat, it's possible that wildfire smoke from the Sourdough Fire, up in the North Cascades, could drift our way this week. Thankfully, however, that fire is no longer threatening hydroelectric dams and transmission lines. Seattle City Light has resumed power production at three such dams. Protective barriers have been established around transmission lines and the dams, but Seattle City Light says it could shut them down again if the fire moves back into the area. This wildfire has burned more than 2,500 acres so far. The timing is great, given the heat wave, so Seattle can power all the ACs and cooling centers needed over the next couple of days.
Washington state has a new GOP leader. State Republicans just elected Jim Walsh of Aberdeen to replace Caleb Heimlich, who just stepped down. You're likely to hear Walsh's name around GOP news moving forward. It's unknown yet if he will juggle his duties as a state representative and as the leader of the state GOP, or if he'll step down as a legislator. So far, Walsh has indicated that, under his leadership, the state party will focus on getting more Republicans to vote in elections, while trying to win over independents who might not firmly stand with the Democrat Party.
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Seattle City Council discusses new iteration of proposed drug possession law
As the Seattle City Council discussed the second version of a proposed drug possession law Monday, frontline workers asked for more funding to help people with addiction, downtown property managers spoke in support of the ordinance, and mayoral staff said they hope to fund overdose stabilization center.
The council expects to vote on the new drug possession ordinance in September. It would put the City Attorney’s Office in charge of prosecuting drug possession and public drug use, which are classified as gross misdemeanors under the state’s new drug law.
The council voted down a previous version of the measure in June. The latest version, proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell and crafted by a Fentanyl Systems Work Group he appointed, instructs police to make arrests only if the person possessing or publicly using illicit drugs poses a risk of harm to others. It also contains some additional funding to help people who overdose.
On Monday, the mayor’s special projects director Andrew Myerberg told city council members that they already have a priority in mind for the proposal’s $7 million in capital funding.
“There are certain types of programs that we want to fund with that capital money," Myerberg said. "So for example, a post-overdose stabilization center, so somewhere for people to go after they’ve overdosed to be stabilized and put on medication."
The proposal also contains $20 million from opioid settlement funds, but that is spread over 18 years, for an average of $1.15 million per year. Myerberg said those funds could be used to operate the new overdose facilities, and to fund the overdose response by the Seattle Fire Department’s Health One unit, among other uses.
Council members said they are seeking more information on how the Seattle Police Department will train officers to enforce the new law, and how officers will evaluate whether a person poses harm to others.
Council members also said they want to know how the mayor’s next budget will fund existing programs, such as LEAD, that divert people with substance use disorder from jail.
Councilmember Lisa Herbold chairs the Public Safety Committee, which convened a panel of frontline service providers Monday that included Johnny Bousquet. He is a program supervisor and a previous participant in the LEAD diversion program, which provides case management, legal assistance, and help obtaining medically assisted drug treatment and permanent housing.
“I’ve witnessed the havoc that the fentanyl and meth epidemic has wreaked on our community on a daily basis, and am myself in recovery from opiates, meth, and cocaine as of the last 5.5 years,” Bousquet said. He said he was arrested in 2014 for selling a small amount of crack and accepted into the LEAD program. “Instead of going to jail, I was given the opportunity to get my life back on track,” Bousquet said. Now he oversees that outreach to others.
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Orcas had a pretty good year: Today So Far
- Status update on orcas in the Salish Sea.
- King County Boys and Girls Club is not deterred by fear.
- Washington sends task force to Hawaii.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 14, 2023.
Quick hits
- Power production resumes at Skagit dams near Sourdough Fire
- Mike's adventures in art: Belltown Art Walk, Sofia Al-Maria, Day in Day out
- Washington's state vet says bunny-killing virus is 'here to stay'
Orcas are having a pretty decent year in the Salish Sea. The southern resident group has added two new members, and no deaths have been reported by whale watchers. According to Michael Weiss with the Center for Whale Research, it is "rare" for local orca populations to not lose some members in a year. So that's good news. On the other hand, the two new babies are actually fewer than a group of orcas this size should generally be producing each year. That hasn't happened around here for a while.
Boys and Girls Club of King County is not going to let last month's shooting at one of its outreach events stop it from moving forward. The July 28 shooting in a Rainier Beach Safeway parking lot left five wounded. The event itself is a regular community gathering, aimed at preventing gun violence, which made the incident all the more tragic. Still, Marty Jackson with the club told KUOW that fear is not going to deter them and their work will continue.
Washington state has sent its emergency task force to assist Hawaii in the wake of wildfires there. Task Force 1 was first established in the 1990s and has been activated for everything from wildfires in Oregon to 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing. The task force's William Palmer told KUOW that the team is like a Swiss army knife for emergencies — it has a lot of tools and functions to offer. In Hawaii, the team will spend at least two weeks in a mobile unit. It's sending canine teams to search for remains, and also groups to break and move concrete and steel from debris.
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Need to cool off? Here are some heat wave-friendly snacks
Staying cool is more than turning on the AC and drinking lots of water. What you eat can also make a difference.
Let’s face it, you can only drink so much water to stay hydrated. University of Washington dietitian Kelly Morrow said certain foods like cucumbers and melons can do the same job, too.
“The thing about cucumbers and melons, they have that thick rind,” Morrow said. “They also have a lot of water in them so it’s a great source of hydration.”
Even summer fruits like apricots, peaches, and berries are great sources that help with hydration. They also provide sodium and potassium — minerals that we lose through sweating.
And if spicy foods are your thing, Morrow said the heat will help you sweat and cool off.
“Tomatoes are a good source of potassium; it’s got salts in it so that helps with minerals. It’s also spicy, so that can help with some sweating and basically releasing some heat from our body.”
Morrow's pro tip: Cut watermelon into pieces and freeze them. She likes to freeze grapes, too. Both are cooling and hydrating on a hot day.
What’s your secret food to keep cool? We’d love to hear from you!
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What to know as Western Washington enters August 2023 heat wave
With temperatures slated to reach into the 90s, Western Washington is under a heat advisory until 11 p.m. Wednesday evening.
The heat wave will span Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with overnight lows struggling to dip into the 70s. Temperatures are expected to lower into the high 80s Thursday, and potentially down into the 70s by Friday.
"We haven't had an extended stretch of heat like this so far, especially with the very warm overnight lows," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Cullen. "It will be really critical to stay hydrated. Get some cool air if you can, whether it's air conditioning at your home, if you have that. If you don't, finding a cool spot for at least a couple hours during the day. That really makes a big difference in terms of health."
RELATED: Need to cool off? Here are some heat wave-friendly snacks
"It will again be quite warm tonight," Cullen added. "It's the accumulation of heat that concerns us. The one hot day by itself isn't necessarily problematic for a lot of folks, as long as you take precautions. But the longer this draws out, that's where heat really starts to impact people's health."
The National Weather Service's Jacob De Flitch also advises that temperatures will fluctuate, depending on where you are. Communities closer to Puget Sound will likely be cooler than areas farther out.
"The further south you go and away from waters, the hotter it's going to get," De Flitch said. "So right now our forecast for Monday afternoon is looking in the upper 90s. Maybe for North Bend area, near 100, and then kind of Olympia southward, also in the mid to upper 90s."
Check for information about cooling centers in:
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WA GOP picks new chair, and makes an unexpected endorsement
Over the weekend, Washington state Republicans elected a new chair to lead the state party. And after a surprise debate, the group also issued an early endorsement for a candidate's 2024 congressional campaign in Southwest Washington.
Rep. Jim Walsh, a state lawmaker from Aberdeen, was elected chair of the Washington State Republican Party during a meeting of party leaders in Olympia Saturday. He says one of his priorities is increasing Republican voter turnout and ensuring those ballots are counted.
"One side has been doing it very aggressively and very effectively, and the other side – this side – has not been, so I want to balance that," Walsh said.
Walsh says he hasn't decided whether he'll keep his seat in the state Legislature alongside his new role as party chair. The chair typically oversees party operations, plays a key part in fundraising, and acts as a public face of the GOP party as needed.
Elections continue to prove challenging for the GOP across Washington. Democrats have a majority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold no statewide offices. The last time Washington had a Republican governor was in the 1980s. Just two of Washington's 10 congressional seats are held by Republicans.
But Walsh remains optimistic heading into 2024, as he aims to broaden the GOP's appeal to people who are dissatisfied with the Democratic party.
"They're not quite Republicans yet, but they are free agents as they haven't been in the past, and that is just a massive opportunity for us," Walsh said.
Electing a new chair wasn't the only action Republican leaders took at their weekend meeting.
Walsh's election to the position came after hours of party business, including a surprise debate over whether the group should issue an early endorsement for Joe Kent. Kent is running for Congress in Southwest Washington. He is challenging U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat, who narrowly beat him in 2022.
The endorsement of Kent was initially expected to come at a party convention early next year, but after some back and forth, enough members agreed to suspend meeting rules to take a vote on it at Saturday's meeting. Ultimately, a majority supported the early endorsement for Kent's 2024 campaign.
[Copyright 2023 Northwest News Network]
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Here comes Covid, walking down the street: Today So Far
- Covid cases are rising.
- How will Seattle fill a funding gap looming on the horizon?
- Hawaiian Seattle residents watch wildfire tragedy from afar.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 11, 2023.
Quick hits
- Inflation got a little higher in July as prices for rent and gas spiked
- Washington once saw hydropower as an easy alternative to coal. That's changing
- Seattle Aquarium can borrow money to complete waterfront addition
One health expert tells KUOW that she expects the number of local Covid cases to start rising soon. Covid cases are already rising nationally, but not so much around the Seattle area. Dr. Helen Chu with UW Medicine says she understands when people say, anecdotally, that they're noticing a few more people testing positive for the virus around them. It's happening around her too! So, right now, it's a wait and see situation, but it's a safe bet that cases will rise around here, especially after schools start, people head indoors together, etc. Dr. Chu also notes that a new Covid booster will be available this fall.
Other local health officials, however, say they're starting to see Covid numbers rise. Read more here.
How will Seattle fill a funding gap looming on the horizon? If you guessed "new taxes," you'd be right (but let's be honest, that answer is super obvious). The city is spending more money than it takes in. A $221 million deficit is expected in 2025, and more gaps down the road. That's why the city formed the Revenue Stabilization Workgroup, which just delivered a report filled with suggestions around what Seattle can do. It details nine new tax ideas as well as some potential spending cuts. KUOW's David Hyde highlights one such idea: a “high pay ratio” tax, which is a tax on CEOs making considerably more money their their employees.
The wildfires striking Hawaii are difficult to watch, especially if your family is there and you're watching from an ocean away. That's what Roxanne See has been dealing with lately as she keeps track of family members on Maui. See has lived in Seattle since 2013. She has been attempting to contact family in Hawaii, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Some family members had to run into the water to escape the flames. Elsewhere on Maui, the Vogt family from the Tri-Cities was enjoying a summer vacation when the flames began to grow. A couple days ago, they stopped at a little place to eat, and enjoyed it. Today, that spot has been completely burned away.
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2 rambunctious youngsters, no dying elders might spell hope for NW orcas
Whale researchers say the Northwest’s endangered orcas have apparently had a very good year.
The southern resident killer whale population appears to have grown by two, from 73 to 75 individuals.
Results of the Center for Whale Research’s annual orca census aren’t final, but researchers say it looks like the whales had two births and no deaths over the past 12 months.
“It is rare,” Michael Weiss, the center’s research director. “We expect to lose one or two whales, at least, each year, and some years we lose as many as five, six, seven whales. So potentially having a year where we haven't lost anyone is really, really nice.”
The whale census depends on whales showing up and being photographed above the surface — a task that can take persistence, long lenses, and smooth seas. Weiss said all but one of the endangered orcas have been photographed recently.
“There's no one we currently think is missing,” Weiss said. “That being said, we haven't had enough days on the water with all of these groups to be totally sure.”
RELATED: Eavesdropping on orcas: love, grief, and family
Young orcas often die before their first birthday, but researchers say the newest members of the orcas’ L Pod, one male and one female, appeared healthy in July.
“When we saw them last, they were absolutely thriving, just really energetic and rambunctious,” said Deborah Giles, science and research director at the nonprofit Wild Orca.
Giles described the youngsters playing and roughhousing with their families off the west side of San Juan Island on July 4.
“A lot of social interaction with the family, being lifted and carried and thrown sometimes by the family, rolling over on their family members, in an attempt to get lifted,” Giles said. “It's very precious to get to see that, those playful interactions.”
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Washington sends Task Force 1 to Hawaii in wake of wildfires
A team of local first responders flew out of Boeing Field Friday to provide emergency assistance as Maui recovers from this week's deadly wildfires.
“This is a mixture of rescue specialists, guys that that know how to breach and break concrete, steel, lift and move,” said William Palmer, program manager for Washington Task Force 1. “We have five canine teams, three are human remains detection teams, and two are live find teams.”
The 35-member Task Force 1 is supported by 36 participating agencies from Seattle, King, and Pierce counties, including the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Rainier Emergency Physicians, Tacoma Fire, Mercer Island Fire, and more. FEMA is adding 10 more members for this deployment.
The team will travel in a self-contained unit and have the flexibility to perform a variety of tasks. Palmer said they usually are activated for a couple weeks at a time, but could be in Hawaii longer if needed.
"We're flexible enough to be like a Swiss army knife, we got seven or eight blades, we can do a few few different things," Palmer said.
When the task force was formed in 1991, it was the first of its kind in the United States, authorized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It previously served at disasters such as the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the Oso landslide. The team was last deployed to Oregon in 2020 to help battle wildfires. It also went to Hawaii in 2018 to help after Hurricane Lane hit the islands.
“What we consider like our finest hour usually happens when somebody else is having their worst hours,” Palmer said. “We have folks still on the team that went to the 9/11. We have some that go back as far as the Oklahoma City bombing.”
In a statement on the Maui wildfires, Gov. Jay Inslee said that Washington "is ready to assist in any way we can."
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'He's lost everything.' In Seattle, sadness — and fundraising — for Maui's wildfire survivors
The Hawaiian community in Seattle is reeling from news of the wildfires that swept across Maui and other islands this week, killing at least three dozen people and wiping out homes and businesses.
Peter Buza has dished up plate lunches to fellow Hawaiian transplants and workers in Georgetown’s industrial section for three decades. His Kauai Family Restaurant feels cheerful and relaxed. Buza does not.
“I couldn't sleep last night, just thinking," Buza said with tears in his eyes.
RELATED: Seattle woman recounts Hawaii family's escape from wildfire
Buza’s brother and sister-in-law’s home in Lahaina Town is in ashes, he said. So is their car.
“Let me quote my brother — he said it’s 'apocalyptic,'" Buza said. "It spread within minutes.”
Buza said it’s heartbreaking to watch folks like his brother, a disabled veteran, go through one more hardship.
“He's lost everything in Maui. Nothing to go back to. Nothing," Buzz said.
Scientists say climate change likely contributed to the conditions that let the fire get out of control.
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Following shooting that wounded 5, community gatherings to resume at Rainier Beach Safeway
The Boys and Girls Club of King County plans to resume its community outreach efforts at the Rainier Beach Safeway following a July 28 shooting in which five people were wounded. A return date has not yet been set.
Over the last three years, organizers have frequently held community gatherings in the grocery store's parking lot in an effort to address the root of gun violence, like that which took place last month. Advocates say there weren't any other instances of violence at the gatherings leading up to last month's shooting.
Marty Jackson is the executive director of the local Boys and Girls Club's SE Network SafetyNet Program, which organizes the community gatherings in question. Jackson grew up in this community and attended high school nearby. She said she's just one of many people working to uphold her community, and encouraged residents to get to know their neighbors.
“We didn't start this motivated by fear — we started motivated by love," she said during a press conference Thursday morning. "I love this place. Sometimes I hate that I love this place so much, but I love this place…love Rainier Beach High School — go Vikings! I’m always gonna say that, y’all. I’m a Viking to the core.”
She added that when it comes to the community healing in the wake of the shooting, it’s important to be mindful of fear-based reactions, which she said are short-sighted.
“Instead of being motivated by fear, and trying to fill up this place with law enforcement — nothing against law enforcement — but anything you do by fear isn't going to end well,” Jackson said.
She also asserted that law enforcement does have a role to play here, and part of that is facilitating better communication and building relationships with the Rainier Beach community.
That includes working with programs like hers, she said, and others in the community.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Seattle Police Department has not publicly identified any suspects or made announced any arrests in connection with the Safeway shooting.
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If you never got a Covid booster, get one now: experts say
Covid cases and hospitalizations are ticking up slightly in Washington state and King County, so people are wondering if they should run out and get another Covid shot.
Experts say some people should consider it: anyone who didn’t get last fall’s booster, and anyone who is over 65 or immunocompromised and didn’t get two of last fall’s shots.
“I would encourage them to get it,” said Shireesha Dhanireddy, an infectious disease doctor and professor at UW Medicine.
Her advice to doctors is that, if a patient didn’t get one of the Covid shots that came out last fall, they should give it to them now.
“If you have someone in your clinic that hasn’t been vaccinated, this is an opportunity to vaccinate them,” she said. “It’s been a year since that’s been out, and this person is finally interested in getting a vaccine — let’s just do it.”
King County’s public health agency agrees with her.
“The reality is that we really don't know when the new vaccine will be available,” said Dr. Eric Chow, with the county public health agency. “We have the current vaccine now, which continues to provide protection against severe disease and possibly longer-term complications.”
Given that cases and hospitalizations are increasing locally for the first time this calendar year, he said, “Why not go ahead and get updated with the recommended vaccines?”
But this story comes with an asterisk: Other experts think it’s OK for everyone to wait till the newest shots come out this fall.
Only one in four people in Washington state got last fall’s booster. In King County, the number was slightly higher: one in three. But still, a majority of people in the county and statewide never got their booster shot.
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