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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UW professor describes being 'very confident' about 2018 submersible expedition with OceanGate
In 2018, researchers with the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor marine labs collaborated on multiple science projects with OceanGate, the Everett-based company behind the Titan submersible that imploded after being lost at sea, killing the five passengers on board.
A middle-depth submersible called CYCLOPS, operated by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush who is among those dead, was used to carry out the company’s partnership with UW.
“That one works really well for the Salish Sea, where the deepest water is only 1,000 feet or 1,100 feet. And CYCLOPS can go right to the bottom of it,” said Adam Summers, a professor in UW’s biology department and School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences.
RELATED: OceanGate confirms 5 dead after Titan debris found at bottom of ocean
The goal of the dives was to collect data that could help answer various questions about local marine life.
“Everything from where did these little tiny forage fish called sand lance go in the sand, to what kind of damage does scientific trawling do, to what does the diet of some of these deep water Urchins look like?” Summers said.
He spent several months weighing the risks and preparing for the potential dangers of venturing out in the submersible with OceanGate. While not negligible, Summers explained the risk of boarding CYCLOPS was lesser than that of occupying the Titanic submersible, which was intended to view ship wreckage resting at about 13,000 feet below sea level.
“We talked about the gas tanks that we had – how long they would work for us if we did get entangled and stuck below,” Summers said. “At 1,000 feet, you can easily access it with technology that can be flown to the site relatively quickly. I mean, bear in mind, our mission took place within sight of land. So, you know, really the technological resources that could be brought to bear within 48 hours were just completely different than are available 700 miles from land in the North Atlantic.”
RELATED: The Titanic tourist sub was built by a Seattle man's Everett-based company
He described OceanGate as being “absolutely fabulous about risk management – thinking about risks, what kinds of risks were tolerable, what wasn't,” adding that he “was very confident in their abilities to deal with risk.”
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The NW summer weather ahead: Today So Far
- El Niño has officially arrived and forecasters have an idea about what weather will like over the coming summer and winter.
- Amazon is heading into prime court time after running afoul of federal regulators.
- OceanGate confirms that debris from the Titan have been found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and that all five passengers are dead.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 22, 2023.
We are officially in summer, and despite the recent cool weather and rain drops, the Northwest is heading into a few months of warmer, drier weather.
Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond told KUOW that July will be hot and dry, though nothing extreme. Looking further down the road, warmer and drier than normal weather is expected through about October, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. But there are also indications that our region could get a lot of rain, too, as winter sets in. Bond notes that El Niño has officially arrived and is expected to be a strong one. In the past, strong El Niños have meant warmer winters, less snowpack, and a whole lot of rain. Flooding could be a factor in some areas.
Of course, whenever weather forecasts are being made, especially when they are so far out, there is a degree of uncertainty. Conditions could change, but as of now, this is the summer and winter weather we are expecting in the Northwest. Also, this forecast is being looked at as we head into wildfire season. Read the full story here.
Amazon is heading into prime court time after running afoul of federal regulators.
As KUOW's Monica Nickelsburg reports, the FTC is accusing Amazon of signing up customers for its Prime membership in a somewhat covert way. Customers may not have realized that they were being signed up while checking out for an order. On top of that, it is alleged that Amazon made it more difficult to cancel a Prime membership than it was to delete your MySpace account back in the day — my words, not the FTC's. The way one FTC chair put it, Amazon was using “manipulative tactics.” And the allegation is part of its "dark patterns" of operation.
At the same time of this allegation, Sen. Bernie Sanders has popped up again to look into injury rates at Amazon's warehouses. Sanders recently sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
“The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year,” Sanders wrote. Check out the full story here.
As information comes forth about the Titan that has gone missing in the Atlantic, more and more local connections have become apparent.
The Titan is a submersible watercraft used by Everett-based OceanGate. The company gives tours to the sunken Titanic. It's CEO, Stockton Rush, is a Seattle resident. The University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory had previously helped the company design another submersible called CYCLOPS. That watercraft was used to travel the depths of Puget Sound, and took UW researchers along for the ride.
"If you had asked me, at the end, how long I've been down, I would have said 10 minutes. It was three and a half hours," said Adam Summers, a professor at UW's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, noting the thrill of his Puget Sound trip.
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OceanGate confirms 5 dead after Titan debris found at bottom of ocean
The United States Coast Guard has confirmed that a debris field found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean is from the missing Titan submersible vehicle. All five passengers who were on the vessel are dead.
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost," OceanGate said in a statement Thursday.
"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
See OceanGate's full statement below.
The Coast Guard said that the debris indicates a "catastrophic implosion of the vessel." The wreckage was found by a remote vehicle sent by a Canadian ship involved in the search. More remote vessels will continue to search the scene, but search crews will be leaving the area.
OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington. Its CEO, Stockton Rush, is a Seattle resident. Its work to develop submersible vehicles took place around Puget Sound over the past decade, before offering underwater trips to see the sunken Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.
Debris from the submersible were found about 1,600 feet from the Titanic, where the vessel was en route to before going missing earlier this week.
Full statement from OceanGate:
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
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The end of Oregon's self-serve ban at gas stations is near
For decades, it's been a common moment of frustration and confusion among Washington drivers who cross the border into Oregon — stop for gas, get out, grab the pump, and then watch someone run up to you yelling that self-serve gas is not allowed.
Such moments could soon be a thing of the past in Oregon. Lawmakers have voted to nix the state's ban on self-serve gas.
HB 2426 has passed Oregon's House and Senate, and is now headed to Gov. Tina Kotek for a signature. After that, Oregon drivers can pump gas themselves.
Things won't entirely change at Oregon's gas stations. Stations will still be required to staff an attendant at half of its pumps. The other half can be open for self-serve.
According to the new rules, gas stations will still be required to staff an attendant in more populated counties, and they will not be allowed to charge different prices between self-serve gas and full-service gas.
If and when Oregon's governor signs off the new rules, New Jersey will be the only state in the nation that requires an attendant to pump gas.
As Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, the proposal did split usual allies at the State Capitol. Nine of the Senate's 17 Democrats voted against the idea, citing concerns that it would kill jobs. Some are concerned that it is a step toward removing the gas station attendant requirement altogether.
Oregon first prohibited self-service at gas stations in 1951. The law argued that drivers pumping their own gas could spill and cause slippery surfaces, putting vulnerable people in danger. Exposure to toxic fumes and the potential for crime was also a concern. "The dangers of crime and slick surfaces ... are enhanced because Oregon’s weather is uniquely adverse, causing wet pavement and reduced visibility," Oregon's gas station law states.
The Oregonian also reports that the state has incrementally eased up on the self-serve ban. In 2015, the state began allowing counties with 40,000 residents or fewer to pump their own gas at night. That allowance opened up to more counties in 2017. The state's fire marshal has also paused the ban during wildfires and heatwaves since 2020. And the rules were again paused during pandemic shutdowns. Modifications to the rules in recent years created a patchwork of Oregon counties where self-serve gas was allowed.
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Seattle 'streamlines' environmental review for some downtown buildings
The approval process just got faster for certain construction projects in downtown Seattle. The City Council voted to cut down on environmental reviews for small and medium-sized projects in the area.
City Councilmember Dan Strauss says other laws already cover factors like traffic, air quality, and noise pollution, making additional review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) redundant.
“The shorthand understanding of what this bill does is it reduces time and cost for building or renovating projects downtown, so that we can revitalize downtown faster,” Strauss said.
Downtown has many buildings that must quickly adapt to a changing real estate market. For example, office buildings that could be converted to apartment towers.
Under the new rule, downtown buildings with up to 200 residential units would be exempt from SEPA review. Non-residential downtown buildings of up to 30,000 square feet will also be exempted.
Some residents are concerned that removing the SEPA review process will eliminate a simple report that outlines the environmental impacts of projects.
When a project falls under the expanded exemptions, people will also lose the ability to file an appeal through SEPA if they suspect a developer has glossed over an issue.
This move aligns with a larger trend on the West Coast, where lawmakers are reducing regulations to address housing shortages, or to simplify the process of converting a building from one use to another.
Generally, these lawmakers say environmental review, while important, has been used to restrict housing density in cities, resulting in more damage to the environment from urban sprawl and longer commutes.
The changes in Seattle this week pale in comparison to new SEPA exemptions for housing authorized statewide by the Washington State Legislature earlier this year.
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Seattle considers 'restricted racing zones' on streets
A Seattle City Council committee is reviewing a plan that would designate certain streets as "restricted racing zones."
The proposal would bring the city in line with a state law passed last year that allows cities to use automated enforcement cameras to cite racing violators in these specific areas.
In Seattle, six areas are being considered as restricted racing zones:
- Alki Avenue SW between 63rd Avenue SW and Harbor Avenue SW
- Harbor Avenue SW between Alki Avenue SW and SW Spokane Street
- West Marginal Way SW between SW Spokane Street and Second Avenue SW
- Sand Point Way NE between 38th Avenue NE and NE 95th Street
- NE 65th Street between Sand Point Way NE and Magnuson Park
- Roadways inside Magnuson Park including, but not limited to, NE 65th Street and Lake Shore Drive NW
The ordinance doesn't necessarily add new traffic cameras to Seattle streets. Rather, it allows for a new use of existing traffic cameras, as well as new ones. According to the bill, the new use would be to "detect speed violations in walk areas, public park zones, hospital zones, and restricted racing zones."
RELATED: Kirkland has new cameras targeting speeding drivers
The cameras are managed by the Seattle Police Department. An officer would be required to review and approve citations.
The Council's Transportation and Public Utilities Committee could take a look at the proposal again sometime next month. If approved, the Council expects that the plan will go active in coming years as new budgets are crafted.
According to the proposed ordinance, Seattle has embraced similar camera enforcement programs over the years that are now commonplace. Red light cameras went live in 2006. School zone cameras went up in 2012, and cameras for "blocking the box" at intersections as well as in transit-only lanes began in 2022. The city's current 2023-24 budget also includes money to increase the number of school zone cameras in Seattle from 35 to 70.
Seattle is not the only local city looking to tech to tackle speeding and street racing. In 2022, Kirkland became the first Washington city to try a new technology that measures the level of noise racing cars produce, and in turn activates cameras to capture potential racing. A pilot program for this experimental tech began in December.
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The only frog in the world that goes 'ribbit' is here in the Pacific Northwest
Fun fact we just learned: The only frog in the world to actually go “ribbit” is right here in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s called the Pacific chorus frog, and Washington made it the official state amphibian in 2007.
Scientists refer to their ribbit as a croak. Males call out to females, and then other males join in. The frogs stop when a female approaches. According to the San Francisco Zoo, “Breeding takes place at night, near shallow water, typically after rainfall.”
The zoo explains that the frog’s vocal sac can swell to three times the size of its head. The zoo adds that, “Aggressive encounters between adult male Pacific Chorus Frogs are common.”
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Behind Seattle's caste discrimination law: Today So Far
- Tensions were high around Seattle City Hall when the Council passed the city's law against caste discrimination. One supporter spoke out about her caste for the first time.
- Seattle has made a couple big hires that will influence the city as it grows.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 21, 2023.
The Seattle City Council debated a proposed local law in February that would make discrimination based on caste illegal in the city. A February council meeting on the issue drew supporters and opponents from Seattle and beyond. Tensions and emotions were high.
Shobha Swamy flew in from Atlanta to voice her opposition to Seattle's proposal, as a representative of the Coalition of Hindus of North America. Some argued that the law unfairly targeted Hindus. Others worried that Seattle's law would increase discrimination. A Seattle tech business owner said that the law reminded him of the discrimination in India, which he felt was obsolete in the USA.
But they weren't the only voices in the room that day. Others related different experiences, both direct and indirect, after moving to the United States. It hasn't felt obsolete to them. The Council eventually approved the law, meaning that discrimination based on caste is as illegal as discrimination based on race or religion in Seattle. This would be for things like hiring and renting. Upon its approval, some broke into tears.
Seattle Now had a really good conversation about this shortly after the law passed.
At that meeting in February, Rita Meher spoke in favor of the ordinance. Meher is known around Seattle as executive director of Tasveer, the largest South Asian film festival in the USA. Until that meeting, it wasn't widely known that she was Adivasi.
"Adivasi are indigenous tribal communities who face caste discrimination, and untouchability ... I face social and economic ostracization," Meher said in front of the Council.
Talking with KUOW's RadioActive, Meher recalled growing up in India and being forced to stand in front of her class so students would know who the lower castes were, "and immediately you would see a reaction or they would snicker at you."
Meher kept this fact a secret, even after moving to the United States. But now, years later, at age 50, she decided it was time to stop hiding. That led to her revealing comments in front of the Council earlier this year. Despite living openly, this move didn't come without consequences.
The city of Seattle has made a couple big hires recently that will influence how different corners of the city take shape.
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Summer is here: What to expect for PNW wildfire season and more
While spring in the Northwest has been cool and damp, the extended forecast shows the first few days of summer will be sunny and relatively warm. Things are expected to heat up, and dry out, as we head into the thick of wildfire season 2023.
The summer solstice arrived in the Northwest at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday, June 21. With more than half of the day getting light in the Seattle area, highs on this first summer day will reach the low 70s into the evening.
Looking ahead, Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond said the first half of July, in particular, is likely to be hot and dry, though not extreme. That's good news after an especially dry May left conditions across much of the state susceptible to fire.
Above normal temperatures are expected throughout the Northwest in July, as well as below normal precipitation. That forecast remains the same through about October, according to the National Weather Service's current assessment.
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The Titanic tourist sub was built by a Seattle man's Everett-based company
The clock is ticking ominously as rescue crews surveil the North Atlantic for a possible sighting of the Titan, a unique submersible watercraft that was built by OceanGate Inc., an Everett, Washington, company.
The vessel's captain is Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate and a Seattle resident who records show lives in Madison Valley.
The Titan descended into frigid Atlantic waters on Sunday with five people aboard — it has been described as a van without seats with a bubble window at the end for viewing. Those aboard hoped to see wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912.
Rush uses a repurposed videogame controller to drive the Titan down to the Titanic wreckage spot, which is submerged 2.4 miles below sea level.
The sub has a 96-hour oxygen supply (four days) for five people and is expected to run out of breathable air by Thursday morning.
The University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory worked with Rush and OceanGate from 2013 to 2020, a spokesperson said. They worked on an earlier version of the sub, a shallow diving submersible called CYCLOPS.
Adam Summers, a professor at UW's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, described the thrill of going to the bottom of the Salish Sea with CYCLOPS. Stockton Rush piloted the vessel.
"If you had asked me, at the end, how long I've been down, I would have said 10 minutes," Summers said. "It was three and a half hours."
It was worth the risk, he continued.
"It was completely worth the price of admission to see the stuff we saw," Summers said. "I would have gone again in a heartbeat. I mean, if I'd had the resources and they'd been able to offer me a trip on the Titan, I would have been on the Titan. I absolutely had confidence in their safety ability."
The UW was not involved with the design, engineering, or testing of the Titan sub, the spokesperson said. The Boeing Company worked with OceanGate and the UW on initial design analysis.
Rush is an amateur diver who moved to Seattle in 1990, according to a University of Washington press release related to CYCLOPS.
Rush “became involved with submarines as a way to explore the Pacific Northwest marine environment without having to deal with the cold water and cumbersome dry suits.”
The press release continues: “When he discovered that subs-for-hire were in short supply, he bought an unfinished sub and finished it for his own use.”
According to Rush’s biography on the OceanGate Inc. website, he was a pilot and served on the board of directors for Seattle’s BlueView Technologies, a manufacturer of small, high-frequency sonar systems.
He also served as a trustee for the Museum of Flight in Seattle. He has a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business, according to his biography.
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Uncommon type of surprise arrives in the mail: Today So Far
- Tom Hanks unexpectedly gives one of his many typewriters to a small Bremerton shop.
- Young refugees find poetry in Tukwila.
- King County officials are tightening their grip on many oversight programs around at-risk youth.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 20, 2023.
It was an average day at Bremerton Office Machine Company when owner Paul Lundy began going through the mail, but one package among the stack stood out. It came as quite a surprise — a typewriter signed by Tom Hanks, with a special message, typed by the actor.
To say that Hanks loves typewriters would be an understatement. He has amassed a collection numbering hundreds the writing machines. I might say it's weird to be so fond of these outdated, complicated machines ... if I wasn't, sort of, one of these weirdos. They're interesting characters; the sort of people who type "ctrl z" on a typewriter in an antique shop and walk away snickering (or maybe that's just me). There remains a small market of folks who still use typewriters, from authors to offices that continue to use them. This spot in Bremerton is one of a few shops where people can still get typewriters repaired. Which is probably why Hanks was aware of it, as well as a handful of others across the USA where he recently sent some of his old typewriters.
The problem with collecting typewriters is that you end up with quite a few funky smelling machines that stay on a shelf somewhere. You tell yourself that you'll get to them someday, but they stay funky. I don't think Hanks has that experience, however. He likes to pick up rare models wherever he can find them and keep them clacking. But, apparently, he still has a problem with having enough space for all of them. Perhaps that's why he recently began mailing some of his collection to small shops. They each came with a letter, typed by Hanks, instructing the shops on what to do with his machines. That's not all that came with the typewriters. Over at Bremerton Office Machine Company, Lundy realized that this package was more than a typewriter, it was an opportunity. Check out the full story here.
"Working with my grandpa / under the pink sky to grow Mustard flowers / to give to friends and teachers.”
That's part of a poem, written by Nila Safi who recently graduated from Tukwila's Foster High School. It's also a memory Nila has of her grandfather who lives in Afghanistan. She hasn't seen him in many years. Nila came to the United States as a refugee. It was a difficult transition for her, and her sister Ada. English did not come easily, at first. On top of that was the strain of being connected to two worlds — a childhood in Afghanistan, and a new life in the USA. Poetry offered both Nila and Ada a solution. Not only was it a way to practice English, it was a way to connect different parts of their lives. That's the focus of Amy Radil's latest article on KUOW, which dives into a poetry writing class for immigrant and refugee students. Read that here.
Today is World Refugee Day. Ever since 2001, the United Nations has held this event to highlight the millions of people who have been displaced around the globe. According to state numbers, more than 30,000 refugees have come to Washington over the past decade from more than 70 countries. About 6,500 refugees have come from Ukraine since 2010. Washington has welcomed 3,200 Afghan refugees since 2021.
King County officials are tightening their grip on many oversight programs around at-risk youth. The move comes after concerning reports about of some of these programs.
The county council recently unanimously voted to require information about the outcomes of the Restorative Community Pathways program. This is a local effort to divert low-level youth offenders to programs outside of the court and jail system.
“The idea is good here,” Councilmember Rod Dembowski told KUOW. “But I think the county moved too quickly, tried to refer too many kids to too many organizations that weren’t ready from a capacity standpoint to do the work, and we just haven’t had enough transparency on this.”
“Dozens if not hundreds of youth are referred to the program and may never even be contacted, and may never participate in it," Dembowski said. "And then nothing is really done. So we’re spending tens of millions of dollars to support programs that may be providing very few services to very few youth.”
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A California legal battle over gas stoves stirs uncertainty for energy policies across the West Coast
A court battle over gas stoves in California is sowing seeds of uncertainty for energy policies in the West, as cities in Washington and Oregon seek to limit the use of natural gas in new homes and buildings.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled earlier this year that a natural gas ban in Berkeley overstepped federal law, casting ripple effects across the states under the court's jurisdiction. It covers states along the West Coast, as well as Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.
The court decision comes after the California Restaurant Association sued the city of Berkeley for banning new natural gas lines. In April, a panel of judges ruled in favor of the association, reversing a district court's ruling. The new opinion essentially said that local policies can't limit energy use for products regulated through the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act – including appliances like gas stoves.
But several states, cities, and environmental groups are pushing back. Washington and Oregon have joined a list of states and groups seeking an "en banc" legal review of that decision, saying it could open the door for legal challenges on issues beyond the use of gas stoves and natural gas lines.
"If this decision stands it could potentially put other public health and safety protections at risk," said Denise Grab, with the Rocky Mountain Institute. "Power shut offs to help prevent wildfires during high risk conditions, it could impact water conservation efforts."
Grab says the court's ruling took many people by surprise, and that the final outcome will likely take months to resolve.
The uncertainty surrounding the decision prompted Washington state officials to pause new building codes that were set to go into effect July 1. Washington's Building Code Council voted during a meeting in late May to delay implementation of the codes until October, citing concerns about the court decision's impact on the legality of some of the new provisions. Part of the new codes include limits on natural gas, and the council ordered its staff to consider how the codes might be modified.
Meanwhile, people opposed to new limits on natural gas hope to use the California ruling as a building block. A group of Washington builders have filed a federal lawsuit, hoping that the California court's ruling will help strike down other local bans on new natural gas use and infrastructure.
[Copyright 2023 Northwest News Network]
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