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
-
NASA contract has Kent's Blue Origin feeling over the moon, and on it
Good news arrived for Kent-based Blue Origin Friday morning, but it may not have the aerospace company feeling over the moon — instead, it's heading straight for the lunar surface.
Blue Origin announced Friday that NASA has awarded it a $3.4 billion contract for "NextSTEP-2 Appendix P Sustaining Lunar Development." In human speak, that means the company is on a national team to develop a vehicle to take people between Earth and the moon, as well as a lander that can transport people to the surface.
Other members of this lunar lander team include Boeing, Astrobotic, Draper, Honeybee Robotics, and Lockheed Martin.
"Today we are excited to announce Blue Origin will build a human landing system as NASA’s second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “We are in a golden age of human spaceflight, which is made possible by NASA’s commercial and international partnerships. Together, we are making an investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first astronauts on Mars.”
While high fives are likely going around Blue Origin's Kent offices, the celebration is more regional. According to Sen. Maria Cantwell's office, through Blue Origin's contract, nine Western Washington companies will be suppliers for upcoming moon missions. They include:
- Baker Manufacturing Inc, Tacoma
- Electroimpact Inc, Mukilteo
- Janicki Industries Inc, Sedro Woolley
- Machine & Fabrication Ind LLC, Kent
- Machine Repair & Design Inc, Sumner
- Machinists Inc, Seattle
- McNeeley Mfg, Auburn
- Motion Industries, Tukwila, WA
- Specialty Metals Corporation, Kent
Also, a total of 42 companies across Washington are involved with NASA's current effort to return to the moon, and beyond.
That effort is called "Artemis." It is viewed as the first step toward eventual missions to Mars. In its own announcement, NASA notes that Blue Origin has been instructed to design a human landing system that can be reused. The vehicles should be able to dock with the Gateway (a lunar-orbiting station). From there, astronauts will be able to transfer to the surface. A uncrewed demo mission is slated for 2029.
Blue Origin will be specifically tasked with developing systems around LOX-LH2, which is used to power the vehicles. The propellant has not previously been used in space missions because of a unique problem — it tends to boil off quite easily. So Blue Origin plans to build solar-powered cryocoolers that can keep the fuel cold enough for storage. Blue Origin adds that this sort of technology is going to be important for future missions in space. Stable, storable LOX-LH2 could be used on eventual nuclear-powered spaceships. It can also be derived from ice, should it be discovered on the moon.
The announcement Friday comes after years of legal drama over NASA moon-mission contracts. The agency previously gave a contract to SpaceX to develop a moon lander for its Artemis III and Artemix IV missions. Blue Origin sued over that decision, arguing that it should have received greater consideration. It lost in court. With this latest contract, Blue Origin will develop a craft for the Artemis V mission.
RELATED: Jeff Bezos and three crewmates travel to space and back in under 15 minutes
NASA says that having multiple contracts for moon missions will "increase competition" and "reduce costs to taxpayers" while also investing in the "lunar economy."
According to NASA:
Continue reading » -
Kia and Hyundai agree to $200M settlement over car thefts
Kia and Hyundai have agreed to a class-action lawsuit settlement worth about $200 million over claims that many of the Korean automakers' cars are far too vulnerable to theft, according to lawyers for the companies and the owners.
The settlement covers some 9 million owners of Hyundai or Kia vehicles made between 2011 and 2022 and have a traditional "insert-and-turn" steel key ignition system, lawyers for the owners said in a press release on Thursday.
Compensation to owners includes up to $145 million in out-of-pocket losses that will be distributed to people who had their vehicles stolen. Affected owners can be reimbursed up to $6,125 for total loss of vehicles, and up to $3,375 for damages to the vehicle and personal property, as well as insurance-related expenses.
Car thefts of the affected models, using a hack popularized on social media, have spiked in recent months. The growing number of thefts have coincided with the spread of a TikTok "challenge" that shows people how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles that lack basic security features. The trend has been linked to eight deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The car companies said in February that they would begin rolling out software upgrades to the 8.3 million U.S. vehicles that lack engine immobilizers — a feature that prevents a car from starting unless it receives an electronic signal from a key.
Since then, pressure on the company to do more to curb the thefts has only mounted.
Citing the uptick in theft, several cities including Seattle, St. Louis, Mo., Columbus, Ohio, and Baltimore have sued Kia and Hyundai. Last month, attorneys general in 17 states and the District of Columbia urged the NHTSA to issue a mandatory recall of the vehicles in question.
As part of the agreement, the anti-theft software will now be added to vehicles automatically at any dealership service appointment, the companies said in a news release.
"We appreciate the opportunity to provide additional support for our owners who have been impacted by increasing and persistent criminal activity targeting our vehicles," said Jason Erb, Hyundai Motor North America's chief legal officer, in a statement. [Copyright 2023 NPR]
Continue reading » -
KUOW wins 6 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards including 'Overall Excellence'
KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio has won six 2022 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, including Overall Excellence for a large market radio station. KUOW has received the top honor of "Overall Excellence" three times in the last four years.
The Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards honor outstanding achievement in local broadcast and digital journalism. All winners will automatically be entered into consideration for national Edward R. Murrow Awards.
“It’s a thrill to see the enterprising work of the KUOW news team recognized with such prestigious honors," said Gigi Douban, KUOW news director. "These journalists are some of the most versatile and creative people I know. They show tremendous courage and commitment in the work they do every day. What’s more, they are engaging and empathetic in their storytelling, as they are, first and foremost, people who live and work in the communities we serve.”
KUOW is thankful to our dedicated journalists and community, who make this work possible. Below, learn more about KUOW's winning stories.
For a full list of KUOW's Murrow Awards for 2023, click here.
Continue reading » -
What are we going to do about AI? Today So Far
- There's a lot of talk around artificial intelligence these days, from DC to the office.
- Former finance director pleads guilty to embezzling millions from Seattle nonprofits.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for May 18, 2023.
What are we going to do about artificial intelligence (AI)? People are already starting to think about that question, including folks in the AI business.
"This is a new twist — a tech CEO appearing before Congress saying, 'Regulate me,'" GeekWire's Todd Bishop told KUOW's Kim Malcolm.
That CEO was Sam Altman with OpenAI. He was questioned in front of Congress this week about the rise of AI and its potential impacts on society — like jobs, or even creating a false reality online. AI programs can do work only previously seen on the Enterprise, like when Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge would ask the computer to run a flight simulation, write a letter, or create an ideal love interest on the holodeck.
The U.S. government has a poor record when it comes to adapting to technological advances, especially in the computer age. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has often spoken about upgrading his office's tech a couple years after being on the job. That would have been about 2003. At the time, the department was still using Wang computers (kids, ask your parents what a Wang computer was ... and parents, turn around and ask your own parents what a Wang computer was). He got upgraded computers for the Secretary of State's Office with crazy new capabilities ... like the internet. This all happened about four years after "The Matrix," five years after "You Got Mail," more than a decade after the general public went online, and 20 years after "War Games."
This is just one corner of government history, but perhaps lessons like this are behind why there is now an effort in DC to develop AI regulations, before it's too late. A bipartisan group of senators is currently forming a coalition around this single issue.
One big question is whether AI will replace jobs, or simply become part of the work process. For example, Bishop says he uses AI for his work at GeekWire.
"When I'm writing a story, I'll put the draft into ChatGPT and say, 'proofread this for me, tell me if this matches Associated Press style, tell me if I've misspelled any words, or if I could improve the grammar.' And it's remarkable what you get back from ChatGPT in terms of polishing," he said.
On the flip side of that coin is the potential for companies to bypass reporters and writers altogether and use AI to produce a range of content. At least, that is the concern / debate among journalist circles these days. Personally, I don't think every media company will do this ... but somebody is going to do this. So far, we know that ChatGPT can't write this newsletter. Beyond this, AI could also be used to write computer code or produce works of art. It could even, potentially, manufacture a false online reality and influence everyday users. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that only humans should be allowed to create false realities on social media.
Microsoft seems to believe that there is no getting around AI. It has invested $13 billion into the OpenAI company. In a recent work trends report, Microsoft noted that job listings on LinkedIn that mention "ChatGPT" or "AI" have shot up nearly 80% over the past year. Goldman Sachs economists have estimated that AI could replace two-thirds of jobs in the USA and Europe. As KUOW's Monica Nickelsburg reports, Microsoft has a more optimistic view around all this, and expects AI to become part of the workflow, helping out with meetings, emails, and keeping up with data. The tech giant has its fingers crossed that AI will boost productivity in the end.
Will AI ultimately take over our jobs, or will it become part of our workflow the same way the laptop has, or email? There are a lot of ways this AI future can play out. It could be like "Her," "Blade Runner," or even "The Terminator." Only time will tell, but at this point I figure one thing is certain — somebody is eventually going to fall in love with a computer.
I'm not smart enough to get away with any serious criminal activity, but still, I'd say that using a company card to spend millions of dollars at a casino would likely raise some red flags. And red flags are not what you want when you're embezzling $3 million from prominent nonprofits.
Continue reading » -
Spring heatwave prompts emergency shellfish-safety rule
An unusual mid-May heatwave has led Washington state officials to put emergency measures in place to protect shellfish consumers from bacteria that thrive in warm water. Those measures don’t usually go into effect until July.
Following a four-day wave of record-breaking springtime heat, the Washington Department of Health has banned commercial shellfish harvesting anywhere local water temperatures exceed 70 degrees. In areas at highest risk of disease outbreaks from the bacterium called Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the ban kicks in when water temperatures pass 66 degrees.
On Wednesday, the department also required shellfish farmers to chill their harvest within as little as one hour, depending on the water temperature at the time of harvest.
That’s the preferred method used to stop the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally occurring microbe in Northwest waters and a close relative of the bacterium that causes cholera.
“Our best tool is just ice, ice, ice,” said shellfish farmer John Adams, who raises oysters and clams on Little Skookum Inlet near Shelton. “Once that shellfish comes out of the water, get it on ice immediately and keep it on ice.”
Shellfish are filter feeders, sucking in seawater and squirting it out after straining it of its nutritious algae. Once a clam or oyster is harvested, water stops cycling in and out of its body, allowing bacteria a chance to proliferate to potentially harmful levels.
“We have decided to enact the Emergency Rule tomorrow as a precaution to avoid illnesses,” the Department of Health notified the state’s shellfish growers on Tuesday.
Washington state is the nation’s top producer of farmed clams, mussels, and oysters, with about $200 million in annual production.
Adams said the emergency rule won’t affect his shellfish operation, which already cools clams and oysters below 50 degrees in under an hour.
“I think they're being a little bit overly cautious, but this is an OK area to be overly cautious in,” Adams said. “I don't know that it was completely warranted, but I don't mind it because the bottom line is, all of our aims are lined in the same direction — providing safe food.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 80,000 people in the United States get sick annually with vibriosis, mostly from eating raw or undercooked shellfish, and 100 people die from their infection.
Continue reading » -
Compromise leads to a big fix in Washington (is that allowed?): Today So Far
- Washington's lawmakers passed an updated drug possession law during a one-day special session.
- Should the Northwest start investing in more air conditioning?
- Snoqualmie Tribe starts a sales tax.
- What to watch at SIFF before it ends.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for May 17, 2023.
The fix is in. Washington's lawmakers passed an updated drug possession law during a one-day special session.
What passed is a bipartisan compromise (What?! Is that even allowed?! Have we always been able to do this?!). Using drugs in public, or possessing small amounts of drugs, is now a gross misdemeanor. The bill also opens up legal options for addiction treatment. There's a longer story behind why this law was needed, but the short version is that the state only had a temporary drug possession law in place, which was set to expire in July, so the pressure was on to make something happen.
It took lawmakers an entire session to flub the first proposed fix for this issue, and it took them a single day to approve this recent version. Personally, I credit my previous deriding remarks, mildly poking fun at lawmakers after failing to pass the first fix. I'm sure that's what did it. Perhaps moving forward, if lawmakers fail to make compromises during an official session, each one gets a pie in the face. It's Washington, so we can make it an apple pie, or a loganberry pie. If they do a decent job, then we'll just let them take the pie home. Sort of like a carrot and stick situation. That sounds reasonable and civil, right?
There is sure to be criticism from multiple corners around this new law. Future tweaks could come along. For now, let's offer lawmakers a virtual high five for working together and compromising to make things happen. Though, if I'm talking about pies at this point, then it's probably a good idea to just read the full story on this. Jeanie Lindsay has that report here.
On Monday, following a hot weekend and as students were returning to classrooms, new high temp records were set in the cities of Bellingham, Olympia, and Seattle.
In Federal Way, teachers responded by covering class windows with butcher paper, turning off lights, and bringing in their own fans, all in an effort to cool down. The 80-degree temps that our spring heatwave has produced might not seem like a big deal in other parts of the USA, but in Washington — where people prepare more for rain, clouds, and cold temperatures — they can be quite a problem. A lot of the buildings in the region were built to keep heat in, not cool down. That includes school buildings.
“We encourage our students to focus and try their best on this computer test, but it is upwards of 80, 90 degrees in a classroom, so it adds another factor," Federal Way teacher Shannon McCann told KUOW.
Kids in a hot classroom are about as effective as those kids in "Pete and Pete" waiting for Mr. Tastee amid a heatwave.
I know, because I remember spending third grade in a portable building at Challenger Elementary as the heat went up. It was like being in that sweltering room in "12 Angry Jurors," but with 8-year-old kids. I remember going on and on about how the guy was innocent before my teacher yelled that we were talking about math and told me to sit down.
Over the past few years, the "ways to cool down" article has become more popular around the Northwest. We've all seen plenty of online posts about connecting fans, tubing, and coolers filled with ice to create A/C contraptions when stores run out of actual units (or for folks who simply cannot afford an air conditioner). They've become as popular as write ups for "make your own air filter for wildfire smoke." As the region copes with climate change in the years ahead, it may be time for the Northwest to evolve. Our region should think as much about A/C as it does about rain and keeping warm.
Continue reading » -
Seattle, King County candidates have until Friday to make it official
If you're thinking about running for political office in King County, there's still time, but the clock is ticking. It's candidate filing week.
So far, around 40 people have indicated they plan to run for Seattle City Council this year. But all the candidates need to file this week to make those intentions official (only 29 candidates were officially listed on the county's website as of Wednesday morning).
Seven Seattle council district races are on the ballot this year. Most are open seats where the incumbents decided not to run again.
So far, eight candidates are listed as running for a King County Council seat.
If you want to give it a shot to shape the future of Seattle or King County, you have until 4 p.m. Friday to file online. People can file in-person before 4:30 p.m. Friday at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton.
Continue reading » -
Seattle proposal gets political pushback: Today So Far
- They've been married for seven years, but in Washington they're recognized.
- Pushback on Seattle proposal to provide incentives for sobriety.
- Hours at two of Seattle's popular parks are being cut short this summer.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for May 16, 2023.
When Olena and Iryna walked down the aisle at their wedding in Ukraine seven years ago, it wasn't technically legal. Gay marriage is not recognized in Ukraine. That didn't stop them, and they forged ahead despite the challenges they faced. The challenges that arose since Russia invaded Ukraine caused them to flee the country entirely, along with their daughter Yeva. Today, they are among 17,000 Ukrainians who have come to Washington state as refugees. And here, their marriage is recognized by the state.
At a recent ceremony in Seattle, the couple exchanged, yet again, the same rings they have worn for years to symbolize their union. Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu officiated the ceremony.
“I want to remind everyone that this is not just a ceremony, it’s a legal ceremony,” Justice Yu said. “Today, because of this ceremony, the state of Washington also offers protection to them as they move forward as a family.”
It's been a long journey for Olena, Iryna, and their daughter Yeva. As KUOW's Natalie Newcomb reports, that journey is not over. Read the full story here.
There's news, and then there's politics. Sometimes they're the same thing, and other times, well, you're reminded that this is why we can't have nice things.
In April, KUOW's David Hyde brought us a story about a new tactic to fight addiction in Seattle, as well as other parts of Washington. In short, the idea is to provide incentives (gift cards, cash, prizes) to people when they stay sober. Pass a drug test, get a prize. This tactic is called "contingency management.” Seattle is getting $800,000 from the Washington State Health Care Authority. That's a lot of money for average folks, but in government spending terms, it's a step above searching through couch cushions for spare change.
Of course, our world and times are what they are, and it didn't take long for folks to take this news and cram it through a political filter. Now, it's politicized. Hyde's latest coverage on this effort includes the pushback against the idea, mainly coming from the right end of the spectrum. One conservative group is calling it an "absurd giveaway." Fox News already had a segment on it, commenting that it's "gamifying" addiction, alongside some pretty bleak video of addicts suffering on the street.
Politicization is an annoying feature of our modern discourse. Debate over policies and programs are fair, but politicization isn't about any of that. It's about gamifying your attention. It's great for clicks, views, listens, and even votes, but not so much for solutions and progress. If I'm being honest, my assumption is that the assault weapons ban headlines faded, and "news" personalities needed to fill an attention gap. We probably won't hear much about stories like this when the presidential and gubernatorial headlines start showing up more often. That's when they'll really be screaming for your attention.
Contingency management, or other "motivational incentives," are not new. Treatment programs across the USA have used this approach for decades. So at this point, we already know a thing or two about it. Check out Hyde's latest story here.
Hours at two of Seattle's popular parks are being cut short this summer.
Continue reading » -
Former exec for Seattle nonprofits pleads guilty to blowing $3 million on casinos, clothes, travel
The former finance director of two Seattle nonprofits pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felony counts of federal wire fraud.
Susana Tantico is charged with embezzling more than $3 million from the Country Doctor Community Health Centers and later the violence prevention group Community Passageways, between 2011 and 2020. Charging documents said Tantico spent the money on personal expenses including gambling, clothing, and travel, and created false ledger entries to conceal her actions.
Court documents said Tantico stole the greater part of the money, $2.3 million, from Country Doctor, which first hired her to work in its finance department in 1999. Tantico eventually became head of finance for the organization, which focuses on treating populations that are underserved by the health care system. Much of the group’s funding comes from federal, state, and local grants.
Tantico used the organization’s credit and debit cards to withdraw $1.6 million at casinos. She used the same credit cards to make tens of thousands of dollars in purchases at Nordstrom and Apple, and to fly multiple family members to Disney World in 2018.
Evidence laid out in an “information” charging document filed last Thursday said Tantico created false documents and journal entries to make fraudulent transactions appear legitimate.
“For example,” the filing said, “Tantico made it appear that the funds she used to pay for her trip to Florida had actually been used for healthcare supplies.”
During her time at Country Doctor, charging documents said Tantico lied to auditors and helped formulate policies “that she was actively violating,” such as prohibiting the use of the organization’s credit cards for personal expenses.
In a statement Tuesday, Country Doctor board members said they discovered Tantico’s fraud only after she had left to work for Community Passageways.
“When an internal team identified accounting irregularities, we immediately notified authorities and our grantors, and the FBI conducted an 18-month-long investigation," they said. "Tantico was no longer an employee at the time the fraud was identified. During this time, the FBI advised us to keep this information confidential to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
In June 2020, Tantico left her position at Country Doctor to become director of finance at Community Passageways, which focuses on community safety initiatives including gun violence prevention in King County.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, once in that job, “Tantico used more than $485,000 of the non-profit’s funds for gambling at casinos. She transferred $21,000 from the non-profit to her mortgage servicer to pay her home mortgage. She also transferred money to her personal bank account. Tantico then altered the bank records to hide the embezzlement. At one point, she was questioned by one of the organization’s banks about all the withdrawals at casinos. She claimed that the non-profit held youth programs at the casinos and claimed the withdrawals were for cash prize giveaways. In all, Tantico stole nearly $893,000 from the non-profit. The non-profit has incurred $132,000 in costs to forensically audit its books, fix its accounting procedures and records, and reply to vendors.”
Community Passageways publicly disclosed the FBI investigation into an unnamed former employee last summer, in response to questions from KUOW. At the time, Seattle and King County had pledged more than $20 million toward the group’s efforts.
Continue reading » -
Head of King County Regional Homelessness Authority steps down
Marc Dones suddenly stepped down as CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Tuesday morning, stating in a resignation letter that the "time has come for me to pass the baton."
In the letter to King County and Seattle leaders, Dones pointed to a comment by a colleague about the work being "less of a marathon and more of a relay race." Dones added that after being involved in the authority from its inception, they were tired.
"As a queer Black person, I have watched many members of my community burn out trying to hold too much for too many and I have watched them become unable to contribute the full breadth of their talent or vision to the work," Dones said. "I have watched them become bitter and destructive and what I know is that I don’t want that for myself."
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority was created two years ago. The goal is to have a coordinated, regional response to homelessness. The organization directs homelessness planning across King County, and works with various service providers. Dones helped design the agency and served as CEO since 2021.
Dones included two recommendations for their successor — to revisit the structure of the board that oversees the homelessness authority and to focus less on blame and more on the underlying policies that led to the national homelessness crisis.
"It is not that the work is not good, it’s that there is not enough of it — the need far outweighs the current resources," Dones said. "And the path to growing our resources is to look to larger policy decisions that have consistently undermined our ability to move forward."
Deputy CEO Helen Howell will step in as interim CEO of the regional authority in Dones' absence.
In a joint statement, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell thanked Dones for their service, noting their accomplishments over the past couple years, such as creating an emergency housing voucher program, and changing how the county counts people experiencing homelessness.
Following Dones' resignation, We Are In Executive Director Felicia Salcedo thanked Drones a statement.
“I am deeply grateful to Marc Dones for the energy, vision, and heart that they brought to the movement to prevent and end homelessness in our region. Under Marc’s leadership, the KCRHA moved from a concept established by King County and the City of Seattle with the strong support of We Are In, to a tremendously impactful organization leading coordinating, funding, and policy for homeless response services in King County. Marc leaves KCRHA in a strong position to continue its critical work. We look forward to working with interim CEO Helen Howell as KCRHA moves to hire a new permanent CEO worthy of the community it serves. We Are In is committed to supporting that effort in any way we can.”
Continue reading » -
Seattle sees 4 days in a row of record springtime heat
Seattle, Bellingham, and Olympia all broke temperature records on Monday.
For Seattle and Olympia, it was the fourth record-breaking day in a row.
Seattle’s University District and Boeing Field hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while Sea-Tac Airport hit 88, and Olympia Airport 92, making it the warmest May 15th on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Bellingham Airport and Quillayute Airport, west of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula, both reached 86 degrees. It was Bellingham's second record-breaking day since Friday and Quillayute's third day in a row of record heat.
The spring heat wave has pushed temperatures 20 degrees above normal in much of Washington state and western Canada since late last week.
Some un-air-conditioned schools in King and Pierce counties reported "unbearable" temperatures on Monday as students took state standardized tests.
The Canadian Press reports the border-spanning mass of hot air broke nearly 40 daily temperature records across British Columbia and Alberta on Sunday, and has exacerbated the provinces’ wildfire and flooding emergencies as heat desiccates vegetation and melts mountain snowpack.
Heat waves are coming more frequently around the world as human pollution continues to alter the global climate.
The National Weather Service says Seattle temperatures should only reach the low 80s on Tuesday, still well above normal for mid-May.
Continue reading » -
Collect your mail quickly, says USPS, after security concerns in Seattle
As South Seattle mail delivery resumes, postal inspectors are still raising the alarm about theft and fraud.
Mail delivery resumed in most of South Seattle's 98118 zip code, Tuesday, after a brief halt in USPS service.
But the postal service is still concerned about mail security and theft.
About 900 residents of Columbia City, Rainier Valley, and the surrounding area got notice last week that they'd need to pick up their mail from a USPS annex. The trucks had stopped delivering to people's mailboxes because of an unspecified "equipment security" issue.
Patrice Stubblefield has had to use her lunch break to pick up mail. Thankfully it was temporary, because the annex wasn't used to this many customers.
“It was really sad last time I was in", Stubblefield said. "That poor lady, she looked so frazzled, but what can she do? She's trying to do a job the best she could. It was just her [behind the desk]. She said 'it's just me today'. It's like, 'What?'”
USPS did not specify the exact problem in 98118, but says crews made security improvements Monday and Tuesday.
More broadly, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is concerned about mail theft and fraud. The inspection service is the law enforcement agency connected with USPS.
Postal Inspector John Wiegand says they're aware of active schemes in the Puget Sound region.
"I can't speak to those investigations specifically at this time, but we do have significant mail theft issue that happens in the Seattle area," he says.
"The 98118 zip code has seen a little bit of an uptick in the last few weeks and we are working to try and address that.”
Continue reading »