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
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Washington won't be among early primary states ... that's OK, Democratic leaders say
Washington will not be one of the early states to hold a Democratic presidential primary next year. State party leaders aren’t taking the news too badly.
Last year, Washington’s Democratic Party launched a bid under then-chair Tina Podlodowski to join the primary reshuffle. Podlodowski said she believed Washington stood a strong chance of getting one of the few available early primary slots because of its diverse population, proportion of Indigenous tribes, and high union membership rates.
But Washington faced a lot of competition. A total of 17 states vied for just a handful of early voting slots. There was only one space open for a Western state. Washington, Nevada, and Colorado wanted the nod. Nevada got it.
State Democratic leaders took a positive view of the situation. In a statement Monday, current party chair Shasti Conrad said that Washington could claim some credit for helping steer early primaries away from longtime leaders Iowa and New Hampshire, to states whose demographics better reflect the current Democratic base.
Conrad also said Washington would be a good candidate for an early slot in 2028, if the Democratic Party wants to shuffle its calendar again. That is possible. President Biden and some national party leaders have suggested rotating the early primaries among multiple states over time.
Read the full story from Brandon Hollingsworth at Spokane Public Radio.
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WA geographical sites renamed after Black homesteaders
A lake and a wetland in Washington state are soon to have new names in honor of two early Black settlers on the Kitsap Peninsula.
A 10.5-acre acre lake near Tahuya, Wash. will soon be called "Nathaniel Sargent Lake." Sargent was a Black man born into slavery who homesteaded near Seabeck. He died in 1954.
A nearby 18-acre wetland will now be known as Rodney White Slough. White was also born into slavery in Missouri. He began homesteading in Mason County in 1890, started an orchard, and lived there until his death in 1913.
Both the geographical sites near where Sargent and White lived in Mason County previously had names which included a racial slur toward Black people.
“The stories of Rodney White and Nathaniel Sargent are important," said U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer, Mason County’s representative in Congress. "They made positive impacts on their communities, but they are not widely known. I’m proud to have supported this effort because renaming these locations in Mason County recognizes their contributions and impacts that might have been forgotten due to the color of their skin.”
RELATED: 18 sites across WA contain a slur for Indigenous women in their name, but not for long
Two other locations in Washington state are also getting name upgrades. Their previous titles included terms that are derogatory toward Indigenous women.
South Tucannon Spring is the new name for a spring in Garfield County. The name is derived from "tukanin," meaning bread root.
And Gooseberry Creek is the new name for a creek in Okanogan County. Gooseberries are common in the area. The stream is near Aeneas and is two miles long.
The name changes were approved by the Washington State Board of Natural Resources on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
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WA will need more clean energy from other states by 2050
Washington state aspires to be a leader in clean energy, but its wind, solar and other renewable energy sources can only produce so much.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Commerce recently told lawmakers our power needs will nearly double by 2050. So, the state may have to rely on energy from our neighbors.
"Essentially, we're weaning ourselves away from fossil fuels. Our state is growing at the same time," says John Stang, who reported on the impending shift for Crosscut. "Electricity is replacing fossil fuels, and therefore, we're going to need a heck of a lot more electricity."
Speaking to KUOW's Morning Edition, Stang says much of the additional energy we'll need will likely come from Montana and Wyoming, where the wind and solar energy industries are thriving.
In fact, the state Department of Commerce expects about 36% of Washington's clean energy will come from those states by 2050. That would represent a significant shift for the state, which currently exports energy to other states.
So, why can't Washington just increase its own clean energy output to keep up with demand?
"A major problem with that is, essentially, every way that you can produce electricity has a hurdle or something wrong with it," Stang says. "Hydroelectric dams hurt migrating fish. Solar can mess up a critical habitat. Wind turbines can mess up some critical habitat and could kill threatened species of birds."
Other proposals across the state have clashed with Indigenous cultural concerns. And then, of course, "you have fossil fuels, which put carbon in the air."
But getting energy from out of state is easier said than done.
Stang explains the state will need to invest in significant infrastructure, particularly transmission lines, that will take years, if not decades to build.
Lawmakers in Olympia are currently considering a bill to start the planning process.
That's just the beginning.
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Turkish Americans in Washington state raise money for earthquake victims
A Seattle group has been so overwhelmed by donations to Turkey and Syria in the wake of Monday's devastating earthquake that the group now says it is accepting financial donations only.
According to Turkish Airlines, six tons of care packages have been sent from Sea-Tac Airport to support victims of the earthquake, which has killed more than 12,000 people. Tufan Erdinc, president of the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington State, says care packages included blankets, sleeping bags, winter clothing, diapers, baby formula, and feminine products.
Erdinc says it’s a sad and devastating situation. Many cities have been cut off due damage to the roads. Erdinc also worries as survivors of the earthquake now need to also fight hyperthermia.
“They don't have that much time. Even if they survived the earthquake, they might still be in danger, fighting with cold weather and the harsh conditions,” Erdinc says.
Related: Turkey's Fault lines similar to those under Puget Sound
Although Erdinc's organization has stopped accepting the donation of goods, it is still raising money to help earthquake victims and their families.
Donate here.
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Top cop criticizes police culture in Washington: Today So Far
- Former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr says police culture has to change for progress to be made.
- King County and Seattle are dropping a Covid vaccine requirement.
- Someone in Washington has a winning Powerball ticket.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for February 7, 2023.
Years ago, I was in a Kansas City BBQ joint and found myself chatting with a local police officer. The conversation started over an agreement that "The Wire" was the best show we've seen on TV. He went further and said that it was the best representation of police culture on screen.
"Ya know, it doesn't always make cops look all that great," I said.
"Uh huh," he responded.
The comment I remember most from that conversation is that, in his opinion, the patrol car had a very negative effect on officers. He said that officers don't get out in their communities. Instead, they stay in a car where they live in an us-versus-them mentality. It was them inside the car, and everybody else out there. The nuance, the reality, was lost.
I thought of that interaction while listening to Sue Rahr's conversation with KUOW about cultural issues plaguing police departments far and wide. She worked her way through the ranks at the King County Sheriff's Office before becoming the county's first female sheriff in 2005. She went on to lead Washington's Criminal Justice Training Commission in 2012. After serving, leading, and training, Rahr says she learned a few lessons too late, and now wants new recruits to learn them from the start.
"What I told the class of (recent) recruits is, 'This is the best time to go into policing. We are at the front end of a changing era in policing. This is a time where people who really are motivated to make their communities better, to improve safety, we're on the brink of getting better at doing that.' I believe that with every fiber of my being," Rahr said.
This "changing era in policing" deals with a police culture that Rahr says has to change.
"The mythology is about fighting a war between good and evil, and so being a warrior is very consistent with that. Also, being a warrior, particularly for young men, that's a wonderful identity to say, 'I'm a mighty warrior, I'm strong, and I'm capable.' I also think during the '80s and '90s when politically it was very popular to be tough on crime, the warrior mentality fit into that. Post–9/11, when we had all kinds of excess military equipment, the convergence of all these factors came together to really fan the flames of making frontline police officers look like and operate like the military."
Rahr says she now has the benefit of hindsight.
"I realize why this all keeps coming out so wrong, because the premise is false. Just simply arresting lots of people and putting them in jail is not what contributes to community safety."
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Can AI help increase expression of empathy?
These days, someone seeking mental health support can find a variety of online communities to talk through what they’re feeling.
In these communities, peers are usually responding, and empathy is key.
But that’s a skill that can be tough to learn and finding the right words in the moment isn’t always easy.
Enter Artificial Intelligence technology, or AI.
A team led by University of Washington researchers studied whether AI can help peer supporters interacting on text-based online platforms respond with more empathy.
They developed an AI system to give peer supporters real-time feedback, like an editor looking over your shoulder while you type a message.
"It looks pretty similar to how, in like a word processing-type software, how you would get feedback on grammar or spelling. But it was very specific to just help people express empathy more effectively," said UW computer scientist Tim Althoff, who helped lead the study.
The study showed access to AI input resulted in a 19.6% increase in conversational empathy between peers, with even greater gains among participants who said they usually have difficulty providing support.
Althoff said some study results also suggested that tools like this could help train peer supporters to feel more confident in responding to people who are seeking help.
“Peer supporters, after the study, reported that they now felt more confident to support others in crisis, which was a deeply meaningful outcome to us. It suggests this increased self-efficacy,” he said.
Althoff said online peer support networks help address the problem of access in mental health support, which can exist for a variety of reasons including lack of insurance, stigma, and a lack of trained professionals in the community.
Most of the time, people interacting on these platforms aren’t trained professionals, and Althoff said there’s room for interactions to be even more effective.
He said earlier work showed that there are often missed opportunities for empathy in peer-to-peer interactions on sites like TalkLife.
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Bill would protect runaway youth seeking gender-affirming care
If a teenager runs away from home and ends up in a shelter, are shelter staff required to inform parents? In Washington state, the answer is yes.
But a bill now before the state Legislature would make a few exceptions to this rule, including if the child has run away to seek gender-affirming care.
RELATED: Trans patients often travel out of state, pay more for gender-affirming care, study finds
State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett) is one sponsor of SB 5599, which is currently working its way through the Senate Committee on Human Services. He says the measure would allow transgender kids who are not being supported at home to find safe accommodation.
“We know when people don’t have access to gender affirming care it leads to life-long challenges in terms of mental health," Liias said.
The bill has prompted considerable pushback as it is being discussed in Olympia this session. More than 4,500 people weighed in on the matter online, mostly in opposition, including parent Eric Pratt.
“I can imagine children running from another state to Washington with this idea that they are going to be cared for outside the parental guidance that is necessary for their own health care," Pratt argued.
Under the bill, parents would not be required to be informed of their runaway kids’ whereabouts if there is a "compelling reason." That includes the possibility of abuse, or if the minor is seeking "protected health services" including reproductive services or gender affirming care.
RELATED: Again, court refuses to hear case challenging WA's ban on conversion therapy for minors
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Violent crime, car thefts reached 15-year high in Seattle in 2022
Violent crimes and car thefts around Seattle in 2022 were the highest they've been in 15 years. That's among a handful of takeaways from the Seattle Police Department's report on crime statistics for last year.
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said at a recent press conference that there may be some nuance in the numbers because not everyone in town is reporting crime.
"Because they felt like officers were gonna take too long to get there," Diaz said. "And so it's been my encouragement to people — we can't address these issues if we don't know all the issues that are going on."
According to the report, "Overall citywide crime increased by four percent (1,834) compared to 2021," the 2022 report states. "The percentages may appear lower but reported crime for 2021 was at an all-time high. 2022 totals have now exceeded that with 49,577 reported violent and property crimes. Aggravated Assault and Motor Vehicle Theft were significantly high in 2022 when compared to a five-year weighted average."
RELATED: Seattle sues Kia and Hyundai after rise in car thefts
Violent offenses include crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery, and assault. Property crimes include arson, burglary, theft, and car theft. While arson and burglaries declined in 2022 from the previous year, thefts and car thefts shot up. SPD points to social media-inspired thefts of Kias and Hyundais for the dramatic rise in car thefts.
"The violent crime rate for the City of Seattle increased from 729 per 100,000 in 2021 to 736 per 100,000 in 2022. Property crime rates increased slightly from 5,730 to 5,784 per 100,000 for 2022," the report states.
SPD further notes that while crime was up in 2022, there was a dip in crime rates over the last quarter of the year.
The crime report also shows that gun violence is at an 11-year high.
SPD says "verified criminal shootings" went up 125% over pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The department also says it took in 1,349 firearms over 2022, which is the second-highest number on record.
"In 2022, there were 739 verified criminal shootings and shots fired citywide. This represents a 19% (119) increase compared to 2021, a 69% (303) increase compared to 2020 and 125% (410) increase compared to pre-pandemic totals in 2019."
RELATED: Adrian Diaz sworn in as Seattle’s new police chief
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Skagit County program helps preserve dwindling farmland
There’s pride in eating locally grown food. But land to grow that food is disappearing. Preservation efforts, like Skagit County’s, works to protect farmlands.
When you pick up a bag of red potatoes at the grocery, chances are they’re from Keith Morrison’s farm in Skagit Valley.
“There’s other growers here in the valley like us and they grow wonderful products too,” said Morrison, a fourth-generation farmer.
In addition to potatoes, Morrison grows vegetable seed crops, grass seed, and various grain crops. “It’s just a neat place to be,” he said.
But many farmlands like his are facing development pressure. “I’m looking to grow crops, they’re looking to grow buildings,” Morrison explained.
It’s estimated that Washington lost nearly 100,000 acres of farmland between 2001 and 2016. Morrison is on the advisory board of Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program, a county-funded initiative.
Recently it finalized projects that will protect more than 105 acres of farmland.
“It stops further development in the critical area where there’s a field," Morrison said.
The program purchases the landowner’s development rights. The owner still owns the land but keeps it for agricultural purposes.
To date, the program has protected more than 14,000 acres of farmland.
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Seattle, King County drop Covid vaccine requirement for employees
King County and City of Seattle employees will no longer be required to have the Covid-19 vaccine to keep their job.
Originally put in place in 2021, the mandate required proof of the initial vaccine series as a condition of employment for city and county workers.
On Monday, officials dropped it, effective immediately.
“The vaccine mandate was an effective and necessary tool for protecting the health and safety of City workers and the public we serve,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement.
“The City’s actions then and now have always been informed by the science of the pandemic and recommendations of public health officials — an approach based on data and dedicated to saving lives.”
Various layers of pandemic requirements have gradually been phased out at all levels of government in the state as people have tried to adjust to living with the virus.
The most recent change in policy reflects the changing nature of the pandemic, and the tools available to protect the public, according to King County Executive Dow Constantine.
“With high vaccination rates and effective, updated boosters available, we are in a different place in the pandemic, and our policies and regulations will change to reflect the best information we have available today, as they have throughout the last three years,” Constantine said.
In addition to ending the employee vaccine mandate, Constantine also ended the county’s Covid-19 emergency proclamation Monday.
While health officials say staying up to date with Covid-19 vaccines and boosters is still crucial, they say the threat to the community and health care system has decreased enough that vaccines no longer need to be required.
Although it was controversial, the initial employee vaccine mandate didn't result in a mass exodus of city and county employees.
According to the joint statement released Monday, just under 2% of county employees and just under 1% of city employees lost employment due to the rules.
A vaccine mandate for state workers remains in effect and a spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee said via email there's no plan to remove it at this time.
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Pondering I-135, Seattle's social housing proposal: Today So Far
Ballots for Seattle's special election went out last month and are due back by Feb. 14. There is only one issue on the ballot: Initiative 135 — social housing.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for February 6, 2023.
You've likely heard about the effort to create social housing in Seattle over the past year. It missed an opportunity to be on November's ballot, but it's back. As Axios' Melissa Santos explained to Seattle Now this morning, social housing is a form of affordable housing, but it doesn't quite work the same. The end goal is the same, however, which is to create more housing and open up more affordable options for people in town.
For an adequate conversation about affordable housing in Seattle, you need to ditch your preconceptions about "affordable" and "housing," especially if you haven't had to navigate this sort of thing around here. It's not like the lofty expectations set up by your average TV show, like "New Girl," where we're asked to believe that, despite plumbing problems, a spacious, multi-bedroom affordable apartment is out there for a bartender, a teacher, a marketer, and someone merely discovering their path in life. Let alone an apartment that is located in the heart of the city with ample parking.
While we're at it, sorry Carrie Bradshaw, a writer could not live on the Upper East Side. I doubt even Frasier could afford that Seattle view. And honestly, I'm not certain that fry cook SpongeBob could even afford an entire pineapple on prime Bikini Bottom property. Kimmy Schmidt's closet is probably the best representation of making it work in a city like Seattle.
RIPPLE EFFECT: Seattle's housing woes pushing people further out
Which brings us to social housing, the latest attempt to fill in some affordable housing gaps around here.
"What makes it 'social housing' is a sort of intermingling of different income levels. These wouldn't be buildings where everybody who lives there makes under 30% of median income, it's up to 120% of median income," Santos said. "All those folks can live in there, and the deal is each of them pays rent that is a portion of their income, a maximum of 30% of their income. If you make more, you pay more. The lower-income people pay much less."
Make a note of what Santos says here about allowing for a range of income levels, from low to high. That brings up a curiosity that I'm going to point to later.
I-135 doesn't immediately create social housing. Rather, it creates an office within city hall that will pursue studies and create the program. Funding for this initial effort only covers 18 months. From there, additional, long-term funding will be required for this office to buy property, build housing, and operate it.
Funding is one part of this social housing proposal that is a gray area. A source of funding is absent from the initiative. Santos speculates that this was by design to give it better chances of being approved by voters. Such funding could come from the city's budget, new taxes, loans, etc. (my Dyer prediction is that it will be a some type of new tax). Other specifics remain unknown, such as estimates on how many social housing units could ultimately be produced in Seattle.
What is known is that a public developer (a new office in Seattle City Hall) could build affordable housing on public property. It could also buy property to develop. New social housing will be required to be green and energy efficient. Existing housing that is purchased will be upgraded. Each building would have a governing board comprised of a majority of residents.
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Brandi Carlile goes home with 3 Grammys, thanks Seattle for making her 'strive for this'
Maple Valley folk rocker Brandi Carlile won a Grammy Sunday night, then another, and then another.
Carlile took home three Grammys at the awards ceremony Sunday, after being nominated for seven awards. She won best rock performance for “Broken Horses," best Americana album for “In These Silent Days,” and best rock song and a writer’s award for “Broken Horses," which she wrote with Phil and Tim Hanseroth.
"Oh, I cannot tell you how much this means to us," Carlile said. "We were born and raised in Seattle and when I met these guys 22 years ago, we decided to get in a van and be a band together. And I met them, and they were covered in Ramones tattoos, they had never even played an acoustic guitar. And then this happened.”
“Oh my god, this is amazing,” Carlile shouted. “Oh, I’ll never be the same.”
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