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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Access to Mt. Rainier’s Paradise Road only open on weekends
Throughout this winter, a 12-mile stretch of road between Longmire and Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park will be closed to vehicles Monday through Friday.
"Our biggest concern is that we don’t have the staff to respond effectively for any emergencies that might be happening," said Park Ranger Terry Wildy.
The staffing issues are compounded by challenging weather conditions.
Wildy says the Monday through Friday road closure was a hard decision to make, but the park remains open and season pass holders are able to visit.
The roadway between Longmire and Paradise will be reopened to vehicles on weekends.
The National Park Service anticipates this closure will last through the entire winter season, usually until March, unless staff vacancies are filled before then.
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Kirkland police begin using body cams
Officers with the Kirkland Police Department will start wearing body cameras this month.
The Kirkland City Council approved the use of the cameras back in July.
“Body-worn cameras are meant to enhance the safety of both our community members and our officers,” said City Councilmember Jon Pascal in a statement. “The Council heard from many in our community about body-worn cameras as we considered various issues of policy and funding. Providing our officers with body-worn cameras will support their efforts in keeping our community safe, while providing greater transparency and accountability into interactions between police and the public.”
RELATED: Kirkland paid $18K for turned-in guns this summer
The body cameras will be implemented in three phases. The city's traffic unit will receive them first. The patrol unit will get cameras between Dec. 15-29. Specialty units will get theirs in January 2023.
In an informational video, Kirkland Officer Tiffany Trombley explains that the cameras are worn on the front of a uniform. They are activated manually. The cameras are also activated whenever an officer draws their firearm or taser, or when their patrol car's emergency lights are turned on.
The cameras will have a flashing red light when they are recording and will document audio and video. Kirkland residents can expect that officers will be recording in most situations, such as traffic stops and 911 calls.
"An officer may use discretion to turn off their camera during certain sensitive interactions, like speaking with a confidential informant, or cases involving sexual abuse," Trombley said.
After a shift, the cameras are returned to a docking station that automatically downloads the video files to a server. Officers will not have access to the videos to edit them.
According to the city, Kirkland will spend about $2.2 million on the body cam program over five years. The Department of Justice has provided $220,000 in grant funds for the effort.
The addition of police body cams is among a handful of new approaches KPD is trying out that involve new tech. In October, the city moved ahead with a pilot program to deter street racing using noise identification cameras at two locations. Those sound sensitive cameras are designed to pick up excessively loud cars that potentially have been illegally modified. The cameras document video and audio at the locations, similar to red light cameras.
The noise identification cameras are being operated under a six-month pilot that will extend into 2023. After that, the city will decide if it wants to adopt the tech for regular traffic enforcement.
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Suicide prevention awareness sticker now on sale for WA license plates
It’s not a personalized license plate exactly, but there is now a new way for Washington drivers to add an extra message to their vehicle tags, and it’s for an important cause.
Washington state's Department of Licensing will now sell you a special add-on for your vehicle license plate. It’s an emblem to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. The narrow sticker displays the 988 crisis lifeline number with the tagline, "There is hope!"
Iraq War veteran Jason Jarman, who has previously dealt with PTSD and suicidal thoughts, said he owes his life to the crisis hotline. Jarman delivered an emotional speech that ended with a standing ovation from the audience at an unveiling ceremony in Olympia for the new license plate emblem.
"This is genius having it on the plate," Jarman said. "I mean, everybody sees it on the plates. I will have it on both of my vehicles. That is for sure.”
The new emblem costs $18. Money from the sale of the stickers will pay for suicide prevention programs geared toward veterans and military members. The emblem can be added to any vehicle license plate type.
According to Washington state's Department of Veteran Affairs, veterans account for 18% of suicides while only adding up to 7% of the state's population.
WDVA Director Alfie Alvarado-Ramos notes that "220 veterans die by suicide every year in this state. What we are unable to account for is how many lives were saved as a result of our collective efforts."
The new license plate emblem was authorized by the state Legislature as part of a larger package of measures to prevent suicide among veterans and military members. Democratic state Rep. Tina Orwall of Des Moines, a social worker by training, was the prime sponsor of the legislation, which passed last March.
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Trial gets underway for Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer on false reporting charges
A jury has been selected and attorneys on Wednesday delivered their opening statements in the trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.
Troyer is charged with two misdemeanors for false reporting and making false statements, stemming from his off-duty encounter with a Black newspaper carrier, Sedrick Altheimer, in January 2021.
Prosecutors say Troyer followed Altheimer and accused him of being a thief, before calling a 911 dispatcher and saying, according to the recording, “I'm about two blocks from my house and I caught someone in my driveway who's threatened to kill me and I blocked him in and he's here right now.”
The call triggered an emergency response, but according to the complaint, Troyer then reversed himself, and told Tacoma police that Altheimer never threatened him.
“In effect, Sheriff Troyer backpedaled from his statements to the 911 dispatcher about Mr. Altheimer threatening to kill him — statements that prompted more than 40 officers to rush to him, and caused Mr. Altheimer to be questioned as a possible suspect," said Barbara Serrano with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in her opening statement.
Serrano said the state will endeavor to show that Troyer knowingly lied about facing a threat.
“This case is quite simple. Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer got into a confrontation with a newspaper carrier and then lied to a 911 dispatcher reporting that the newspaper carrier threatened to kill him.”
Defense attorney Anne Bremner said she will emphasize that Troyer called a non-emergency phoneline to reach the dispatcher, and that the emergency response was quickly curtailed so that most police officers never arrived on the scene. In her opening statement, she maintained that Troyer was merely looking out for his neighbors when he followed Altheimer. She said that she will disprove the prosecution’s claims.
“They have to prove that he willingly lied,” Bremner said. “How could they ever prove that? Because that claim is false.”
Bremner said the case by Troyer’s defense will be focused on questioning the credibility of two people. One of them is Tacoma police officer Chad Lawless, now a detective, who interviewed Troyer at the scene and said Troyer backtracked on his claim of being threatened. Bremner said Lawless “didn’t memorialize his conversation in any way, saying something different than what the Sheriff says.”
The other person that Troyer’s defense team will try to discredit is Sedrick Altheimer, the newspaper carrier. Bremner told the jury Altheimer has a financial motivation in this case because he’s filed a civil lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages. Bremner said the accounts of the police who responded to the scene are at odds with one another. Some of those officers are expected to testify on Thursday.
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Where can Seattle find more money?: Today So Far
Seattle just passed its budget, but officials still say the city needs to find new revenue to make up for funding gaps. Here are a few ideas.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for October 30, 2022.
While the region was dealing with snow, ice, and rain yesterday, the Seattle City Council passed its biennial budget. For those who hit snooze whenever news about numbers and budgets comes along, this basically lays out how the city is going to pay its bills over 2023-24.
This is a lot like when you're trying to figure out how to pay for your own bills in Seattle each month — add up your income, then consider your costs like rent, credit card bills, food, gas, and so forth. It's about setting priorities through what you pay for. And just like how many Seattleites these days figure they will pay rent first, and then maybe nix paying things like gas, food, credit cards (it's funny because it's terribly sad), the city is dealing with its own financial shortfalls.
"We knew that it was possible that there would be a downturn, but specifically there was a downturn of $64 million in the real estate excise tax," Council budget chair Teresa Mosqueda told KUOW's Soundside. "This is funding for projects that are core to our city's infrastructure, capital projects, and transportation."
Mosqueda says this means the Council had to "realign" the city's money to make sure projects already in progress could continue — stuff like sidewalks, bike lanes, and traffic mitigation, along with housing and food programs. She notes that the Council has also invested additional funds in public safety, small business support, and worker support.
"I think that has been a challenge, but across the board we will see preservation of programs," Mosqueda said. "...there are no austerity approaches in this, there are no layoffs. And we are trying to do so in an effort to weather this storm, worsened by Covid. Obviously, the economic situation is not stable across the nation, and in Seattle our investments are really to protect our most vulnerable, invest in small businesses as well as make those infrastructure investments that will help us rebound much faster."
Another main takeaway from this whole process: New taxes are coming. While talking with Soundside, Mosqueda restated something she has been up front about these past few weeks. New "progressive revenue" streams are being considered to make up for declining revenue in other places.
"That needs to be in the books in 2025, and there is commitment both with the Council and the mayor's office to making sure that comes together over the course of the next year."
The budget does have its critics. Councilmember Kshama Sawant is among them. Check out the full conversation with Soundside here.
If I were to put on my thinking cap for new forms of revenue in Seattle, there are a few options the city could consider:
- A street racing fee for cars on I-35 (aka NE 35th Avenue) between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. Extra fee for cars that are louder than a metal show at El Corazón.
- Daily visual tax for new construction that features more than two siding textures, and bright colors that do not exist in nature. Note to developers: Wood, metal, brick, other wood, other metal paneling — just pick one siding and go with it.
- A selfie fee for the gum wall, the Fremont Troll, and sunset photos at Kerry Park.
- IPA tax. Hey, maybe this will encourage breweries to make something else, like anything else. Because there are other beers out there.
- A citation any time someone comes to town and says "Pike's Place Market." And then another fee based on the level of snobbery when locals correct them.
- A special transportation fee for all Seattle vehicles with canoes strapped to their roofs which exceed the length of the car by at least 3 feet, front and back.
- A field trip tax for all Eastside schools when they bring bus loads of students to SAM and Pike Place Market.
- A tax on any elected official who uses the term, "It's a win-win."
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Many states fail to adequately budget for wildfire costs, study says
Many states are failing to adequately budget for wildfire costs before, during and after fires, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts. This lack of proper budgeting can strain resources and pull funds away from efforts to prevent and prepare for wildfires, according to the report.
“As fires have grown, so have government spending on the costs associated with them,” said Colin Foard, manager of the Fiscal Federalism Initiative for The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit organization that analyzes public policy.
For example, in Washington, the state averaged $24 million annually for wildfire suppression from 2010 to 2014. That spending more than tripled, averaging $83 million from 2015 to 2019.
The Pew study looked at how states budget for wildfire costs, the challenges with those budgets, and what can be done to help.
While it’s difficult to track most state wildfire spending, Foard said Washington state has made strides to better monitor and report its wildfire spending. States should make comprehensive wildfire spending information continually available to policymakers and the public, he said.
Washington has taken several steps to share that information, including a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee that has evaluated suppression and forest health spending, according to the report. In recent years, the Department of Natural Resources published suppression spending information. The department also publishes the sources and location of mitigation funding in an online forest health tracking tool.
According to the Pew report, which looked in-depth at six states including Washington, each state primarily used general fund appropriations to pay wildfire costs upfront. Revenue for the general fund comes from state taxes and fees and is used for general state operations.
“To the extent that more expensive and unpredictable wildfires are being pulled from that same pool of money, it’s a problem for state fiscal stability moving forward,” Foard said.
On private forest land, Washington state charges landowners a Forest Fire Protection Assessment, a fee that pays for fire preparedness activities, for example purchasing fire engines and training crews. The assessment includes a $17.50 flat fee and 27 cents for each acre over 50 acres, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The department also charges a Landowner Contingency Assessment to those private landowners. The fee pays for emergency fire protection if the landowners negligently start a fire on their property. The assessment includes a $7.50 yearly flat fee for 50 acres or less. For more than 50 acres, the additional acre fee can’t be higher than 15 cents per acre, according to the department.
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Rise in syphilis cases prompts new guidance from health officials
Public Health officials in King County are recommending all women ages 45 and under test for syphilis annually.
Cases of the sexually transmitted infection have gone up five-fold since 2015 in cisgender women.
“The increase in syphilis in cisgender women and pregnant people suggest that syphilis may be spreading in the general population and among women in particular,” said Dr. Matthew Golden, director of the Public Health – Seattle & King County HIV/STD Program, in a statement. “Rising rates of syphilis in cisgender women and pregnant people is alarming, which is why we are recommending that most sexually active women 45 and under get tested if they haven’t had a test since 2021, and why we are asking providers to increase syphilis testing in pregnant persons.”
Seattle and King County Public Health seeks to help women catch it early, and reduce congenital infection, by asking all sexually active women under 45 to get tested. Syphilis is treatable when detected, but when undetected and carried in pregnancy, it can cause birth defects or miscarriage.
According to Public Health: "Prior to 2019, there had not been a case of congenital syphilis in King County for many years. In 2019 there were three reported cases and just one case in 2020. However, there were 11 cases of congenital syphilis in King County in 2021. Two of the babies were stillborn and five were born prematurely. Twelve cases of congenital syphilis have occurred in King County so far in 2022, resulting in 8 premature births and 9 babies with congenital syphilis symptoms."
Syphilis has been on the rise locally and nationally in recent years, prompting efforts in the Seattle area to raise awareness and encourage people to get tested.
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19K Seattle-area patients could face steep bills or be forced to find a new doctor
A dispute between the owner of the Polyclinic and a major insurance company could affect nearly 19,000 patients in Western Washington. It could leave them with a choice between higher medical bills or finding a new provider.
The people caught in the middle are Regence BlueShield insurance customers who get their health care at the Polyclinic, a multi-specialty health clinic that has nearly a dozen locations in the Seattle area. Also, the Everett Clinic, which has nearly two dozen locations, most of them in Snohomish County. In 2019, all those clinics were bought by Optum, a subsidiary of the large health-care company UnitedHealth Group.
The dispute is about how much those clinics should be paid for the care they provide. This is the first time negotiations between these clinics and Regence have gotten this close to the wire.
The insurer, and the owner of the clinics, have until Dec. 19 to come to a deal. But many Regence customers have only until the end of Wednesday to switch insurance companies before the end of open enrollment, if their employer offers another option. Open enrollment at some employers, like Boeing, is already over.
If the Polyclinic and Everett Clinic no longer have a contract with Regence, patients could opt to pay higher, out-of-network costs, or they could go to UW Medicine, Swedish, Virginia Mason, or some other providers for their care.
With 19,000 other patients possibly in the same boat, that could be a lot of competition for doctor’s appointments.
If the split goes through, and Regence customers become unable to access their benefits because of a lack of in-network providers, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner could levy a fine or take a different enforcement action against the insurance company.
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2 shows in Seattle that should not be missed this holiday season
If you are a fan of live shows, we have entered the best part of the year. The holiday season is when venues around the city put on their best shows, aimed at getting as many seats filled as possible.
This weekend, I saw two shows: "The Wiz" at the 5th Avenue Theatre; and "The Nutcracker" (presented by the Pacific Northwest Ballet) at McCaw Hall.
Both were amazing.
The Wiz at 5th Avenue Theatre
"The Wiz" caught me by surprise. I covered the show for KUOW's Soundside. I interviewed director and choreographer Kelli Foster Warder and spent some time with Kataka Corn who plays Dorothy. I also visited DAT-5, a space tucked underneath the theatre where rehearsals happen, and I got sneak-peak of the cast performing the song "Brand New Day." But none of that prepared me for the show I saw on Saturday night.
I could get technical and tell you how awesome the costume designs were and explain how two rotating platforms in the stage were used immaculately to bring motion to the world of Oz. But instead, I’ll give it to you straight — I had so much fun!
Somehow, each song was perfect and the audience was alive as we experienced the brilliance of so many characters. The tap-dancing Tinman almost stole the show, and the hilarious Cowardly Lion had his moments, but Corn, as I learned in my interviews, has a voice that is truly special. With their power, confidence, and stage presence, I watched the birth of a star on Saturday night.
So many of us are familiar with "The Wiz." You may have seen the Broadway version, or the movie, or any of the many renditions that have been done in regional theatres around the country. But this performance was special. From the costumes to the stage design, the acting, the choreography – top to bottom this play was excellent. If you are able to see a production this holiday, "The Wiz" is definitely my recommendation.
The Nutcracker at Pacific Northwest Ballet
"The Nutcracker" is holiday tradition for many families. This year, I took my family. I now understand why this production has been a staple for so long.
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Chief Seattle Club launches café showcasing Indigenous foods
Chief Seattle Club, a nonprofit that provides social services to Seattle’s urban Native people, has a new café featuring Indigenous foods. The name of the café is ?ál?al, pronounced "ahl-ahl."
"?ál?al means home in Lushootseed," said café manager and chef Anthony Johnson. "And Lushootseed is the Native language of the Puget Sound.”
Johnson says part of the cafe's mission is to uplift and showcase Indigenous foods like blue corn mush, bison tacos, and wild rice and wojapi parfait. Most of the ingredients are sourced from Native growers and producers around the country.
For now, the menu will be limited, but Johnson hopes that will change.
“We’re trying to serve as many types of traditional foods from various regions of the country as we can,” he said.
The café anchors Chief Seattle Club's newly opened affordable housing project in Pioneer Square and is open to the public.
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Washington is shutting down its Covid response website
After nearly three years of providing pandemic information, Washington state is shutting down its Covid response website.
According to the website: "Beginning Dec. 1, this website will no longer be available, and users will be redirected to the Washington State Department of Health’s website."
Throughout the Covid pandemic, Washington's website has been a one-stop shop for information about the state's response. It provided a range of information from where to find vaccines, to workplace safety guidelines.
The Department of Health, however, will keep its Covid website going, as well as its Covid dashboard.
The website shutdown is yet another sign that the pandemic has shifted into a new phase. Many of Washington's lingering emergency orders expired at the end of October, bringing to a close pandemic precautions around schools, travel restrictions, and other measures. Gov. Jay Inslee's overall state of emergency also ended.
The Department of Health also recently announced that it is out of free Covid tests, which are provided through sayyescovidhometest.org.
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Seattle snow advice for (snickering) Midwest transplants: Today So Far
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for November 29, 2022.
Snow has arrived in Western Washington. But you already know that by the time you're reading this newsletter. So the main things to know now are that it likely won't stick around too long as warmer rain moves through the area tonight. The other thing to be aware of is that, despite the snow going away, that doesn't mean it won't be icy out there.
I can already hear it — the chuckles and the snickering of Midwestern transplants humored by Seattleites' wariness upon hearing the word "snow." That usually precedes the sound of those same Midwesterners eating crow. For such boastful Midwestern transplants, please consider the following Northwest wisdom.
Our region has this thing where we get freezing and then non-freezing temperatures in the same day, or over many days. That is evident right now — we got some flurries, maybe a dusting, and it will all melt pretty soon or get rained away. So roads get snow, then rain and melted snow, and then all that rain and melt freezes again, making an icy roadway. Throw some more snow on top of that ice and you have some pretty deceptive and dangerous driving conditions.
Midwest drivers often like to scoff at us and say, "I didn't grow up with your puny Seattle snow that drops a couple inches here or there. Blizzards dump feet and feet of snow upon us! And we laugh at the snow and show no fear as we drive through it with ease and tell of our snowy triumphs over a mug of mead!"
Here's the thing that the Midwest doesn't consider: Seattle has hills. Plus, the Northwest has those icy conditions that I explained above. It's not really driving in snow, as much as it is driving on an ice rink — unlike that luxurious powdery Midwest snow that is easier to grip into. Midwest transplants probably shouldn't speak so soon and learn from our past mistakes ... like this one.
The snow may be meager, or even brief, but it can still be mighty slippery.
Now, having said that, we have to be honest with ourselves. Locals have to admit that there are a lot of drivers out there with more Subaru confidence than driving wisdom, and that can lead to some problems. Or worse, new Toyota Tacoma drivers that are hopped up on TikTok mudding and trail videos. So be aware out there.
Part of that awareness is knowing your city's plowing schedule and routes. Thankfully, KUOW's Paige Browning has put together this helpful roundup of snow plow routes across our region. If you do need to drive anywhere, it's probably best to check which roads are going to be cleared.
The snow might be gone by tomorrow or later this week (depending on where you are around the lowlands), but this week should prove to be a good primer on snow preparation and icy roads.
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