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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Less smoke soup in Seattle, but Bolt Creek fire remains unchanged from overnight
There was less smoke in the air on Sunday in Seattle than the night before, but that may be a matter of the wind, as the Bolt Creek fire an hour away remains active with no changes overnight.
The air quality index in Seattle was 111, which is “unhealthy for sensitive people,” down from 159 on Saturday, which is unhealthy for all. The air quality is supposed to be “good” on Monday.
Woods Creek in Snohomish County registered an AQI of 298, which currently ranks in the top places with the worst air in the U.S.
—Isolde Raftery
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'Making good progress on negotiations,' Seattle schools says after three days of teacher strike
Seattle Public Schools wrote to students' families on Saturday saying they are “making good progress on negotiations.”
Teachers and other certificated staff started striking on Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school. The bargaining teams met on Saturday and worked “late into the evening,” per the district. “We are optimistic an agreement will be reached so our students can begin school as soon as possible.”
RELATED: Unpacking the complexities of teacher strikes
Whether school will start on Monday remains unclear, but an update is due today, Sunday.
Among the major issues is inclusion, which means placing children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. Teachers say they champion inclusion, but that they want assurances that these more challenging students will have teaching assistants to keep the classroom safe and manageable.
—Isolde Raftery
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No school for Seattle kids Thursday as teacher strike continues
Students attending Seattle Public Schools will miss a second day of school this week, due to an ongoing teacher strike prompted by demands for better pay and student supports.
The strike, which will continue into Thursday, impacts more than 50,000 kids.
Karly Muller teaches at the Salmon Bay middle school in Northwest Seattle. She said up to a third of kids in her classes need extra support due to dyslexia and other learning challenges.
"If a student is struggling and I'm dealing with 34 kids...I don't necessarily pick up on the struggle," Muller said.
Muller also said the district needs to increase teacher pay to account for the skyrocketing cost of living.
"What they're offering is lower than the inflation rate right now, so essentially that's a pay cut," she said.
In the meantime, some parents are scrambling to occupy their children.
Brooke Oettinger and her two school-age children hit the playground at Golden Gardens Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school.
"We are just extending summer vacation so we'll be going to playgrounds and beaches and just playing in the sun," Oettinger said.
But after all the disruptions from Covid, she said, the delayed return to the classroom is a big disappointment.
"For them not to start, it's a little sad," Oettinger added.
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WA's LGBTQ conversion therapy ban upheld by federal court
Washington state's ban on anti-gay conversion therapy will stand.
The federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday unanimously ruled to uphold Washington's ban, rejecting a conservative therapist's claim that the ban undermined his free speech and religious beliefs.
Washington's ban on conversion therapy, enacted in 2018, prevents therapists from working with minors in a way that tries to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Tacoma therapist Brian Tingley, who brought the case, argued through his lawyer that conversion therapy falls under the same category as marital counseling, concerning ones relationship goals. Part of their argument in court was that, "the first amendment tells us again and again that the fact that an idea may be harmful, may cause harm, is not a sufficient basis to censor."
But the court of appeals sided with Washington state attorneys, who argued that "efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity are ineffective and put minors at significant risk of harm, including elevated risks of suicidality, depression and elevated anxiety."
Twenty U.S. states and the District of Columbia have laws completely banning conversion therapy for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Six states and Puerto Rico have partial bans on conversion therapy for minors.
The American Psychological Association has called conversion therapy a harmful practice for LGBTQ people, "with devastating mental health consequences."
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Seattle passes new laws aimed at reproductive justice and equity in the Cannabis industry
The Seattle City Council has passed a bill that bans pregnancy crisis centers from making misleading advertisements. The law is aimed at facilities that don't provide reproductive or abortion services, but often try to dissuade people from terminating their pregnancies.
The Council also approved a set of policies meant to promote greater equity in the city's cannabis industry. The new laws drop certain business fees, for instance, that have disproportionately impacted Black and brown entrepreneurs. The new laws also allow the expungement of past convictions for cannabis possession, and allow people who have been convicted of drug-related crimes to get into the cannabis business.
Councilmembers also signed off on a resolution to phase out the city's use of gas-powered leaf blowers by 2025, and for them to be phased out completely for residents by the year 2027.
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Seattle teachers union votes to authorize a strike on first day of school
The vote does not guarantee a strike. The Seattle Education Association and the school district could still reach an agreement before the first day of school, Wednesday.
Typically, talks between the union and the school district will continue until a reasonable hour, and families will be notified by a reasonable hour, before everyone goes to bed. We will keep you updated as more news comes in.
On Twitter, the Seattle Education Association wrote:
"We’re fired up and ready to go! SEA members made 6,000 picket signs and trained picket captains to prepare for a possible strike. We don’t want to strike but SPS needs to come to an agreement that meets our student needs NOW."
In an email to families, Seattle Public Schools said school would likely be delayed. They blamed the union for declining to bring in a mediator to help come to an agreement.
"We are committed to working with SEA to agree on a contract that best meets the needs of our students, staff, and schools," the district wrote.
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Seattle teachers voting on whether strike Tuesday
Update: The union has voted to authorize a strike on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 7.
Seattle public school teachers are set to announce today (Tuesday) whether they've voted to authorize a strike on the first day of school.
Teachers spent Monday afternoon at Judkins Park preparing signs for the picket lines. They will hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at district headquarters.
The district presented teachers with a "memorandum of understanding" over the weekend that calls for retroactively paying teachers agreed-upon raises if they continued negotiations and started the school year on time.
Seattle Education Association President Jennifer Matter said in a statement, posted on Twitter, the offer was a distraction and called on the SPS to reach a tentative agreement that "better serves students."
Among the concerns expressed by teachers are reasonable workloads, respectful pay and more wrap-around services for students with special needs.
The district wants to include special needs students in mainstream classrooms with paraeducators, but teachers worry the district will make promises it can’t keep.
There's also concern teachers will wind up being responsible for students with complex needs in addition to their own students.
The Seattle Education Association asks each school have a part-time social worker or counselor, and positions that are paid for with PTA funds at schools with wealthier families.
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Omicron-targeted Covid boosters arriving in Washington state this week
The Washington State Health Department says more than 191,000 updated Covid booster shots are on their way to providers around Washington, and will available to patients starting this week.
The bivalent Pfizer and Moderna shots specifically target the omicron variant. The Pfizer shots have been authorized for those 12 and older, while the Moderna shots are authorized for people 18 and older. To receive either booster shot, one must be two months out from their most recent Covid vaccine dose.
Children between the ages of 5 and 11 can be boosted using Pfizer's original, monovalent vaccine dose at least five months out from their most recent dose.
More doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Officials are urging residents to be patient, as the demand for the booster shots may exceed the initial availability.
You can use the state's online Vaccine Locator to find out where you can get the updated shots.
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Pat Wright, Seattle's first lady of gospel, dies at 78
Pastor Patrinell "Pat" Wright, who dedicated her life to gospel music and community service, died Tuesday, Aug. 30 after a long illness. She was 78.
Wright, known for her soulful voice, had four-octave range.
But she was probably best known for founding the Total Experience Gospel Choir in Seattle, a group that has won more than 150 national and global awards.
Pastor Wright performed at Jimi Hendrix's funeral in 1970 and also sang for former President Barack Obama right after he was first elected.
Wright was also known for giving back to the community and helped people of all backgrounds understand the importance of African American gospel music, in Seattle and around the world.
Wright was also known for giving back to the community. She won many prestigious awards, including a Washington State Governor's Heritage Award and the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award.
At 78 years old, she is now over the rainbow.
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Kent teacher strike continues as other educator unions weigh picketing
Seattle Public School teachers will be busy this weekend, as they vote on whether to authorize a strike.
The results should be tallied by Tuesday, a day before school is scheduled to start.
Meanwhile, no progress has been made in the standoff between the Kent School District and its teachers, who entered their seventh day of striking on Friday.
And teachers in Port Angeles will decide by Tuesday if they will take to the picket lines as well.
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Free transit rolls out for youth across Washington state
As of Sept. 1, people ages 18 and under can ride transit for free in many parts of Washington state.
In King County, passengers can show a youth ORCA card, a student ID, or simply board Metro buses and Link light rail. The county will move toward a more universal youth transit pass in 2023.
King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove said he sponsored the transit legislation locally in order to reduce conflicts around fare enforcement, to help young people access jobs and other opportunities, and to build a new generation of transit riders.
“I think the vision is that it will be free transit for youth throughout Washington state,” Upthegrove said. “I don’t know of another state that’s done that.”
He said a state legislative initiative provided money for transit systems across the state to offer free public transit for young people at no cost to their budget.
Under the Move Ahead Washington package, King County Metro will receive an estimated $31.7 million in grant funding to implement its free youth fare policy by Oct. 1, according to the county.
The county said the potential money in the package "far exceeds the estimated $10 million in annual fare revenue typically received from youth under age 19.”
Upthegrove said he expects state funding for the program to endure.
“Future legislatures can always change things,” he said. “But we anticipate this is going to be long-term and I predict it’s here to stay.”
At the U District light rail station in Seattle, riders welcomed the news.
Jesse Van Hoy was exiting the station with his toddler son.
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Seattle teachers rally ahead of vote on whether to strike
Seattle Public Schools educators held a series of rallies in front of several schools on Wednesday, ahead of the Seattle Education Association's vote this weekend on whether to authorize a strike.
The districts contract with the teachers ends Wednesday. While the two sides have been negotiating, union members say they want administrators to further address their concerns about support for students and staff burnout. They also say they want more manageable workloads and pay increases.
Union members plan to meet Wednesday night to consider an action plan. Students are slated to return to Seattle Public Schools next week on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Meanwhile, a teacher strike continues in the Kent School District has continued into its fifth day, after the district's school board voted against seeking a court order to compel teachers back into the classroom.
In Port Angeles, contract negotiations between Port Angeles School District and its teachers union remain unsettled. The Port Angeles Education Assocation voted this week to authorize a strike if a deal isn't reached by the time their current contract ends on Wednesday.
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