KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Seattle resolution condemns harassment against elected officials and political candidates
Attacks on elected officials and people running for office won’t be tolerated. That’s the message behind a Seattle City Council resolution passed this week. The measure follows recent local incidents in which people of color were targeted.
Carey Anderson, a Black pastor running for an open House seat in the 30th Legislative District, was among them. Last month he was shot at with a BB gun while placing campaign signs in Auburn.
“I never thought that I would be shot at by doing public service and trying to make a difference,” Anderson said.
According to the police report, the suspect was a white man in his 20s.
In July, police arrested a man with a gun for allegedly standing outside the home of U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal while yelling obscenities. He has since been charged with felony stalking.
“We send a message today with this resolution that racist, sexist attacks, or threatening one’s family or children is unacceptable,” said Council member Teresa Mosqueda, who sponsored the resolution.
According to a 2021 National League of Cities survey, 81% of elected local officials of all races and genders have experienced harassment, threats and violence.
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Seattle City Attorney says her office is filing more cases, more quickly
In a new report, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison said misdemeanor cases from the office’s criminal division are moving forward more quickly now than at any time in the past five years — and criminal filings have increased significantly compared to last year, at 124%.
Davison said the median time for her office to make a filing decision on a case is now three days.
Over the past five years, it took the office a median of 129 day to offer any response, Davison said, including whether to decline, divert, or prosecute a case referred for charging by Seattle police. Davison said that waiting more than four months to make a filing decision sent the wrong message to victims of crime.
“That tells a victim that what happened to them didn’t matter, that tells an officer that their work didn’t matter and we just sat here and let things go stale,” she said.
Davison said the delays also meant more cases were dropped as victims or witnesses moved away. Last year, the office declined more than a quarter of its domestic violence referrals – 27% – due to difficulty in contacting victims. So far this year, she said, just 8% of domestic violence cases were declined for that reason.
“We have seen that dramatic increase in survivor participation in domestic violence, because we’ve been more responsive,” Davison said.
Davison took office this year after incumbent City Attorney Pete Holmes lost his re-election bid. In February, she announced plans to make filing decisions within five days of every police referral.
The report said over 80% of referrals now receive a filing decision within five business days, noting that “domestic violence referrals are afforded an additional week to engage in a trauma informed approach, which considers input from the victim on their safety concerns. Referrals involving LEAD clients get 30 days for clients to engage in services.”
Davison inherited a backlog of 5,000 cases, and this spring announced plans to dismiss 2,000 of those cases in order to act on new ones more quickly. So far, the new report said her office has made filing decisions on 900 of the backlogged cases.
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Dan Price, Seattle CEO who lowered his pay to $70K, resigns amid sexual misconduct allegations
Seattle CEO Dan Price is stepping down from his job as he faces sexual assault allegations and legal challenges.
Price, 38, has garnered headlines ever since 2015, when he cut his own salary and set a $70,000 minimum wage for employees at his company Gravity Payments.
RELATED: Dan Price accused of sexual misconduct
In May, Price pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault and reckless driving charges. A woman accused him of grabbing her throat and alleges that he tried to forcibly kiss her as they sat in his car following a dinner meeting.
Via Twitter Wednesday, Price announced that he is resigning from Gravity Payments, the credit card processing company he founded. He said he made the decision because he doesn't want to be a distraction while he fights "false accusations."
Price tapped Gravity Payments' chief operating officer Tammi Kroll to take over as CEO.
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Second heat wave of 2022 hits Northwest. A third is in the forecast
For the 11th time this year, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport hit 90 degrees on Wednesday, as did much of south King County and the south Puget Sound region.
The Cascade foothills got even hotter.
Maple Falls, on the Mount Baker Highway, hit 94 degrees, while Marblemount, at the base of the North Cascades, hit 95 degrees.
Much of the Pacific Northwest was put under a heat advisory or heat warning for Wednesday through Thursday night.
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for most of eastern Washington through Friday night.
Much of eastern Washington hit triple digits Wednesday, with Richland Airport reaching 107 degrees.
In western Washington, the weather service expects the extreme heat to last just a couple days before cooling off for Friday and the weekend.
With this heat wave expected to be less extreme near the cool waters of Puget Sound, Seattle officials said they are not activating emergency resources yet. But air-conditioned libraries in the city will be open regular hours as safe spaces to cool off.
Heat waves are coming more frequently and more intensely with the earth’s changing climate, especially at night, making it difficult for the many Northwesterners who lack air conditioning to cool off after hot days.
Washington state climatologist Nick Bond said as the climate continues to heat up – due to the heat-trapping gases humans continue to pump into the atmosphere – we can also expect to see extreme temperatures later in the year.
“That window in which we see temperatures that have impacts on humans and our ecosystems is liable to lengthen, especially later in the summer,” Bond said.
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Do the right thing and go check out this MoPOP exhibit: Today So Far
- Good news for Washington's green and clean businesses.
- Tacoma gardeners have a solution to the "zucchini problem."
- MoPOP's newest exhibit shines a spotlight on Ruth Carter's iconic costume designs from Hollywood classics.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for August 17, 2022.
You feel that? Excitement is in the air throughout the Northwest (it's not just the aroma of Tacoma).
Clean energy and climate-friendly businesses just got a big financial boost from the federal government, and that is good news for Washington businesses.
“It’s a great turning point,” said Tim Acker of Seattle-based Biosonics. “We have so much here in the Pacific Northwest to support this. So, we see nothing but really positive times in the next 10 years.”
Biosonics is a good example. It produces monitoring equipment for marine life — perhaps not what someone would immediately think of when it comes to businesses that will be benefiting from the federal government's $375 billion investment in renewable energy and reducing climate pollution. But this effort has the potential to reach many corners of the clean industry. Other corners include modern nuclear power and hydrogen production, which are also present in the Northwest. Northwest News Network's Tom Banse has the full story here.
If you're strolling around Tacoma's Jefferson Park on a Sunday afternoon, you just may find a treat — zucchini!
“Gardeners always call it the zucchini problem,” David Thompson said while handing out free produce. “And it’s always a big joke that you’ll leave it in the neighbors' cars and whatever you can to get rid of that zucchini. This solves the zucchini problem.”
It's not just zucchini. There's kale, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, to name a few. And it's all free for folks who want it. The Thompsons have always grown extra food in their own gardens. In 2015, they started giving it away for free to those in need. As the pandemic struck, and food insecurity rose, the Thompsons and other neighbors increased their efforts. Food rescue groups have chipped in to get the food to where it is needed. KUOW's Ruby de Luna has the full story here.
Average movie goers may not immediately know the name Ruth Carter. But they should. Carter is an Academy award winning costume designer whose fingerprints are all over blockbuster, critically acclaimed, and highly loved films. Pay attention and you'll find her name in credits for films like "Amistad," "Serenity," "Malcolm X" or "Black Panther." I'd like to also give a shoutout to 1988's masterpiece "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka."
Actors and directors often get the most attention when it comes to films. We often wait until the very end of an award show to hear who the "best actor" is, and we don't tune in as much to hear about "best sound editing." But there is a range of talent that makes a movie what it is, from cinematographers to editors, and costume designers. It is difficult to experience "Black Panther" without the aesthetic provided by Carter.
One great thing about MoPOP is it often ensures that you don't miss such talents throughout pop culture. It's latest exhibition, "Afrofuturism in Costume Design," showcases Carter's work, from "Do the Right Thing" to "Coming 2 America," "Selma" to "Malcolm X." Behind each film, and each costume, is a work ethic, and, as Carter puts it, a "heart and soul." KUOW's Mike Davis has the full story on this new addition to MoPOP.
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Not as many apples are coming from Washington this year
This may not be a big apple year in Washington, a state renowned for its apples.
Washington's apple crop is expected to be smaller than average this year, thanks to a cool and wet spring, and a slow start to the summer.
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association announced this week that is is projecting a total of 108 million apple boxes for 2022. That's down 11% from 2021 (122.3 million boxes).
Keep in mind that those boxes weigh 40 pounds each.
Washington's top apples, by production, are Gala, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Fuji.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that this year's harvest will be 20% Gala; 14% Red Delicious; 14% Honeycrisp; 13.4% Granny Smith; 12.7% Fuji.
The one apple bucking this trend is Washington's own Cosmic Crisp, according to the Yakima Herald, which is in a unique spot. Cosmic Crisp is expected to be 4.6% of the harvest this year. Last year it was 3.2%. As a newer apple on the scene, it's been growing over the past years.
This is not the only crop that the extended spring and cooler summer has affected. In June, cherry growers were noting that their harvest would likely be delayed this year. In mid-April, snow was falling on many of Washington's cherry orchards — 40% had not even bloomed at that time.
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How many people voted in Washington's 2022 primary?
Voter turnout was different from county-to-county in Western Washington for the August primary. But one thing that King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties all had in common — they couldn't make it to 40% voter turnout.
For the most part, voter turnout in 2022 was on par with the last primary election.
King County elections officials have certified the results for the Aug. 2 primary election. A total of 39% of registered voters cast ballots on, or before, primary day. In 2018, King County had 43% voter turnout for the primary.
In Pierce County, 36.4% of voters turned out for the primary. That's a little more than the 34.38% of voters who participated in the 2018 midterm primary.
A total of 37.5% of voters participated in the primary in Snohomish County. The Everett Herald reports that figure is roughly the same as the 2018 midterms in Snohomish County. The Herald further reports that 3,008 ballots were rejected this primary — they arrived late, they weren't signed, or they were for the wrong election.
Statewide, 40.79% of voters turned out for the 2018 primary election. This year, 40.43% of Washington voters participated in the primary.
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Seattle banks on hiring bonuses to draw new police recruits
The Seattle City Council has approved an incentives package to entice new police officers to work for the city. It will pay up to $30,000 for lateral transfers, and $7,500 for new recruits.
In the past two years, the Seattle Police Department saw a net loss of 304 police hires.
Councilmember Debra Juarez says it may not be the perfect policy to solve the department’s staffing issue, but it’s headed in the right direction.
“Today we are moving forward, walking in our purpose, hopefully, I believe, to a safe, healthy and sensible policy,” Juarez said.
Money for the bonuses will come from more than $1.5 million in unspent salaries.
Councilmember Tammy Morales was among the three dissenting votes, along with Teresa Mosqueda and Kshama Sawant. Morales says the city should be focusing its scarce resources on pressing challenges.
“And they are things that won’t be solved by the police — our homelessness crisis, our need for more affordable housing, our limited access to behavioral healthcare.”
Morales added that SPD’s budget is the one of the largest in the city’s 42 other departments — it’s four times bigger than the Office of Housing, and 36 times bigger than the Office of Economic Development.
In a statement following the bill’s passage, Mayor Bruce Harrell says the hiring incentives are just one piece of the city’s recruitment plan.
“We’re prioritizing a diverse candidate pool, simplifying the application process, hiring recruiters, and pursuing education and career advancement opportunities for future officers," Harrell said.
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Lessons from the Northwest Passage: Today So Far
- Washington man cuts Northwest Passage paddleboard trip short. But this is not the end.
- If you drive a Kia, you may want to splurge on some extra security.
- As we further emerge from pandemic precautions, you may notice a lot more birds around.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for August 16, 2022.
Karl Kruger started this summer with a plan — take a paddleboard through the Northwest Passage, over the north end of Canada, while the icy waters opened up enough for him to make the journey.
After 420 miles and 15 days, just a quarter of the journey, he paddled to the shores of Paulatuk in the Northwest Territories and decided he needed a new plan. He started the journey weighing 190 pounds. When he came ashore, he weighed 173 pounds. Kruger was greeted by an Inuit hunter named Joe who was kind enough to take him, via a 4-wheeler, to a small hotel in the nearby town.
Kruger, 50, of Orcas Island, is known as an experienced extreme paddleboarder, which is a title you want to have if you plan on traveling over Arctic waters. He set off last month with the intention of making the entire 1,900 mile journey this summer. But now he has even more experience, and that is informing a new plan — the Northwest Passage journey will now take place over two or three summers, with better food, lighter gear, and more time. The caloric intake was an issue. It takes a lot of energy to paddle in such extreme conditions. But also, Kruger noticed he wasn't present for much of the trip. He wants to slow down, and talk to people.
“Just have boots on the ground and meet people and learn as much as I possibly can about the changing Inuit relationship with their land, and also climate change in the Arctic .... the closer I got to Paulatuk, the more hunters and fisherman I saw out on the water. And that is the talk in town — who got what duck, who got a beluga, who is going out for caribou this weekend."
Read the full story here.
If you drive a Kia, you may want to splurge on some extra security. A trend that started on TikTok has resulted in a considerable spike in thefts of Kias (and some Hyundais) across the country. It's a trend that has been felt locally. The TikTok videos essentially showed viewers a very easy trick to steal a Kia using just a screw driver and a USB charging cable. That has led to what some call a "Kia Challenge," which isn't so much a "challenge" as it is a massive spree of Kia thefts. Now, police throughout King and Pierce counties are warning Kia drivers to keep a close eye on their cars. Read more here.
As we further emerge from pandemic precautions, you may notice a lot more birds around. A new study out of the University of Washington looked at Northwest bird behavior as Covid lockdowns took place, and after. It made a few surprising observations. First, with people and cars reduced in public, birds spread out. They used our parks and back yards more. But when life began getting back to normal — more cars and more people — the birds didn't go away. It should be noted that from hummingbirds to crows and chickadees, different species reacted differently to the times. Soundside has the full story here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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Washington community college system ranks 4th in USA: Did you know?
When it comes to community colleges, Washington state ranks among the top of the list. But you'll probably find a few better colleges in Oregon.
That is, according to WalletHub's latest assessment, which says Washington state has the fourth best community college system in the United States. We don't have any community colleges on the list of best schools, however. Oregon has four colleges listed among the nation's top 20. That's the thing about numbers — you can play around with them so much that they sometimes don't make sense.
WalletHub considered a range of factors, such as the cost of the schools, as well as educational and career outcomes. That produced a few "best of" lists.
When focusing just on Washington, the best community colleges in the state are: Shoreline Community College; Everett Community College; South Puget Sound Community College (go Clippers!); and Bates Technical College.
Considering Washington's community college system as a whole, the state ranks fourth. Oregon ranks 10th.
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Seattle becomes sanctuary city for abortion care
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has signed off on four new laws aimed at protecting people's access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.
One bill calls for giving a quarter of a million dollars for the Northwest Abortion Access Fund.
According to Amanda Saxton with the Access Fund, nearly half of its donations this past year have gone to people in neighboring states like Idaho.
"Abortion bans in other states will continue to create a heavy impact on local clinics and resources, due to the influx of people receiving or in need of care," Saxton said.
Another new law establishes Seattle as a sanctuary city for people seeking abortion care and prevents Seattle police from pursuing out-of-state warrants related to abortions.
"Idahoans and the many others that will be forced to travel for abortion care should not have to worry about being arrested or harassed while doing so," Saxton said.
Another bill makes it a misdemeanor for someone to interfere, intimidate, or threaten someone seeking an abortion. A fourth law provides protected class status to people who have had or are seeking an abortion.
Seattle's new laws will go into effect over the next month. The city will officially become an abortion sanctuary on Aug. 31 and on Sept. 5, $250,000 in funding for the Northwest Abortion Access Fund will be released. The laws protecting the civil rights of abortion patients and making it illegal to intimidate people seeking abortions take effect on Sept. 14.
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Fishing boat cleanup continues off San Juan Island, but gets more difficult
Cleanup efforts tied to a sunken fishing boat off the coast of San Juan Island are proving a little tricky.
The U.S. Coast Guard says that the Aleutian Isle, which sank last Saturday, has shifted position on the ocean floor and is now in deeper waters. That has created some logistical challenges for dive teams that have been working to remove the remaining diesel fuel from the boat.
One of the nets attached to the boat has also broken loose, so this morning's crews are going to try to get it out of the water. They'll also continue to work with wildlife officials to monitor nearby marine life.
Coast Guard officials say they are using wildlife deterrent methods to keep endangered orcas and other species away.
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