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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It's not just about you: Today So Far
If you're riding in a car, wear a seatbelt. If you're rewiring a house, turn the power off. If you're going to travel through time, you need 1.21 gigawatts at 88 mph. It's basic common sense. So if you're going to be hanging indoors among large crowds these days, wear a mask.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for August 5, 2022.
I attended a large pop culture convention a couple months back. Omicron was driving cases higher at the time. The event was pretty wide open, but I kept my mask on most of the time, including when I was interviewing someone in close quarters (for a non-KUOW related thing). After the event, that person informed me that they came down with Covid. So I lay low and I tested. I never came up positive. The only thing that I can say about that weekend was I stuck around open areas as much as possible and I wore an N-95 mask.
Now, that tale is entirely anecdotal, but I stand by the main point. If you're riding in a car, you wear a seatbelt. If you're rewiring your house, you turn the power off. If you're going to travel through time, you need 1.21 gigawatts at 88 mph. It's basic common sense. So if you're going to be hanging indoors among large crowds these days, as that pandemic-worthy virus continues to spread, you wear a mask.
Why do I bring all that up? A few reasons. We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Crowds will be showing up for Seattle's Seafair. Britcon is bringing "Doctor Who" celebrities and fans to Bellevue. And Renton City Retro is slated to fill downtown Renton with gamers and families. It's all going to be a good time.
Covid cases in King County continue to trend downward from spikes in May. In fact, we're just hovering over that 200-cases-per-100,000-residents metric that officials have always aimed for. Our region continues to phase down. Seattle is now nixing its hazard pay requirement for grocery store workers. That pay was aimed to make up for the risks posed to workers, though the Council itself continues to have meetings remotely. It also voted to make one pandemic measure permanent — a cap on food delivery fees.
This all doesn't mean drop your guard, however. Emerald City Comic Con just announced that it will be requiring face masks at its event later this month. Rose City Comic Con in Portland is also requiring masks for its event in September. And before folks snicker too much about such comical, nerdy events — these conventions draw in more people than Seafair or a Seahawks game.
Much of what I referenced above comes with a premise of protecting yourself. But here is the thing — not everything is about you. I know that reality is tough to hear for some folks.
There are those around you who need you to be careful — at the grocery store, on the bus, on the street. People like a friend of mine who has a compromised immune system after having a heart transplant and still remains largely at home while I attend pop culture conventions and watch "Thor" in a theater. Another friend of mine, who also attends pop culture conventions as an artist, fought off cancer over the past couple years. I watched him shrug off sneers as attendees refused to look at his art because he requested customers use hand sanitizer at his booth.
And there are people like Keith Porter-Davis II who passed away in March, shortly before his 35th birthday. Keith needed a heart transplant in 2020. He got one. But it meant his immune system took a hit. His family felt they were in the clear when 2022 arrived. But then Keith caught Covid.
“If Keith had not have caught Covid he probably would still be here today,” Keith's mother Charlotte Baker told KUOW. “I just want people to really think about that for a moment, to take themselves out of the equation, and to think about others.”
You don't know every person's story, or what they are dealing with. You don't know if someone is battling with health complications and still needs to pick up milk at the store. You don't know if a vendor is recovering from cancer and needs to take extra precautions. You just don't know.
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Covid vaccine rates among young children remain low in Washington state
I has been about a month and a half since the youngest children in Washington state have been able to get Covid shots, but fewer than 9% have received their first dose.
The rollout for children younger than 5 has been slow, and the demand has been less than it's been for other age groups.
Michele Roberts, the assistant secretary for prevention and community health at the Washington state Department of Health, said some parents are still taking a "wait and see" approach, but she disagrees with that strategy.
"You're choosing a different set of risks for your child," Roberts said. "It is not a risk-free decision to not vaccinate right now, either for routine immunizations or for Covid."
While children who catch Covid tend to have more mild cases, Roberts said they can contribute to community transmission and can get very sick.
Hospitalizations for young children, like everyone, rose during the omicron surge.
Roberts said parents who have questions or concerns about the vaccines need to speak with a health-care provider.
According to Washington's Covid dashboard, 8.8% of children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old have had their first Covid-19 shot, and 1.4% have completed their primary series.
A total of 37% of 5- to 11-year-olds have had their first dose, and 33% have completed the two-dose series.
The older the age group, the more likely they have completed a vaccine series, with nearly 100% of ages 65 and older receiving at least one dose.
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More MPV vaccine coming to Washington state
Washington state is authorized to receive 17,000 more monkeypox (MPV) vaccine doses.
Those additional doses are on top of the 7,000 the state has already received. According to the state Department of Health, much of the current supply has already been used for those most at risk for MPV.
RELATED: MPV outbreak in Washington state "is not under control"
Meanwhile, state Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah said the department is working to close the gap for high-risk patients who need the shots.
"We do believe we're going to get more, it may still not be enough," Dr. Shah said. "Vaccine is absolutely critical, but even more critical is prevention, prevention, prevention."
Dr. Shah said that includes limiting sexual partners, keeping an eye out for rashes and other symptoms, and staying home if you are symptomatic.
MPV is rarely fatal, but the symptoms can be very painful.
The virus is gaining speed in the Northwest, primarily in King County. Washington state had 166 cases at last count.
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Incumbents move ahead in key Washington races: 2022 primary election
The results from this week's primary are still taking shape, but we've got a good idea of who will be on the November ballot in some key Washington state races.
As of Friday, Democrat Steve Hobbs is on his way to the General Election for the secretary of state race. Hobbs was appointed to the job after former Secretary of State Kim Wyman left to take a job with the Biden administration. He's running to stay in the role.
Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who opted to run as a nonpartisan, is currently in second place, which means she could be against Hobbs on the November ballot. However, she's leading two Republican candidates by slim margins, so it's too soon to say either way.
If she's successful, though, no Republican candidate would be in the running for the secretary of state position — that's significant. Before Hobbs' appointment, Republicans held that seat for nearly 60 years. Now, they may not even be in the running to get it back.
KUOW's Austin Jenkins says the fractured Republican field was likely an advantage for Hobbs and Anderson.
"As one eastern Washington Republican observer told me this week, this was a major Republican screw up," Jenkins told KUOW's Angela King. "The party needed to endorse one candidate."
Still, as the remaining votes are counted, the tide could shift in at least one Republican's favor for that second spot on the November ballot. As of Friday, the same was true for so-called "Trump-revenge candidates" in the 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts. Joe Kent and Loren Culp, respectively, are trailing in third place as of Friday morning, Aug. 5. Incumbent Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse are currently qualifying for the November ballot.
The outcome in the Eighth Congressional District is more settled.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier is holding onto a comfortable lead in that primary — a relief for congressional Democrats who are fighting to keep the majority in D.C.
Republican King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn surprised some observers when he conceded the race, having fallen behind Schrier and fellow Republican Matt Larkin.
Larkin has been arguing he's the most Conservative Republican running this year, and that seems to have paid off in the district outside of King County.
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Emerald City Comic Con brings back mask policy for summer 2022
Emerald City Comic Con has announced it will now require masks for all attendees at its event this month. Masks will be required in all areas of the convention.
Emerald City Comic Con is Aug. 18-21 at the Seattle Convention Center. There is no requirement for proof of vaccination. Cosplayers will be asked to enter without helmets or costume masks to confirm they are wearing an approved face covering.
Covid cases in King County have trended downward since late May, however, the numbers remain high. As of Aug. 5:
- King County is averaging 665 new cases each day.
- Communitywide, the county has 203.6 cases per 100,000 residents. Health officials generally want to see this metric below 200 per 100,000.
- Hospitalizations remain low with 7.8% of hospital beds occupied by Covid patients. On average, three people are dying from Covid each day.
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Larkin advances, Dunn concedes in 8th Congressional District
King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn is throwing in the towel in the 8th Congressional District primary.
Dunn conceded to fellow Republican challenger Matt Larkin, who will face incumbent Democrat Kim Schrier in the general election.
As of Friday morning, Aug. 5, Dunn had 14.62% of the vote. Larkin had 17.07%. They were separated by 4,048 votes. So far, Schrier has taken in 47.67% of the vote (a total of 78,788 votes).
In a statement, Dunn said, "Matt will make a wonderful Congressman and I encourage all of my supporters to support him as well."
Dunn continued to say:
"I am proud of the campaign we ran, and I look forward to continuing to serve this area on the King County Council. I will keep fighting for the values I ran on, supporting our law enforcement heroes and ensuring fiscal responsibility. I will continue in my commitment to be a voice of reason on the County Council, and push back against extreme and irresponsible policies. Now more than ever, we need local leaders in King County who will stand up for what's right, not what's politically expedient."
Larkin is a businessman and former Pierce County deputy prosecutor who for ran for state attorney general in 2020. Earlier this year, KUOW asked Larkin how he compares to other Republicans running in the 8th District.
"I view myself as being the most conservative one in the race," he said.
Larkin's yards signs with the slogan, "Make Crime Illegal, Again" can be seen throughout the sprawling district, which runs from Issaquah in the west across the Cascades to Chelan in Eastern Washington.
Voters in the 8th District will decide between Schrier and Larkin in the November election.
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Trump strategist falsely claims state primary was rigged against Culp, Kent
This week, conspiracy theorist and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is claiming – without evidence – that "elites" are rigging the primary ballot count in Washington state.
He made the groundless claim in interviews on his podcast with two Trump-backed Republican candidates – Joe Kent, who is running in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, and Loren Culp, who is running in the 4th.
“They’re working this thing out to get the vote they want to have,” Bannon said. In separate interviews, neither candidate disagreed with Bannon’s election conspiracy theories.
When asked by Bannon if he agreed, Culp responded, “Yeah, they don't want Loren Culp and Joe Kent in Congress… They want the money laundering scheme that they've got going to continue.”
Both candidates are trying to knock off Republican incumbents who were among the 10 in the U.S. House to vote to impeach Trump. But the two Trump-backed challengers are in third place in each of their races after the last mail-in ballot count.
Incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is currently in second behind Democrat Marie Perez, who will advance to the general election in Washington’s 3rd District. In the race for the 4th District, Rep. Dan Newhouse is currently in first place with Democrat Doug White in second.
Only the top two candidates from either party will move on to the general election under Washington’s top-two primary system.
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Seattle caps fees on food delivery services
The Seattle City Council has voted to place a permanent cap on the basic fee that food delivery companies charge restaurants.
When restaurants sign up with delivery companies like DoorDash or Uber Eats, they are charged a fee for every order. It's how such delivery companies make money. But they have become a common complaint among some restaurants.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, and more people were staying at home, the city implemented a 15% cap on food delivery fees. The council's decision this week makes that cap permanent.
But Anna Powell with the app-based delivery service Door Dash said the company is against the ordinance.
“Price controls lead to higher costs for customers, fewer orders and revenue for restaurants, and fewer earning opportunities for Dashers," Powell said.
Prior to 2020, some companies charged restaurants up to 30% for delivery services. Supporters argue that the permanent cap will help restaurants survive while many continue to struggle financially.
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Issues at play for the November 2022 election: Today So Far
- Abortion rights are well secured in Washington state, but that doesn't mean the issue won't be front and center leading up to the November elections.
- Housing. It's not just for rich people.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for August 4, 2022.
It should be said that abortion rights are pretty well secured in Washington state. In fact, Washington was the first state to legalize abortion through a vote of the people in 1970, before Roe v Wade. But that doesn't mean we won't be hearing about this issue ahead of the November election.
On Tuesday night, a group of state Democrats held a demonstration outside a primary night watch party in Issaquah for state Republicans. It's a clear sign that Democrats plan to place the abortion issue front and center heading into the November election, locally and perhaps nationally. It's a very personal and intimate issue, but it's also a smart strategic move. A recent poll indicates that abortion is a top issue for Washington voters, and a majority of voters oppose the overturning of Roe v Wade. Nationally, Americans who identify as "pro-choice" are near record highs at 55%, according to a recent Gallup poll. There's also a Pew survey which found that 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. An early indication of how voters will respond to the issue just happened in Kansas where voters rejected a state amendment that aimed to block any right to abortions.
Kansas is just one case, and there may be differences from poll to poll, but the trend seems clear, and that makes Democrats' message simple: Most of us have this opinion, and Republicans don't share it. That was the sentiment from Democrat Kim Schrier on primary election night. Schrier came away with 49% of the primary vote, and used that evening's spotlight to remind voters "that a woman's right to make her own health-care decisions is on the ballot this year."
There is, of course, nuance among voters and this issue. Pro-choice-voter-A may have different perspectives on the issue than abortion-rights-voter-B. And abortion is just one issue on voters' minds. There's also inflation, gas prices, rising trends in shootings and crime, among others. Campaign ads should be interesting to watch in the months ahead. KUOW's Amy Radil has more on this story here.
Housing. It's not just for rich people. That's one the big takeaway I got from Gregg Colburn's conversation with KUOW. Colburn is an assistant professor of real estate at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. He is co-author of the new book "Homelessness is a Housing Problem."
Now, you might read that book title and say, "Well, duh!" But think about it. Much of the conversation around this issue usually involves points about addiction, mental illness, and other problems that can feed into homelessness. But Colburn points out that those problems exist everywhere. And that begs the question: If such issues are present across the U.S., then why is it that they become exacerbated to the point of homelessness in large cities? Colburn points to Detroit as an example.
"When you think about Detroit, it's the most impoverished city in the country, with the highest level of poverty in the country. And they have a far lower rate of homelessness. We know that poverty causes homelessness, so it's this kind of odd result when you think about it that way. The way that I explain it is that when rent is $600 a month, you can kind of figure it out through familial support, through public assistance, and through low-wage labor. When rent is $1,500 to $2,000 a month, the margin for error is very low. That's what we're living and experiencing here in Seattle. If you slip through the cracks, it's a pretty vicious market to have to find housing in."
I would add that the high costs of renting is just one obscene factor at play. On top of that, we have landlords imposing high minimum-income requirements and deposits. It's expensive. You need a job and time to save up. But to do that, you need a place to live. And to do that, you need a lot of money ... which means you need a decent-paying job ...
When I think about my tough times in life, I've generally had some backup to help me out one way or another. Not everybody has that. And yeah, some folks have some extra challenges on top of it all. It's probably more accurate to say that, instead of homelessness being the result of just one issue, or two issues, it's caused by multiple factors woven together. And maybe having some backup (and a place to live) is what is needed. Check out Colburn's full conversation here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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Did you know?: George Jetson was just born
You may have missed this important date, but apparently George Jetson was just born on July 31, 2022.
You know the Jetsons — the animated family of Hanna-Barbera fame. Super Jetson fans recently did some math. The Jetsons first aired in 1962. At the time it was set 100 years in the future in 2062. George Jetson was said to be 40 years old, which means he was born in 2022. But why do folks say he was born on July 31?
There's no actual evidence that July 31 is George Jetson's birthday. It was just a popular meme that floated around the internet this year. If I had to venture a guess, whoever started the meme picked it because it's their birthday. And folks just went with it. Which means that there is still a chance that George Jetson will be (or has already been) born this year. If you or somebody you know has a baby to be named this year, George could be a good option.
This Did You Know? segment was included in the Aug. 3, 2022 edition of the Today So Far Newsletter.
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Seattle City Council names its first Indigenous Advisory Council
Nine Indigenous Seattle residents will serve on the city's first Indigenous Advisory Council.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved the nominees, who will advise city officials on issues and policies that directly affect Indigenous peoples.
The new council includes an Indigenous youth, an elder and representatives of some tribes and urban Indian organizations.
Council President Debora Juarez , who is a member of the Blackfeet Nation, says the IAC is a historic move for the city.
"I can't tell you how nice it is to have all these brown people looking back at me in Indian Country," Juarez said during a committee hearing to approve the nine nominees. "It just — you have no idea what this feels like. This is historic. I've never had this feeling in this job, so thank you."
However, members of the Duwamish Tribe protested what they see as a lack of representation on the new council. It does not include a representative of the tribe, whose members reside within Seattle and have for generations; the city is notably named after Duwamish leader Chief Seattle.
Duwamish Tribal Council member Ken Workman was selected as his Tribe's delegate to apply for a position on the IAC.
Workman told KUOW the formation of the IAC is a "great thing" and a happy moment for Indigenous people in Seattle. Still, he cannot help but feel the Duwamish have been made "invisible" without a seat on the council.
"It feels like nothing has changed, except the clock," he said.
Several members and supporters of the Duwamish Tribe spoke out about the apparent exclusion during a committee hearing last week announcing the members.
Juarez and a representative of the IAC were not available for comment following Tuesday's final vote to approve the IAC.
During last week's hearing, Juarez said the city received 48 applications for the nine available positions on the council.
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Trump's reputation as a political kingmaker may be on the line in Washington Primary
The first results are in for the Washington state primary, and former President's Trump's reputation as a political kingmaker may be on the line.
In Washington's 4th Congressional District, Trump-backed candidate Loren Culp is so far running third in his bid to unseat Republican Dan Newhouse.
The incumbent Newhouse earned Trump's wrath last year for voting to impeach him.
It’s a tight race, but after the first ballot count, Newhouse is currently in the lead (27.32%), Democrat Doug White is in second (25.98 %) and Loren Culp is in third (21.74 %).
It’s a similar story in the 3rd Congressional District in southwest Washington.
After the first count, Democrat Marie Perez is ahead, incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler who voted to impeach Trump is in second, and Trump-backed candidate Joe Kent is in third.
But there are many more ballots left to be counted in both races. We'll likely find out later this week if either of the candidates the former president is backing makes it to November.
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