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
-
King County lawmakers want to create permanent gun return program
King County has limited options for people to dispose of firearms and ammunition. King County lawmakers want to create a permanent program to fix that.
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the county council passed a measure directing the executive to consider a year-round gun turn-in program.
Under the measure, the county will assess how feasible it is to pay people for disposing of guns and ammo, and the cost for the county to destroy them.
"Fewer firearms in homes reduces the risk of theft, of firearms falling into wrong hands, and being used in crime," said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who sponsored the bill. "But also, just the risk that somebody having a really tough time makes that fatal decision to use that firearm on themselves or maybe loved ones. This program is not a be-all-end-all of course, but it is one piece of the puzzle."
The intent is to reduce the number of guns in people's homes, and prevent gun violence.
The measure was initially proposed in June. At the time, council members pointed to recent mass shootings and the rise in local gun violence. Shots fired in the county were up 54% in 2021, shooting victims were up 70%, and fatal shootings were up 54%.
Gun sales have spiked in the region, and nationally, over the past couple years and have stayed at heightened levels. For example, the Seattle Police Department ran 6,707 background checks for gun purchases in 2019. That number more than doubled in 2020 to 15,825 background checks. In 2021, Seattle ran 10,766 checks.
While King County doesn't have a program set up for turning in guns, Kirkland has recently operated its own Gift Cards for Guns program. During an event in June and another in July, Kirkland police handed out more than $18,000 in gift cards for a total of 151 firearms.
Continue reading » -
High temp records broken on first day of Western Washington heat wave
High temperature records were broken in three Western Washington cities on July 26, 2022.
- Bellingham hit 90 degrees. It's previous high of 86 degrees was recorded in 1988.
- Olympia hit 97 degrees. It's previous high of 96 was recorded in 1998.
- And Seattle (SeaTac) reached 94 degrees, beating the 92 degree record set in 2018.
According to the National Weather Service in Seattle, the region probably won't break any high temp records the rest of the week. That doesn't mean it won't be hot, however. Temperatures are slated to reach into the 90s through the weekend for many areas, such as Seattle and Olympia.
The Weather Service has Seattle sticking to highs in the 90s through Friday. Its excessive heat warning will be in effect through Friday.
Continue reading » -
Keep an eye on Western Washington air quality during this week's heat wave
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is cautioning sensitive groups to watch the air quality this week as temperatures rise into the 90s. Heat waves can cause smog levels to rise.
As of Tuesday afternoon, most of Western Washington's air quality was "good," with some pockets of "moderate" levels.
Also, as KUOW's John Ryan points out, smoke from wildfires in British Columbia is drifting down into Washington state. Whatcom County has already caught a whiff of the smoke, which is expect to float as far as Olympia.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is noting that air quality is lowering a little, amid the heat, saying some areas are "unhealthy for sensitive groups." It has issued an ozone advisory for the Cascade Foothills, particularly eastern parts of King and Pierce Counties, such as Issaquah or Enumclaw.
Continue reading » -
Traffic cops are looking for phones behind the wheel: Today So Far
- Big allegations about a chicken conspiracy in Washington state.
- Law enforcement is on the lookout for phones behind the wheel.
- It's hot out. Do you know where your local cooling center is?
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 26, 2022.
Let's get the obvious out of the way — it's hot out. I hope you're staying cool, or know where your local cooling shelters are.
Such shelters are often needed more than you'd think in an area like ours. Most folks in the Northwest do not have an air conditioner to fend off heat waves. Facts like that still sting after last year's deadly heat dome. That has local officials starting to think about keeping cool during heat events in the future, investing in cooling shelters, etc. And that will take time and money.
"Last year’s extreme weather was a wake-up call,” King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay told KUOW, adding that preparing for extreme heat “is a growing priority because every year our region is just going to get hotter and hotter.”
Why is it that the person parked directly in front of the stoplight never seems to be in a hurry. I feel red lights should be like Mario Kart, with all of us revving and ready to go. But that person right up front always seems to take a sigh first, then puts their car into drive, and slowly moves ahead in time for the light to turn yellow for the second car to pull up.
OK, that is more of a personal gripe and doesn't have much to do with our reporting ... though, perhaps that driver is distracted by their phone and isn't paying attention. That scenario is prevalent enough in Washington that law enforcement is upping patrols out on the road, especially looking out for drivers distracted by their cell phones. Washington has distracted driving laws that specifically relate to phones behind the wheel — basically, you can't use your phone when you're driving, even if you're stopped.
King County's Target Zero Task Force is upping traffic patrols through early August to send the message that phones are not allowed behind the wheel. The first E-DUI ticket will cost $136, and a second ticket will cost about a hundred bucks more. This will not just take place on county roads; nine cities are participating where law enforcement has noticed increased distracted driving involving cell phones. Read more on the Today So Far Blog.
The Washington State Attorney General's Office is claiming that a major chicken conspiracy has taken place in our state. AG Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit that claims 19 poultry producers artificially inflated the price of chicken in Washington. One allegation is that the producers intentionally destroyed chickens to create less supply, and in turn, up the demand (price) on the meat. But the lawsuit goes further and alleges the companies colluded to fix prices.
"If you purchased chicken in Washington state in the last 10 years, you were harmed by the conduct of these companies and these individuals," Ferguson said.
Soundside has the full story here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
Seattle Schools and its educators are in contract talks
Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union are hammering out a new contract this summer.
The Seattle Education Association represents teachers and school support staff. Union Vice-President Uti Hawkins said the stresses of the pandemic have made teaching even harder, and that nearly all of their educators report working unpaid hours.
“To be an educator really needs some incentivizing right now, our districts, our public schools need to showcase how they honor and appreciate educators, not just call them heroes, and not just thank them afterwards.”
Seattle Schools spokesperson Tim Robinson declined an interview during bargaining.
In a statement, the district said it has its own set of priorities including supporting students of color, making classes more inclusive for students learning English and those with disabilities, and keeping staffing levels stable throughout the year.
Although contract negotiations in recent years have included a focus on Covid health and safety protocols, Hawkins said she thinks the district and its union "are in a good place" in that regard contractually, and that this bargain will not need to focus on preventing Covid in schools.
Continue reading » -
Wildfire smoke drifting into Western Washington from Canada amid heat wave
If a heat wave wasn't enough, here's another good reason to try to stay indoors today — smoke from a wildfire in British Columbia is now drifting south toward parts of Western Washington.
The smoke is already drifting into Whatcom County, but Canadian forecasters say some smoke could reach as far south as Olympia by this evening.
The fire is burning near Lytton, B.C., about 100 miles northeast of Bellingham.
Lytton is the town that was mostly destroyed in last summer's heat dome and wildfires.
Continue reading » -
Extra patrols watching for Washington drivers using their phones behind the wheel
Attention Washington drivers: state law says it’s illegal to use your phone when you’re behind the wheel. Now through August 6, law enforcement agencies throughout King County plan to enforce that ban with extra patrols.
Washington's rules around cell phone use in cars apply even when a driver is completely stopped, such as that driver holding their phone at a red light, and completely missing the light turning green, making everybody else wait.
The extra patrols are part of the King County Target Zero Task Force’s efforts to minimize distracted driving. A first-time E-DUI ticket will cost $136, and a second will cost about a hundred bucks more.
Sara Wood, Target Zero Manager for South King County, has some advice on how to comply with the law.
"If you need your GPS, set up before you put your car in drive," Wood said. "Utilize your vehicle technology. We just want everyone to put the phones down and focus on the drive.”
In addition to Washington State Patrol's participation, nine police departments will take part in the effort, including Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, and Maple Valley. Wood says those jurisdictions were not chosen at random.
"Those areas are where we do see higher numbers of distracted driving, serious injury and fatal crashes," Wood said. "But also those are the agencies that could commit to do any extra enforcement because of the staffing constraints that are put on our other departments."
MORE UPDATES ON KUOW's TODAY SO FAR BLOG
Continue reading » -
Murder hornet gets a new name
You may know them as "Asian Giant Hornets," or "murder hornets," but entomologists have decided that the invasive bee-killers in British Columbia and Washington state should now be known as "Northern Giant Hornets."
The Entomological Society of America has settled on this new name, in a bid to reduce confusion. The insect has different monikers in different areas. The term "northern" refers to the hornets' native habitat in northern Asia.
The state Agriculture Department says it will abide by this name and update all its relevant material. According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture:
"The proposal to establish an ESA common name for V. mandarinia came from Dr. Chris Looney, who has been actively involved in WSDA’s hornet research and efforts to eradicate northern giant hornet from Washington.
In conjunction with 'northern giant hornet,' ESA also adopted Dr. Looney’s proposals for 'southern giant hornet' as the common name for the species Vespa soror and 'yellow-legged hornet' for Vespa velutina. Vespa soror is a closely related—and similarly large—species to V. mandarinia, and the descriptors 'northern' and 'southern' refer to the species’ native geographic ranges in Asia."
By the end of last year, the department had destroyed four nests belonging to the Northern Giant Hornets.
Continue reading » -
Trump backs Joe Kent in Washington state
Former President Trump is urging Washingtonians to vote for Republican Joe Kent for Congress.
Kent is challenging Republican Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler to represent Washington's 3rd District. Herrera Beutler voted to impeach Trump, a move that has drawn criticism from the former president.
RELATED: Trump's revenge targets Washington state's 2022 primary elections
Trump criticized Herrera Beutler Monday evening during a virtual campaign event.
"She voted for the radical Democrats second impeachment hoax where the Republicans stood up tall for me but she didn't," Trump said.
Herrera Beutler is a target for Trump's wrath because of that impeachment vote. She blamed Trump for his inaction during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Like Trump, Joe Kent claims, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen.
Kent is also being endorsed by other high-profile Republicans, including Florida House Republican Matt Gaetz.
Other candidates in the race include Republican Heidi St. John and Democrat Marie Perez.
The top two vote getters in next week's primary from either party will move on to the general election.
Want to know more about the voting records and issue positions of candidates? Use the VoteSmart tool below to find out more.
Continue reading » -
What if we could see an outbreak coming?
What if scientists could see a virus outbreak coming, before the virus is even identified?
That could be possible, according to new research published by a team at the University of Washington.
Lead author Dr. Natalie Cobb says it comes down to testing people for the flu. If numerous people have symptoms, but test negative for influenza, we might have a new virus on our hands, or an outbreak of a known virus starting up,
They can find out through surveillance of data. Dr. Cobb studied 28 countries, and found that an unknown illness spiked in 16 out of 28 regions, long before Covid was identified.
"If there are big deviations it may kind of serve as an early warning signal to epidemiologists or public health officials to say, ‘Hey there may be something unusual going on here,'" Dr. Cobb said.
In hindsight, that's what happened with Covid-19.
Cobb's team found that illnesses resembling the flu jumped up about 3 months before the first confirmed peaks of Covid in 2020. She says this indicates data surveillance could be utilized much more than it is now, to watch for upcoming outbreaks.
Continue reading » -
Washington Republicans casting doubt on vote-by-mail, but it's not new
Polls show a majority of Republican voters question whether election results can be trusted. Much of this can be attributed to former President Donald Trump and his allies.
But even before GOP activists organized to watch ballots boxes this year, and before the 2020 election, some Washington Republicans were sowing doubt about the state’s vote-by-mail system.
RELATED: GOP activists ready to spy on Washington ballot drop boxes to 'guard the vote'
It was January of 2020, just before Covid hit and months before President Trump lost his re-election bid. House and Senate Republicans in the Washington Legislature gathered for their once-a-week legislative session press conference. A reporter asked about a pilot project in King County to let voters cast a ballot by smartphone. The late-Republican state Senator Doug Ericksen of Whatcom County pounced. He used the question as an opportunity to assail Washington’s election system.
“We currently have vote-by-mail and that is voter fraud, happens every single day and it’s rampant and it’s real in Washington state," Ericksen said at the time.
Ericksen was an early Trump supporter who died last December after contracting Covid. Without offering evidence, Ericksen asserted that spouses routinely vote for each other and that parents vote for their adult children. He also alleged that election officials count ballots even if the signature doesn’t match or when the ballot envelope isn’t signed at all. When challenged for evidence of this, Ericksen said.
“The sky is blue, I mean it’s just reality in terms of what happens with the ballots," Ericksen said.
In fact, when ballots aren’t signed or the signature doesn’t match – they are set aside and the voter is contacted. That day in January of 2020, Ericksen and another Republican state senator extolled the virtue of in-person voting. And later that year, Ericksen announced legislation to do away with vote-by-mail. Now, two-and-a-half years later, the belief that mail balloting can’t be trusted has taken root among many Republicans. And some GOP candidates this year have made it a part of their platform.
MORE UPDATES ON KUOW's TODAY SO FAR BLOG
Continue reading » -
Politics, nuance, and the upcoming primaries: Today So Far
- Politics is often not what we think it is. Perhaps, I'm not supposed to say that...
- Be prepared for a Western Washington heat wave this week.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 25, 2022.
Politics is often not what we think it is. Perhaps, I'm not supposed to say that. It serves news stories well when there is little nuance and plenty of tension to tune audiences in — left vs right, and pro this and anti that.
The truth is, there are Mexican immigrants who voted for Donald Trump, and there are Liberal gun owners; Conservative environmentalists, and Seattle Liberals who says Seattle is not liberal. Beyond that, some younger voters may be questioning this whole Conservative / Liberal dynamic altogether. Actually, a lot of voters are.
All that speaks to nuance among politics. Take this story from KUOW's David Hyde who just visited Leavenworth to take the political temperature of Washington's 8th District. Kim Schrier turned this district blue after it was red for many years, indicating that this district has some sway. Now, a range of GOP candidates are aiming to unseat her and take it back. The district is said to be a toss-up this year. But what do voters in Leavenworth say? Well, you got one loyal Democratic Party voter who has "mixed feelings" about the overturning of Roe v Wade; they don't come down on any strict side of the abortion debate. Also, you have a couple GOP voters who would welcome Trump back into the White House. They say abortion is “a mother’s right.”
The 8th District race is expected to be a tight one this year. Schrier flipped the district in 2018 with 52.4% of the vote, and held it in 2020 with 51.7%. Since then, Washington has redrawn its district map and the 8th District has expanded into rural areas of Snohomish County. That has led to speculation that the district could be weighted more to the right. Snohomish County, however, did favor Biden in 2020 — though I'd throw out there that for many voters, perhaps, voting for Biden wasn't so much a political stance as it was a palette cleanser. Again, that would have us consider more nuance. Which points us back to the toss-up expectation for the 8th District.
Perhaps all this nuance is why I just watched a campaign ad for Schrier where she states "I'm taking on the Biden administration, to suspend the gas tax .... I got more funding for local police." Some of that may seem counterintuitive to some bluer voters, but perhaps it works well for purple voters, or even red.
The first clues to how the 8th District toss up will play out will come with the August primary, about a week away. Read more of Hyde's Leavenworth story here.
Speaking of temperature checks, it's about to get pretty hot around here. This week is slated for a heat wave with record-breaking temps stretching into the 90s. In fact, Western Washington is potentially facing four days in the 90s starting tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle (or fewer, depending on the forecast you are looking at). Public Health Seattle & King County is reminding us all about the often neglected health risks on such hot days, such as heat stroke and heart attacks.
I know it gets said often, but that's because it needs to be. Do not leave your pet in the car on a hot day. It's actually against the law in Washington state, and law enforcement can bust your windows open if they find an animal inside on a hot day. Also, here a few pet-cooling tips.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading »