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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Sen. Murray promotes 'Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act'
Washington Senator Patty Murray is calling on Congress to pass a measure that would provide federal protections for those seeking abortions, now that it is no longer a constitutionally protected right.
"Banning abortion doesn't stop abortions," Murray said. "It just stops people from getting safe abortions. It doesn't take an expert to understand this is only going to get worse because of the dangerous abortion bans. Women will be denied the care they need, the care their doctors know could save their lives."
The Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act would protect a person's right to cross state lines for reproductive health care. It would also invalidate any state laws that go against those protections.
Sen. Murray says bans are especially hard on women of color, those with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas.
She also wants senators to waive the filibuster, and codify abortion rights into federal law.
As of Thursday afternoon, Republicans in the Senate were blocking the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act.
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Harrell rolls out police recruitment plan including bonuses
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has unveiled a new plan for police recruitment and retention, saying current staffing is at crisis levels.
Harrell wants the Seattle City Council to approve bonuses for new hires, which the city has offered sporadically in the past few years.
“We know that financial incentives are critical,” he said at a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday. “That’s why this plan offers incentives up to $30,000 for lateral transfers and $7,500 for new recruits, ensuring that Seattle is fully competitive with our neighboring jurisdictions.”
Many neighboring cities have been offering financial incentives and pay bumps for officers with college degrees or other skills. Seattle has lost 109 officers this year alone, most due to retirements, and so far has hired 35 new officers.
Harrell and Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz also support retention bonuses for existing officers. Diaz said they couldn’t give details on the amount of the bonuses because those are currently being negotiated with the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
“The past two years have been incredibly challenging for SPD and I want to thank those that have stayed with this department,” Diaz said. “We cannot afford to lose another single officer, especially to other law enforcement agencies.”
The new report on hiring and retention said the city’s number of trained and deployable police officers is at a 30-year low of 954. Harrell is seeking $1 million to allow for the new hiring incentives and four additional recruitment positions. In May, the City Council approved a proposal for SPD to use part of its unspent salary funds to pay for moving expenses and recruiting.
Harrell said he’s been attending police roll calls to tell officers they are needed and respected in Seattle. He also said he’s committed to seeking out police candidates “who reflect Seattle’s values and diverse communities, and are committed to public service.” Harrell and Diaz noted that half of the officers hired so far this year are people of color, up from 40% of new hires in 2021.
In a statement Councilmember Lisa Herbold said, “Hiring police officers is important.” But she called on Harrell to act with more urgency around creating alternative responses for the portion of 911 calls that do not require police.
“Despite consistent requests from myself and other Councilmembers to act with urgency, we have not received a favorable response from the executive,” Herbold said. "Seattle is falling behind on its commitments to create policing alternatives, and those impacts are being felt by community members who are not getting the service they deserve and by police officers who are stretched too thin.”
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These Seattle Starbucks locations lost steam: Today So Far
- Starbucks is closing five locations in Seattle, and one in Everett, citing safety concerns. Local react to the decision.
- How science is heating up cold cases in Washington state.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 13, 2022.
Starbucks is closing six locations in Western Washington — five in Seattle and one in Everett. The reason for the local closures, according to Starbucks, is a considerable increase in crime around theses locations, which has made it unsafe for employees.
“They have stuff for kids sometimes, it's just a lot of people, it's usually the older Ethiopian guys enjoying coffee — and just it's a cool coffee shop," said Makini Howell, who usually walks her dog Copper to the Starbucks at 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street.
But that location is now closed. Howell was surprised to hear why the location closed. Across the street, at the Hillcrest Market, Blake Crawford says he's not surprised. He says the market has gotten so used to robberies that staff have started keeping pepper spray and tasers on hand. The store has stopped bothering to call police due to a lack of response (he says the fire department usually comes right away, however).
KUOW's Casey Martin has the full story here.
Science! It's not just for combatting a global pandemic. It can help solve decades-old cold cases. Detectives at a handful of police departments in Washington state have begun pulling old evidence that contains DNA and running it through modern databases. It's a method that has already produced suspects and trials.
Recently, detectives in Pullman and McCleary began running DNA from rape cases through public genealogy databases — services that help people track their ancestry through DNA. Both crimes occurred in 2003, but the cases are unrelated. For nearly two decades, they remained unsolved.
This is part of a modern effort to use DNA to address such cold cases. Attorney General Bob Ferguson began a program in 2019 that collects DNA samples from convicted sex offenders in the state. Those samples are uploaded to a national database. It's already produced eight hits for DNA that is related to unsolved crimes.
That's what happened for police in Pullman and McCleary. They received grant money from the AG's office to run the DNA through the ancestry database. It led them to suspects in both crimes, who have now been arrested.
Read the full story here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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How Tacoma plans to tackle rising street crime
Tacoma city leaders say violent street crime in their town has nearly doubled over the past year. And the number of murders is on pace surpass last year's.
That was some of the information Chief Avery Moore shared with the public and the Tacoma City Council Tuesday as he detailed his crime reduction plan. The plan covers 2022 through 2025.
It's being rolled out in three phases focusing on near term, mid term, and long term strategies.
Near term. This strategy is already underway. It calls for increasing police presence in "crime hotspots." For example, just 24 addresses accounted for roughly 12% of Tacoma's reported violent crime over the past year.
Chief Moore says research shows having officers sit in stationary cars with their lights flashing reduces violent crime in such areas.
Mid term (place-based policing). Identify places with higher crime rates, gather local stakeholders, and develop strategies to tackle everything from physical and social disorder, graffiti, and code enforcement. At the same time, encourage social use of the space.
Long term: Focused deterrence. This strategy aims to change the behavior of high-risk offenders. It includes community involvement and communication, and providing alternatives to violence. It also involves communication with local gangs.
Read Chief Moore's full plan here.
The chief will update council members about the departments progress every 90 days.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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Federal report recommends breaching Lower Snake River dams to save salmon
A new federal report outlines ways to protect wild salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin. It includes a proposal for breaching the four Lower Snake River dams.
According to the report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recovering salmon in the Columbia Basin will require a suite of large-scale actions.
First on the list is breaching one or more of the four Lower Snake River dams. Other urgent actions include improving tributary and estuary habitat, reducing predator numbers, and building fish passage so that salmon can reach cold water habitat above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.
According to the report, these actions will help salmon and steelhead as climate change worsens. it further states that doing nothing will lead to catastrophic losses of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.
One of the main concerns about removing the dams is how to replace the electricity they generate. A second independently commissioned report estimates replacing electricity generation from the dams could cost between $11 billion to $19 billion. The Biden administration did not endorse the actions outlined in either report.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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Seattle's low income communities benefit from soda tax revenue, UW study says
Seattle’s soda tax has been effective in reducing consumption of sugary drinks. Turns out, money from the tax also helps low income communities, according to a University of Washington study.
Revenue from Seattle’s soda tax funds programs like Fresh Bucks, which helps low income families afford fresh fruit and vegetables.
Emy Haruo, director of community resources at the social service organization Neighborhood House, says having Fresh Bucks vouchers helps her clients stretch their food budget.
“Knowing that they can spend $40 on fresh foods that they wouldn’t have money to spend on makes a difference,” Haruo said.
Last year, the non-profit enrolled 736 people in the program.
Seattle started taxing sugary drinks in 2018 in an effort to reduce consumption and improve health.
Critics have argued that the tax would disproportionately burden low income communities. A new UW study shows that low-income families pay a larger portion of their household budget on the tax. But much of the tax revenue also funded food-related and health programs that benefit this population.
In addition to expanding Fresh Bucks, the city directed soda tax money to local food banks, and senior meal programs, among others.
Haruo says part of Fresh Bucks’s appeal is being able to choose their own produce.
“Some of our clients even found new interests and vegetables they’ve never heard of,” Haruo said. “Bok choy has gotten popular, Chinese broccoli have gotten popular, taro has gotten popular.”
In addition to Seattle, researchers analyzed data from San Francisco and Philadelphia. The study was published this month in the journal Food Policy.
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988 hotline is going live. What is it for?
A crucial life line for people in crisis goes active this weekend. All you have to do is dial 9-8-8.
For emergencies, people know to call 911. Now, 988 is the number to call for people experiencing mental health, substance abuse or suicide crises. The new 988 hotline goes live on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
It’s a national program that builds upon the long-existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Before, though, callers had to dial a 1-800 number to reach that hotline. Now it will be just three numbers. Callers will be routed based on their area code.
In Washington, lawmakers approved a new 988 tax on telephone lines in 2021. The funds support the expansion of call centers in the state. Some of that money will also help fund a specific tribal crisis line to serve Native American communities.
Callers to 988 will be able to connect by phone or text. The service will also be available in Spanish and in other languages through interpreters. All calls are confidential.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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Summer tourism surge hits while Washington's ferries are still on reduced service
Washington tourism has begun its summer surge, especially on the state's ferries. But at the same time, many routes are still running on alternate schedules with reduced service.
"It's a significant reduction in service levels," said Ian Sterling with Washington State Ferries. "But that said, whenever we have the people to operate an extra boat we do that."
Sterling says that fewer vessels means that some riders are having to wait up to four hours in line. That wait time is having ripple effects on businesses that rely on tourism.
Travelers are encourages to make trips during non-peak times. It's also a good idea to reserve a spot on a ferry ahead of time, or use walk-on services instead of driving.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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Graffiti goes down while summer traffic goes up in Seattle
If you're planning some trips along I-5 through Seattle this summer, you might want to check ahead. The Washington State Department of Transportation is closing I-5 for much-needed repairs.
When repairs are done, however, drivers may notice a bit of a difference, and not just because the expansion joints have been replaced and will no longer tear up your car.
According to a statement from WSDOT:
"While some crews are chipping out old joints and replacing them, a subcontractor is painting over graffiti while we already have some lanes closed. Normally, we’d have to schedule separate lane closures to address graffiti, which is often painted in areas that are difficult to access."
"Difficult to access " is sort of the goal of a lot of graffiti. A few years back, I became fascinated by one specific graffiti tag throughout Seattle — Homer Simpson. Once I spotted Homer's face spray painted on a sidewalk near my work, I began seeing him everywhere. Near my neighborhood bar. On an abandoned building I drove by. On a dumpster.
Looking into Seattle's graffiti scene, I discovered a few things. First, Seattle had a dedicated graffiti detective, charged with keeping an eye on tags that get thrown up around town. Second, local taggers spraying up walls, streets, and bridges are, statistically, more likely to be middle class, white guys with an average age of 23.
RELATED: 'Thrill And Addiction' Of Seattle Graffiti Artists
And finally, a big concept in the graffiti scene is "buff and burn," which speaks to that "difficult to access" point that WSDOT made. It's like a calculation a tagger makes: How likely is my tag to be buffed away, plus how long will it stay up to burn into the eyes of passersby. A lot of the graffiti along I-5 has good buff and burn. It's been up for a while and it's added up.
In the four weekends that crews have been doing work on I-5 so far this summer, they've used about 300 gallons of paint to cover the graffiti. They were going through so much, crews actually ran out of paint one weekend, according to WSDOT.
Revive I-5 work began last year and is slated to continue through this summer while the skies are clear. A total of 15 weekend closures are expected, including a closure from 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 15 through 5 a.m. on Monday, July 18. As with all closures on I-5, expect traffic to be snarled throughout the region.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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Monkeypox spreads further in Washington; expert says more cases will emerge this summer
Snohomish County is the latest region in Washington state to detect a case of monkeypox.
That brings the statewide total of monkeypox cases to 19. Nationwide, there are more than 750 cases. Monkeypox first emerged, locally, in King County and was soon detected in Pierce County.
RELATED: Monkeypox vaccines en route to Washington
The Snohomish Health District says that the new case is an adult male and that health officials are getting in touch with recent close contacts.
The University of Washington Medicine Virology Lab is one of the few sites in the country that tests for this infection.
"Our turnaround time probably is about one to two days right now, depending on when you send it," said Alex Greninger, assistant director of the lab.
Greninger says the virus is going to be around through the summer and adds that now is a good time to be cautious.
"It’s not going to be just like Covid, obviously, but we're going to see more cases than people normally would expect, and certainly more than we've ever seen before," he said. "I mean, that's already true right now."
Monkeypox is spread through close contact with the skin of an infected person. It causes flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes and a rash (bumps).
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Would you drink this to combat green crabs?: Today So Far
- A distillery may have one solution for invasive green crabs. Could the Northwest's breweries find solutions of their own?
- Should Seattle be a chocolate chip cookie, or a brownie? In other words, what are we going to do with all these people moving to town?
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 12, 2022.
Would you drink whiskey made with crabs?
Problem: European green crabs have been slowly invading Northwest waters, and are making their way down through Puget Sound. They destroy habitats for local sea life, such as our native Dungeness and red crabs, as well as salmon habitats. People are pretty worried about this.
Solution: Whiskey?!
Over in New Hampshire, they've also been dealing with invasive green crabs. One distillery there has drawn attention to the issue by bottling a special whiskey that incorporates them into its recipe. Each bottle uses about a pound of green crabs.
"People are going to hear 'crab whiskey,' and I'd venture to say three-quarters of them are going to go, 'No, absolutely not,'" said Will Robinsons, product developer at Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire. "But if you can get them to taste it, they totally change their tune for the most part."
Whiskey can't entirely get rid of the green crabs. Trappers are pulling tens of thousands of them from Puget Sound at this point. But it could help. I know, I know — beer is the big thing in the Northwest. But personally, I've always felt that beer has one major flaw — it's not whiskey. But you got to play your audience, and we all know that our local breweries are some of the most creative corners in our region (we have a festival dedicated to brewing up strange beers, and I once even had beer made with Doritos Cool Ranch chips on Bainbridge Island — it worked). So I'd like to throw this out there to the region's breweries: Is it possible to make beer using invasive green crabs?
I'd also like to challenge Northwest breweries to make any beer that is not an IPA. Because, believe it or not, such non-IPA beers exist. But one thing at a time.
Moving on from beer, let's talk about cookies. And by "cookies" and mean "engineering the future of Seattle's neighborhood density to accommodate the massive influx of new residents."
But KUOW's Joshua McNichols likes to think of it as a cookie (or maybe he was just really hungry when he wrote this story ... somebody get Joshua a cookie!). The idea goes like this: If you think of Seattle like a cookie, the chocolate chips are where we have placed our urban villages, the places where taller buildings, shops, and more are established. The rest of the cookie/Seattle is just houses and other spaces. But there's not enough room for all the new people moving to town. So do we add more chips to the cookie? Do we make bigger chips where more people can live? Do we turn the cookie into a brownie? These could all be part of the recipe Seattle is considering as it plans for future growth.
If the plan so far has been a cookie, then it could be said that former Mayor Norm Rice baked it about 30 years ago. Rice was mayor of Seattle from 1990 to 1997. During this time, he set in motion a plan that created the city's urban villages. Before that, the general approach was to keep building the region up to accommodate cars. But the downsides of that approach became apparent as more and more people moved to the region, and crammed onto roads.
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Washington nonprofits feeling the strain of inflation
Inflation is putting a strain on several non-profit organizations in Western Washington.
“We do see the increase for food and gas," said Nickhath Sheriff.
Sheriff heads the social service program for the Muslim Association of Puget Sound in Redmond. The group works with people experiencing homelessness, and refugees from Muslim majority nations, such as Afghanistan and Syria.
The food cards they hand out help these communities with specific dietary needs. But Sheriff says the food cards they usually provide don’t go as far as they used to.
“We used to give them halal food card, $50 halal food card," Sheriff said. "But now a larger family says that’s not enough so we have to increase it to $100.”
The Consumer Price Index has risen by more than 8% over the past 12 months. And that is forcing some families to adjust their shopping habits, or resort to going to charities for help.
Read more on KUOW.org:
- Minimum wage vs your neighbors vs inflation: Today So Far
- In a turbulent economy, here's how to weather the inflation storm
- Here's what 8.6% inflation feels like
- Yes, inflation is eating up your food budget
Find news updates and more on KUOW's Today So Far Blog!
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