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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.

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  • NW braces for 2023 wildfire season, expected to be a costly one


    It's fire season in the Pacific Northwest and officials say it could be a costly one.

    "With the lower and mid elevations, where most of the timber and burnable material is, it's been in drought and it seems to be worsening week by week," said John Saltenberger, manager with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. "That's why, first and foremost, we're anticipating the fire threat in Washington to be probably the greatest in the nation at this point."

    The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center brings together federal and state firefighting teams throughout Oregon and Washington.

    Precipitation readings were down around Washington state last winter, which has led to "peak dryness" arriving sooner than expected for the region.

    Saltenberger adds that the Northwest fire threat in 2023 may be the worst in the nation, and that all of Washington and parts of Oregon will be facing an unusually high risk, especially in July and August.

    He's urging campers and others who manage fires to be very careful.

    Burn bans in Washington state

    As of mid June, Burn bans throughout Western Washington have already emerged.

    • Kitsap County began a stage one burn ban on June 12, meaning most outdoor burning is prohibited. People can still light recreational fires, however, in approved appliances and locations.
    • A modified burn ban went into effect for parts of Whatcom and Skagit Counties on June 9. No residential or land-clearing fires are allowed. The same goes for unincorporated King County.
    • Pierce County has prohibited land clearing fires and fires for yard debris. Gas and charcoal grills as well as fire pits are still allowed as of June 12.
    • Snohomish County has a stage 1 burn ban. All residential burning is prohibited, even if a permit has been issued. Some small, recreational fires are allowed with restrictions.
    Continue reading »

  • 3 more glaciers gone from Mount Rainier

    A warming climate has claimed three more glaciers in Washington state. All three were on Mount Rainier, which is home to more ice than any U.S. mountain south of Alaska.

    Scientists with the National Park Service say that Stevens Glacier was gone as of 2021.

    RELATED: RIP Washington’s Hinman Glacier, gone after thousands of years

    Glaciologist Mauri Pelto looked at satellite imagery from last fall and says that he found that two other glaciers had dwindled down to ice patches, too small to be considered glaciers anymore.

    “As we continue to have these warm summers and these heat waves, all the glaciers are going to really suffer, and any glacier that's not in pretty good form is going to be lost," Pelto says.

    Park service researchers say Rainier has lost half its ice since the start of the 20th century. The losses have accelerated in recent years.

    Pelto also notes that it’s too late to save the Northwest’s smaller glaciers, given the warming already baked into the climate by human pollution. But he says it’s not too late to slow global warming enough to save the Northwest’s bigger glaciers.

    Read the full story on these lost glaciers here.

    Continue reading »

  • Seattle Storm retires Sue Bird's jersey


    All eyes turned to the rafters of Climate Pledge Arena Sunday night as the Seattle Storm retired Sue Bird's number 10 jersey. Bird wore the number for her entire 21-year career with the WNBA, as a point guard in Seattle.

    Bird came to Seattle from New York, where she grew up, but said Sunday night that Seattle is home.

    "Seattle wasn't always home, but that's exactly what it became, and that's in large part to all of you. And I may have given you rings, some fun moments, some game winners. While I may have given you all of those things, you gave me a home."

    RELATED: 'To us, she is the greatest of all time.' Sue Bird plays final regular game with Seattle Storm

    Continue reading »

  • What's next for Seattle drug law? Mayor, council look ahead

    Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis said Friday he is working with City Attorney Ann Davison’s office and other stakeholders to craft a new framework to handle drug possession cases. That’s after Lewis cast the decisive vote Tuesday to block the city attorney from enforcing a new state law.

    That vote prevents the city attorney from prosecuting drug possession cases, at least for now. The new state law making drug possession and public use a gross misdemeanor takes effect July 1. Lewis said he hopes to help craft a more comprehensive proposal to bring before the council in the coming weeks.

    “Look, I think we fairly well established that on this issue I’m the fulcrum vote,” he said. “So in terms of where I can apply my leadership to drive the conversation, I think I’ll be in a position to build a coalition among my colleagues.”

    Lewis said any new proposal must spell out, and fund, pathways to treatment that keep people out of court and jail.

    “What we need to do this month is come together as a city and do the work the people of Seattle expect us to do,” he said. “To respond with urgency to this crisis that is killing so many of our neighbors, and make sure we get it done and get it done right.”

    Lewis said the plan must also come up with a new type of alternative court, since the City Attorney’s Office said last month that it would no longer participate in Seattle Municipal Court’s community court program. The program was envisioned as a way to divert low-level offenders from jail, and connect them with services. But Davison’s office said the court wasn’t effective at getting cases resolved.

    Still, Lewis said the process should have unfolded differently.

    “I think there’s plenty of room for improvement with the community court,” he said, “but I’ve always been a fan of coming up with a reformed replacement before you get rid of a current institution.”

    Lewis said the city attorney’s resulting dismissal of 1,000 misdemeanor cases harms those crime victims and the defendants who needed services. He said a new therapeutic court should be “part of the puzzle” as the city considers how to enforce the drug possession ordinance. He also wants the city to offer diversion services focused on helping people with substance use disorder.

    The new state law says courts and prosecutors are "encouraged" to consider diverting someone to treatment and services rather than charging them, a step known as "Pre-Filing Diversion."

    Prosecutors typically contract with nonprofits that try to address the root causes of the person’s criminal case. If the person completes the steps set out by the court, the potential charges against them are never filed.

    Continue reading »

  • What isn't taught in Washington schools: Today So Far
    • Seattle teens are 3D printing these at home.
    • There's an effort to expand K-12 history classes in Washington state.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 9, 2023.

    If you could, what would you 3D print? There are a lot of things to choose from. It could be as simple as a keychain or a bottle opener, or as fun as an RC plane or a guitar. I know a local couple who 3D printed their own Iron Man suits. The home technology has opened up a whole new level of crafting, but local teens have discovered that they can also 3D print guns.

    KUOW's Ashley Hiruko reports that these types of guns are increasingly showing up in the city. SPD confiscated 16 homemade firearms in 2020, 31 in 2021, and 66 in 2022. These weapons do not have serial numbers on them and therefore count as ghost guns. In many cases, they are made with a combo of actual gun parts and 3D printed parts to fill in the gaps. In one case, police suspect a part was 3D printed to convert a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic handgun.

    I have to admit that it's not entirely surprising to me that folks got the idea to 3D print their own guns. What is perhaps shocking are the ages of the folks involved in local incidents that police are coming by — a 13-year-old SeaTac kid, a 14-year-old in Burien, a 15-year-old in Des Moines. For the full story on this, read here.

    These days, more and more folks are hearing about what the United States government did to Japanese-American citizens during WWII. Bainbridge Island has a memorial for it. I have a graphic novel about it. There's a musical about it. In 1988, President Reagan officially apologized for it. Or you found out because you paid attention during "Karate Kid."

    If you're like me, you came by this information as an adult. But growing up around here, you weren't likely to hear in any local-history class about how Bainbridge Island was the first community where soldiers were sent to remove people from their homes and load families onto boats. You didn't hear about "Camp Harmony" in Puyallup where folks were sent (today we call it the fairgrounds) before being shipped off to camps in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. This history wasn't brought up in school.

    Mercer Island resident Judy Kusakabe was born at the Puyallup fairgrounds. At 80 years old, she's part of a national effort called “Make Us Visible.” The goal is to get Asian American and Pacific Islander history into K-12 schools as part of the official curriculum. Kusakabe isn't waiting. She travels to local schools and tells students about where she was born and spent the first few years of her life. KUOW's Sami West has the full story here.

    The Friday Five: News you may have missed this week, and other cool stuff on KUOW.org

    AS SEEN ON KUOW

    Continue reading »

  • Finger-pointing and fallout in the wake of Seattle City Council drug law vote

    This week, after lengthy public testimony, the Seattle City Council voted down a proposal to adopt the state law in city code, which would have allowed City Attorney Ann Davison to prosecute drug possession cases. In the wake of that vote, the council has come under fire from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. Meanwhile, law enforcement groups and prosecutors say the start date for the new state law might be later than expected.

    Mayor Harrell said Thursday that the law was thoughtfully crafted and he faulted the City Council’s process that resulted in the measure going down.

    “So, codification of state law into city law should really just be a perfunctory matter,” he said. “And the council, the opportunity they missed, was to define as a legislative body, what a compassionate approach with that legislation should look like."

    "Instead, what happened is that they were listening to public testimony and not going through a committee process, and trying to make decisions as they did on a real-time basis.”

    Council President Debora Juarez said she brought the proposal before the full council at the request of Councilmember Lisa Herbold, skipping a hearing before the Public Safety & Human Services Committee.

    Harrell added, “It was my understanding before the council deliberated, we assumed it was going to pass as most legislation does when it’s a codification of state law. So we had no reason to believe it wasn’t going to pass. And the work we started even before they deliberated, on what a post-Blake city would look like, we’ve already begun and we’ll have that hopefully wrapped up sometime in July.”

    He said that work will spell out how to provide better access to addiction treatment and “where we can take people who are in need.” Harrell said in the next couple weeks he’ll meet with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the city attorney, judges and “advocates on both sides” to craft a new legislative proposal in the wake of the council's vote.

    Law enforcement question when state drug law goes into effect

    City attorneys and municipal courts have been urgently preparing for the July 1, 2023, effective date of the state’s new drug possession law, SB 5536, which makes the offense a gross misdemeanor. But law enforcement officials and prosecutors say they may have more time to prepare: a key provision of the existing stopgap law remains in effect until Aug. 15, which may preclude enforcement until then.

    The state's current law (SB 5476) was passed as a temporary fix in 2021 after the Washington Supreme Court threw out the state’s felony drug law in the Blake decision. Legislators at that point made drug possession a simple misdemeanor. That measure requires police officers to document at least two referrals to treatment and services before arresting someone for drug possession. Many law enforcement officials say they have no mechanism to track those referrals, and have made very few arrests under the current law.

    That requirement “basically made that statute unenforceable,” Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim said. And he said that the requirement to refer people twice to treatment services remains in place under the new Washington law until Aug. 15 of this year, even as other portions of the new law take effect on an emergency basis July 1.

    Continue reading »

  • Get ready for 'peak dryness' across the NW: Today So Far
    • Peak dryness is coming to the Northwest much sooner than expected this year.
    • Property values are going down around Seattle.
    • A challenge to Washington's "assault weapon" ban gets an answer from the court.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 8, 2023.

    The Northwest is approaching "peak dryness." Don't worry, I'm not going to say that Seattle is "thirsty" again.

    Peak dryness is a time when the region dries out after summer weather hits. Here's the thing — it's happening a lot sooner than usual. It generally comes around the end of summer. Forecasters are expecting it to hit around next month. Despite April being one of the coldest on record, forecasters have expected the summer to be on the dry side.

    You know what the next thought a lot of folks are having: wildfires. Many blazes are currently burning in Canada. The National Weather Service already issued one warning for the potential of flames to emerge locally. Now might be a good time to get those N95 masks and air filters ready. Read more here.

    This is news we don't often hear: Property values are going down around Seattle. That's the headline for King County where home values are on the decline.

    The recent downward trend is being considered a market correction after last year's steep rise in prices. Of course, this all depends on where you live. As KUOW's Diana Opong reports, a homeowner in Seattle's Queen Anne might see a reduction of about 8% while someone on the Sammamish Plateau could see more than 20%.

    Here's the other big takeaway: This doesn't mean your local property taxes will go down. Sure, property values usually dictate property taxes, but there are other considerations at play, depending on where you live. Check out the full story here.

    After Washington's state Legislature passed a ban on assault-style weapons last session, multiple lawsuits were filed, challenging the new law. One of them just became the first lawsuit to get an answer from a judge — it was basically tossed out.

    The Second Amendment Foundation argued that HB 1240, aka an "assault weapons" ban, is unconstitutional. A U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma didn't agree with the argument, and said the gun rights group did not show that public interest favors a preliminary injunction. He concluded that it should be denied. That's fancy court talk for, "this case isn't moving forward."

    There is a catch, however. It's more accurate to say something along the lines of, "This case isn't moving forward, as is." The judge denied the case "without prejudice," which means the Second Amendment Foundation has the option to refile it and start over from square one. It could take the judge's comments into consideration, modify the case, and try again.

    Finally, I'm going to have to set the record straight, maybe, maybe not, sort of, we'll see. It depends on which angle you want to come at this from. Remember how I said the news around Seattle's proposal to handle drug possession was "nuanced"? Turns out, it's deeper than even I thought.

    Continue reading »

  • The price of polluting has gone up in Washington state

    The price of harming the climate has gone up in Washington state.

    The Washington State Department of Ecology held its second auction for the right to pollute the climate on May 31 and announced the results on Wednesday.

    At $56 for a ton of carbon dioxide, the price was about 15% higher than at the state’s first-ever carbon auction, held in February.

    Starting this year, some major emitters of carbon dioxide have to pay the state for each ton of pollution they put out by buying “carbon allowances” at quarterly auctions. Other major polluters, including oil refineries and pulps mills, get to keep polluting the atmosphere at no charge for the time being.

    In the May 31 auction, the price of carbon rose high enough to trigger an additional auction of future carbon allowances (for the year 2027) to keep the price from rising farther.

    The latest auction raised about $557 million for programs to prevent or adapt to climate change.

    The carbon auctions are the centerpieces of Gov. Jay Inslee’s “cap-and-invest” policy. It aims to reduce emissions and help fund the work necessary to both slow down and survive a rapidly heating climate.

    The price of carbon in Washington is nearly twice the $30 price reached at similar carbon markets in California and Quebec earlier in May.

    Washington officials say linking the three markets could lower the price here and make it easier for businesses to cut pollution.

    Any linkage between the markets would begin no sooner than 2025.

    The ecology department is currently assessing the pros and cons of making such a linkage.

    Continue reading »

  • This Pride Month, Seattle advocates call for more protections for LGBTQ+ youth

    Young people who identify as queer or trans are at a greater risk of experiencing homelessness and being victims of violence.

    LGBTQ+ youth make up about 5% of the general population, but officials estimate about a third of King County's homeless youth identify as trans or queer.

    There are a lot reasons for that, but a common one is that parents or families sometimes reject these kids, says Brandon Knox with the Lambert House, an LGBTQ youth center in Capitol Hill.

    "EIther the youth are kicked out by their parents or they're treated so badly at home that they can't stand to stay and they run away," Knox says.

    YouthCare, a nonprofit that connects LGBTQ+ kids with shelter and services, says this group is also more likely to be victims of violence while on the street.

    In recent years as homelessness has grown in King County, so has the number of unsheltered trans and queer youth. A few youth shelters around Seattle have been set up specifically for this population that offer medical help and therapy. Recently, more shelters for homeless young adults have been updated to better serve queer and trans people around Seattle. Knox says this includes basic improvements like, "the staff will intervene when they see bullying and harassment by other shelter residents.”

    Knox notes that, as other states have passed laws targeting trans and gender nonconforming teens, people are turning to Seattle for help.

    “I have met a number of trans families in the last year or more families with trans children that have moved to the Seattle area from places like Texas and Florida and other states in the South," he says.

    To keep up with this pace, Knox says our region needs more places for LGBTQ teens and young adults to find shelter, friends, and safety.

    Continue reading »

  • Drugs, the law, and Seattle: Today So Far
    • The Seattle City Council voted against a new drug possession law, but does that means drugs are legal in the city?
    • "Follow your passions" — really?

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 7, 2023.

    Seattle will not enforce Washington state's new drug law, but that doesn't mean drugs are legal in the city. This is one of those nuanced news stories ... that folks are likely to mutate into hot takes (way beyond my nearly lukewarm takes for which you come to TSF).

    The proposal that was in front of the Seattle City Council yesterday would have allowed the city's own courts and attorney to handle drug possession laws locally. City Attorney Ann Davison promoted this bill. Like the state's new law, the local bill favored diversion programs and treatment before jail time. But some council members questioned if Seattle even has the needed level of treatment services to begin with. Other critics argued that the measure criminalized the poor. The bill failed 5-4.

    This is one of those news stories that someone, somewhere is going to stretch into a headline that states: "Drugs are legal all over Seattle!" That is not true. This was about who prosecutes these drug crimes. Public drug possession is still illegal in Seattle. While it's not on the books in Seattle, Washington's state law is still in effect. Seattle police can still arrest people for drug possession. The cases will be handled by King County's legal system, instead of by the city. So this vote really came down to pointing defendants toward a Seattle attorney or a county attorney. The Council has gone with the county option.

    When you break down the rhetoric around this bill, one side had folks arguing that, "Seattle needs the law to get folks into diversion and treatment programs," and on the other side you had folks saying, "No, instead, we need to get folks into diversion and treatment programs." The subtext among both arguments is that they don't really trust the other side to get it done.

    “We need to show our neighbors that we will focus on real solutions like diversion, treatment, and housing. That's how we create safety for Seattle,” Councilmember Tammy Morales said before voting.

    RELATED: Community court is ending in Seattle. What does that mean for defendants?

    We also heard folks throwing around the term "war on drugs" as a criticism to the now-failed bill. It's an argument that Davison dismissed while talking with KUOW Tuesday, before the council voted.

    "This is not a return to war on drugs," she said. "It is about how do we get individuals into treatment and how do we make our public spaces safer ... As you go down our sidewalks and on our buses and in our parks, you can see what we've been doing hasn't been working."

    Read the full story on the vote here.

    One other thing that I'd like to hear some of your thoughts on. It's another head scratcher that Bill Radke has put out there that has had me squirming. From grade school through college, students often hear the advice to "follow your passions.” You have probably also heard something along the lines of "do what you love, then you'll always love what you do" (which, apparently, is also a quote attributed to Billy Joel). Either way, I have never liked these cliches. I think they're bad advice.

    Continue reading »

  • One legal challenge to Washington's 'assault weapons' ban fails in court

    One challenge to Washington state's new ban on "assault weapons" has failed its battle in court.

    U.S. District Court Judge Robert Bryan has rejected a bid by the Second Amendment Foundation to block House Bill 1240 . HB 1240 — titled "Establishing firearms-related safety measures to increase public safety" — passed the Washington State Legislature last session. Multiple lawsuits were filed immediately, challenging the ban. This is the first legal challenge to receive a court conclusion.

    RELATED: Washington governor signs new gun bills into law, including "assault weapons" ban

    “We remain undefeated against the gun lobby in court,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement following the decision. “This common-sense gun reform will save lives by restricting access to the preferred weapon of mass shooters.”

    The Second Amendment Foundation argued Washington's new law is unconstitutional, but the judge said the group had not shown that public interest favors a preliminary injunction against the new law.

    According to Judge Bryan's conclusion:

    "The Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction should be denied. Plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits of the motion nor have they raised a serious question on the merits tipping the balance of hardships in Plaintiffs’ favor. They have not pointed to irreparable harm if an injunction does not issue, that the balance of equities tips in their favor, or that public interest favors a preliminary injunction. Issues raised in this opinion cannot be resolved on a motion for preliminary injunction."

    The judge denied plaintiff's motions for preliminary injunction and to advance the case to a trial or summary judgement "without prejudice," which means the Second Amendment Foundation could modify its case and refile it in the future.

    The state's new law does not prevent people who already owned assault weapons from possessing them. Washington is the 10th state to pass its own ban on the sale and importation of assault-style weapons. The Attorney General's Office notes that two other legal challenges to the law are pending — one in state court and the other in federal court.

    RELATED: Will Washington's new assault weapons ban hold up in court? Gov. Inslee thinks "it should survive"

    Continue reading »

  • What can be done to prevent further gun violence in or near Seattle schools?

    Garfield High School parents voiced their concerns and discussed solutions at a safety meeting earlier this week.

    The meeting comes after a series of after-hours shootings near the school in Seattle’s Central District. An unspecified threat of gun violence also closed Garfield part of Thursday and all day Friday.

    Kayla Epting, the president of Garfield's parent-teacher-student association, said she left Monday’s conversation encouraged.

    “We will stay diligent in finding solutions that work for our school community around student safety and campus safety,” she said. “And as a result, our larger community will be impacted for the better.”

    Epting said she’s glad the Seattle Police Department has increased patrols before and after school, and that Seattle Public Schools has hired additional private security, who are onsite and can intervene quickly if there’s a threat.

    But increased law enforcement around the school has some concerned.

    A 2021 Brookings study found that school policing often fuels the school-to-prison pipeline, rather than preventing crime.

    In 2020, Seattle was among a number of school districts across the nation to remove armed police officers from school buildings in the wake of several high-profile police killings of Black people.

    As a Black woman, Epting said she recognizes the harm law enforcement has had on communities of color. But she believes police must be part of the solution to steadily increasing violence in Seattle.

    “That’s not lost in this work,” Epting said. “But we also recognize that there is a place for police in this partnership, and we’re working with families to figure out how to best support student safety across the board.”

    School officials plan to hold more meetings with parents and the surrounding community this summer and next school year, Epting said. And she hopes the district will work with more community organizations on further gun violence prevention.

    In a statement, Garfield Principal Tarance Hart said a new school safety and security plan — for the remainder of this school year and next — is forthcoming.

    And Superintendent Brent Jones said the district is taking the threats near Garfield “very seriously” and trying to be both proactive and reactive. But he said the district needs help to make change.

    “While these actions address the immediate concerns, we know we cannot act alone,” Jones said in a statement. “We all need to come together around increased gun violence throughout Seattle.”

    Late last week, Jones also provided an update on the districtwide security and safety initiative, prompted by a deadly shooting inside Ingraham High School. Ingraham families have been pressing the district for more information since Jones’ last update in February.

    On Friday, Jones acknowledged “this update took more time than anticipated.” But he said the district is making “considerable progress in strengthening school safety.”

    Jones said the district is in the process of updating building locks so that they can be activated inside classrooms. This fall, Jones said, the district will roll out new signage in all secondary schools to “help students and staff easily remember and follow safety procedures.” And, he said the district has already launched a new anonymous safety reporting app for high schools.

    Jones also emphasized the district’s ongoing collaboration with the greater Seattle community — including first responders, the city, and community organizations — to address public safety. And a previously announced wellness council, made up of physicians, clinicians, and first responders, is in the process of making a list of recommendations for a new mental health awareness campaign for Seattle.

    He also touted a new pilot program expanding student mental health resources in five schools: Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth International, and Ingraham high schools, as well as Denny and Aki Kurose middle schools.

    The program is funded by the city, and Jones said it also allows the district to hire more mental health clinicians and provide trauma-informed training for school staff.

    As part of Friday’s update, Jones also shared a summary of the Ingraham-specific safety review. Recommendations the district is considering include:

    • Providing additional emergency training for school leaders
    • Supplementing the school’s existing public address system to cover the entire campus, in the parking lots, and on the athletic fields
    • Upgrading security camera systems
    • Increasing the visibility and presence of security personnel
    • Altering external landscaping to ensure security camera views aren’t blocked

    The district has also hired a full-time social worker for the school, Jones said.

    Continue reading »