KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Northwest tribes' salmon hatcheries get $240 million federal boost
The Lummi Nation is receiving $2 million to repair an aging hatchery on the South Fork Nooksack River, site of a mass dieoff of endangered Chinook salmon in 2021.Gerald Gabrisch/Lummi Natural Resources DepartmentWest Coast tribes are getting nearly $240 million from the federal government to improve their salmon hatcheries.
Twenty-seven tribes, including 21 from Washington state, will get an initial $2 million each to repair and modernize their aging hatcheries, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday.
The remaining funds will be awarded competitively among the tribes “in the coming months,” federal officials said.
Jennifer Quan, regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries, called it “one of our greatest commitments of support for tribal fisheries since the treaties themselves that first assured the tribes access to the fisheries.”
RELATED: Washington tribes get $39.4 million for salmon habitat restoration, culvert removal efforts
Treaties between the U.S. government and many Northwest tribes in the 1850s promised tribes the right to keep fishing and hunting in their traditional places in exchange for the tribes’ giving up most of their land.
“Today, hatcheries provide many of the fish that no longer come from the salmon rivers, the rivers that have been impacted by our dams and development,” Quan said.
Councilmember Lisa Wilson of the Lummi Indian Business Council, the governing body of the Lummi Nation, said the funding will help preserve tribes’ treaty rights to their traditional foods.
“We have salmon in every funeral that we have, which unfortunately, with the fentanyl crisis, it's been a lot of funerals in the last few years,” Wilson said. “It's very important that, any kind of celebration, we have our salmon, and if it wasn't for the hatcheries, we wouldn't have that salmon.”
RELATED: Fish out of water story ends with 77,000 young salmon in the wrong water
Wild salmon in most tribes’ territories have declined drastically.
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Smoke or sunshine? WA’s new air quality map tells you what’s ahead
Washington state's new air quality map.Washington State Department of EcologyAs wildfire season heats up, the Washington Department of Ecology is rolling out a new tool to help people breathe easier and stay safe. The state’s revamped air quality monitoring map, launched this week, is designed to keep residents in the know during the smoky days ahead.
The new map gives real-time updates on air quality across the state, showing pollutants like smoke, ozone, and carbon monoxide . The map has accessibility features aimed at making it more user-friendly for those who are visually impaired, and can be accessed via smartphone or desktop.
RELATED: The presence of wildfire smoke could have you feeling bad — and not for the reason you think
Planning to enjoy some fresh air outdoors? The map also includes a smoke forecast to help people prepare ahead of time. It projects what air quality will be like over the next five days, said Department of Ecology monitoring coordinator Jill Schulte. The map also shows 7-day and 24-hour air quality trends.
While wildfire smoke typically peaks in August and September, it can start in July and linger into mid-October. The Department of Ecology says it plans to keep enhancing the map throughout the summer.
RELATED: Wildfire smoke is here to stay. But critics say our preparations are still 'lackadaisical'
Schulte also highlighted that the map comes has a web application that updates information every hour. Residents can visit the department’s website to explore the new map and download it to mobile devices.
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Washington state's Democratic delegates vote to endorse Kamala Harris for president
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Oct. 26, 2022 on the topic of the Clean School Bus Act, which was spearheaded by Washington Congressmember Patty Murray.Office of Sen. Patty MurrayWashington state's Democratic delegation came out in favor of supporting Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday, throwing more weight behind Harris' presidential campaign.
RELATED: Kamala Harris may be ‘brat.’ But is that enough to sway young voters in Washington?
“As the first South Asian woman to lead a state party organization for any major party and as our delegation chair, I am beyond thrilled to announce that the Washington State Delegation has voted overwhelmingly to support the first woman of color to represent a major party in a presidential election," said Shasti Conrad, chair of Washington State Democrats. "With Harris as our nominee we will protect our fundamental rights and freedoms and defeat Donald Trump’s and MAGA’s extremist Project 2025 agenda."
Washington state's delegation heading to the Democratic National Convention voted 79-17 in favor of Harris. According to the party, no other candidates were considered — it was a strict yes or no vote to endorse Harris.
The national convention will take place Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, where Democrats will officially decide on a presidential candidate in the wake of President Biden bowing out. The party will also update its platform at the event.
RELATED: The Obamas have endorsed Harris, capping a week where Democrats embraced her
“As a party, we will shield Vice President Harris from the racism and misogyny already being hurled her way while also amplifying her vision for a democratic and prosperous future," Conrad said.
The Washington state Republican party has attacked Harris as a "DEI hire" and the chair, Jim Walsh, has called the upcoming Chicago convention a "scripted coronation."
Uncommitted Washington, a group of delegates who want to see changes in the administration's approach to Israel and Gaza, released its own statement following Thursday's vote. While the state party said delegates "overwhelmingly" supported the vice president, Uncommitted Washington said that "nearly a fifth" of the state's delegation did not vote in her favor and "still have concerns about providing an endorsement to Vice President Harris."
Yaz Kader, an uncommitted delegate, told KUOW that "it was a fair process," and that "my vote to not endorse Kamala Harris is reflective of the administration’s continued inability to have a red line as the Palestinians in Gaza experience massacre after massacre, and I will continue to push for a ceasefire."
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Kent in disguise: An unofficial, underground Transformers fan fest for Washington
Robots in disguise have been a considerable part of U.S. pop culture for 40 years, and over half of that time, there has been a fan event dedicated to all things Transformers in Western Washington.
"People have been very enthusiastic of CybFest when I've told them, even if they have no interest in Transformers," said Cybfest NW coordinator Ben Harpold.
Even though it's an unofficial Transformers convention, put on by fans, Cybfest NW organizers are anticipating that 2024 will be its biggest event yet.
What: Cybfest NW, an unofficial Transformers festival for fans and families, featuring toy dealers, artists, STEM features, and more. Special guest this year is Sue Blu, voice actress for the character Arcee from the original "Transformers" series, as well as a voice director for other series.
When: Aug. 3, 2024, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Kent Commons Community Center, 525 Fourth Avenue North, Kent
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'Defund is dead': Seattle leaders say it's time to hire more police
Seattle Police Department / FacebookSeattle Police Department leaders say they need to hire more officers — and quickly.
On Tuesday, interim Chief Sue Rahr updated the Seattle City Council on crime trends and the department’s inability to attract more officers.
Rahr's update came just two months into the job, after she'd taken over for former Chief Adrian Diaz.
RELATED: Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz out; former Sheriff Sue Rahr interim
She emphasized upticks in some violent crimes and shots fired around the city so far this year. But the real focus of the Council briefing was SPD’s short staffing. Rahr put it bluntly: "We're in a staffing crisis," she said. "We're down 400 officers, and we are doing our level best to try and increase our ability to hire more officers more quickly."
She that on Saturday night, every precinct in the city was missing officers.
One of the main reasons Rahr cited for the lack of officers is Seattle's lengthy application and screening process. Other law enforcement agencies, she said, have larger pools of applicants because their process is quicker.
"I'd like to see us use a testing process that is much more low-barrier and faster," Rahr told the City Council.
Her predecessor, Diaz, told the Council earlier this year that SPD is also interested in speeding up internal reviews, so officers who are under investigation can return to work faster.
At Tuesday's briefing, most members present agreed with Rahr that the hiring process needs to be streamlined. But critics have said they're concerned that lower hiring barriers could mean lower hiring standards.
RELATED: Seattle Police watchdog heads ignored complaints against former Chief Adrian Diaz: letter to council
Rahr also said the City Council members themselves are crucial to attracting more officers, as politicians' tones matter.
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Tacoma woman is cured of tuberculosis after legal and medical intervention
A medical drama surrounding a Tacoma woman with tuberculosis has come to an end now that she is cured.
The Tacoma woman was the third case in two decades in which a court order was issued because a person refused treatment. She also spent time in jail.
The woman had refused treatment in 2022 and 2023, and refused to isolate from others, creating concern that the disease would spread in the community. By May 2023, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department had spent a year attempting to find and convince the woman to isolate and get treatment, with the help of her family.
RELATED: Dengue fever is — unfortunately — having a banner year. Can it be quelled?
An arrest warrant was issued and the woman was briefly taken into custody in June. She still refused treatment and was allowed to return home that same month, as long as she isolated.
According to the health department: "Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies then took the patient to the clinic inside the Pierce County Jail. At that point, she realized how serious her situation was and decided to treat her illness. With her family’s help, our disease investigators earned her trust. She began to take her medication and regained her health over time."
Today, the woman has tested negative for tuberculosis multiple times, and "she is no longer at risk of infecting others," the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a statement.
"She gained back weight she’d lost and is healthy again," the statement reads.
Health departments are required to stop the spread of diseases like tuberculosis by state law. According to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, a court order is the "last resort."
Pierce County sees about 20 cases of tuberculosis each year.
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Alaska Airlines passengers will now be greeted with chill Sub Pop tunes
Alaska Airlines planes parked at gates with Mount Rainier in the background at sunrise, on March 1, 2021, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)Move over Muzak. Sub Pop Records has expanded into the background music space. When Seattle-area passengers now board Alaska Airlines planes, they'll be greeted with a playlist curated by the local record company.
RELATED: Surf X Surfwest — Riding the Northwest's surf rock wave
"Boarding music doesn’t exist in isolation — it's a core component of the premium experience we provide to our guests," said David Scotland, Alaska's inflight product and experience director, in a statement. "The music, the lighting, and the care shown by our amazing crew members all work together to create a great first impression for our guests when they board."
Boarding music plays in the background as passengers arrive on the plane, find their seats, put away baggage, and prepare to take off. That music will now be a selection of Sub Pop tunes for flights that depart from Sea-Tac Airport or Paine Field in Everett.
"The airport and boarding process can be stressful; settling into your seat and hearing thoughtfully curated playlist can start to put your mind at ease as you prepare for your flight," Scotland said.
With that in mind, passengers should not expect any of Sub Pop's classic Mudhoney, Supersuckers, or Sunny Day Real Estate on this playlist. Not even Hot Hot Heat. Alaska's boarding playlist presents the smoother, poppier side of Sub Pop. You can expect songs by The Postal Service, Father John Misty, and Yuno. See the full playlist below.
RELATED: 'The bright shining sun of Seattle music,' why everyone loved Susie Tennant
"I had to think about the people who would be at the airport – about what kind of music could make their eyes light up and make them want to learn more," Nick Duncan, Sub Pop’s A&R manager who curated the boarding playlist.
"Finding things that fit in with the inflight environment while also representing our ethos and roster of artists; that required some threading of the needle.”
According to the airline, the idea behind the playlist is to avoid profanity or anything that sounds like elevator music.
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Garfield County pledges to keep jail shuttered after suicide went undetected
Attorneys say this photo of Lara's cell was taken as part of the investigation by the Washington State Patrol.Photo courtesy of Galanda Broadman law firmFamily members of a man whose suicide went undiscovered in Garfield County Jail for 18 hours have settled their claim, in an agreement approved by a superior court judge on Monday. Kyle Lara’s parents say the most important part of the agreement has already occurred: the closure of the jail where he died.
The family's attorney, Ryan Dreveskracht, said the jail “was so improperly run, the conditions of confinement were so egregious,” that Garfield County closed the jail in March 2023, shortly after the Laras’ tort claim was filed.
In a statement Drevesckracht said, “In addition to what is believed to be the largest municipal settlement for an in-custody suicide in state history, the Lara family negotiated a promise from Garfield County that its jail will not be reopened unless the county complies with state and federal regulations and the jail’s leadership and staff undergo state corrections training. Garfield County currently houses inmates in the Whitman and Walla Walla county jails.”
Garfield County officials said the Board of Commissioners couldn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the settlement, Garfield County also agreed to pay Kyle Lara’s parents $2.5 million, which David and Rhonda Sue Lara said will provide for Kyle’s 13-year-old daughter, their granddaughter, who they are raising.
Closing the jail “was what it was all about,” David Lara said, “to ensure this can never happen to another person.” But he said he still believes there was “no accountability” since no employees were penalized.
An investigation by the Washington State Patrol found that Garfield County placed Lara in solitary confinement despite indications that he was suicidal. People in detention were supervised by civilian 911 dispatchers who were busy with other duties, rather than by certified corrections officers. Staff failed to check on Lara when he blocked a video monitor with a sheet, and they continued to put meals through the slot of Lara’s cell door long after he was dead.
“I think about my son’s last day and when truly was the last time my son interfaced with anybody? How long was it?” David Lara said. “So to a certain extent, I’m very pleased that our city has taken the steps forward to correct these problems.”
But he said, “to this day I do not understand, there is no oversight whatsoever in the state of Washington of the jail system.”
Washington lawmakers have recently considered proposals to establish a new jail oversight agency, but so far they haven’t passed.
When he died, Lara was awaiting trial. He’d been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after a fight with his girlfriend.
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Feds investigate Delta Air after mass cancellations, customer complaints
Passengers wait in line for assistance at the Delta Terminal, Friday, July 19, 2024, at Logan International Airport in Boston.(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)Thousands of air travelers remained in limbo Monday, days after the start of a global tech outage from which many businesses had already recovered.
Delta Air Lines canceled more than a third of its flights on Sunday and one in four flights Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Since Friday, Delta has canceled more flights, by far, than any other airline.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on social media that his agency had launched an investigation of the airline and its treatment of its many stranded customers.
“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” Buttigieg said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Seattle woodworker Sam Adler was at the crowded Denver airport on Monday, trying to get home to Seattle for the second day in a row.
“Last night, I just waited in the cell phone lot because the flight kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed," Adler said. "And the day before, I had panic-bought a second ticket because all of the flights had been canceled.”
Overhead display screens at Delta departure gates in Denver Sunday night showed what’s known as Microsoft’s “blue screen of death” — an unwelcome display to any user of Microsoft Windows.
A flawed security update from the firm CrowdStrike has been blamed for the worldwide tech outage that hit banks, hospitals, and other businesses starting on Friday.
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Live updates: Biden ends reelection bid, endorses Kamala Harris
In this Feb. 27, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks on the economy in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Biden took office promising to move quickly to restore and repair America’s relations with the rest of the world. Yet one major nation has yet to see any U.S. effort to improve ties, and that's China.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisKUOW and NPR coverage of President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection bid.
Biden announced he would "stand down" in the 2024 presidential race Sunday. Here's what we know.
Monday, July 22, 2024
State GOP says Dems 'staged a coup' for Harris
As Democrats continued to rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris Monday morning, the Washington State Republican Party's X account accused them of staging a "coup" for an "unqualified candidate" — Harris.
And the Republicans didn't stop there.
State Republican Chair Jim Walsh shared a meme on his X account that shows Eric André shooting fellow comedian Hannibal Buress (the popular meme is from a skit about climate change). In the version Walsh shared, André, the shooter, is labeled "Democrats." Buress, who is being shot, is labeled "Democracy." The meme concludes with André addressing the viewer: "Now that democracy is out of the way, we can get back to saving it."
Walsh shared the meme Monday morning, just about a week after the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird took a more measured tone.
"President Biden made the right decision to end his campaign and not seek re-election," he said on X. "I look forward to President Trump's continued efforts to unite our nation toward victory."
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Microsoft outage inconveniences Seattle area, but emergency services remain functional
A portion of the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, is shown on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerA global data outage has left parts of Seattle’s government and health care infrastructure without access to digitally stored files. It’s the result of a faulty security update of Microsoft operating systems.
The outage has been an inconvenience to many, but hasn’t critically impacted local emergency services or public safety systems, according to Washington State Emergency Management Division Director Robert Ezelle.
“In many cases, entities within the medical community or [government] agencies are having to operate manually or using backup… while they're working on restoring some of their primary systems,” he said.
Working on backups means going back to older ways of keeping records, said Mike Leong, a spokesperson for Sea-Mar Community Health Centers. Sea-Mar is one of many health care institutions in the region that were impacted by the faulty CrowdStrike update on Thursday night.
“There are instances of downtime where we have reverted to using paper to record and document our patient visits, and then when systems come back up, we enter the information into the electronic charts,” Leong said.
Larger health care entities in the area, including Providence Swedish and MultiCare, are taking similar measures. Many cite difficulty accessing health records and expect to have to reschedule appointments.
The University of Washington’s medical facilities, including Harborview, are still operating as usual and officials don’t expect to have to reschedule appointments, said spokesperson Susan Gregg.
Tim Pfarr, a spokesperson for the Washington State Hospital Association, said people should still seek emergency health care if necessary.
At Sea-Tac Airport, the outage has mostly impacted Delta Airlines and its customers, according to Port of Seattle spokesperson Perry Cooper.
Because Sea-Tac doesn’t see a high volume of layovers, “we don't see the big jam congestion of passengers and travelers,” Cooper added.
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More green space, fewer silos: King County reveals new extreme heat plan
Stephani Ung heads the Khmer Community Seattle King County, which helped provide feedback on how to reach and address the needs of specific populations to avoid heat risks. She said, "Being able to address heat as a community is really important."KUOW Photo/Amy RadilKing County officials on Thursday presented a new plan for keeping residents safe during the hotter summers ahead. They say the plan will help local jurisdictions respond to extreme heat with a more unified approach.
The county's extreme heat mitigation strategy report, which outlines priorities for saving lives during heat waves, cites the Pacific Northwest Heat Dome in June 2021 as being “the single most deadly climate disaster event in Washington State." More than 125 heat-related deaths were reported statewide, 34 of those deaths being in King County.
County officials say they’ll employ emergency measures like cooling centers, but also seek to expand green spaces to save lives during heat waves fueled by climate change. King County has commissioned maps of its heat islands, where temperatures can be 20 degrees higher than areas with more trees and green space.
Tom McLeod is mayor of the city of Tukwila, where heat islands were documented. He said his city is working to address the higher temperatures created by all its paved infrastructure.
“Tukwila’s equity policy includes equitable physical development of the city, including urban forestry and extreme heat prevention. The city’s tree regulations support these goals by both retaining valuable existing trees, and the planting of new trees.”
Heidi Watters, Tukwila’s urban environmentalist, said there's an argument that trees provide benefits and should be viewed like other city assets or utilities.
“They are infrastructure, and they take up space and they take up money," she said.
Meanwhile, the group Tree Action Seattle is protesting the possible removal of an 80-foot Douglas Fir nearby in Seattle's South Park neighborhood. They say it’s the last tree on the block, in a neighborhood that already disproportionately lacks tree canopy.
Beck Lin is a manager at the development firm seeking to build townhomes on the lot including the tree at 1033 South Cloverdale Street in South Park. Lin said in an email, "We are working closely with the architect to examine all possible alternatives. We hope to find the best solution that will work for everyone in the community."
King County officials said planning for future heat waves will also include more multi-lingual communications about the risks of heat waves, and providing more portable air conditioning for people most vulnerable to heat injury. Officials said they'd partner with existing organizations like Meals on Wheels to help those residents.
Tony Machacha, the community capacity manager with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, said it’s helpful that the strategy incorporates the needs of people his agency serves alongside everyone else.
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