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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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  • Tri-Cities lawmaker wants wind turbines to turn the lights off — sometimes

    A lawmaker in the Tri-Cities wants to limit how long warning lights on top of wind turbines can stay on. Such lights, way up high, warn airplane pilots of their presence.

    Residents near wind turbines say the blinking red lights on top of the tall structures are hypnotic, distracting, and a nuisance. While the lights keep aircrafts safe, Tri-Cities Representative April Connors says they don’t need to blink constantly from sundown to sun up.

    RELATED: Pacific NW 'hydrogen hub' pitch to federal government treated as top secret

    Connors is proposing a bill that would essentially have someone flip the light switch on when it's needed, and off when it's not. HB 1173 would require radar monitors to turn on the lights as planes approach. The bill would also require Washington state adopt light mitigation rules by January 2025.

    “It’s a monitoring system that works with the radar on the airplanes, that when they’re close by, the lights turn on. When the airplanes go safely by, they turn back off.”

    Wyoming, North Dakota and New Hampshire use similar types of aircraft detection lighting systems.

    Tri-Cities residents also say a controversial renewable energy project, called the Horse Heaven Hills Energy Center, would bring hundreds of blinking red lights very close to many homes. However, business groups worry retrofitting existing wind turbines could raise energy costs.

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  • Sustainable wines hitting Washington store shelves this spring

    Growers have harvested the first grapes under Washington state’s new sustainability program. Wines with the new "Sustainable WA" label should hit store shelves by spring.

    “We have had very long-term, dedicated consumers of Washington wine that have expressed an interest in sustainability in all of agriculture, but certainly in the wines that they drink," said Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Wine Commission, adding that Northwest wine drinkers have long pushed for sustainability practices in vineyards.

    To earn the new sustainability label, Washington grape growers must commit to sustainable vineyard practices, such as using water effectively, and pass a third-party audit to meet the new standards.

    “It’s about being able to say, here we are; we’re Washington state; we’re sustainable. And we’ve got a third-party stamp to be able to provide a consumer that gives them confidence in that product, even more confidence than they had before,” Scharlau said.

    Read the full story on sustainable wines by Lauren Patterson at Northwest Public Broadcasting.

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  • Laid off from Microsoft or Amazon? Seattle's still full of opportunities

    Getting laid off is hard. But between job openings and startup opportunities, losing a job can be the beginning of a new journey, especially in the Seattle region's tech economy.

    Layoffs at Microsoft and Amazon total 28,000 nationally. In the Seattle region, where both companies are headquartered, more than 3,000 people will lose their jobs.

    These companies are responding to economic uncertainty — it's getting more expensive to borrow money and stock prices are declining. That means companies that may have over-hired in recent years now have to tighten the belt by about 5%, according to Michael Schutzler of the Washington Technology Industry Association.

    But there are still tens of thousands of open tech jobs in the greater Seattle area, Schutzler said.

    “If you’re a tech worker, and you got laid off by a big company like a Microsoft or an Amazon, or any of the others, you’re gonna find yourself gainfully employed in less than 90 days,” he said. “That seems to be a national average now. People are turning over into into other wide open jobs in the tech sector within three months.”

    Within a company like Amazon or Microsoft, areas of emphasis are constantly in flux, Schutzler said. Right now, these companies are expanding their Artificial Intelligence operations, even as other parts of their operation deflate.

    The tech economy as a whole is even more diversified, he added.

    “The second largest software employer in downtown Seattle after Amazon is Starbucks. They’ve got close to 7,000 software employees at Starbucks. They’re huge. Starbucks has been competing for years with Amazon for talent. And so if Amazon’s letting people go, then other companies that are competing for talent, in the health care sector, in the retail sector, in the manufacturing sector — all of which are technology-driven these days — this is a boon for them because they’re gonna be able to get talent they haven’t been able to get.”

    But there are some challenges, Schutzler said, considering many people who get laid off may lack the skills to fill available positions. But the variety of tech skills mean there’s probably a job out there for most people.

    People who don’t fit in the new positions — or choose not to take those positions — may decide it’s finally time to start a new company that they control.

    Heather Redman is a Seattle-based investor with venture capital company Flying Fish. She looks for companies that focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

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  • Seattle's Socialist Councilmember Sawant plans exit from city hall


    Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant will not run for reelection in 2023, opening up District 3 to a newcomer after nearly 10 years in office. Her announcement Thursday also details the next steps she plans on taking to "continue to be disturbers of the political peace in Seattle, as well as nationally, whether inside or outside City Hall."

    "While I’m sure the corporate establishment in Seattle will be very happy with the news that I am not running again, they shouldn’t rush to mix their martinis just yet, because we are not done here," Sawant writes in a "guest rant" for The Stranger.

    Aside from stating a list of accomplishments, such as new taxes on large companies like Amazon, renters rights, and a higher minimum wage, Sawant also had some unkind words for Democrats. She called Seattle Congressmember Pramila Jayapal and New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "sell outs" while further arguing that the Democratic Party is "moving further and further right in their loyal support of the corporate elite."

    "We cannot put our faith in the AOCs or the Pramila Jayapals, even though I understand there were many who had high expectations for them," Sawant wrote.

    This lack of faith in the Democratic Party, to ultimately overthrow capitalism, is part of Sawant's argument to start a new political movement, along with her party, Socialist Alternative, called Workers Strike Back.

    At a press event Thursday morning, Sawant's supporters called for more militant action on behalf of workers, action that Democrats and unions have failed to provide.

    "Workers Strike Back is meant to be a national movement," Sawant said, noting that a launch event is planed for March 4 in Seattle, and in other cities across the United States. "We're not going anywhere, right now, because we have a whole year ahead of us in City Council office. ... Workers Strike Back is going to be built in multiple cities."

    "Having one city council office cannot replace a nationwide movement and it is necessary at this point that Socialist Alternative, union members, and others throughout the nation who want real social and economic justice, that we build a much wider campaign that brings together people from many cities."

    Sawant said that Socialist Alternative is not running a candidate to take over for her on the Seattle City Council. Instead, it is putting its effort behind the Workers Strike Back launch.

    "This is a beginning and we hope that rank and file workers and young people across the nation will be inspired and join us."

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  • Incarcerated people would earn minimum wage under new proposal

    Many people incarcerated in Washington state have a job inside prison. They work in kitchens and laundry facilities and do custodial work, among other things. The most they can be paid is $2.70 an hour. Now, there's a proposal in the state Legislature to pay incarcerated workers the state minimum wage, $15.74 an hour.

    Democrat State Rep. Tarra Simmons of Bremerton is sponsoring the bill. She's also the first-ever formerly incarcerated person to be elected to the state Legislature. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm asked her why she is advocating for this change.

    This interview has been edited for clarity.

    Tarra Simmons: I think it's really important, both for moral reasons and knowing that this practice is part of the slavery loophole, but also to set people up for success upon reentry, so they can save money for housing and transportation when they come home. Also, while they're currently incarcerated, they can still pay their child support and their victim restitution. I think this will set people up for success, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety.

    Kim Malcolm: You mentioned the slavery loophole. Explain that for people in this context.

    The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except for punishment for a crime. I experienced it myself. I was forced to work for 42 cents an hour while I was incarcerated. I had a variety of jobs. I worked in the laundry, in custodial, and in the kitchen. Some people even manufacture our license plates or build our furniture for our state agencies. If you refuse to work, you are threatened with a major infraction, which means you can go to solitary confinement, lose visitation with your children, or even lose "good time."

    There are things you have to pay for in prison, right?

    Yes, absolutely. You have to buy tampons, for example, Q tips, and toothpaste. And if you want any coffee, or anything else, you have to pay for that as well. You also have to pay for medical care. You have to pay a copay for that. We even charge people for the cost of incarceration. There are a lot of costs associated with being incarcerated, but no way to actually make money.

    If you had earned Washington's minimum wage back when you were incarcerated, how would that have changed things for you?

    It really would have changed things for my children. My children were living in poverty while I was incarcerated as I wasn't able to help them at all. It also would have helped me when I got out of prison. I ended up working for a minimum wage job, and the courts were garnishing my minimum wage in order to pay off my legal financial obligations. Had I been working while I was incarcerated, and able to pay that debt off, I would have had money for housing when I was released. Instead, I went homeless while I was studying for the law school admission test. I think this policy would have really helped me in several ways, and it would have helped my children as well.

    There are always going to be opponents to measures that try to boost benefits for people who are incarcerated. What would be your message to people who just don't agree with what they're hearing here?

    I would say, if we want to make sure that people don't go back to prison, we need to give them a hand up. We need to help people get into programming and counseling and substance use disorder treatment while they're incarcerated, and also leave incarceration with the ability to not re-offend, but the ability to take care of themselves. This is really about increasing community safety and making sure that when they leave prison, people have money for housing and transportation. Currently, people are leaving with $40 and a bus ticket, oftentimes.

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  • Inflation and Seattle's livability gap: Today So Far

    • Inflation is easing up across the USA, but it sure doesn't seem like it around Seattle.
    • Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees.
    • Washington lawmakers consider bring up the minimum wage for incarcerated people.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for January 18, 2023.

    After informing my friend that I could not afford a quick trip to Seattle, because I had to save money until my next paycheck, she countered that it was free to ride the ferry one way, only $8 bucks for the return trip, and I could just hang out, and not buy any drinks. That sounds like a fun time, huh?

    This was years ago, when I was living on Bainbridge Island, barely making ends meet. In fact, I couldn't actually live on Bainbridge. I technically lived just off of it, on a boat. What I didn't tell my friend, at the time, was that I only had about $25 to get through the next week and a half. I was carefully planning meals, and walking to work so I wouldn't put any money into my car. My friend meant well. I was never miffed by anything she said. She just wanted some time out with pals. But she lived in another world that lacked a certain understanding; the sort of world where she would lecture me about spending just a little more to buy organic food, because it is healthier and in the long run, good health would cost less than medical bills due to bad nutrition. An awareness that one organic apple would take a debilitating bite out of the $25 that was getting me through the "here and now" was just not accessible to her. Therefore, there was a gap between how we were living in the same place.

    I think of that time when I hear about the impacts of inflation on the Seattle area today. Axios reporter Christine Clarridge told Seattle Now this morning that our region's financial outlook heading into 2023 poses a risk of widening the gap between those making ends meet, and others who struggle to keep up. Some good news is that rent in the region is going down a bit, but the bad news is that it isn't going down fast enough to compensate for how bad rent is in the first place.

    Clarridge recently reported that, while inflation is generally going down nationally, the Seattle area is an outlier and "inflation is not cooling as quickly." Food, housing, and energy costs are all up. In fact, food costs are up 11% from a year ago. An easy example is a trip to your local grocery store. Clarridge did just that. Her budget had become accustomed to 88 cent green peppers, but they are now close to $2. Milk prices were about double than she expected. Chicken, eggs, and so on, all up.

    "My ordinary grocery bill would be about $90 for the week, for one person. It was twice that yesterday," Clarridge said. "It seems like there was a huge jump. It wasn't in any particular category, it was across the board."

    This isn't a Seattle problem, as Clarridge explained to Seattle Now, "This is a world problem," driven largely by supply chain issues and labor shortages. Check out Clarridge's full conversation with Seattle Now here.

    Another sign things are getting tight around here, and globally — Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees. That's about 5% of its total employees. Early reports indicate this will affect about 878 Microsoft workers in the Bellevue, Issaquah, and Redmond areas. In commenting about the move, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that part of this change will be an expansion into AI technology. In a blog post, Nadella also said that the layoffs are partly in response to changing pandemic conditions and the potential of a recession in the coming months.

    "We’re living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear. First, as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we’re now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less. We’re also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one. At the same time, the next major wave of computing is being born with advances in AI, as we’re turning the world’s most advanced models into a new computing platform."

    Lawmakers in Olympia will consider a proposal this session that would up the pay for incarcerated people in Washington. The bill is being pushed by State Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-Bremerton), who was once incarcerated herself. House Bill 1024 (Real Labor, Real Wages Act) would bring the rate up to Washington's minimum wage of $15.74.

    "The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except for punishment for a crime. So this is often referred to as the 'slavery loophole,'" Simmons told KUOW's Soundside.

    Continue reading »
  • Washington lawmakers discuss an alternative to jail for mental health crises

    First responders in Washington state have few options when they encounter a person having a mental health episode. In many cases, the default option is jail.

    Now, a legislative committee is pondering a new option designed to get people the short-term help they need without routing them through the criminal justice system.

    Senator Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) wants to institute a new system for Washington, based on an idea she learned about in Arizona — a 23-hour crisis relief center. She has proposed SB 5120 to set up a similar program locally. The center would be a place where people with mental health issues can stay for up to a day.

    Dhingra says that for people with an acute mental health situation, it’s a better alternative than jail. That point was reinforced by Sarah Chesemore, a Bellevue mother whose daughter has struggled with mental illness. She testified Friday at a Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee hearing.

    “You go to the emergency department and you sit in very uncomfortable, hard chairs in the waiting room, watched by security and others there for medical reasons," Chesemore said. "The treatment rooms are not calming. The ED environment is chaotic and stressful. This is not conducive to de-escalation.”

    Most who testified at Friday’s hearing applauded the goal of the proposal, but said there are details to work out. One is whether legislators are willing to spend money to establish crisis centers around the state.

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  • Screaming Trees cofounder Van Conner passes away at 55


    Screaming Trees cofounder Van Conner has passed away at 55.

    In a post on Facebook announcing that his brother had died Tuesday night, Gary Conner said that Van battled health issues over the past year, but said that, "It was pneumonia that got him in the end."

    Van Conner played bass and wrote songs for Screaming Trees. He formed the band with his brother, Gary Lee Conner on guitar, and singer Mark Lanegan in 1984 in Ellensburg, Washington. The band evolved into the 1990s, amid the Seattle grunge era, alongside other major names like Mudhoney, Nirvana, and Soundgarden.

    RELATED: Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees singer and voracious collaborator, dies at 57

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  • Microsoft's new unlimited vacation policy may not be so simple

    Microsoft has a new unlimited vacation policy as of this week.

    It applies to full-time salaried employees in the United States — that is, those employees remaining after major job cuts announced Wednesday morning.

    Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees between now and March, according to a memo CEO Satya Nadella sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The news comes just days after the company implemented its new vacation policy, which some analysts say benefits employers more than employees.

    "People have different opinions on why companies implement this. It's often pitched to employees and prospective employees as a benefit," says Taylor Soper, managing editor of GeekWire, who recently reported on the various pitfalls of an unlimited vacation policy. "Others say this is more about the bottom line, in that it prevents companies from needing to pay out unused PTO when an employee leaves the company."

    Then there's how "unlimited" is understood at the company and even among individual teams — the policy is not a free pass to take a permanent paid vacation.

    Employees will still need their manager's permission to take time off, for example. Soper says that means the policy could be enforced differently from one manager to another, potentially deepening inequities. Soper says experts have found policies like this may actually increase sexual, racial, or gender discrimination.

    "If the company doesn't have a well-structured and transparent policy around unlimited PTO, that can create more problems," he says. "And some studies show that when you have an unlimited PTO policy, employees actually take less vacation than when there was the traditional PTO policy in place."

    In any case, the shift at Microsoft is part of a broader trend in tech.

    "We're seeing some layoffs. We're seeing some belt-tightening," Soper says. "So, those who say that this is more about the company's bottom line, there may be more meat to that."

    Continue reading »
  • Microsoft slashes 10,000 jobs, the latest in a wave of layoffs

    Microsoft will cut 10,000 workers over the next few months, CEO Satya Nadella announced in a statement released on Wednesday.

    Layoffs will begin immediately, according to the statement.

    The cuts, which affect less than 5% of the company's workforce, come as Microsoft customers pull back on spending, Nadella said. He added that the company is also looking to expand in new areas, including artificial intelligence.

    "[T]he next major wave of computing is being born with advances in AI," he said.

    Microsoft is reportedly set to invest $10 billion in OpenAI, the parent behind popular AI writing tool ChatGPT, according to Semafor.

    The cuts at Microsoft follow a wave of reductions across the tech industry.

    Amazon announced it would lay off 18,000 workers, or about 1% of corporate jobs, earlier this month, citing an uncertain economy.

    That same day, Salesforce announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs, or about 10% of its workforce.

    As corporate leaders brace for a recession this year, companies around the world are planning to shrink their workforce.

    Tech, health care, banking and finance are likely to see the biggest job cuts in 2023, according to Sarah Rodehorst, CEO and co-founder of Onwards HR, which helps companies carry out layoffs. She previously spoke with NPR.

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  • Our 'network of mutuality': Today So Far

    • It is easy to quote a line from Martin Luther King Jr. But how often do we dig deeper into the context around these quotes? You'll find a common theme that we are all connected.
    • Also, Sea-Tac Airport has become shelter to a number of unhoused people looking for a place to sleep.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for January 17, 2023.

    “We are tied in a single garment of destiny."

    Ed Taylor points to this Martin Luther King Jr. quote in a recent essay for KUOW. Taylor details a trip to India, where he met the Dalai Lama, and lived through a unique experience that reminds him of MLK's message.

    This theme that we are all connected, our "network of mutuality," is part of MLK's famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," but it is a point that he often emphasized. It's where we get the related quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

    I grew up learning about MLK in grade school, where he is often spoken of as a civil rights leader focused on race issues. There's a good reason for that; it's a big issue he worked on. He was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for it. But this issue touched many others that he also dedicated his time to. The famous March on Washington where he delivered his "I have a dream" speech, was fully titled "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," tying economic struggles to civil rights causes. The last speech he gave ("I have been to the mountaintop") at Mason Temple in Memphis spoke to this theme, too, but MLK was there in support of sanitation workers on strike. Speaking about these workers, MLK urged listeners to "develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness." He further said, "Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together."

    It is very popular to quote MLK, especially by public figures, often in support of X issue or stance. There are a lot of good ones to choose from, such as "by the content of their character," or "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." But these lines are woven into larger arguments. They stand strong on their own, but they were stated with context and a purpose. MLK did not just say that "hate cannot drive out hate," he went on to preach that people should find a way to love those who hate them, to find what is good in such people, and to not return hate for hate. When he hoped for a day when people will be judged by the "content of their character," he also talked about voting access, police brutality, and poverty.

    These are all among a handful of issues MLK spoke to as if they were interconnected. They are as such, because we, as people, are deeply interconnected. Not even social media, online ordering, or Zoom can change that. That doesn't mean we aren't different, but it does mean we have to live together. This message hasn't changed much from MLK's day, whether you live in Seattle, Walla Walla, the United States, or simply put, this planet.

    In a way, Ed Taylor experienced this message of interconnectedness on a car ride in India, where he learned that the only way to get from A to B, was for people to acknowledge they all live together. Read Taylor's full story here.

    It's easy to blend in at an airport. Folks are usually moving about, not sticking around for too long. That's why some have come to rely on Sea-Tac Airport as a shelter — they can blend in and get some sleep.

    At least, some folks try to blend in. Miguel Mendoza told KUOW that he's among a group of unhoused people in the region who have come to rely on Sea-Tac Airport as shelter. It's warm and it's dry. For Mendoza and others, Sea-Tac is one option in a mix of methods to get through the night. Other options include all-night buses or trains, or just walking through the night altogether. At Sea-Tac, however, there is a risk of getting kicked out by police.

    Ben Hall, another person who uses the airport to sleep, noted another downside to the airport — it's "boring and it's hard to lay down and close your eyes.” De Chung is another person using the airport as a place to sleep, nearly every night.

    Continue reading »
  • Hollingsworth aims for Sawant's District 3 in race for Seattle City Council

    A challenger has emerged to face Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant in the 2023 election.

    Joy Hollingsworth formally announced on MLK Day that she is challenging incumbent Sawant to represent District 3 on the Seattle City Council.

    Hollingsworth has deep ties to Seattle's Central District. She is also the granddaughter of Dorothy Hollingswoth, the first Black woman elected to a Washington state school board. She played basketball for Seattle Preparatory School before playing for the University of Arizona, and then professionally in Athens, Greece. She returned to Seattle and served as an assistant basketball coach at Seattle University. Hollingsworth earned a Master's in Education at the University of Washington.

    Today, Hollingsworth works in the family business, Hollingsworth Farms, a cannabis company based on the Olympic Peninsula. She lives in the Central District, however, in her family's home with her wife Iesha.

    At an event Monday, Hollingsworth said her perspectives are informed by real-life experiences.

    "Rolling up my sleeves to serve historically excluded communities, building a small business, advocating for our youth, using our platform for community reinvestment programs," Hollingsworth said. "I want to bring these practical, applied perspectives to City Council that is missing a Black, LGBTQIA perspective. I want to develop and promote progressive and practical strategies to address root causes of seemingly intractable issues, including all voices and perspectives, measuring progress, cultivating trust and transformational relationships."

    Hollingsworth said she is committed to: expanding affordable housing and homeownership opportunities; keeping people in the homes they are currently in; investing in new ways to localized healthy food resources; mentoring youth; protecting the rights of the LGBTQIA community; and "nourishing small businesses." She also said she wants to address the recent rise in gun violence in Seattle.

    "I envision a Seattle where everyone can feel like they have a role, an important role, in helping with these solutions," she said.

    Hollingsworth's statements primarily spoke to what she wants to bring the Council and why she is running. She did not address Sawant, who currently holds the position.

    Sawant is Seattle's only Socialist council member. She narrowly beat a recall election in 2021 and has served on the Council since 2014. She has not officially announced that she will run for re-election.

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