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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Jayapal reverses course on Ukraine letter sent to White House
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and 29 other House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden Monday, asking him to change his strategy surrounding the war in Ukraine. On Tuesday, they took it back.
The letter stated that the House members favored direct negotiations with Russia, as that region heads into the cold winter months. They also wanted a "proactive diplomatic push" for a cease-fire, adding that the United States is not in regular talks with Russia.
Jayapal led the effort behind the letter.
President Biden has said in the past that he will leave it up to Kyiv to decide whether it wants to negotiate with Russia.
Following Monday's letter, some Democrats pushed back against their colleagues, calling on them to state that they still support the president and Ukraine, The Washington Post reports. The letter also comes shortly after Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy said that if Republicans gain control of the House in the midterms, they aren't going to write a blank check for Ukraine.
RELATED: Ukrainians keep a wary eye on U.S. midterm elections, fearing a loss of support
On Tuesday, the Democratic lawmakers said they wanted to reverse course and take the letter back. In a statement, Japayal said that the letter was drafted months ago and was released without "vetting." Jayapal said the message was being conflated with GOP stances on the war. She accepted full responsibility for it.
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Washington students doing worse in math and reading after pandemic years
Washington's fourth and eighth grade students rank 27th in the nation when it comes to reading and math proficiency, according to the 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress.
The report, from the National Center for Education Statistics, also shows that students in both grades are doing worse in math than they were before the pandemic, and eighth graders are doing worse in reading.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal says that, while students in other states, like Montana, had better test results, this was an inevitable side effect of the pandemic.
"Every state essentially saw similar reductions, within a certain statistical significance," Reykdal said. "I think the pandemic is all we can label it now and not particular strategies. I would point out we were above the national average before and we remain there, it's just everyone went down quite a bit."
Most states, except for Utah and some military-run schools, saw student proficiency scores in math and reading drop.
See results of the reports here and here.
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Investigators find faulty part in seaplane that crashed near Whidbey Island, warn others
Investigators have released new safety guidelines for seaplanes like the one that crashed near Whidbey Island last month, killing 10 people.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy says the part of the plane that failed was an actuator, which helps stabilize the plane in the air. An investigation found that this part didn't break during the crash. Instead, it appears the part wasn't assembled correctly and led the pilot to lose control of the seaplane.
"We have significant concerns about the planes that are operating now and want to make sure that the companies take a look at the actuator assembly immediately to make sure there's not a problem," Homendy said.
Homendy says the company that built the seaplane, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, has been on Whidbey Island during the investigation.
"They are aware of it and they've already indicated they are issuing the instructions on completing this inspection and that will come out in a service letter to all of the companies that are currently operating these plans," Homendy said.
There are about 65 planes operating in the United States similar to the one involved in September's crash.
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Kirkland is listening: Today So Far
Kirkland is listening. The city just became the first in Washington state to try new camera tech that focuses in on vehicle noise associated with street racing. The tech works a lot like red light cameras. Instead of sensing a car crossing a red light, the cameras have sensitive microphones that listen for vehicle noise speeding by. They then log data that an officer can later use to issue a citation.
The thing to know is that this is all in theory right now. Kirkland is experimenting with this tech, but it is not issuing street racing tickets from these cameras. The city actually can't access images or data from them. Rather, two spots in Kirkland are being used to test the tech for six months. After that, the company that operates them will report back to the city and officials will determine if there is potential to use them to issue tickets. Read more here.
Washington state recently changed how it approaches drug possession offenses, and it isn't sitting well with small cities in Western Washington. So they're coming up with their own laws.
Without going too far into the nuts and bolts of the Blake decision, here's what to understand. Washington's Supreme Court issued what is now known as the Blake decision, which said the state was handling drug possession all wrong. The laws around drug possession were therefore unconstitutional. So the Legislature followed up with some new laws to clear things up. They made drug possession illegal in 2021, but unlike before, the crimes were misdemeanors, and new diversion programs were introduced. This is one of those wonky stories that a lot of people skip over, but it's important and has had a lot of effects on our region.
With a rise in open drug use, thefts, and other offenses, the cities of Auburn, Kent, and Federal Way have now passed new drug laws. In Federal Way, it's illegal to smoke fentanyl in public. In Kent, it's illegal to use drugs in public and dispose of paraphernalia in public. Auburn has increased penalties within its "anti-drug emphasis areas," which includes, for some offenses, a minimum 30 days in jail. Read more here.
Can the Seattle Police Department be held liable for how it handled a case? That's the question posed within a lawsuit brought by six women against Seattle hip-hop artist Raz Simone. They all reported to Seattle police that Simone sexually abused and exploited them for profit. SPD declined to press criminal charges, so the women filed a civil suit against Simone. KUOW reported on that last week.
Part of the case will determine if SPD holds any liability for not pursuing the case further. State law is not exactly clear on whether an agency can be held liable in this way. We'll find out as the lawsuit proceeds. A trial is tentatively scheduled for November 2023. Read more here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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Murray and Smiley clash over the issues in Spokane debate
Democratic Senator Patty Murray and Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley are back on the campaign trail Monday after Sunday's heated debate.
The debate took place at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Murray is campaigning to keep her job representing Washington state in the U.S. Senate, which she has held for nearly 30 years. Smiley has been running on that fact, calling Murray a career politician. Sunday night's debate showed just how far apart the two candidates are on the issues.
Both candidates were asked, twice, if they think humans are causing climate change.
"Yes, humans have an impact on this," Murray said, speaking about the need for more renewable energy.
Smiley did not say whether humans are causing climate change, but she did call for more fossil fuels.
"Unleashing our natural gas and our oil pipelines," she said, adding that we should work in the longer term to develop more clean energy sources.
When talking about the Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Smiley said she's opposed to any federal law to either ban or protect the right to abortion. She supports states making that decision.
"The Supreme Court's decision gave the power to the people," she said. "And that's where I believe it belongs. I respect the will of the voters here in Washington state. So what I will do is ensure women do have access to health care, and have affordable access to contraception and childcare."
Murray said she supports a federal law to protect abortion rights. She said she would not leave the issue up to state governments to decide.
"I believe that every woman should be able to make her own health-care choices, about her own family, working with her doctor, her faith, and her own needs," Murray said. "This should not be decided by politicians."
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Seattle is adjusting parking rates. Here's what to know
New street parking rates went into effect Monday, Oct. 24 all around Seattle.
They will increase to $4 an hour in the afternoon in neighborhoods like Fremont, Belltown South, and Denny Triangle North. parking rates are going up to $5 an hour around Denny Triangle South.
But SDOT says rates are largely staying the same, or even decreasing, in 2/3 of the city, with most drivers paying the lowest rates in the morning (between 50 cents to $1.50) and the most expensive in the afternoon.
Seattle has about 90 parking areas, and it is adjusting rates for 36 of them. There will be six rate decreases, and 30 rate increases. SDOT adjusts rates to manage vehicle volumes in an area. If there is not enough parking available, SDOT raises prices.
See a full list of the adjusted rates here.
SDOT makes parking rate adjustments three times a year. This will be the last update for 2022. The next parking adjustment is slated for early spring 2023.
SDOT has a goal of keeping two parking spaces open per block, so there is space for shoppers and other people needing to use the area.
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Weekend drops as much rain on Seattle as all of summer
The weekend rain is putting a dent in Washington state's dry conditions.
The National Weather Service in Seattle tweeted Saturday that the Seattle area had gotten .72 inches of rain. That's the same total amount we'd gotten over the previous four months.
"Total overall for the weekend was mostly in the couple-tenths to a half-inch range. The mountains had a little more, like a half-inch to an inch. And out at the coast, they had a little over an inch," National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Schneider said.
Meanwhile, we're waiting to see what all of our recent rain is doing to the drought situation in the state.
According to the latest map released by the US Drought Monitor last Thursday, some areas on the coast, along with sections of Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce, and Lewis counties had moved into the severe drought category. The rest of the state was either abnormally dry or in a moderate drought.
But that data was released before the weekend rain arrived.
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WSU ending vaccine policy in November
Washington State University is lifting its Covid-19 vaccination requirements for employees, contractors, and volunteers at the start of November.
Faculty members who work in clinical and health-care settings will still need to get vaccinated. The vaccination requirement will stay in place for students attending the 2022-2023 school year.
The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reports that WSU is sticking with its vaccination requirement for the rest of the academic year because most students live in congregate settings. Also, students have already gotten the vaccine in order to start the school year. The policy will be reconsidered in May when classes end.
The timing aligns with when Gov. Jay Inslee is lifting the state's pandemic emergency orders. Seattle also is canceling its pandemic measures Oct. 31.
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Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Seattle Oct. 26
Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Seattle Wednesday, Oct.26.
The Seattle Times says she'll be in town to talk about the administration's low-emission school bus initiative.
The $5 billion plan spearheaded by the EPA seeks to replace school buses with zero or low-emission alternatives. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join the vice president for the appearance.
Vice President Harris is also scheduled to attend a private fundraiser while she's in town. The midterms are 15 days away.
Harris last visited Seattle in 2019 when she and Joe Biden were running for office.
First Lady Jill Biden also visited Seattle earlier this month to talk with military families attend a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.
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Man held in Pickett murder suspected in spate of Seattle shootings
A 31-year-old Seattle man is being held without bail in what police describe as a three-day spate of shootings that left the owner of one business dead, the owner of another in critical condition, and the driver of a car wounded in the leg.
According to authorities, the suspect shot and critically injured the owner of an African import specialty store in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood on Monday. He demanded the businessman’s debit card and PIN, then shot him in the chest after he complied, police said in a probable cause statement filed in King County Superior Court.
The man also shot into a Tesla moving along Aurora Avenue in north Seattle less than 12 hours later, wounding the driver in the leg, police said, and on Tuesday he pulled his car alongside a woman’s vehicle and fired a round into her window. She suffered cuts from broken glass but her three children were uninjured.
On Wednesday, the man ambushed and killed D’Vonne Pickett Jr., the owner of The Postman, a package shipping store in the Central District, as Pickett arrived at the business, police said. The gunman was a former childhood friend who had been harassing Pickett online and via text messages; he also showed up at The Postman last month before employees told him to leave, the probable cause statement said.
Hundreds attended a vigil for Pickett on Thursday, spelling out his name in candles and placing long-stemmed roses at the spot where he collapsed.
Pickett’s mother, Nicky Chappell, said the man threatened to kill her son and had been harassing him and other family members for more than a year, according to The Seattle Times. Chappell vowed to attend every one of the man’s future court appearances.
The Associated Press is not naming the man because he has not yet been charged.
“This defendant is incredibly dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous defendant this court has seen recently,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor William Doyle told District Court Pro Tem Judge Tien Nguyen during a hearing Friday.
Investigators said surveillance video from the African specialty import store, the exterior cameras on the Tesla and Pickett’s killing linked the shootings. Detectives are also examining shell casings and other evidence.
Further, a relative of the suspect called 911 on Wednesday to report that he appeared to be having a psychotic episode and “may be traveling around Seattle shooting people,” the statement said.
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'He wanted to show everybody you could do it different': Today So Far
- Hundreds gather in Seattle in remembrance of D'Vonne Pickett Jr.
- Why can't we just put out wildfires?
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for October 21, 2022.
I wrote this headline: "Community mourns after death of Central District leader, business owner." It's 100% true, but I have to admit that when writing stories like this, I always feel that no headline hits the mark. A good headline is to the point and provides a good overview. When appropriate, it can be witty, but it must deliver the need-to-know information right away.
But a story like this, about a person like D'Vonne Pickett Jr., becomes too substantial for a headline — you can't fit it all in.
I did not know him. I have never lived in the Central District. If I had, I may have known him as that entrepreneur and local leader — so, headline covered. Others may know him like they do the local shop owners in their own corner of the world; the people who provide the personality of an area, who your kids know, whose names come up in neighborhood meetings as a common point of reference. These people are the foundation of a community.
In the role of a reporter, I can tell you what you need to know. I can report that Pickett was shot at a bus stop not far from his store, The Postman, and that he died soon after being transported to Harborview Medical Center. I can relay that the Seattle Police Department has arrested a suspect. You can read that he was a local athlete, father, husband, youth mentor, and more with Central District roots going back generations. But I can't convey the influence of a man like Pickett that was so significant it inspired hundreds to gather outside The Postman last night, lining Martin Luther King Jr. Way, overflowing into the street, in the glow of candlelight. That kind of powerful impact is something felt up close and deeply. That kind of impact won't end this week.
“He wanted to show everybody you could do it different," Pickett's wife KeAnna told the large crowd gathered outside The Postman last night.
It makes me think about my U-District barber, my go-to flower shop in Wedgwood, the bartenders at my Roosevelt dive, the baristas out on Bainbridge Island, and so many other faces who make the places I've lived a true community. Who are the people who make your community what it is? What is their impact on your life?
The Central District has suffered a community loss this week. Given the outpouring of love that has happened in such a short period of time, I have a feeling that Pickett's legacy has not ended.
Read more here.
Hopefully, by the time you read this newsletter, rain will have arrived in our area. That's good for a couple reasons, as I've stated here before, starting with air quality.
The air quality in our region went from hazardous to awesome overnight. The rain is expected to keep conditions good. Nearby wildfires could also use a nice downpour. While lowlanders are breathing a sign of relief, there are still mountain towns that remain close to the wildfires. The mountain town of Darrington has had "a real quiet and almost eerie atmosphere throughout the community," according to Mayor Dan Rankin. Rankin has been in Darrington for decades and has never seen such smoky air.
Fingers crossed that the rain closes the chapter on this year's wildfires. The Bolt Creek fire for example, has been burning across 14,000 acres this fall, near Skykomish. Such a large fire burning for so long has prompted a lot of locals to ask, "Why don't they just put it out?" Well, that's easier said than done. Wildfires aren't like building blazes that you see being sprayed down on TV. The general strategy for wildfires is to let them burn themselves out, while protecting property, infrastructure, and lives. It's more about containing the blaze until a nice, rainy cloud arrives.
"We worked all day for two days to control seven acres," Don Ferguson told KUOW. He's with the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, aka the group of firefighters responding to the Bolt Creek fire.
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Kirkland fights street racing with new tech
Kirkland is going high tech in an effort to combat street racing. It's the first city in Washington to give special noise identifying cameras a try.
The city's new Street Racing Noise Pilot Program will test "vehicle noise identification cameras" in certain areas of town. Specifically:
- Lake Washington Boulevard Northeast and NE 59th Street near Houghton Beach Park
- Central Way and Sixth Street in downtown Kirkland
“Noise caused by illegally modified vehicles continues to be a concern for many in our community,” Councilmember Jon Pascal said in a press release. “Participating in this innovative study is the first step towards helping the city better address the concerns we’ve heard from our community members over the years. The pilot will also help inform the state Legislature to determine whether state law should be changed to allow local agencies the ability to use this technology to enforce noise laws.”
The tech works a lot like red-light cameras. They pick up excessive noise from the road, take photos and log other data. A police officer can then review that information. Potentially, a citation could be issued. According to the city, the cameras' microphones will be listening for vehicle sounds over the state's limit of 78 dB for cars traveling over 35 mph.
That is all in theory, however. The cameras are experimental at this point and are being operated under a six-month pilot program. During that time, the tech will be tested, but no action will be taken beyond that. The city and its police department will not actually have access to camera photos, therefore it won't be able to follow up with drivers.
In other words, no noise tickets from these cameras, for now.
If the technology proves promising, the city may consider if it could be used to issue citations. That would happen down the road.
Kirkland will post signs within 200 feet of the cameras. The pilot program is slated to begin by Dec. 31, 2022.
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