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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Why waters around Oak Harbor will turn red, briefly
Don't be alarmed if you see the water around Whidbey Island turning red over the next week.
Washington state's health department will be dying the waters red on Sept. 12 for a targeted wastewater study. Officials are aiming to evaluate wastewater movement near the new Oak Harbor Clean Water Facility. The dye is being added to treated wastewater so it can be followed as it moves out into the open environment.
The Department of Health wants to see any potential impacts the water is having on nearby shellfish growing areas.
Health officials say the red color could be visible in and around Oak Harbor for about 24 hours. The color is a fluorescent dye called "rhodamine." DOH says it's non-toxic to humans, animals, and marine life.
The study is coming a few years later than scheduled. It was initially slated for 2019, but a tech issue delayed it. The Covid pandemic further put it on hold.
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Hikers escape Bolt Creek wildfire
Two hikers are sharing a very dangerous lesson they learned after facing the Bolt Creek wildfire — don't take any risks when wildfires are burning in the area.
The two hikers — Steve and Matt — chronicled their experience on video. The hike up Baring Mountain started uneventful on Sept. 10, but as they got higher and higher, they noticed the smoke in the air. Eventually, they saw massive flames in the distance, quickly advancing on their position. They called 911 for rescue services, but their position was too dangerous. That led them to risking the journey off the mountain, avoiding the flames at every turn.
"I debated about posting this video online; I was afraid about all the criticism that I would get," Steve said on the video. "I'm posting this video as an educational tool to try and point out all the mistakes that we made that ended up putting our lives in danger. Hopefully, this video can bring some awareness... so everyone doesn't make the same mistakes we made."
The Bolt Creek Fire is burning in the Cascade Mountains on the border of Snohomish and King counties. It has prompted the Red Cross to set up a shelter at the fairgrounds in Monroe, Wash., for residents displaced by evacuation orders.
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Washington schools chief calls for free lunch for all students
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal wants all Washington public school students to eat lunch for free.
He's calling on state lawmakers to fund a universal free lunch program to feed students regardless of their families' income.
About half of Washington's students currently attend schools that provide free meals to everyone, according to the state superintendent's office.
"We've still got 330,000 students who could use meals in this state that we're going to make eligible," Reykdal said during a press conference last week.
Congress funded free lunches for all students during the pandemic but chose to end the program in June. That meant many low-income families across the country returned to the pre-pandemic system, in which they must apply for free or reduced-price meals.
Federal requirements govern student eligibility for those meals. A family of four with an annual household income of about $51,000, for example, pays about $2,330 per year for their children to receive breakfast and lunch at school, according to OSPI.
Under that system, Reykdal says "paperwork is sometimes more important to regulators than just focusing on what young people need."
“Students and parents are nervous about missing the deadline for applications or not having enough money on their student accounts,” said Megan de Vries, director of food and nutrition services at Edmonds School District. “We want students to spend their energy on learning, not stressing about basic needs.”
Reykdal is proposing $86 million a year to expand the free lunch program in Washington state. If adopted during the 2023 legislative session, which begins in January, free lunch could be available to all kids as soon as the 2023-24 school year.
Currently, Washington schools may continue the universal free lunch program this school year if they qualify for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Provision. The superintendent's office estimates about 1,200 schools qualify, meaning nearly half of students in the state are attending a school where universal free lunch is available.
After Congress opted to discontinue the federal program, California, Vermont and Massachusetts adopted their own universal free lunch models, similar to what Reykdal is now proposing.
Seattle parent Jeff Lew praised Reykdal's proposal. Lew became a universal-free-lunch advocate to fight the stigma associated with qualifying free lunch and started the Lunch Debt group to spread the word.
"I am hoping that the proposal will be passed, so that all students can eat for free regardless of family income or background," Lew told KUOW. "Students can’t focus on their studies on an empty stomach."
While states debate the best way forward, federal officials could still revive a nationwide solution in one form or another.
The White House will host a conference later this month to discuss hunger, nutrition, and health, the first such conference in 50 years.
NPR politics reporter Ximena Bustillo says many advocacy groups are asking President Joe Biden to push for a universal school meal system, cheaper prices or offsets that would allow schools to pay for the meals themselves.
That conference is scheduled for Sept. 28.
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No school Monday as Seattle teachers strike continues
Seattle teachers will strike for the fourth day on Monday after the school district and union did not come to an agreement over the weekend.
Seattle teachers continue to negotiate their contact with the school district, according to an email the district sent to parents on Sunday afternoon. This means yet another day without school for more than 50,000 Seattle Public School students, including preschool students.
This was a surprising pivot after they sent an encouraging email on Saturday, saying they were "making good progress on negotiations."
Teachers and other certificated staff started striking last Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school.
Among the major issues is a new plan that would place more students with special needs in "regular" classrooms. This is referred to as inclusion, which teachers say they champion, but not without assurances that special education teachers and paraeducators (teaching assistants) will join those students in the classroom.
Traditionally, Seattle students with special needs were instructed in separate classrooms. When the district announced this plan as negotiations were underway, the teachers union took note, and said it needed more support for special education.
Teachers have said they worry about scenarios in which a child cannot use the restroom alone, feed themselves, or have violent outbursts, and the teachers would find themselves alone to tend to that child, in addition to 24 other students.
This strike is happening against the backdrop of the pandemic, with its years of remote learning and tentative returns to the classroom. There have been high levels of teachers feeling burnt out, many leaving the profession, and students missing class time.
According to David Knight of the University of Washington School of Education, the issues behind these strikes run deeper than money.
"These strikes, they're often about salary," Knight said, "but at the end of the day, that's usually not why teachers were drawn into the profession, and not why they stay."
—Isolde Raftery, David Hyde, Kim Malcolm, Hans Anderson
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Where to send your kids if Seattle teachers strike on Monday
You may not have to keep your kids home if the teachers strike continues this week. Here are some options.
- Boys & Girls Club (select sites)
Eligible: Families already signed up with B&G. New families may go to the Rotary Club at 201 19th Ave, 206-436-1880.
Where: Wallingford, Rainier Vista, MLK, Ballard, View Ridge, North Seattle
When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $25/day
- City of Seattle drop-in centers for students ages 5-12: FREE!
These sites are all currently full with waitlists. Slots may come open however, so it’s worth checking. This was tricky for me to navigate, so I’ll spell out what I did: First, I created an account with the city, then clicked through to this press release. I scrolled down to the drop-in centers where these “strike recreation activity hubs” are scheduled. If you are logged in, it should let you add the activity to your cart.
- Pinnacle Explorations Strike Camp
Where: MLK Fame Center (Madison Valley)
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Go now (we’re serious), Snohomish County tells smoked-out residents near Bolt Creek fire
Residents near the Bolt Creek fire of Snohomish County were told to leave their homes, but just half have left.
“We ask that they reconsider,” a county notice said on Sunday morning. “We need everybody’s help protecting lives today.”
A mandatory evacuation order was issued Saturday for the town of Index in Snohomish County, where the Bolt Creek fire covered 7,600 acres by Sunday morning. The fire has also prompted closure of Highway 2. The Skykomish School District has announced schools will be closed on Monday.
Some of the people forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfire Saturday were taking refuge at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, where the American Red Cross opened a shelter.
Red Cross spokesperson Betsy Robertson said four to five people stayed inside the shelter Saturday night, with seven to eight more receiving services while camped outside.
Robertson said they have capacity for many more.
“We are prepared to host easily up to 100 or more should more people come and seek us out," she said, "and we really hope they do.”
Robertson said this order covers an area where residents are historically more accustomed to flooding that may move more slowly than wildfires.
“Wildfire is a completely different, unpredictable threat to your livelihood, your home, your safety," she said.
She said people can can come to the fairgrounds to get food, a place to sleep, and to charge cell phones. The fairgrounds are also offering shelter for livestock. Robertson said she visited the fire zone on Saturday.
“I got to experience the ash falling from the sky, the smoke in the air and receive the emergency texts that came through on my phone in the peak of the afternoon threat,” she said.
On Saturday, the Bonneville Power Administration shut off three high voltage transmission lines to give firefighters safer access to the area.
According to The Seattle Times, a power administration spokesperson said the shutoff wouldn’t affect customers because the power agency could transmit power through other routes. Robertson said the Red Cross has also opened a shelter for people affected by the Goat Rocks fire near Packwood, Washington. That fire prompted the closure of Highway 12 on Saturday as well.
Evacuation levels have not changed since Saturday night.
Per Snohomish County, these are the levels:
• Level 3 (GO now!): Index
• Level 2 (Set): Between Index and Zeke’s
• Level 1 (Ready): Zeke’s to Gold Bar east city limits
Peter Mongillo with Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue said they estimate 500 structures are at risk in this zone, including homes, barns, and garages.
Snohomish County and the American Red Cross are providing indoor shelter and RV spots at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, located at 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.
The Bolt Creek fire is a roughly 50 minute drive from north Seattle. The smokey air has blanketed Snohomish County; in Seattle the air quality is at 111, which translates to “unhealthy for sensitive people.”
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Less smoke soup in Seattle, but Bolt Creek fire remains unchanged from overnight
There was less smoke in the air on Sunday in Seattle than the night before, but that may be a matter of the wind, as the Bolt Creek fire an hour away remains active with no changes overnight.
The air quality index in Seattle was 111, which is “unhealthy for sensitive people,” down from 159 on Saturday, which is unhealthy for all. The air quality is supposed to be “good” on Monday.
Woods Creek in Snohomish County registered an AQI of 298, which currently ranks in the top places with the worst air in the U.S.
—Isolde Raftery
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'Making good progress on negotiations,' Seattle schools says after three days of teacher strike
Seattle Public Schools wrote to students' families on Saturday saying they are “making good progress on negotiations.”
Teachers and other certificated staff started striking on Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school. The bargaining teams met on Saturday and worked “late into the evening,” per the district. “We are optimistic an agreement will be reached so our students can begin school as soon as possible.”
RELATED: Unpacking the complexities of teacher strikes
Whether school will start on Monday remains unclear, but an update is due today, Sunday.
Among the major issues is inclusion, which means placing children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. Teachers say they champion inclusion, but that they want assurances that these more challenging students will have teaching assistants to keep the classroom safe and manageable.
—Isolde Raftery
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No school for Seattle kids Thursday as teacher strike continues
Students attending Seattle Public Schools will miss a second day of school this week, due to an ongoing teacher strike prompted by demands for better pay and student supports.
The strike, which will continue into Thursday, impacts more than 50,000 kids.
Karly Muller teaches at the Salmon Bay middle school in Northwest Seattle. She said up to a third of kids in her classes need extra support due to dyslexia and other learning challenges.
"If a student is struggling and I'm dealing with 34 kids...I don't necessarily pick up on the struggle," Muller said.
Muller also said the district needs to increase teacher pay to account for the skyrocketing cost of living.
"What they're offering is lower than the inflation rate right now, so essentially that's a pay cut," she said.
In the meantime, some parents are scrambling to occupy their children.
Brooke Oettinger and her two school-age children hit the playground at Golden Gardens Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school.
"We are just extending summer vacation so we'll be going to playgrounds and beaches and just playing in the sun," Oettinger said.
But after all the disruptions from Covid, she said, the delayed return to the classroom is a big disappointment.
"For them not to start, it's a little sad," Oettinger added.
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WA's LGBTQ conversion therapy ban upheld by federal court
Washington state's ban on anti-gay conversion therapy will stand.
The federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday unanimously ruled to uphold Washington's ban, rejecting a conservative therapist's claim that the ban undermined his free speech and religious beliefs.
Washington's ban on conversion therapy, enacted in 2018, prevents therapists from working with minors in a way that tries to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Tacoma therapist Brian Tingley, who brought the case, argued through his lawyer that conversion therapy falls under the same category as marital counseling, concerning ones relationship goals. Part of their argument in court was that, "the first amendment tells us again and again that the fact that an idea may be harmful, may cause harm, is not a sufficient basis to censor."
But the court of appeals sided with Washington state attorneys, who argued that "efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity are ineffective and put minors at significant risk of harm, including elevated risks of suicidality, depression and elevated anxiety."
Twenty U.S. states and the District of Columbia have laws completely banning conversion therapy for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Six states and Puerto Rico have partial bans on conversion therapy for minors.
The American Psychological Association has called conversion therapy a harmful practice for LGBTQ people, "with devastating mental health consequences."
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Seattle passes new laws aimed at reproductive justice and equity in the Cannabis industry
The Seattle City Council has passed a bill that bans pregnancy crisis centers from making misleading advertisements. The law is aimed at facilities that don't provide reproductive or abortion services, but often try to dissuade people from terminating their pregnancies.
The Council also approved a set of policies meant to promote greater equity in the city's cannabis industry. The new laws drop certain business fees, for instance, that have disproportionately impacted Black and brown entrepreneurs. The new laws also allow the expungement of past convictions for cannabis possession, and allow people who have been convicted of drug-related crimes to get into the cannabis business.
Councilmembers also signed off on a resolution to phase out the city's use of gas-powered leaf blowers by 2025, and for them to be phased out completely for residents by the year 2027.
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Seattle teachers union votes to authorize a strike on first day of school
The vote does not guarantee a strike. The Seattle Education Association and the school district could still reach an agreement before the first day of school, Wednesday.
Typically, talks between the union and the school district will continue until a reasonable hour, and families will be notified by a reasonable hour, before everyone goes to bed. We will keep you updated as more news comes in.
On Twitter, the Seattle Education Association wrote:
"We’re fired up and ready to go! SEA members made 6,000 picket signs and trained picket captains to prepare for a possible strike. We don’t want to strike but SPS needs to come to an agreement that meets our student needs NOW."
In an email to families, Seattle Public Schools said school would likely be delayed. They blamed the union for declining to bring in a mediator to help come to an agreement.
"We are committed to working with SEA to agree on a contract that best meets the needs of our students, staff, and schools," the district wrote.
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