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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Fishing boat cleanup continues off San Juan Island, but gets more difficult
Cleanup efforts tied to a sunken fishing boat off the coast of San Juan Island are proving a little tricky.
The U.S. Coast Guard says that the Aleutian Isle, which sank last Saturday, has shifted position on the ocean floor and is now in deeper waters. That has created some logistical challenges for dive teams that have been working to remove the remaining diesel fuel from the boat.
One of the nets attached to the boat has also broken loose, so this morning's crews are going to try to get it out of the water. They'll also continue to work with wildlife officials to monitor nearby marine life.
Coast Guard officials say they are using wildlife deterrent methods to keep endangered orcas and other species away.
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Free breakfast and lunch for Auburn students through 2026
All students in the Auburn School District will receive free breakfast and lunch, starting this fall.
ASD is providing the free meals through the 2026 school year.
Officials say the district qualified to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision that provides meals for all students. Families will not need to fill out any forms or sign up for the meals. The food is simply free.
According to the district's website:
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Northwest Passage paddleboarder halts trip; has new plan
A Western Washington man who was trying to become the first person to paddleboard across the Northwest Passage has suspended his trip after 15 days on the water. Now he's making a new plan, with lessons learned.
Karl Kruger, 50, of Orcas Island, set off last month to take this Arctic journey via paddleboard through the fabled, but normally frozen, sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific, which passes over the far north of Canada.
Kruger’s planned route covered 1,900 miles, but he stopped less than a quarter of the way. He said he realized that a single-season passage would be near-impossible.
“I always hesitate to say something is impossible, but it puts it into the realm, very near that,” Kruger said. “It would take a very specific set of conditions for that to be possible. And I think it would need to be a fully supported effort. And it would really take a lot of caloric intake to paddle that many miles, that quickly.”
“It’s pushing too hard to think that you can muscle through the weather — no matter what it is — and keep your caloric intake up, and handle all the other risks too, namely, ice and bears and wildlife and just overall safety and finding fresh water to drink.”
RELATED: Washington adventurer aims to be 1st through Northwest Passage on paddleboard
Kruger paddled nearly 420 miles in 15 days, from Tuktoyaktuk to Paulatuk in the Northwest Territories. Temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to the mid-30s. His longest day was an all-nighter — 16 hours of paddling that took him 72 miles.
“My welcoming committee there was an Inuit hunter named Joe who welcomed me on the beach, to welcome me to Paulatuk, with his 4-wheeler and took me and my board and all my gear on his 4-wheeler, which is a lot of stuff, and gave me a ride to the little hotel there."
Along the way, he learned a few lessons that will inform his next endeavors. Kruger started the journey weighing 190 pounds. When he paddled into Paulatuk, he weighed in at 173 pounds. Future journeys will require more calories. The water he carries with him weighs about 50 pounds. His food, shotgun, an other gear are about 150 pounds. So modifications will be made.
Kruger says he has a new plan. He will spread the Northwest Passage paddle over two or three more summers. Next year, he will start where he left off and paddle from Paulatuk to Kugluktuk. Then Kugluktuk to Cambridge Bay, and on to Gjoa Haven. The final year will be from Gjoa Haven to Pond Inlet.
The experienced extreme paddleboarder says his motivations include personal challenge, but also to draw attention to how Inuit lifeways and the Arctic environment are changing. That informs another lesson he learned this season — he needs to slow down, or he'll miss a lot.
“Just have boots on the ground and meet people and learn as much as I possibly can about the changing Inuit relationship with their land, and also climate change in the Arctic.”
“The closer I got to Paulatuk, the more hunters and fisherman I saw out on the water. And that is the talk in town — who got what duck, who got a beluga, who is going out for caribou this weekend."
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Why ACT Theatre's board just resigned: Today So Far
- Orcas dodge oil spill in Puget Sound.
- ACT Theatre's board of trustees voluntarily stepped down.
- The Seattle area had another series of shootings over the weekend.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for August 15, 2022.
A fishing vessel went down off the shores of San Juan Island this weekend. Luckily, the crew made it to safety as their boat sank. Not so lucky, however, is the surrounding environment.
The boat now rests on the ocean floor, about 100 feet down. It's filled with about 2,600 gallons of diesel fuel, not to mention all the other oils that are trickling up to the surface. That became a concern when folks on the water noticed a pod of orcas swimming nearby. They were at risk of swimming directly into the oily sheen. Experts tell KUOW that diesel fuel generally evaporates out of the water and goes away, however, swimming through it while it's still in the water can wreak havoc on skin and lungs. An island resident reported that fumes stung their eyes.
*With the orcas coming closer, crews were prepared to drop “oikomi pipes" into the water. These are 8-foot long metal pipes that go into the water. A person then bangs on the pipes with hammer. The noise is supposed to be extremely annoying to whales. The hope is that it annoys them away. Sort of like that one guy blaring music so loudly out of a sedan it's rattling the metal paneling of the car. No one is impressed. If anything, it's sad and folks just think it's a cry for help years after mommy never got him that pony for his birthday ... or maybe I'm just projecting a little bit here.
In this case, they did not need to use them. The orcas swam away from the oil on their own. But the boat is still down there and there's more to this story. Check it out here.
The Seattle area had another series of shootings over the weekend. And just like the weekend of shootings that happened last month, the incidents don't initially appear to be related — a lot of guns going off. Many were wounded and sent to local hospitals. One man died at Seattle's Cal Anderson Park. As KUOW reported last month, shootings around King County have been trending upward for some time now. Read more here.
The board of trustees at Seattle's ACT Theatre have voluntarily stepped down en masse. Only the chair, treasurer, and secretary remain (which are the the positions required by law). The theatre says it has wanted to reconfigure its organization, and the best way to get the ball rolling was to nix the board and build it from scratch.
This comes after the board read an article in American Theatre Magazine titled "Boards are broken, so let's break and remake them." It inspired them to make over the organization. KUOW's Mike Davis has the full story here.
*The above information about orca whales avoiding an oil spill originally stated crews used oikomi pipes to annoy the whales away, and that a crew member's eyes stung from the diesel fumes. It has been corrected to reflect that crews did not use the pipes and an island resident's eyes stung.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
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NW has dodged wildfire smoke this summer (so far), but fires still being fought across Washington
Wildfire smoke around the Seattle area hasn't caused too many problems this year, compared to years past.
Except in Southern Oregon, it's been a quiet summer for smoke monitors, with about a month left in the regular fire season.
The Pacific Northwest is still reaping the benefits of the cooler-than-normal spring and delayed mountain snowmelt. Wildfire smoke drifting north from California only affected Oregon a few days. British Columbia has also been a source of heavy smoke in the past, but it received more rain than usual this summer.
Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond says while there have been some wildfires locally, the lungs of most of us in the Northwest have dodged a bullet, so far.
“There still is plenty of time left in the fire season. We’re not out of the woods yet, pun intended," Bond said.
Bond says the fire season shifted this year — it started later, but could also end a little later. According to the Washington Department of Ecology, that means you still have time to research how to improve the air filtration on your home air conditioner, if you have one.
Despite the light season, so far, there are still some blazes being monitored in Washington state. Check out current wildfire conditions across the state here.
Lightning strikes are being blamed for a couple of fires that have forced evacuations in central Washington.
Both the White River and Irving Peak Fires were sparked last Friday, about 15 miles northwest of Plain, Wash., which is north of Leavenworth. The White River Fire has burned approximately 340 acres and the Irving Peak Fire has charred 143 acres.
Over the weekend, Chelan County officials issued a level 3 evacuation order (which basically means "leave now") for people along Sears Creek Road.
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Washington State Ferries looks to the next generation to staff — and bring diversity to — future crews
Young students of color from around Seattle are checking out what life is like working onboard a Washington state ferry.
The ferries need more employees, plain and simple.
"We’re hiring!” said Bryn Hunter from Washington State Ferries.
The service has been short on crew since the Covid pandemic began in 2020.
And a lot of the crew, Hunter says, looks the same.
“Traditionally we've only had a lot of white and men as a part of it and we need more women, we need more diversity, and that's a really key thing that we're trying to reach out to," Hunter said.
Recently, Hunter gave a tour of a ferry to high school students who were mostly Black or brown — students who may have an interest in a future on a boat.
The students were members of the Youth Maritime Collaborative, a local group that connects underrepresented youth with maritime-related careers. The ferry was just one vessel these kids will see this summer.
Omari Brown, 18, said he enjoyed seeing the inner workings of the engine room.
“I like the technical side — how it makes you have to have a lot of knowledge and you have to know what you're doing, because one wrong move and everything can go bad," Brown said.
Brown and others said they’re interested in attending the Seattle Maritime Academy when they’re old enough.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include the name of the youth program involved.
This story was updated on Friday, Aug. 19 at 3:20 p.m.
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Seattle police warn Kia drivers after TikTok trend prompts spike in thefts
The Seattle Police Department is sending a message to Kia owners: watch your cars closely and get extra anti-theft protection. A TikTok trend is being blamed for a recent rise in Kia thefts.
The TikTok videos provide instructions for how to break into a Kia and start it using a unique hack — a USB charging cable. SPD says a recent rise in Kia thefts across the city may be inspired by online tutorials which are being called the "Kia challenge," and have gone viral on TikTok.
"In July, police investigated 36 reports of stolen Kias (compared to five in July 2021) and believe suspects may be using a method learned from TikTok, using a USB drive or cable and other tools, in place of a key, to start a vehicle. The vehicles stolen in July—Kia models Optima, Soul, Sorrento, Forte, and Sportage—were all manufactured between 2014 and 2021."
Seattle police point to an incident in August as an example. A group in a stolen Kia were caught attempting to steal another Kia on Capitol Hill. Two of the suspects were caught, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy. Police allege that the 16-year-old is linked to another Kia theft in July. He reportedly learned how to start the cars from videos on TikTok. The two teens were booked on charges of possession of a stolen car and unlawful possession of a firearm (a ghost gun).
The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (a partnership between King and Pierce Counties), has issued its own warning, noting that 2011 or newer Kias, or a 2015 or newer Hyundais are "at risk."
What the Seattle Police Department reports appears to be part of a national trend. ABC News reports a dramatic spike in thefts of Kias nationally. ABC focused on Cook County, Illinois — covering Chicago, it's the most populated county in the state. In Cook County, there were 74 thefts of Kias in July and part of August in 2021. During that same time in 2022, there have been 642 Kia thefts. The local sheriff is also blaming instructions on TikTok for the rise in thefts.
Portland's KGW8 reports that a multistate lawsuit has been filed against Kia and Hyundai, alleging that the companies produced cars that are easy to steal.
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1 dead, many wounded after weekend of shootings across Seattle area
A series of shootings across the Seattle area left one man dead and many others wounded over the weekend.
The Seattle Police Department reports that the incidents started late Friday night and took place through Sunday night.
- Friday, 11:24 p.m.: Two people were found with gunshot wounds in an alley near the 4200 block of South Orcas Street. The victims told police the shooting happened around the corner from where they were found. Police collected shell casings from the scene.
- Saturday, 12:18 a.m.: A 14-year-old girl was shot in the leg near Occidental Avenue South and Edgar Martinez Drive South. SPD reports that the gunfire came from outside a nearby bar. Private security guards exchanged fire during the incident. Police collected more than 80 rifle and handgun rounds. Nearby vehicles were damaged. Following the shooting, a man showed up at Harborview — his head had been grazed by a bullet — and said it was from the SoDo shooting.
- Saturday, 12:33 a.m.: People called 911 to report a man had been shot near Seattle's Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill. Bystanders attempted first aid. Police and medics arrived, attempted life saving measures, and declared the man dead at the scene.
- Saturday, 3:17 a.m.: A man was shot twice in Pioneer Square (3rd Avenue South and South Main Street).
The Seattle Times reports that four more people where shot at Renton's Regis Park shortly before midnight on Friday.
Two more people were shot on Sunday, including a 16-year-old boy along Seattle's Seward Park Avenue South. Police found bullets from that shooting lodged in the side of an apartment building. No one was home at the time.
Later that same day, a 28-year-old man was shot in West Seattle after a group of men reportedly approached his car; one person fired out the car window. Police recovered shot gun shells at the scene. Both individuals shot on Sunday were injured in their shoulders and were taken to a hospital.
None of the shootings are known to be related at this point.
The weekend's shootings come almost a month after another notable weekend of shootings that happened across Western Washington. The rise in shootings around Seattle is part of a growing trend, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.
Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz addressed the rise in shootings, and violence, in SPD's Aug. 15 newsletter:
"The disturbing trend of increased gun violence in Seattle continues. Two weeks ago, there were 29 shootings in Seattle in a single week, the most we’ve seen in a single week all year. So far in 2022, there have been over 460 shots-fired incidents in our city, 27 of them resulting in fatalities. By this time last year, there had been 330 incidents with 19 fatal victims. Since 2020, we have seen a 100% increase in all shots fired."
Chief Diaz also noted two fatal shootings over Seafair weekend, and other recent violent, deadly incidents that did not involved firearms.
This week, Seattle City Council members are expected to further discuss a proposal that calls for offering hiring incentives to bring in more officers to the SPD. Police staffing levels in Seattle are at a 30-year low with roughly 954 officers. Between January and July 2022, the city lost 109 officers and only hired 35.
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Why the entire board of Seattle's ACT Theatre just stepped down
A Contemporary Theatre — Seattle’s ACT company — has announced that its entire board of trustees has voluntarily stepped down.
The only exceptions are three positions required by law — the chair, secretary, and treasurer.
This board overhaul is the result of three months of “deliberation and difficult conversations,” according to ACT’s Artistic Director John Langs. He said the changes are meant to bring the board more in line with the goals of the theatre.
The change was sparked when board members read an article in American Theatre Magazine by Michael Bobbitt titled "Boards are broken, so let's break and remake them." Bobbit was the artistic director at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, Massachusetts when he wrote the article.
In the article, Bobbitt argues that nonprofit boards are broken, and need to be dismantled and rebuilt. He notes that most boards don’t represent the communities they serve, and points out the tension between creative vision and fiduciary responsibility. That further raises questions around who should direct a theatre's creative vision — board members or artistic staff?
Langs said ACT board members then decided to reevaluate their hierarchal structure and dissect inequalities within the board.
“The question we asked most pointedly was: ‘If you can do this all over again, what would you have done differently?’” Langs said. “And from there, we prepared a roadmap through a committee of governance and a couple other key board members and staff members collectively to talk about what we could do. And the outcome of that meeting was: We have to disrupt the status quo.”
Now that the Board has voted, and members have resigned their positions, ACT is ready to rebuild the board from the ground up. Langs said a new committee comprised of executive leadership, representatives selected by staff, representatives selected by artists, and the three remaining trustees will lead the new selection process.
ACT plans on creating a new board with 12-15 members. This group will not use the former “committee” structure. Instead, all trustees will be involved in all aspects of board responsibilities to provide fiduciary oversight, strategic guidance, and risk management.
Once a new board is in place, the three remaining trustees will step down and re-apply for appointments if they wish to resume their positions.
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Washington has new hotline for monkeypox information
Washington's Department of Health has set up a new hotline to answer your questions about the monkeypox virus, aka MPV.
The number is 1-833-829-HELP.
The hotline will be operational from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays, and between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (outside of state holidays).
“As we navigate the MPV outbreak in Washington state, we cannot underestimate the need for our community members to address their questions and concerns,” said Dr. Umair A. Shah, MD, Washington's secretary of health. “We are pleased to partner with 211 to meet this crucial need.”
RELATED: Monkeypox outbreak in Washington state 'is not under control'
Operators will answer any questions about risk factors, vaccine information, testing, and treatment. Just be aware that they won't be able to schedule any appointments for you.
Language assistance will be available in 240 languages.
Approximately 40,000 people in King County are deemed at high risk, but so so far, only about 5,000 of them have been vaccinated against MPV.
There have been 265 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Washington state, the majority of which have been found in King County (225).
Officials say another 4,400 vaccine doses are being distributed this week.
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Seattle considers fixing equity gap in cannabis industry
Seattle officials are trying to fix a glaring problem in the cannabis industry: a lack of Black owners.
Mayor Bruce Harrell has put forward a suite of bills to address the issue. They are now up for council consideration.
“While these policies alone cannot solve generations of injustice, they are critical first steps and a clear commitment to a One Seattle approach, where we make progress through partnership, working with state and federal leaders, industry stakeholders, and store workers to continue moving forward," Harrell said in a statement.
One measure would remove the city cannabis license fee for people in communities hit hardest by the war on drugs, such as the Black community.
One idea is to replace the current license with a social equity license, according to council staffer Brianna Thomas.
"We recognize the loss of Black wealth and Black business and Black ingenuity in this space and this suite of legislation does not undo that harm, but it is a step in the right direction," Thomas said.
City reports show that when Washington legalized cannabis in 2012, none of Seattle’s existing Black-owned medical marijuana businesses received licenses for recreational shops.
The City Council is scheduled to take a first vote on the bills Aug. 17.
Harrell's cannabis suite contains a total of three bills that would implement a range of approaches, including:
- Require that owners who buy a cannabis store keep the same staff for 90 days.
- Create a cannabis advisory committee.
- Work with King County and community groups to expunge convictions for cannabis-related crimes prior to 2014.
- Speed up the work of expunging past cannabis convictions.
- Develop a state and federal legislative agenda promoting cannabis equity, as well as safety improvements, capital investments, and access to banking services.
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Take two for Seattle's social housing initiative
This is going to be the last weekend that backers of Seattle’s social housing initiative can try to gather enough signatures to get on the February 2023 ballot.
House Our Neighbors is backing Initiative 135. Supporters initially aimed to have it on the November ballot, but failed to get enough signatures to qualify. Now they’re aiming for the next election in February and are gathering more signatures to make it happen.
“And we have a bunch of events coming up this weekend, and have no doubt with those and everyone that’s gonna turn in their petitions, that we’ll reach our goal of 10,000 signatures," said Tiffani McCoy with House our Neighbors.
The 10,000 signatures McCoy mentions is the number left for the group to reach the roughly 27,000 signatures required to appear on the ballot.
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