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
-
With Covid levels high, King County ‘actively considering’ if and when to bring back mask mandates
Summer is here, but Covid-19 levels remain high in King County.
Reported cases are higher than the peak of the Delta wave, according to Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. And that’s definitely an undercount because many people are using rapid at-home tests, which are rarely included in official numbers.
Duchin said Thursday that hospitalizations in King County have increased three-fold since April. That means someone in the county has been hospitalized for Covid roughly every hour over the past week. With all this in mind, and with highly contagious Omicron subvariants surging across the country, Duchin said there are active discussions about whether a new mask mandate should be put in place.
He said it’s not an easy question because things change over time and the evolution of variants is unpredictable.
“We are actively considering if, and when, additional mandates may be needed. And I’m really encouraging everyone now, to please, let’s make sure we’ve done all we can on a voluntary basis before we have to go there,” Duchin said during a press briefing.
Duchin stressed that Covid-19 is going to be a long-term challenge, and said the best long-term strategy to fight the virus is through voluntary measures.
“We’re not going to be able to have an infinite series of mandates forcing people to do this, that, and the other. They have their roles, where things get very serious and we need short-term immediate improvement. But over the long-term we really do need people to understand that we need both our business community, our leadership in the community, and our community members to take the steps that they need to take to protect themselves and one another.”
Staying up to date with vaccinations and boosters, improving indoor air quality and ventilation, and wearing high quality masks can help reduce risks.
Duchin said with the potential for lasting symptoms, known as long Covid, its worth preventing even a mild infection if possible.
More than 86% of people five and older have completed their initial vaccine series in King County. However, just over half have had their booster.
Continue reading » -
What does graffiti have to do with Seattle summer traffic?: Today So Far
- While I-5 through Seattle is shutdown for repairs, it will also be getting a clean up.
- A study into Seattle's soda tax shows that the economic benefits outweighed the costs.
- Seattle and Tacoma police departments are facing steep challenges.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 14, 2022.
A recent move prompted my wife Nina and I to make quite a few trips along I-5. And that further prompted a few observations.
"I like the hot dogs," Nina said while we were driving through Seattle.
"What?" I replied, as I was distracted trying to make a song out of the frequent jolts from driving over expansion joints in the road. Driving over them makes it sound like your car is going to fall apart, so I figured I might as well make it fun.
"The graffiti," she said, noting that the spray painted hot dogs under a few overpasses were "kind of cute."
We got to know some of those tags well on those drives. However, their time is up. Same could be said for the expansion joints. The Washington State Department of Transportation is shutting down southbound I-5 through Seattle over a series of weekends (including this upcoming weekend) to repair and replace the expansion joints. And while the freeway is shut down, crews will be painting over the graffiti along the way. This means two things: fresh canvas; and also Seattle traffic is going to suck this summer. Plan accordingly. Read more here.
I've always had mixed feelings about Seattle's soda tax. On one hand, I'm all about getting rid of sugar-loaded drinks and food (sugar is everywhere). So anything to discourage the consumption of soda is a good thing in my mind, and a tax does just that. Plus, that tax revenue goes to fund local food banks and programs that get fresh, healthy food to people who generally have difficulty getting it, like low-income families.
On the other hand, a voice in the back of my mind always reminds me that people have to buy this terrible stuff to fund all the good. So while a family is getting healthy food over here, someone has to be popping open a soda over there.
Perhaps cognitive dissonance like that is why the University of Washington has been watching how Seattle's soda tax has played out. A recent study looked at the economic results of the tax (not the health outcomes). It ultimately concludes that the tax "resulted in large net transfer of funds to lower income population." At the same time, it finds that "the lowest-income households paid a larger proportion of household income on the tax, unsurprisingly." But more benefit was gained than spent, so overall, it's "an effective nutrition policy." Read more here.
I'm not sure if the study looked at the economic impact of long-term health consequences of consuming the taxed soda, from diabetes to obesity, heart disease and so on. So my suggestion to folks struggling with the same back-and-forth internal debate as me: If you have a couple extra bucks, buy a soda at the store and donate that tax money. Then promptly pour it out.
Police departments are facing steep challenges these days, as is evident in Seattle and Tacoma.
Continue reading » -
WSP searching for cars in I-5 shootout
The Washington State Patrol is asking for your help as troopers try to find the people involved in a freeway shootout along southbound I-5 near Tukwila.
According to Trooper Rick Johnson, the incident unfolded between a Dodge Challenger and a Kia Wednesday evening. The two vehicles entered the freeway from the shoulder and began firing upon each other. Bullets struck a nearby Dodge Charger with four children inside. The driver of the Charger then fired back, through their windshield, at the other vehicles, which sped off.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 911.
According to a report from KIRO 7, WSP responded to 20 freeway shootings in King County between January and April of this year. That's about double the number for the same time period in 2021.
Continue reading » -
Why Amazon gave Ring video to police without users' permission
Amazon has admitted to giving Ring doorbell video footage to police without receiving permission from the users.
The Associated Press reports that this happened 11 times in 2022, so far, according to Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, who asked the Seattle-based company to address his concerns.
“As my ongoing investigation into Amazon illustrates, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to move, assemble, and converse in public without being tracked and recorded,” Markey said in a statement.
Law enforcement departments in various cities have made requests for video from Ring's cameras in the past. Ring's product is a doorbell with a camera that can provide users with a view of their front door whenever somebody knocks. It can also show what is happening out their front door via a user's smartphone. Video is often recorded in such instances.
Ring has said that it would not share this and other information with police without getting users' permission or a warrant first. But Amazon, which owns Ring, says the video clips were shared with police because they fell under its emergency provision.
Ring's emergency provision states that Ring “reserves the right to respond immediately to urgent law enforcement requests for information."
“Ring made a good-faith determination that there was an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to a person requiring disclosure of information without delay," Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president for public policy, stated in a letter to Sen. Markey, addressing the 11 videos turned over to police this year.
Read more at The Associated Press.
Some police departments in Western Washington have gone about this issue another way. Renton, for example, has a camera registration program that residents sign up for. Instead of police going to Ring or Amazon for video, the program allows residents to voluntarily sign up for a home camera list. If and when an incident occurs in an area, police can check the list to see if anybody nearby has a camera with potential video footage. Police cannot access the video remotely. Rather, the resident is contacted and asked to check their video feed.
Updates and more on KUOW's Today So Far Blog
Continue reading » -
Primary ballots are on their way
Ballots for the August 2 primaries are being mailed out Thursday in King County and all around the Puget Sound region.
Snohomish County officials say they're sending out ballots to approximately a half-million registered voters this week. That includes first time ever 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time the general election rolls around November 8.
That's when voters across the state will decide a number of key U.S. Senate, House, and state races. And it includes the race for Secretary of State in Washington.
You have until July 25 to register online or through the mail. The deadline after that will be primary election night Aug. 2 at 8 p.m.
On a related note, the Thurston County Auditor's Elections Division is going to start offering election-observer training.
Continue reading » -
2 DRC residents plead guilty for wildlife trafficking in Seattle
Two residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo have pleaded guilty in federal court in Seattle to wildlife trafficking. The pair is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
The case began in 2019 with a plan to smuggle elephant ivory, white rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Seattle.
According to federal prosecutors, in August and September of 2020 two DRC residents worked with a middleman to send 49 pounds of ivory from Kinshasa to Seattle. Then in June of last year, the pair sent nearly five pounds of rhinoceros horn to Seattle.
They were arrested after traveling to Seattle in November 2021 to meet with would-be buyers who turned out to be federal agents. After the arrests, agents in Kinshasa seized more than 2,000 pounds of ivory and 75 pounds of pangolin scales with an estimated black market value of $3.5 million.
Continue reading » -
Sen. Murray promotes 'Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act'
Washington Senator Patty Murray is calling on Congress to pass a measure that would provide federal protections for those seeking abortions, now that it is no longer a constitutionally protected right.
"Banning abortion doesn't stop abortions," Murray said. "It just stops people from getting safe abortions. It doesn't take an expert to understand this is only going to get worse because of the dangerous abortion bans. Women will be denied the care they need, the care their doctors know could save their lives."
The Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act would protect a person's right to cross state lines for reproductive health care. It would also invalidate any state laws that go against those protections.
Sen. Murray says bans are especially hard on women of color, those with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas.
She also wants senators to waive the filibuster, and codify abortion rights into federal law.
As of Thursday afternoon, Republicans in the Senate were blocking the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act.
Continue reading » -
Harrell rolls out police recruitment plan including bonuses
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has unveiled a new plan for police recruitment and retention, saying current staffing is at crisis levels.
Harrell wants the Seattle City Council to approve bonuses for new hires, which the city has offered sporadically in the past few years.
“We know that financial incentives are critical,” he said at a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday. “That’s why this plan offers incentives up to $30,000 for lateral transfers and $7,500 for new recruits, ensuring that Seattle is fully competitive with our neighboring jurisdictions.”
Many neighboring cities have been offering financial incentives and pay bumps for officers with college degrees or other skills. Seattle has lost 109 officers this year alone, most due to retirements, and so far has hired 35 new officers.
Harrell and Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz also support retention bonuses for existing officers. Diaz said they couldn’t give details on the amount of the bonuses because those are currently being negotiated with the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
“The past two years have been incredibly challenging for SPD and I want to thank those that have stayed with this department,” Diaz said. “We cannot afford to lose another single officer, especially to other law enforcement agencies.”
The new report on hiring and retention said the city’s number of trained and deployable police officers is at a 30-year low of 954. Harrell is seeking $1 million to allow for the new hiring incentives and four additional recruitment positions. In May, the City Council approved a proposal for SPD to use part of its unspent salary funds to pay for moving expenses and recruiting.
Harrell said he’s been attending police roll calls to tell officers they are needed and respected in Seattle. He also said he’s committed to seeking out police candidates “who reflect Seattle’s values and diverse communities, and are committed to public service.” Harrell and Diaz noted that half of the officers hired so far this year are people of color, up from 40% of new hires in 2021.
In a statement Councilmember Lisa Herbold said, “Hiring police officers is important.” But she called on Harrell to act with more urgency around creating alternative responses for the portion of 911 calls that do not require police.
“Despite consistent requests from myself and other Councilmembers to act with urgency, we have not received a favorable response from the executive,” Herbold said. "Seattle is falling behind on its commitments to create policing alternatives, and those impacts are being felt by community members who are not getting the service they deserve and by police officers who are stretched too thin.”
Continue reading » -
These Seattle Starbucks locations lost steam: Today So Far
- Starbucks is closing five locations in Seattle, and one in Everett, citing safety concerns. Local react to the decision.
- How science is heating up cold cases in Washington state.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 13, 2022.
Starbucks is closing six locations in Western Washington — five in Seattle and one in Everett. The reason for the local closures, according to Starbucks, is a considerable increase in crime around theses locations, which has made it unsafe for employees.
“They have stuff for kids sometimes, it's just a lot of people, it's usually the older Ethiopian guys enjoying coffee — and just it's a cool coffee shop," said Makini Howell, who usually walks her dog Copper to the Starbucks at 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street.
But that location is now closed. Howell was surprised to hear why the location closed. Across the street, at the Hillcrest Market, Blake Crawford says he's not surprised. He says the market has gotten so used to robberies that staff have started keeping pepper spray and tasers on hand. The store has stopped bothering to call police due to a lack of response (he says the fire department usually comes right away, however).
KUOW's Casey Martin has the full story here.
Science! It's not just for combatting a global pandemic. It can help solve decades-old cold cases. Detectives at a handful of police departments in Washington state have begun pulling old evidence that contains DNA and running it through modern databases. It's a method that has already produced suspects and trials.
Recently, detectives in Pullman and McCleary began running DNA from rape cases through public genealogy databases — services that help people track their ancestry through DNA. Both crimes occurred in 2003, but the cases are unrelated. For nearly two decades, they remained unsolved.
This is part of a modern effort to use DNA to address such cold cases. Attorney General Bob Ferguson began a program in 2019 that collects DNA samples from convicted sex offenders in the state. Those samples are uploaded to a national database. It's already produced eight hits for DNA that is related to unsolved crimes.
That's what happened for police in Pullman and McCleary. They received grant money from the AG's office to run the DNA through the ancestry database. It led them to suspects in both crimes, who have now been arrested.
Read the full story here.
AS SEEN ON KUOW
Continue reading » -
How Tacoma plans to tackle rising street crime
Tacoma city leaders say violent street crime in their town has nearly doubled over the past year. And the number of murders is on pace surpass last year's.
That was some of the information Chief Avery Moore shared with the public and the Tacoma City Council Tuesday as he detailed his crime reduction plan. The plan covers 2022 through 2025.
It's being rolled out in three phases focusing on near term, mid term, and long term strategies.
Near term. This strategy is already underway. It calls for increasing police presence in "crime hotspots." For example, just 24 addresses accounted for roughly 12% of Tacoma's reported violent crime over the past year.
Chief Moore says research shows having officers sit in stationary cars with their lights flashing reduces violent crime in such areas.
Mid term (place-based policing). Identify places with higher crime rates, gather local stakeholders, and develop strategies to tackle everything from physical and social disorder, graffiti, and code enforcement. At the same time, encourage social use of the space.
Long term: Focused deterrence. This strategy aims to change the behavior of high-risk offenders. It includes community involvement and communication, and providing alternatives to violence. It also involves communication with local gangs.
Read Chief Moore's full plan here.
The chief will update council members about the departments progress every 90 days.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
Continue reading » -
Federal report recommends breaching Lower Snake River dams to save salmon
A new federal report outlines ways to protect wild salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin. It includes a proposal for breaching the four Lower Snake River dams.
According to the report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recovering salmon in the Columbia Basin will require a suite of large-scale actions.
First on the list is breaching one or more of the four Lower Snake River dams. Other urgent actions include improving tributary and estuary habitat, reducing predator numbers, and building fish passage so that salmon can reach cold water habitat above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.
According to the report, these actions will help salmon and steelhead as climate change worsens. it further states that doing nothing will lead to catastrophic losses of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.
One of the main concerns about removing the dams is how to replace the electricity they generate. A second independently commissioned report estimates replacing electricity generation from the dams could cost between $11 billion to $19 billion. The Biden administration did not endorse the actions outlined in either report.
Updates and more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog
Continue reading » -
Seattle's low income communities benefit from soda tax revenue, UW study says
Seattle’s soda tax has been effective in reducing consumption of sugary drinks. Turns out, money from the tax also helps low income communities, according to a University of Washington study.
Revenue from Seattle’s soda tax funds programs like Fresh Bucks, which helps low income families afford fresh fruit and vegetables.
Emy Haruo, director of community resources at the social service organization Neighborhood House, says having Fresh Bucks vouchers helps her clients stretch their food budget.
“Knowing that they can spend $40 on fresh foods that they wouldn’t have money to spend on makes a difference,” Haruo said.
Last year, the non-profit enrolled 736 people in the program.
Seattle started taxing sugary drinks in 2018 in an effort to reduce consumption and improve health.
Critics have argued that the tax would disproportionately burden low income communities. A new UW study shows that low-income families pay a larger portion of their household budget on the tax. But much of the tax revenue also funded food-related and health programs that benefit this population.
In addition to expanding Fresh Bucks, the city directed soda tax money to local food banks, and senior meal programs, among others.
Haruo says part of Fresh Bucks’s appeal is being able to choose their own produce.
“Some of our clients even found new interests and vegetables they’ve never heard of,” Haruo said. “Bok choy has gotten popular, Chinese broccoli have gotten popular, taro has gotten popular.”
In addition to Seattle, researchers analyzed data from San Francisco and Philadelphia. The study was published this month in the journal Food Policy.
Continue reading »