KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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The look, the feel, of Seattle: Today So Far
Is there hope for the future of new housing in Seattle? (I think so)
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 23, 2022.
We better stretch first for today's newsletter. Take a deep breath. I know it's gonna ruffle some feathers. Because we're gonna talk about one of the most tense issues around Seattle — housing!
Architecture and development are a lot like art. Some people look a building and are pleased, even impressed. Then you have people like me, who look at a lot of Seattle's new buildings and say, "I don't get it. It actually hurts to look at. And it costs how much?! For that?!"
Take my old neighborhood, Seattle's Roosevelt area. New light rail station — awesome. Bars, coffee shops, burritos, burgers — all awesome. New construction — meh. I figure that at some point, someone had to look at nearby Roosevelt High School, and the gorgeous neighboring homes, and say, "That building is so beautiful, majestic, and historic ... these homes are so quaint and lovely ... there's a nice vibe going on ... let's build the opposite of that."
This is just the opinion of one newsletter writer with absolutely no architecture experience. I've made no secret of my perspective on modern Seattle development, which I feel is inspired by a disheleved pile of shoe boxes, decorated with rejected paint from a bargain bin. But there are also plenty of people who say that Seattle desperately needs that housing, no matter what it looks like. And they're right.
That's why I have hope after hearing about a new crop of architecture students in Seattle with fresh ideas. They recently presented a few novel plans and designs at the University of Washington, to a crowd of local decision makers, as Joshua McNichols reports.
Take student Azita Footohi, who explained their idea to KUOW — replace some of Seattle's single-family homes with multi-housing units that don't stick out. Footohi's design looks like a regular house.
“The idea of doing that was to blend more into the neighborhood and...presumably the response from the neighbors would be a little bit better,” Footohi told KUOW.
Student Lara Tedrow had a similar idea. Her design has eight units in a building that looks like any old house next door. Other students balanced compromises, such as giving up backyards. Others considered the city's aging population and aimed to avoid displacing them. Add that up and new Seattle could look a lot like the old Seattle we already love.
These ideas come at a time when Seattle is updating its comprehensive plan, which has a lot to do with the city's growth. It also has a lot to do with Seattle's affordability. Because even if we can get the housing we need in town, will it even be affordable?
As a reporter, I have always struggled to get readers into topics like zoning codes and comprehensive plans. But it's this information that is going to dramatically influence your daily life in the years ahead. Also, I will tell you that people will get in heated fights over these details. That's the stage as Seattle attempts to find "middle housing."
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No uniformed police in this year's Seattle Pride parade
You won't see any uniformed police officers participating in Sunday's Pride Parade in downtown Seattle.
Event organizers are gearing up for the parade's return since the pandemic hit. There will be a change, however. They say that officers can march in the parade, but they can't wear any insignia or other items that indicate they're with law enforcement.
RELATED: New, more inclusive Pride flag debuts at Washington Capitol
The group said it based its decision on the results of a survey conducted after the 2020 racial justice protests. That survey indicated a majority of respondents said they'd prefer if participating officers were out of uniform and also noted ongoing concerns over police historically victimizing their community.
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Social housing effort stakes step forward in Seattle
A group behind a proposal to create "social housing" in Seattle has turned in nearly 30,0000 signatures to the King County Elections Office this week.
House Our Neighbors is hoping the majority of those signatures will be validated, meaning Seattle will likely be voting on social housing on the November ballot.
RELATED: Is social housing the answer to Seattle’s affordable housing woes?
The social housing model has been described as one where publicly owned housing is run by a renter's governing board, which then determines who can live in the units. But unlike other public housing, social housing does not place heavy income limitations on its residents. People earning 0-120% of the area median income will be considered. Higher-earning residents pay higher rents. Those funds will be used to offset lower-tiered rents in the system.
I-135 aims to accomplish this by creating a public developer in Seattle City Hall. It would build new housing on surplus city land.
Supporters say something like this is needed to keep housing affordable in the city especially for low-income communities and communities of color.
The Housing Development Consortium (a 30-year-old affordable housing advocacy group in King County) has come out against the measure, saying it "distracts funds and energy away from what our community should be focusing on – scaling up affordable housing for low-income people."
In a blog post, the HDC points out the I-135 does not propose any source of funding and has no taxing authority on its own. It is concerned that it could eventually draw away from existing affordable housing funding for the area. It argues, "this Initiative would divert scarce public resources toward the creation of a new bureaucracy and is a distraction from what should be our priority as a City—greatly increasing funding for affordable housing to meet the scale of the need."
This debate is something that the Today So Far newsletter saw coming. Today So Far pressed Tiffany McCoy about the funding issue back in April. McCoy is the co-chair of the I-135 campaign, and is the advocacy chair of Real Change.
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Not likely that Biden's gas tax holiday has support in Washington state
It doesn't look like Washington Governor Jay Inslee, or any local Democratic leaders are getting behind President Biden's call for states to to suspend their local gas taxes.
A spokesperson for Gov. Inslee said such a move would benefit oil companies and would come at the expense of the state's ability to fix our roads and bridges. His office says it could cut revenue for infrastructure projects in the state.
The governor's office also notes that he would need to call a special legislative session to introduce or pass any bill pausing the state's gas tax.
Washington's gas tax of 49 cents per gallon is the second most expensive in the United States. Only California and Pennsylvania have higher gas taxes.
On Wednesday, President Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months, arguing that it could save consumers money at the pump while gas prices hit record highs.
The national gas tax is 18 cents per gallon of gasoline, and 24 cents per gallon of diesel.
Some economists, however, object to Biden's idea.
"It would be very unlikely that gas prices would fall by more than a dime because of this change. And oil company profits would go up by billions of dollars," Jason Furman told NPR.
Furman served as a top economic adviser to former President Barack Obama and is now at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Another economist, Carola Binder, tells NPR that temporarily nixing the gas tax could worsen the already severe inflation the country is experiencing. And it appears that there is little support for the president's idea from Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
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Far-right activist visits Washington for Culp fundraiser
Far right activist Richard Mack is headlining a congressional fundraiser today in Central Washington. Mack is a former board member of the antigovernmental militia the Oath Keepers.
Former sheriff Richard Mack is backing former police chief Loren Culp to represent Washington's 4th congressional district. Culp says he has a lot in common with Mack.
"He believes in limited government, just like I do," Culp said.
Mack's the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which encourages local law enforcement officials to ignore laws they personally deem unconstitutional. It awarded Culp its Police Chief of the Decade award a few years ago, after he refused to enforce a voter-approved state gun law.
"We don't get our rights from government, we get our rights from our creator," Culp said.
Culp decided to run against incumbent Republican congressman Dan Newhouse after Newhouse voted to impeach former president Trump.
Trump has endorsed Culp in this race.
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Vaccines are available for kids under 5, but getting an appointment around Seattle is pretty hard
It may be hard to find an open Covid vaccine appointment for kids in the Seattle area. Initial demand is high for youngsters. And as many parents are finding out, not all providers are allowed to offer the vaccines to children.
Initial demand for the Covid vaccine for babies and toddlers has led to waitlists at many local providers. That’s in part because families that have been waiting for more than a year are snatching up available appointments as soon as they can.
RELATED: Kids under 5 receive first Covid-19 doses in Seattle
The CDC recently opened Covid vaccines to kids between 6 months and 5 years old.
"Families, including my own, have been waiting months and months for this to happen, so there’s definitely a group that has sort of pent-up demand for this, and we need to just be a little more patient while people get access," said Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, a pediatrician who helps King County manage its vaccine program.
"But it’s here, finally," he said.
Plus, a delayed vaccine shipment meant some providers had to reschedule many appointments.
It’s also because not all providers can offer vaccines for babies and toddlers, so there are fewer places to go for appointments.
So most of the places offering vaccines to kids under 5 are pediatric and family practice offices. And not all of them put their appointments on the state’s vaccine locator website. So the best way to get a vaccine appointment for a small child is to call their medical provider.
"You have to prep the family," Del Becarro said. "You know, have the child held in the right way. You have to know how to inject in the thigh if they’re small. And be also prepared in the very, very unlikely and rare event of an allergic side effect, to how to handle those."
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It's warm out. The water is freezing. Do the math.
Western Washington weather is expected to significantly warm up in late June, starting this weekend. Keep in mind, however, that local lakes and rivers remain very, very cold — dangerously cold. In other words, don't go jump into it.
Reporters have a handful of stories that come around every year, like clockwork. Stories that say the holidays have arrived, or when that Copper River salmon is flown into Seattle each spring.
And across the Northwest, when the sun first warms things up, there is an inevitable story reminding people that all the water in the lakes and rivers around here is ice cold — it's not a good idea to go jump in it. Still, every year, there are folks who just haven't learned this lesson.
“In the first seconds of falling into the cold water there is a gasp reflex," boating educator Derek Van Dyke told KUOW. "And when you gasp when you're falling in the water, you can aspirate or swallow water. And in many cases that could be the initial (instance) where drowning happens; in the first seconds in the water.”
Also, the water is cold. That can make your body cold, aka hypothermia.
Water temperatures in Puget Sound, and other local bodies of water, generally sit at around 50 degrees. They don't get much warmer than that, even later on in the summer. Which makes sense. All that water is coming from just up the mountain where it was very recently ice — so that's nearly ice water you're jumping into.
RELATED: What's cooler than cool? Lake Washington
Van Dyke urges everyone going out on the water to wear a life vest. Also, consider wearing a whistle so boaters can hear your calls for help if you get into trouble.
You can be certain that King County Sheriff’s marine and rescue dive unit is gearing up right now in advance of paddle boarders and boaters hitting the water, and for people just jumping into the freeze.
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Another election, another round of conspiracy-embracing candidates: Today So Far
- Another election, and another round of conspiracy theory-embracing candidates have cropped up around Washington state.
- Local actors, writers teaching veterans to tell their stories
- Inquest into police killing of Charleena Lyles begins.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 22, 2022.
In 2013, actor Tom Skerritt called a friend, writer Shawn Wong, and told him a startling statistic — 22 soldiers and veterans were dying from suicide each day.
"When we did a little more investigation, we found that family members as well as members of the military said that no one was listening to their story," Wong said. "So Tom gathered together some of his friends, some of us are screen writers or novelists, and said, 'Well, we know how to teach storytelling. So let's teach them how to tell a story.'"
A veteran storytelling effort emerged, based near JBLM in Washington state. It is the most recent feature of KUOW's "Subtext" podcast. Wong is particularly suited for the endeavor as a creative writing professor at the University of Washington.
"The point was, there is a lot of silence," Wong told KUOW's Bill Radke. "Particularly for young men and women in the military who may have become injured in combat or have mental health issues or emotional health issues upon returning. Our storytelling workshop actually became part of their medical therapy."
A few core principles of the workshop: You cannot change the past, but you can control the message of your story; tell the truth, not just the facts; everything you write must indicate what you are trying to understand, not what you know.
The full story is intriguing. Radke dives into it in his recent episode of "Subtext." Check it out here.
Charleena Lyles was killed by Seattle police officers in 2017. An inquest into the death began this week. On the first day of the inquest, a representative of the police department's Force Investigation Team said that the two officers knew that Lyle's had mental health issues prior to responding to her call about a burglary. Despite that, they did not bring any non-lethal weapons with them for the encounter. Lyles reportedly came after the officers with a knife, and they fired on her. Her year-old baby reportedly crawled on top of her as she lay on the ground.
This is one of those stories that I have to write "reportedly" a lot. A big problem with this case is that officers were not wearing body cams. Only audio of the incident exists. Mental illness, only lethal weapons, no body cams. Lyle's death has been pointed to as a prime example of why certain reforms are needed at SPD. Read the full story about the start of the inquest here.
Another election, and another round of conspiracy theory-embracing candidates have cropped up around Washington state. A joint report from The Seattle Times and Northwest News Network's Austin Jenkins details a handful of candidates who are listing "election integrity" as core issues in their campaigns this year. That term, "election integrity" is common among the Trump crowd who push the "Big Lie" narrative that the 2020 election was stolen. Side note: The congressional hearings this week on the January 6 riot reveal that President Trump and his team have never had any evidence for such a claim.
Perhaps such a lack of evidence, or logic, is why Tamborine Borrelli's America First group has been fined $28,000 by the state Supreme Court for frivolous legal filings. They claim there was massive vote flipping in the 2020 election. Borrelli is now running for Washington secretary of state.
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Grizzly bear mystery washes up near Bellingham
Washington wildlife officials are trying to figure out how the body of a grizzly bear wound up on the coast near Bellingham.
The remains of a 1-2-year-old grizzly bear were discovered last week on a beach north of the Cherry Point Refinery. No signs of obvious trauma were found.
It's an odd sighting. Black bears are common in Washington. But grizzlies haven't been around these parts in many, many years. The state Fish and Wildlife Department says they used to thrive in the northern cascades, and in eastern Washington. But they were hunted out the region and have largely disappeared. Today, they are more often found in British Columbia or near the Idaho boarder.
Grizzlies are now listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
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Police arrest 2 suspects in Bellevue trailhead 'crime spree'
If you've been hiking around the Bellevue area, and your car has been broken into recently, police may have nabbed the perpetrators.
Bellevue police and King County sheriff's deputies have arrested two people wanted in connection with "dozens and dozens" of car prowls, mostly targeting local trailheads.
The suspects allegedly used a tool to break out car windows and take credit cards, IDs, key fobs, and any other items of value. Police say the suspects then used the credit cards to purchase gift cards. They face 12 felony charges stemming from what Bellevue police call a "crime spree."
Several car break-ins occurred at the Coal Creek Trailhead in Bellevue. BPD posted video of one such incident.
Detectives found the suspects on June 8. They had stolen credit cards in their possession, as well as as stolen pistol, according to BPD.
Detectives also believe the pair broke into several cars in the North Bend area and even shot at some of their victims who interrupted a prowl. KCSO detectives said that they assaulted a woman and stole her car as they fled once scene.
“These suspects brazenly drove into parking lots in broad daylight, punched out windows, prowled dozens of cars, then immediately went to stores to fraudulently use stolen credit cards,” said Captain Shelby Shearer. “This happened at locations all over the Puget Sound Region. And we know from their criminal history that there was a propensity for violence and that we needed to get them off the streets.”
State Troopers say they're working with other law enforcement agencies to increase patrols at local trailheads, especially now as more people head outside for the summer months.
The case is a good reminder to never leave any valuables in a car.
More updates on KUOW's Today So Far Blog
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New Northgate supportive housing aims to offer next step for 'shelter'
People in need of shelter are getting ready to move into a building acquired through King County's Health Through Housing Initiative
The spot in Northgate was actually purchased last year. It's a former hotel that has been remodeled to serve as permanent, supportive housing. More than 130 people will start moving in as soon as Thursday, June 23. The location has 115 units, and 20 of them will be used for double occupancy.
“Last year, we set out an ambitious plan to tackle chronic homelessness in our region, and we are making good on that promise, with 971 units purchased to date and nearly 500 opened homes, said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "And now, before this month ends, another 135 people will have a safe and stable place to call home. King County will continue to push ahead on our Health Through Housing – steadily selecting operators, opening new locations, and serving residents with the wraparound services they need to take command of their lives.”
The county has purchased 10 buildings in six cities as part of the program which seeks to provide permanent supportive housing to those in need throughout the region. The Northgate location is the fifth opening for the Health Through Housing initiative.
The Downtown Emergency Service Center will manage the Northgate site. DESC Executive Director Daniel Malone said that the Northgate location "is our next step in providing what we used to call ‘shelter.’" The location will be staffed 24/7, and will have supportive services.
Another location, the Bertha Pitts Campbell Place, opened last week in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood. It has 100 units. Another location opened in Renton in April for 97 residents.
A site with 100 units in Bitter Lake will open in August. Another location, the Salmonberry Lofts in Pioneer Square, is slated to open in September with 80 units.
More operations are expected to come online over the coming year, including locations in Auburn and Federal Way. There are efforts to open sites in Kirkland and Redmond.
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Two years after the pandemic's start, Washington's food banks still strained
Demand at Seattle-area food banks continues to remain high, two years after the start of the pandemic.
“It’s not slowing down at all," said Carmen Smith, executive director at the White Center Food Bank. "Now we’re navigating other things like rising food costs and increases in fuel (costs). And so people are relying on the food bank to be able to stretch their budgets in other ways.”
Public Health Seattle and King County says that more than 113,000 households receive some form of federal food assistance.
And now that school is out, many children who rely on school meals will have one less option for food. A federal program that has helped states provide food during the summer has not been extended.
The number of Washington residents going hungry has nearly tripled during the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
More about Western Washington's food insecurity issue:
- Yes, inflation is eating up your food budget (Seattle Now)
- Washington among top states for food insecurity for military families
- New Ballard Food Bank makes asking for help feel more like a day at the supermarket