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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New, more inclusive Pride flag debuts at Washington Capitol
A new, more inclusive Pride flag is now flying over the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia.
Several members of the LGBTQ+ community joined Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday for a special flag-raising ceremony.
“Raising this flag has a purpose: it is a purpose of continued commitment, not just celebration," Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday. "Because we have to understand that there are still voices of intolerance. There are those who still feel threatened, who still won’t allow people to be who they will be.”
The new Pride flag includes colors that represent intersex and transgender people along with people of color.
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Fresh food rotting at U.S. ports as shipping costs rise
Several overseas companies have opted to let tons of fruit and vegetables, and other fresh foods, rot at U.S. ports amid rising transportation costs.
That’s according to Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, who pushed for the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
“Well, when you think about our supply chain issue, everything's more expensive," Cantwell said. "And if you think about the cost of shipping being 41% more expensive, you can bet that that's adding down to the price of goods.”
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act — recently signed by President Biden — will pay for Federal Maritime Commission investigations into abandoned goods and skyrocketing shipping costs.
Sen. Cantwell hopes the new law will help consumers who are feeling the pinch at the grocery store.
In 2021, Washington state exported nearly $22 billion in agricultural products.
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Times are a changin' at Chateau Ste. Michelle
One of the Northwest’s largest and most influential wineries is making changes to its leadership team. And there is word that it might be going up for sale.
Darel Allwine has worked for Chateau Ste. Michelle for almost three decades (and has a super convenient name for someone in the wine industry). He will be retiring at the end of the month. He says he started as a “cellar rat,” and that he’s proud to leave behind a premier wine created in the Northwest.
“Having our wines put on the map to be able to, you know, stand out with Napa Valley and Bordeaux and all the other wine regions in the world, I mean, it's been something phenomenal to watch," Allwine said. "And really for the Northwest wine industry, Washington and Oregon to really showcase that we can produce the really premium best wines in the world.”
Washington ranks second in wine production in the United States, with more than 60,000 acres of wine grapes. The estimated in-state economic impact is over $8 billion.
Oregon also ranks in the top five in wine production nationally.
Allwine has worked at Chateau Ste. Michelle for more than 25 years. More recently he has been head winemaker at Col Solare, a brand under Chateau Ste. Michelle. Stephanie Cohen, who has already been working at Col Solare, will take over, according to Wine Business.
For sale?
The Puget Sound Business Journal and The Seattle Times are reporting that Chateau Ste. Michelle is thinking about putting its Woodinville property up for sale.
The Washington Wine Report says the company listed the 118 acre property earlier this year, stating that it is a prime office redevelopment or residential space. But the price was not disclosed in the listing.
The Washington Wine report also said the winery plans to consolidate its wine production in Eastern Washington
Chateau Ste. Michelle is a KUOW business sponsor.
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Introducing the Today So Far Blog!
There's something I've been pushing for, and working on, at KUOW for a long time. Now, I can show it to you. Check this out.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 21, 2022.
Hello TSF community! I'm back at the desk, which means KUOW's newsletter is coming at you. And to kick things off, I have something special to tell you. It's sort of a big deal for me.
Say hello to the Today So Far Blog!
Yes, a blog. This is something I've pushed for at KUOW for a while now, for many reasons that I won't bore you with here. In short, ever since I first came to KUOW, I've noticed that this station reports a lot of information. But not all of it makes it online for one reason or another. There are also a lot of insights that reporters have. I know, because I chitchat about it all with them behind the scenes. There has never been an opportunity for you to get all this online. I have long endeavored to change that.
After some meetings, backend programing, begging, crying, a few bribes, and more meetings, we're finally ready to expand the vibe of Today So Far with this new blog. Just like this newsletter, you will find steady, quick updates there every day, including copies of this newsletter (so you can easily share it with your friends), along with my random "Did You Know" factoids. Also, plenty of news briefs from our talented newsroom, and perhaps some behind-the-scenes insights that provide a little more nuance around the news. All that, and more. And since I'm at the helm, sure, there will probably be a few pop culture references thrown in.
Check out the new Today So Far Blog here (or you can just Google "KUOW blog," it will come right up). I'm ecstatic to share it with you.
OK, what else is going on at KUOW today...
First, I want to note that you can watch the House committee public hearings on the January 6 insurrection here.
Did you catch the extreme low tides across Puget Sound recently? Apparently, they weren't as "extreme" as expected, but they were still very, very low. Forecasters thought that the tides would be the lowest since 2009, considering measurements of the Earth, moon, and sun, among other factors. If you missed the tidal show this weekend, you'll have another chance in 2025 when a 19-year cycle in the moon's wobble will peak.
Finally, have you seen the latest ads for putting solar panels on your home? Heads up: They might be a bit misleading. A slew of online solar panel ads are making claims that are either partly untrue, or are just plain scammy. Reporter Tom Banse sheds some light on this industry as solar panel installers attempt to get the truth out. Read the full story here.
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'Election integrity' issue finds its way into local Washington state races
Backers of former President Trump are making election integrity a campaign issue across the United States. But the issue has not dominated the race for Washington’s secretary of state — the state’s top election official. Nonetheless, mistrust in voting systems is an issue this year in some local races.
For the past nearly four years, Paddy McGuire has been the elected auditor in Mason County, a Conservative-leaning rural county in the southern part of Puget Sound. In that job he oversees county elections. This is familiar territory for McGuire. He’s worked in and around election administration for the past two decades – including a stint as deputy secretary of state in Oregon in the early-to-mid 2000s.
“When I started in this business, election officials were sort of treated like pharmacists, trusted innately,” McGuire said.
But McGuire, a Democrat, says those days are long since gone. This year, he’s up for re-election and he’s facing a Republican who’s running on an election integrity platform.
“The people of Mason County deserve better,” said Steve Duenkel in a recent interview with iFIBER One news. “They deserve better in terms of transparency and they deserve better in terms of integrity from what we’re getting right now.”
Duenkel is a former manager at Boeing who volunteered on his local Republican Party’s election integrity committee. He also boasts an endorsement from Douglas Frank, aka Dr. Frank, a self-described physicist and mathematician from Ohio who claims to have mathematical proof the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Duenkel did not respond to multiple requests for an interview from public radio and The Seattle Times. But in his interview with iFIBER One, he drew directly from the election integrity political playbook when he suggested that electronic voting machines can’t be trusted.
Washington, like Oregon, is a vote-by-mail state. Counties do rely on machines to tabulate the votes. But those machines are subject to logic and accuracy tests and they’re not connected to the internet. In super close races, there is a hand recount. Duenkel has also raised questions about the accuracy of Mason County’s list of registered voters — especially following a pair of super close local races in 2021 that went to recount. Sitting at a picnic table outside his county offices, McGuire says election officials face a toxic environment these days. And he admits to struggling to decide whether to run again for auditor.
“I think part of my motivation was that I didn't want elections in Mason County to be run by somebody who thinks that up is down and down is up.”
McGuire isn’t the only incumbent county auditor facing a challenger who’s making election integrity an issue this year. Check out the full in-depth story here, produced by Northwest News Network’s Austin Jenkins and The Seattle Times.
Vote fraud conspiracy theories driving some candidates for elections offices in WA, elsewhere
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Washington Democrats aim to move up 2024 presidential primary
Washington state's Democratic Party officials are going to make the case this week to move up the state's presidential primary in 2024. The Democratic National Committee is behind the effort and is part of a push involving 16 other states.
Washington Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski says Washington is an ideal candidate for this change because our vote base is more diverse than other states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire which hold earlier primaries.
“We have an Asian-Pacific Islander community of over 800,000 people, spanning 21 different ethnicities," Podlodowski said. "Washington also has 29 federally-recognized tribes. And then finally, we are number one in terms of the number of union members of any state applying for an early primary.”
National party leaders are expected to announce their decision by Labor Day.
This is not the first time a primary has been moved in Washington. In 2020, state Democrats moved their presidential primary up to March, instead of June.
If the change is approved for the 2024 race, Podlodowski says it probably wouldn't be permanent because national leaders are thinking about rotating which states get those topline presidential primaries.
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Seattle needs $117 million to cover its 2023 budget
The city of Seattle is facing a projected $117 million budget shortfall in 2023. That's the gap between what the city expects to spend and how much money it will take in.
Potential solutions include making significant cuts, or finding new money to cover the bills. Perhaps a combination of the two. The Seattle Times reports that the city's number crunchers do not see any "obvious way out" of the financial predicament.
One cause of the situation was the pandemic. Seattle knew of the budget shortfall back in 2019. Officials were warned of what was coming in 2023. But then the pandemic hit. The city started triaging concerns and 2023 was put on the back burner.
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Reminder: King County has banned fireworks
A warning about fireworks as we approach the 4th of July.
A 14 year old lost their hand Monday while playing with fireworks behind Federal Way's Saghalie Middle School. A 10 or 11 year old was also injured in the incident. Stories like this are why King County has banned fireworks in all unincorporated areas.
This year, King County is joining other jurisdictions around the region with its own fireworks ban. The ban was approved in 2021. It nixes the use and sale of all types of fireworks, even sparklers and smoke bombs (sorry Batman).
“While there are plenty of good reasons to support a full ban on consumer fireworks, I am driven by the tragic loss of life and property in White Center in 2019,” King County Councilmember Joe McDermott said when the ban was approved in 2021. “It is past time for King County to do what most cities and parks have already done. People in unincorporated King County deserve the same protections as those living in cities.”
This means that this year, 2022, is the first year that the county is not allowing the sale or use of fireworks. However, officials won't be issuing citations this year. Instead, they will issue warnings. A list will be kept of those who violate the new rules. Moving forward, violating the ban will count as a misdemeanor.
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60K green crabs captured in Washington waters so far in 2022 ... that's a lot
State wildlife officials say more than 60,000 European green crabs have been captured in Washington state waters so far in 2022.
That is far more than what they captured and killed by this time last year.
The green crab is a small, but voracious predator that can quickly damage native shellfish populations and salmon habitat.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared an emergency over the crab invasion in January and authorized $8 million to kill the crabs.
The green crab population has reached its highest levels in an aquaculture pond on the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham. The Lummi Nation has used state funds to expand its team of dedicated crab trappers.
Read more of KUOW's coverage of Puget Sound's green crab issue:
- Thousands of these small green crabs are invading Puget Sound shores
- Think 85,000 invasive crabs is a lot? Wait 'til you see Vancouver Island
- Can’t we just eat those invasive crabs until they’re gone? (Probably not)
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School officers return to Bellevue School District
The Bellevue School district has announced it's going to launch a new Community Engagement Officer Program next fall in partnership with the city and the Bellevue Police Department.
District officials say this will be a reformed iteration of it's School Resource Officer Program, with officers providing safety, support, and other resources for students, their families, and staff.
“We [the school district] rely on us working together to ensure our families are connected to community resources so our youth can have more positive interactions with law enforcement that only come with understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect," said Interim Superintendent Art Jarvis.
SROs with the district returned to their regular patrol duties after the pandemic hit in 2020. The state Legislature also passed laws shortly after that which required districts to change their SRO programs in K-12 schools in response to the death of individuals in police custody.
The move in Bellevue also comes after the district made some changes to its school officer programs. In October 2020, it formed an advisory committee around how school resource officers operate in the district. Reforms were adopted, which a task force then developed into a new program. This fall will be the debut of the reformed school officer program.
“Safety is built on trust and positive relationships, including those between faculty, school administrators, students, parents, and law enforcement," said Director of BSD Security Doug James. "The Community Engagement Officer Program will develop collaborative problem-solving strategies to resolve issues affecting our youth and help every child reach their full potential.”
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30 traffic deaths in Seattle last year
The Seattle Department of Transportation has just released its latest report on traffic fatalities in the city. The data shows there were a total of 30 traffic deaths in Seattle last year — most involving pedestrians.
A total of 40% of such crashes have occurred at intersections with signals since 2015. More than 80% of fatal incidents involving cyclists happened in stretched with no bike lanes.
The report also found that Black people were disproportionately affected by fatal crashes. And more than a quarter of traffic fatalities involved people experiencing homelessness.
The report is part of the city's Vision Zero initiative which has a goal of eliminating serious injuries and fatal crashes by the year 2030.
Since Seattle started its Vision Zero effort in 2015, more than 175 people have died, and 1,200 people were injured in traffic crashes.
Researchers found most of the fatal crashes between 2019 and last year happened in District 2, which includes Beacon Hill, the Central District, downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Columbia City. But the city says adding things like signals that give pedestrians and bicyclists a 3-7 second head start have reduced the number of serious and fatal collisions.
SDOT also notes that it is prioritizing safety efforts in places like the Aurora Avenue corridor, SODO, and Georgetown.
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Low tides not as low as forecast but do not disappoint Puget Sound beachgoers
The promise of the lowest tides in more than a decade drew throngs to the edge of Puget Sound last week to see parts of our region only scuba divers usually see.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had forecast Wednesday’s low tide to be the lowest since 2009 and Thursday’s just 3 inches higher. Those tidal predictions are based on complex analyses of 38 different movements of the Earth, moon, and sun, including a 19-year wobble in the moon’s orbit that is nearing its peak in 2025.
But wind and weather often push tides higher or lower than those gravity-based predictions, and the week’s lowest tides came in (or went out, really) 6 to 8 inches higher than forecast, according to preliminary tide gauge readings in Seattle and Friday Harbor.
According to those preliminary readings, Wednesday’s tide (at -3.6 feet in downtown Seattle and -3 feet in Friday Harbor) wasn’t the lowest in a decade, but it was the lowest since a midnight tide in early December.
Children’s squeals of delight and crowds of beach explorers at water’s edge in Edmonds, Mukilteo, and Seattle suggested the tidal world did not disappoint. Even with the sea several inches higher than promised, tide pool-viewing conditions were undoubtedly much better on a warm afternoon in June than a dark December night.
“Oh wow, that’s crazy,” Destiny Benjamin of Marysville said after spotting a sea star clinging to the underside of a rock at Mukilteo's Lighthouse Park.
“The creatures, the smell of the ocean. It's nice,” she said.
Washington State University beach naturalist Susan Tarpley was on hand at Lighthouse Park to help visitors figure out what they were seeing and how to avoid damaging it.
“I think the overall experience is just amazement and complete joy,” Tarpley said. “This is a place that is absolutely chockablock full with living critters and plants.”
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