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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

  • What does Covid-19 look like this summer?

    Around this time last year, Washington state was seeing a slight bump in Covid-19 hospitalizations.

    This year, things are looking different.

    Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been trending down across the state, hitting some of the lowest levels since the pandemic began.

    In King County, the data tells a similar story.

    However, while trends look promising, public health officials are cautioning people against letting their guard down completely as they prepare for summer gatherings and travel.

    “We know Covid-19 tends to throw curveballs when we least expect it,” said Dr. Eric Chow, chief of communicable disease, epidemiology, and immunizations with Public Health – Seattle & King County.

    Chow said his department tries to be vigilant, keeping an eye on the numbers and looking to other countries to see if there’s any indication that more concern is warranted in the near future.

    With the unpredictable nature of the virus, he acknowledged that another wave is possible, although things are looking positive at this point.

    "Either a new variant comes about, or because of people's activities and changes in behavior since exiting kind of that emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's possible that we could see uptick and that's something that we're always looking out for," Chow said.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking new variants of the virus. In Washington, omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 became dominant earlier this year, according to leaders of the UW virology lab. XBB.1.5 and other omicron subvariants make up the bulk of the lineages seen in the state.

    None of them appear to be more severe than past variants.

    One challenge in tracking variants in the state is the fact that fewer positive test samples are making it to labs for sequencing.

    Continue reading »

  • Man who stalked and threatened Rep. Jayapal to lose guns for 8 years

    The man who threatened Rep. Pramila Jayapal outside her West Seattle home last summer has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stalking charge, as first reported by the West Seattle Blog.

    Brett Forsell, 49, was sentenced this week to 364 days in jail, which he has served through a combination of jail time and electronic home monitoring. Forsell has been ordered to stay away from Jayapal, undergo drug and alcohol treatment. He cannot own a gun for eight years.

    According to charging documents, Forsell told police he showed up to “protest” at Jayapal’s house three to seven times last summer, in 2022.

    On July 9, 2022, late at night, Forsell drove a black SUV with gold-spoked wheels to Jayapal’s home with his Glock .40 pistol, a live round in the chamber.

    Forsell, who is white, yelled at Jayapal to go back to India. He also made other vulgar and sexist comments.

    “He drove his vehicle in a loud and aggressive manner with witnesses stating that he reached speeds of 40 mph in the quiet residential neighborhood,” records say.

    “Even his mother described him as belligerent on the night of his arrest.”

    The charging document continues, “When Jayapal’s husband opened the door, “the male seemed surprised, stepped back and hurriedly got back into a vehicle that was in the roadway, driven by another unknown male.”

    But Forsell continued to fixating on Jayapal after his arrest, according to the charging documents.

    “He is focused on getting his Glock. .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun back as quickly as possible and … also plans to obtain an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle. He also stated that continue his pattern of returning to Representative Jayapal’s house until in his words, “She goes back to India.”

    Continue reading »

  • Seattle's Harborview averages 65 fireworks injuries around July 4


    Among Seattle's summer traditions — like Bumbershoot, constructing homemade air filters for wildfire smoke, watching the Blue Angels perform high in the sky, and listening to cranky neighbors complain about the Blue Angels — is the long line of fireworks injuries heading into local emergency rooms around the Fourth of July.

    That's why Harborview Medical Center is reminding folks that fireworks are explosives and therefore dangerous. Use with caution. Injuries are common.

    "We normally see, unfortunately, two types of injury patterns, and large numbers of them: Injuries to the face and to the eyes and, sadly, injuries to people's hands as well,” said Dr. Steve Mitchell, director of Harborview's emergency department.

    RELATED: Are fireworks banned in your area? Check here.

    Harborview sees an average of 65 fireworks injuries each year around the Fourth of July, and that's just one emergency department serving the Seattle area. That's up from 2022's numbers, when Harborview said it expected 40-50 injuries.

    “Oftentimes, the young children that we see are really innocent bystanders,” Mitchell said. “They were participating in a party or a family gathering and a firework was set off by somebody else. And then it oftentimes will hit them in the face and affect their eyes or their face. It’s a significant problem .... All of these injuries are very tragic."

    A lot of Harborview's advice around fireworks is pretty basic, common-sense stuff. Don't hold fireworks in your hands (it's gunpowder after all, and that explodes). Don't point fireworks at others. And don't booze it up and then play with explosives.

    It could also be said that nothing you can buy from a supermarket parking lot can compete with a professional, massive, fireworks show — of which there are many local options. So consider letting someone else do the work and catch a live show instead of lighting your own.

    Continue reading »

  • Flight attendant mom ran out of sick time: WA Supreme Court decision could bring more limits on employee leave

    A new decision by the Washington State Supreme Court in Alaska Airlines v. Dep't of Labor & Industry could affect flexibility for employees seeking to use various types of paid leave to care for family members.

    “I would say that it creates a kind of a road map,” said Liz Ford, an assistant law professor at Seattle University. “If an employer was inclined to want to limit its employees’ access to leave to care for their kids, then this decision gives them a way to do that.”

    In 2011, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines sought to use vacation time to care for a sick child (she was out of sick time), but she faced discipline because her union contract required her to schedule vacation time far in advance.

    The resulting lawsuit pitted the airline against the Washington Family Care Act, which allows employees to use any earned time off to care for family members.

    The court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of Alaska Airlines, saying the collective bargaining agreement took precedence over the state law.

    “Here the supreme court acknowledges that the statute says that, but then says, an employer can limit your access to those kinds of leave through the collective bargaining agreement,” Ford told KUOW.

    Ford said this decision could lead to more restrictions from employers.

    She doesn’t think most employers want to create barriers around family care, but she noted that tensions around scheduling and employee flexibility are especially acute in the airline industry.

    Continue reading »

  • Washington state man arrested in D.C. neighborhood where Obamas live

    A Washington state man connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection was arrested Thursday in a D.C. neighborhood where former President Barack Obama lives, according to the Associated Press.

    Records show that Taylor Taranto, 37, lives in Pasco, although an NBC News report says social media indicates that he has been recently living in a van by the Washington, D.C., jail.

    Taranto was found with weapons and materials to create an explosive device, though one had not been built, law enforcement officials told the AP.

    According to the Tri-City Herald, Taranto was a webmaster for the Republican Party in Franklin County, in southeastern Washington state, where Pasco is located.

    The Tri-City Herald wrote:

    The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to the Herald that Taylor Taranto, 37, was arrested outside of a home in the Kalorama neighborhood where the Obamas live. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant, and his van was searched by D.C. Metropolitan Police’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal team.


    Continue reading »

  • Getting naked in Seattle: Today So Far
    • The robots have arrived, for our grandparents.
    • Boeing design gets "x-plane" status.
    • Just a reminder: It's legal to be naked in Seattle.

    This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 29, 2023.

    Quick hits

    The robots have arrived. Pilot programs are currently up and running in various corners of Washington state, which are pairing seniors, often in rural areas, with robotic companions. It's being called "age-tech." This can range from "grandpads" (tablets designed for seniors), to an AI equipped portals (a combo of a tablet, smart speaker, video phone, and AI) that can interact with people. And there are even cuddly robot puppies and kittens that interact with you.

    Northwest News Network reports that about 20 seniors along Washington's coast have received an ElliQ, which is one of those AI portals described above. These can carry on conversations with people, remind them of appointments, and even have virtual coffee dates. More than 700 interactive pets have been handed out across the state for about two years now.

    Skipping past the fact that Saturday Night Live sort of predicted this, these pilot programs are points where pop culture and reality collide. In this case, they sound more like futuristic scenarios presented in the movie "Her" or even "Blade Runner 2049," where AI tech is used as assistants and companions. In the here and now, robots are being used to deliver food to seniors at a Tacoma retirement home, AI is being looked to as a potential remedy for loneliness, and some tech can even call 911 when a senior falls. There are so many angles into this fascinating story, so read the full article here.

    I'm going to tell you how Boeing just got x-plane status for a new airplane design that is giving new hope for cutting down airline carbon emissions. But first, we need to clarify an important distinction.

    "X-plane" does not refer to the Blackbird X-Jet used by Professor Xavier's elite team of mutant heroes who protect the world from various malevolent actors ... also, it does not refer to the T-65 X-wing starfighter famously used by Rebel forces to take down the Death Star. I'm sure that's what immediately came to everybody's mind when they heard this x-plane news, right? OK, I'm glad we cleared that up.

    NASA contracted with Boeing earlier this year to develop a new single-aisle airplane that is more fuel efficient. The end goal is to push the airline industry toward reducing carbon pollution, or even get to zero-emissions. The design Boeing has come up with just received x-plane designation from the Air Force. That's a pretty cool designation to have. It's used for experimental aircraft that have historically advanced aerospace technology. The first x-plane broke the sound barrier. Others helped get us into space.

    The design, now called the X-66A, will be a modified Boeing MD-90. But it's going to look a bit different. Read more here.

    And just a reminder: It's legal to be naked in Seattle.

    Continue reading »

  • Theo Chocolate announces merger, plans to close Seattle factory

    For 18 years, Theo Chocolate has been a fragrant landmark in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. But now, company officials say rising costs are forcing them to close their local factory.

    The store and headquarters will remain.

    Theo Chocolate is merging with the Indiana-based American Licorice Company, which makes Red Vines as well as some higher-end sweets. Officials said in a press release that Theo’s commitment to making organic, fair trade products will remain unchanged.

    CEO Etienne Patout called the changes “tough but necessary decisions to ensure the company's long-term viability.”

    Approximately 60 employees will be laid off at the end of August, when factory tours will also end.

    “We are committed to supporting those impacted by the transition ahead,” Patout said, adding that those employees were offered a severance package.

    The factory space will be available for lease. Theo Chocolate will maintain its adjoining headquarters, flagship store, and “confection kitchen” in its historic Seattle building.

    Continue reading »

  • Good deal: Savers Value Village worth nearly $4 billion after strong public debut

    America’s largest private thrift store just went public.

    Savers Value Village began trading on the New York Stock Exchange today at $18 per share. That’s higher than Savers initially forecast. The share price continued to climb Thursday, earning the company a market capitalization of nearly $4 billion in its debut.

    The Bellevue-based company operates hundreds of thrift stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

    Secondhand stores often operate as nonprofits and aren’t typically considered Wall Street material, but thrifting has become big business. The secondhand market was estimated at $35 billion in 2021 and it’s expected to more than double in the next three years, according to CNBC.

    The vintage boom is driven by younger generations as an eco-friendly, affordable alternative to fast fashion. “Thrift hauls” are popular on TikTok with Gen Z and millennial shoppers posting videos of their vintage finds.

    “When you pair the rise of the environmentally conscious consumer with our superior value and desirable in-store experience, we’re capitalizing on a significant opportunity to bring more Savers Value Village stores to more people,” said Savers CEO Mark Walsh in a statement to KUOW.

    Although all of the Value Village stores in Seattle proper have closed, they’ve had a significant cultural impact on the city. Parts of Seattle rapper Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” music video were shot at a Value Village in Capitol Hill.

    There are still several Value Village stores in cities surrounding Seattle, as well as hundreds across North America and Australia. In some regions, the stores are simply called Savers.

    Some market watchers are celebrating Savers’ strong public debut as a sign that initial public offerings are rebounding after a slump in recent years. But there’s also a glass-half-empty perspective. After all, who stands to gain more from a recession than a chain of thrift stores?

    Continue reading »

  • Seattle City Council announces 10 year contract for Bumbershoot

    After a three year hiatus, Seattle's Bumbershoot is back and the festival is all set to kick off on its traditional slot during Labor Day weekend 2023.

    This week, the Seattle City Council announced that this year's festival organizers, local nonprofit New Rising Sun, won a bid with the city to host Bumbershoot for the next 10 years, with a back-end option to host for five additional years.

    Councilmember Andrew Lewis said the bid from New Rising Sun stood out because of the group's plans to grow the festival.

    “That was really a big part of the vision in the bid from New Rising Sun,” Lewis said. “Why does Bumbershoot only have to be on that three day weekend? Why can't we have pop ups around the year under the Bumbershoot brand? And do they always have to happen at the Seattle Center?”

    New Rising Sun plans to expand Bumbershoot programming to happen year-round with potential popups in vacant office space downtown that can be converted into venues and event spaces.

    Joe Paganelli, CEO of New Rising Sun, said there are many possibilities to explore with expansion of the Bumbershoot brand. With the essential characteristics of the festival in mind, which include music, comedy, family entertainment, and visual art, New Rising Sun aims to get to work on creating new programs once this summer's festival is complete.

    “Right now, we're eight weeks out from the core festival,” Paganelli said. “We are highly focused on the mission of presenting a safe, inclusive, affordable, and accessible Bumbershoot. If we don't get that right, then it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to be trying to focus elsewhere.”

    This year, the new-look festival will roll out much more than music, with an increased focus on the arts. This includes nail arts, tattoos, culinary arts, wrestling, skating, fashion, and more.

    In addition to the inclusion of different art forms, New Rising Sun has also introduced educational programs for youth that will happen throughout the year with cohorts completing training sessions during the core festival.

    “We like to say that we are wrapping everything around the Workforce Development Program,” Paganelli said. “We want to make an impact and remove barriers and create opportunity. It involves shadow-shifts, workshops, guest speakers, hands on training, mentorship.”

    This new program, for young people ages 17-25, is aimed at using working experience to train the next generation of workers in the creative economy. The current cohort will finish their six-month session on Labor Day weekend, and Paganelli hopes to expand this program in the future.

    The new-look Bumbershoot festival will be at the Seattle Center September 2-3. With the signing of this new bid, the festival returns to its annual status for at least the next 10 years.

    Continue reading »

  • About the gun that killed a boy at Seattle’s Ingraham High School

    This is the story of a gun.

    It begins with a 14-year-old boy showing it off.

    It ends with another boy dying in a high school hallway.

    The gun is a Glock 32 that was manufactured in 2017. It is easy to control because it is light, with the feel of a two-pound weight when its 13 bullets are in the magazine.

    It is all black, no frills, and moves through the recoil quickly. That means the shooter barely feels it when it discharges, allowing him to take aim again, and shoot again, even if he is a child. It is valued at $491.

    The gun’s owner is a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, a 39-year-old man named Mark who lives in Lynnwood, Washington, a suburb north of Seattle, in an apartment complex with his wife and children – and until last fall, the Glock, which he kept in a black belt bag in his bedroom closet.

    ***

    Last October, a few days before Halloween, Mark called 911. The Glock was gone. He told police that he asked his wife and 14-year-old son if they’d seen it, and they said they had not. We are not including Mark’s last name because he has not been charged with a crime, nor is there talk that he might be, even though there could: Washington state requires that you lock up your gun if you live with children.

    Mark’s son admitted later that he had lied and had, in fact, taken the gun.

    It was 5 p.m. on a late summer day, or maybe early fall; accounts differ. He took the belt bag from his dad’s closet and walked down three flights of stairs to a secluded spot behind his apartment building, a narrow area with a railing that oversees a lush ravine. There, he opened the bag so his friends could see the gun.

    In the small group was a 14-year-old boy, an aspiring rapper whose music showed promise. The boy asked if he could hold the gun, according to a police report, and Mark’s son relented. Then, allegedly, the boy sped off with the Glock to the Safeway next to the apartment complex, and to a waiting rideshare.

    Mark’s son ran after him, shouting, according to witnesses, “Give it back!” and “Yo, bro, it’s not even my gun. It’s my dad’s.”

    When Mark’s son reached the boy, the boy was stepping into the car.

    Continue reading »

  • 7 graphics on kids and guns in the Seattle area

    T

    here are 68 dots in the image below, representing 68 kids and teens who died by gun, either suicide or homicide, in King County between 2017 and 2022. Another way to think about that number: It's the equivalent of three elementary classrooms wiped out in King County in those six years.

    Most of the stories of the kids who died did not make the news. About two-thirds of the deaths were homicides. The rest were deaths by suicide.

    To better understand guns and kids in King County, KUOW requested data from King County. From the medical examiner, we reviewed gun-related deaths from 2017 to 2022, including homicide and suicide. From the prosecutor's office, we read 54 open cases involving juveniles and guns.

    Continue reading »