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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Tacoma woman with TB released from jail
A Tacoma woman who was jailed in early June, after refusing to get treated for tuberculosis for more than a year, has been released from the Pierce County Jail.
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department says a judge authorized her release on Friday, June 23. She is now under home detention.
According to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: "Judge Philip Sorensen issued an order today releasing this patient from the Pierce County Jail with conditions. This will allow her to isolate at home under court supervision. We will continue to work with her to provide testing and treatment to help cure her tuberculosis."
She served half of her 45-day treatment in jail after health officials took the rare step of seeking an arrest warrant to keep the woman from spreading the highly contagious disease.
This is the latest chapter in the case of tuberculosis in Tacoma. Despite the risk to the public being "very low," according to the health department, authorities pressed the woman to get treatment for TB. She repeatedly refused. An arrest warrant was issued in March, but the woman eluded authorities before being taken into custody in early June.
Around 20-25 people in Pierce County come down with a case of tuberculosis each year, however, most get treatment. The health department previously told KUOW that about three people over the past two decades have refused treatment.
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More cleanup planned for Seattle's Gas Works Park
Washington's Department of Ecology is going to answer questions about cleanup efforts at Seattle's Gas Works Park during a public meeting Wednesday night, June 28.
Gas Works Park sits at the north shore of South Lake Union. The land was once home to a gas manufacturing plant, hence how the park got its name. The plant was active between 1907 and 1956. During that time, the fuel operations created considerable contamination at the site.
Previous cleanup work was finished between 1971 and 2020, but was mostly on the upland area in the park. More work remains for much of the area around the shoreline. The current proposal is to cap the shoreline soil, treat shoreline groundwater, dredge and cap sediment under the water, and set up monitoring moving forward.
The cost of the future cleanup work is estimated to be about $73 million, which will come from the city of Seattle and Puget Sound Energy. Half of this costs could be reimbursed through Ecology's remedial action grant program.
The public can register for Wednesday's meeting and sign up to make a comment at the Gas Works Park webpage. Ecology will give its presentation at 6:30 p.m. and take questions at 7:30 p.m.
This blog post originally stated that the city of Seattle would be paying the full $73 million for the cleanup work. According to the Department of Ecology, the cost will be split by the city and Puget Sound Energy, with the majority being paid for by PSE.
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Homeless shelters in Tacoma are getting less funding this year
Homeless shelters in Tacoma are getting less funding this year.
On June 20, Pierce County announced the Tacoma Rescue Mission will get almost $200,000 less than last year for shelter funding. In 2022, the mission received a little over $2 million for its shelters.
Because of less funding this time, the Tacoma Rescue Mission will have to decrease its shelter capacity.
“The reality is, on July 1, we will be at capacity," said Myron Bernard, senior director of community engagement for the Tacoma Rescue Mission. “If we don’t fund shelters, and if shelters close, then we are kind of furthering ourselves down that path of saying it’s essentially illegal to be unhoused.”
The funding is the largest source of money that Pierce County receives annually for homeless housing services.
Lauren Gallup has the full story on Tacoma's homelessness funding at Northwest Public Broadcasting.
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What does 'restricted racing zones' sound like to you? Today So Far
- Seattle is considering a new policy to tackle street racing on city roads.
- King County Metro is inviting back all the employees who were fired for not complying with the vaccine mandate.
- A common awkward situation for Washingtonians may become a thing of the past. Oregon lawmakers have voted to ease up on the state's ban on self-serve gas.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 23, 2023.
Seattle is considering a new policy to tackle street racing on city roads. The main idea is to allow automated traffic cameras to push back against street racing. This is possible thanks to a new law at the state level, and Seattle is lining up its own code with it.
Along with this proposal is the creation of “restricted racing zones” where such camera enforcement would be targeted. There are six specific spots that the Council already has in mind, mostly around Alki and Sand Point Way. It’s early in the discussion for this plan, which is going through the committee process. My suggestion for the Council, when it comes to tweaking this proposal: Nix the term “restricted racing zones.” I don’t know where that came from, but, in a way, it sounds like you are restricting street racing to those zones in Seattle.
“Hey, you want to go street racing?”
“You bet I do. Let’s go over to Sand Point Way! That’s where Seattle has a racing zone we can use.”
“Sweet! But I get to be Toretto this time. You get to be O’Conner. Let’s go live life a quarter mile at a time.”
I would suggest, “anti-street racing zones.” Perhaps, “excessive speed enforcement zones.“ Or maybe “you’re not as cool as you think you are and your car is essentially a giant snap-together model that lazy children could put together — not even the hardcore glue and paint kind, the snap / sticker toys that anyone can figure out … zone.” That last option might not fit on a sign though.
Another reaction a lot of Seattleites are likely to have is, “Why isn’t a zone being proposed for my neighborhood?” I used to live off of 35th Avenue NE, or what locals call “I-35.” I would regularly be woken up around 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m. by raging, rumbling engines, and screeching tires. My windows would actually shake as they passed by. Despite speeding away, these cars could be heard taking corners and rumbling throughout the neighborhood for quite a while after that. The worst part was that me, wearing my Scorpions T-shirt and generally sporting my “Hey, be cool man” attitude, turned into that guy. You know that guy, the type of person who would yell, “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I have to work early, you insufferable hellion!”
So six “restricted racing zones” (gosh, they really need to change that term)? How about 20 zones, with $2,500 fines. Plus, if they get caught, they get locked in a pillory in front of city hall where children can mock them and throw tomatoes at their heads. I offer all these suggestions to the Seattle City Council for free. More on this story here.
Elsewhere on the street, King County Metro is making another post-pandemic move. It’s inviting back all the employees who were fired for not complying with the vaccine mandate.
The transit agency has struggled to restaff its routes. It’s trying to hire as fast as possible. Getting back its former employees is part of that effort, but the offer does come with some conditions. The employees can come back, as if their job was simply paused, if they drop any claims against Metro. Only about 100 employees were dropped over the vaccine mandate, and 19 filed tort claims. Those claims were generally over denials for religious exemptions.
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PHOTOS: The many glowing faces of Seattle Pride this weekend
Thousands celebrated Pride at various events throughout the weekend in the Seattle area.
The images below were taken during the 49th annual Seattle Pride Parade in downtown Seattle on Sunday as well as Trans Pride Seattle on Friday at Capitol Hill's Volunteer Park.
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UW professor describes being 'very confident' about 2018 submersible expedition with OceanGate
In 2018, researchers with the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor marine labs collaborated on multiple science projects with OceanGate, the Everett-based company behind the Titan submersible that imploded after being lost at sea, killing the five passengers on board.
A middle-depth submersible called CYCLOPS, operated by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush who is among those dead, was used to carry out the company’s partnership with UW.
“That one works really well for the Salish Sea, where the deepest water is only 1,000 feet or 1,100 feet. And CYCLOPS can go right to the bottom of it,” said Adam Summers, a professor in UW’s biology department and School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences.
RELATED: OceanGate confirms 5 dead after Titan debris found at bottom of ocean
The goal of the dives was to collect data that could help answer various questions about local marine life.
“Everything from where did these little tiny forage fish called sand lance go in the sand, to what kind of damage does scientific trawling do, to what does the diet of some of these deep water Urchins look like?” Summers said.
He spent several months weighing the risks and preparing for the potential dangers of venturing out in the submersible with OceanGate. While not negligible, Summers explained the risk of boarding CYCLOPS was lesser than that of occupying the Titanic submersible, which was intended to view ship wreckage resting at about 13,000 feet below sea level.
“We talked about the gas tanks that we had – how long they would work for us if we did get entangled and stuck below,” Summers said. “At 1,000 feet, you can easily access it with technology that can be flown to the site relatively quickly. I mean, bear in mind, our mission took place within sight of land. So, you know, really the technological resources that could be brought to bear within 48 hours were just completely different than are available 700 miles from land in the North Atlantic.”
RELATED: The Titanic tourist sub was built by a Seattle man's Everett-based company
He described OceanGate as being “absolutely fabulous about risk management – thinking about risks, what kinds of risks were tolerable, what wasn't,” adding that he “was very confident in their abilities to deal with risk.”
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The NW summer weather ahead: Today So Far
- El Niño has officially arrived and forecasters have an idea about what weather will like over the coming summer and winter.
- Amazon is heading into prime court time after running afoul of federal regulators.
- OceanGate confirms that debris from the Titan have been found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and that all five passengers are dead.
This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 22, 2023.
We are officially in summer, and despite the recent cool weather and rain drops, the Northwest is heading into a few months of warmer, drier weather.
Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond told KUOW that July will be hot and dry, though nothing extreme. Looking further down the road, warmer and drier than normal weather is expected through about October, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. But there are also indications that our region could get a lot of rain, too, as winter sets in. Bond notes that El Niño has officially arrived and is expected to be a strong one. In the past, strong El Niños have meant warmer winters, less snowpack, and a whole lot of rain. Flooding could be a factor in some areas.
Of course, whenever weather forecasts are being made, especially when they are so far out, there is a degree of uncertainty. Conditions could change, but as of now, this is the summer and winter weather we are expecting in the Northwest. Also, this forecast is being looked at as we head into wildfire season. Read the full story here.
Amazon is heading into prime court time after running afoul of federal regulators.
As KUOW's Monica Nickelsburg reports, the FTC is accusing Amazon of signing up customers for its Prime membership in a somewhat covert way. Customers may not have realized that they were being signed up while checking out for an order. On top of that, it is alleged that Amazon made it more difficult to cancel a Prime membership than it was to delete your MySpace account back in the day — my words, not the FTC's. The way one FTC chair put it, Amazon was using “manipulative tactics.” And the allegation is part of its "dark patterns" of operation.
At the same time of this allegation, Sen. Bernie Sanders has popped up again to look into injury rates at Amazon's warehouses. Sanders recently sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
“The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year,” Sanders wrote. Check out the full story here.
As information comes forth about the Titan that has gone missing in the Atlantic, more and more local connections have become apparent.
The Titan is a submersible watercraft used by Everett-based OceanGate. The company gives tours to the sunken Titanic. It's CEO, Stockton Rush, is a Seattle resident. The University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory had previously helped the company design another submersible called CYCLOPS. That watercraft was used to travel the depths of Puget Sound, and took UW researchers along for the ride.
"If you had asked me, at the end, how long I've been down, I would have said 10 minutes. It was three and a half hours," said Adam Summers, a professor at UW's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, noting the thrill of his Puget Sound trip.
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OceanGate confirms 5 dead after Titan debris found at bottom of ocean
The United States Coast Guard has confirmed that a debris field found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean is from the missing Titan submersible vehicle. All five passengers who were on the vessel are dead.
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost," OceanGate said in a statement Thursday.
"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
See OceanGate's full statement below.
The Coast Guard said that the debris indicates a "catastrophic implosion of the vessel." The wreckage was found by a remote vehicle sent by a Canadian ship involved in the search. More remote vessels will continue to search the scene, but search crews will be leaving the area.
OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington. Its CEO, Stockton Rush, is a Seattle resident. Its work to develop submersible vehicles took place around Puget Sound over the past decade, before offering underwater trips to see the sunken Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.
Debris from the submersible were found about 1,600 feet from the Titanic, where the vessel was en route to before going missing earlier this week.
Full statement from OceanGate:
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
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The end of Oregon's self-serve ban at gas stations is near
For decades, it's been a common moment of frustration and confusion among Washington drivers who cross the border into Oregon — stop for gas, get out, grab the pump, and then watch someone run up to you yelling that self-serve gas is not allowed.
Such moments could soon be a thing of the past in Oregon. Lawmakers have voted to nix the state's ban on self-serve gas.
HB 2426 has passed Oregon's House and Senate, and is now headed to Gov. Tina Kotek for a signature. After that, Oregon drivers can pump gas themselves.
Things won't entirely change at Oregon's gas stations. Stations will still be required to staff an attendant at half of its pumps. The other half can be open for self-serve.
According to the new rules, gas stations will still be required to staff an attendant in more populated counties, and they will not be allowed to charge different prices between self-serve gas and full-service gas.
If and when Oregon's governor signs off the new rules, New Jersey will be the only state in the nation that requires an attendant to pump gas.
As Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, the proposal did split usual allies at the State Capitol. Nine of the Senate's 17 Democrats voted against the idea, citing concerns that it would kill jobs. Some are concerned that it is a step toward removing the gas station attendant requirement altogether.
Oregon first prohibited self-service at gas stations in 1951. The law argued that drivers pumping their own gas could spill and cause slippery surfaces, putting vulnerable people in danger. Exposure to toxic fumes and the potential for crime was also a concern. "The dangers of crime and slick surfaces ... are enhanced because Oregon’s weather is uniquely adverse, causing wet pavement and reduced visibility," Oregon's gas station law states.
The Oregonian also reports that the state has incrementally eased up on the self-serve ban. In 2015, the state began allowing counties with 40,000 residents or fewer to pump their own gas at night. That allowance opened up to more counties in 2017. The state's fire marshal has also paused the ban during wildfires and heatwaves since 2020. And the rules were again paused during pandemic shutdowns. Modifications to the rules in recent years created a patchwork of Oregon counties where self-serve gas was allowed.
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Seattle 'streamlines' environmental review for some downtown buildings
The approval process just got faster for certain construction projects in downtown Seattle. The City Council voted to cut down on environmental reviews for small and medium-sized projects in the area.
City Councilmember Dan Strauss says other laws already cover factors like traffic, air quality, and noise pollution, making additional review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) redundant.
“The shorthand understanding of what this bill does is it reduces time and cost for building or renovating projects downtown, so that we can revitalize downtown faster,” Strauss said.
Downtown has many buildings that must quickly adapt to a changing real estate market. For example, office buildings that could be converted to apartment towers.
Under the new rule, downtown buildings with up to 200 residential units would be exempt from SEPA review. Non-residential downtown buildings of up to 30,000 square feet will also be exempted.
Some residents are concerned that removing the SEPA review process will eliminate a simple report that outlines the environmental impacts of projects.
When a project falls under the expanded exemptions, people will also lose the ability to file an appeal through SEPA if they suspect a developer has glossed over an issue.
This move aligns with a larger trend on the West Coast, where lawmakers are reducing regulations to address housing shortages, or to simplify the process of converting a building from one use to another.
Generally, these lawmakers say environmental review, while important, has been used to restrict housing density in cities, resulting in more damage to the environment from urban sprawl and longer commutes.
The changes in Seattle this week pale in comparison to new SEPA exemptions for housing authorized statewide by the Washington State Legislature earlier this year.
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Seattle considers 'restricted racing zones' on streets
A Seattle City Council committee is reviewing a plan that would designate certain streets as "restricted racing zones."
The proposal would bring the city in line with a state law passed last year that allows cities to use automated enforcement cameras to cite racing violators in these specific areas.
In Seattle, six areas are being considered as restricted racing zones:
- Alki Avenue SW between 63rd Avenue SW and Harbor Avenue SW
- Harbor Avenue SW between Alki Avenue SW and SW Spokane Street
- West Marginal Way SW between SW Spokane Street and Second Avenue SW
- Sand Point Way NE between 38th Avenue NE and NE 95th Street
- NE 65th Street between Sand Point Way NE and Magnuson Park
- Roadways inside Magnuson Park including, but not limited to, NE 65th Street and Lake Shore Drive NW
The ordinance doesn't necessarily add new traffic cameras to Seattle streets. Rather, it allows for a new use of existing traffic cameras, as well as new ones. According to the bill, the new use would be to "detect speed violations in walk areas, public park zones, hospital zones, and restricted racing zones."
RELATED: Kirkland has new cameras targeting speeding drivers
The cameras are managed by the Seattle Police Department. An officer would be required to review and approve citations.
The Council's Transportation and Public Utilities Committee could take a look at the proposal again sometime next month. If approved, the Council expects that the plan will go active in coming years as new budgets are crafted.
According to the proposed ordinance, Seattle has embraced similar camera enforcement programs over the years that are now commonplace. Red light cameras went live in 2006. School zone cameras went up in 2012, and cameras for "blocking the box" at intersections as well as in transit-only lanes began in 2022. The city's current 2023-24 budget also includes money to increase the number of school zone cameras in Seattle from 35 to 70.
Seattle is not the only local city looking to tech to tackle speeding and street racing. In 2022, Kirkland became the first Washington city to try a new technology that measures the level of noise racing cars produce, and in turn activates cameras to capture potential racing. A pilot program for this experimental tech began in December.
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The only frog in the world that goes 'ribbit' is here in the Pacific Northwest
Fun fact we just learned: The only frog in the world to actually go “ribbit” is right here in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s called the Pacific chorus frog, and Washington made it the official state amphibian in 2007.
Scientists refer to their ribbit as a croak. Males call out to females, and then other males join in. The frogs stop when a female approaches. According to the San Francisco Zoo, “Breeding takes place at night, near shallow water, typically after rainfall.”
The zoo explains that the frog’s vocal sac can swell to three times the size of its head. The zoo adds that, “Aggressive encounters between adult male Pacific Chorus Frogs are common.”
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