Puget Sound

Help KUOW Report On How The Job Market Is Changing

Carolyn Adolph — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:53:45 +0000

KUOW is working on a series of reports about the state of the jobs economy in Puget Sound. We want to know how we've emerged, what's changed and what the future holds. You can help. Click on any of the links below and you will be taken to a form to tell your story. If you have a story that doesn't fit with one of the questions below, just click on any one of the forms and tell us what's on your mind.

If you trained for a green job or now hold a green job, tell us here.

If you retrained for a job, tell us if you found the work you expected.

If you still aren't getting the kind of work you need, tell us here.

Did you apply for disability payments because you couldn't find work? Tell us about that.

If you work under the tax man's radar, tell us why it has to be that way.

If you were unscathed by the recession and its aftermath, tell us if and how the recession changed you.

What jobs have you seen roar back? What jobs have you seen fade away?

Vanquishing Zombie Fishing Nets In Puget Sound

Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:06:55 +0000

Doug Monk has been a commercial diver on the Olympic Peninsula for some 20 years, harvesting shellfish and sea cucumbers. But for the past decade, he’s been after a different harvest: ghost nets.

Shell's Arctic "Beer Can" Passes Federal Test In Puget Sound

John Ryan — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:16:01 +0000

Shell Oil Co. had to postpone its Arctic drilling until 2014 after one of its oil rigs ran aground off the Alaska coast this winter, but Shell’s efforts to open a new frontier of oil exploration in the Arctic Ocean continue in Puget Sound.

The oil giant passed a key test with federal regulators in March in the waters off Anacortes, Wash., north of Seattle.

Behind The Scenes With SPD's Bomb Unit

Weekday with Steve Scher — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Investigators are trying to piece together this week's bombings at the Boston Marathon. What clues are they looking for? How are bombs detected and disarmed? Seattle Police Department explosives experts Randy Curtis and Craig Williamson join us with an inside look. Call with your questions to 206.543.5869.

VIDEO: Watch Dennis the SPD Bomb Dog In Action

New Protections Proposed For Octopuses In Puget Sound

Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:00:32 +0000

Right now it’s legal to hunt octopi in Puget Sound – unless you’re in a marine preserve or conservation area. In fact, if you have a state fishing license you can harvest one every day.

But the killing of a giant Pacific octopus off Alki Beach in Seattle last October prompted a public outcry. Hundreds of scuba divers and members of the public submitted petitions to the state of Washington asking for better protection for the giant Pacific octopus in Puget Sound.

Washington Set To Pass Legislation On Derelict Vessels, But Funding Problems Remain

Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:52:20 +0000

There are several hundred derelict and abandoned vessels dotting the waterways of Washington and Oregon. They can block navigation and pollute the environment, and they can also be very expensive to remove.

President Obama Set To Create National Monument In Washington’s San Juan Islands

Ashley Ahearn — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:25:18 +0000

President Obama is set to announce the creation of several new national monuments on Monday. One of them will be in Washington’s San Juan Islands.

Shell Ready To Try Again With Rebuilt Oil-Spill Dome

John Ryan — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:39:11 +0000

The Arctic Challenger left Puget Sound's Bellingham Bay Wednesday night and arrived at a deep-water anchorage near Anacortes, Wash., Thursday morning. The barge is part of Shell Oil’s fleet of vessels aimed at exploring the Arctic Ocean for oil.

The Arctic Challenger’s oil-spill containment system failed its first field test off Anacortes in September. Since then, Shell has rebuilt a 20-foot oil-containment dome that was “crushed like a beer can” in the first test.

UPDATE: Congressman Seeks Answers In Arctic Oil-Spill Gear's Failure

John Ryan — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 02:15:48 +0000

A KUOW investigation has led a top congressman to demand answers about Shell Oil's underwater accident this fall in Puget Sound.

As we reported on Friday, an underwater test near Anacortes left Shell's first-of-its-kind oil-spill equipment “crushed like a beer can.”

Sea Trial Leaves Shell's Arctic Oil-Spill Gear "Crushed Like A Beer Can"

John Ryan — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:52:24 +0000

UPDATE on Congressional interest in this story here.

Shell Oil has been building and testing equipment designed for the Arctic Ocean here in Puget Sound. In September, a key test of underwater oil-spill equipment was a spectacular failure.