Derek Wang

Stories

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  Seattle Ends Biweekly Trash Pickup Pilot Program

  Many Seattle residents are grateful for the new year because it means that their garbage will be picked up every week. At least for now.For the past six months, 800 Seattle households participated in a pilot program that experimented with picking up the trash every other week. The affected neighborhoods were roughly in the four corners of the city and included Wedgewood.Wedgewood resident Laura Knight said she liked the idea of biweekly pickups, but her family did have some problems with it. Because of the less frequent garbage pickups, Knight’s household put more food waste in the compost. And when the weather turned hot, the compost turned into a problem.“In the summertime it was really gross because it was so warm and, depending on what you had in the compost, we had problems with maggots and bugs," she said. "My two daughters politely, or not so politely, declined from tossing stuff into the compost. The bugs were everywhere."Knight said neighbors had similar issues. It even came up during a neighborhood block party. “We talked about that and we tried to come up with solutions for that, but, you know, if it’s not every week and it’s really warm outside, that can be a problem,” she said.Knight said they never really came up with an answer.  An elderly neighbor noted that after the switch to biweekly collections, his trash container quickly filled up with adult diapers.Another neighbor, Kyle Piper, wasn’t excited about the program. Piper appreciated the benefits, namely fewer trucks and less pollution, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for the entire city.  “In the end, is it just more for the garbage company to reduce costs? I don’t see the upside for the communities,” he said. Piper said if the city wants to implement biweekly pickups, customers should be given a reduction on their bills.Seattle Public Utilities says it’s looking into that, but it said it has to find the right balance. The utility is hoping that less frequent trash pickups would lead to more recycling and composting. And SPU only wants to lower people’s trash fees, if it would lead to an increase in recycling and composting.Brett Stav, senior planning and development specialist for Seattle Public Utilities, said they’ll be exploring possible rate cuts. “How we do that equitably is still up for more study because we want to make it as equitable as possible, but still creating that incentive,” he said. Officials have said if the change is implemented across the city, it could save about $6 million a year.SPU is scheduled to issue a report to the City Council sometime before June 3.Meanwhile, a similar shift is already underway in Tacoma. Tacoma completed its pilot program last year.  It’s now planning to phase in biweekly pickups this year. A Tacoma city spokeswoman says after the start-up costs are paid, the switch will save that city about $1.2 million a year. 

  Jan 07, 2013 at 8:54 am
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  I-5 Ramp Closures Start On Friday

  Winter is usually not the season for road construction, but this year, things are a little different. Friday marks the start of eleven planned closures of some Interstate 5 ramps.This weekend’s closure will affect people who are traveling to West Seattle and those who live on Beacon Hill.The Washington State Department of Transportation says the closures are needed so work crews can replace joints in the roadway. Aleta Borschowa, Project Engineer for WSDOT, said the bridges are about 50 years old and the joints are deteriorating. “If you drive over them, you’ll hear the 'clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk,'" she said. "And if you get close you’ll see that they’re leaking, concrete is breaking and the steel is coming off of many of these joints."Borschowa said the work is planned for the weekend when there will be fewer vehicles. She said on a typical weekday, about 20,000 vehicles use this particular route.Typically the state transportation department doesn’t do major roadwork until March or April. But the department says work is starting earlier than normal because there are so many projects being planned throughout the year.The closure also affects the connection between South Columbian Way and the Spokane Street Viaduct. Officials say detours will be clearly marked, and that delays could add as much as 20 minutes to your travel time.You’re advised to try an alternate route and of course, to be patient. When the work is complete officials say the drive should be quieter and smoother.

  Jan 03, 2013 at 5:38 pm
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  Religious Leaders Call For Assault Weapons Ban

  A group of religious leaders from numerous different faiths called on Washington state lawmakers Thursday to change the state’s gun laws. The new group spans several different religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. It represents a new voice joining the chorus that’s calling for more gun restrictions following the Connecticut school shootings.  Speaking at a press conference at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, leaders said they want a ban on assault weapons and on large capacity ammunition magazines. They said they planned to gather signatures from congregants and other clergy around the state and deliver a signed petition to state lawmakers.Reverend Leslie Braxton of Renton’s New Beginnings Christian Fellowship took it step further and said the Second Amendment should be revisited. “To say things like guns don’t kill is like saying bats don’t hit home runs, but no one has ever seen a baseball player hit a home run without a bat,” he said.Reverend Michael Ryan of Seattle’s St. James Cathedral said he realized not all religious leaders will agree with their views but he said he hoped to start a conversation with other clergy. “These issues are complex, they’ve been going on a long time. Sometimes they generate a lot more heat than light but I think honest dialogue, you know, without any preconceived notions, can build bridges between different points of view.”The announcement comes on the heels of a similar move from the secular world. On Monday, the Seattle City Council said it would also lobby the state Legislature for an assault weapons ban. 

  Dec 21, 2012 at 7:19 am
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  Peter Steinbrueck Joins Crowded Field For Mayor

  It’s almost a year before the 2013 general election, but the race for Seattle mayor continues to draw a crowd. Former Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck held a press conference Wednesday morning to formally announce his candidacy.

  Dec 19, 2012 at 12:00 am

• Gregoire Proposes New Fuel Tax For Education

  Washington Governor Chris Gregoire proposed a new wholesale vehicle fuel tax Tuesday that you might notice at the gas pump. The governor said the move will help the state support education by helping cover the costs of getting kids to school.

  Dec 12, 2012 at 12:00 am
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  Wash. State Senator Ed Murray Explores Run For Mayor

  Another high-profile candidate says he’s interested in becoming the next Seattle mayor.  This time, it’s state Senator Ed Murray, a Democrat from Seattle.   As an openly gay lawmaker, Murray may be best known for championing the state’s marriage equality law.  But in an interview, he touted his experience as a Democratic leader in the state Senate. Murray said he has “the ability to bring people together, around very controversial issues, and find a way to reach agreement and move forward.”Unlike the other candidates in the mayoral race, Murray’s campaign is not a done deal. He’s only formed an exploratory committee to help decide whether to run in the 2013 election.Still, the timing is important. By announcing his intentions this week, Murray can raise money, at least until next Saturday when the state starts to ban some officials from accepting campaign contributions.Murray’s known rivals so far are Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess and Charlie Staadecker, a Seattle real estate broker.It’s not unprecedented for challengers to declare their mayoral campaigns almost a year before the election, but it’s not exactly common either.  In the previous two races for Seattle mayor, no challenger had announced their campaigns at this point in the race.As for incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn, some observers say that three challengers this early in the season illustrates the notion that McGinn is in a weak position.Matt Barreto, a pollster and political science professor at the University of Washington, noted that some of McGinn’s former supporters have come out and said they’re looking for new leadership.  “It’s not necessarily the strongest position to be in as you’re getting ready to seek re-election,” he said.McGinn has not said whether he definitely plans to run again, but he has been holding a lot of press conferences -- three over the past seven days.  When asked if the press conferences meant he was in re-election mode he responded, “I’ve always made myself available to the media for questions and probably even more available than even I knew was possible when I started."A spokesman for McGinn says the mayor will discuss the issue with his family over the holidays and will make a definitive announcement about his plans in early January. 

  Dec 06, 2012 at 10:40 am
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  Attorney: Port CEO’s Board Position Is Not A Conflict Of Interest

  The CEO of the Port of Seattle, Tay Yoshitani, can sit on the board of a private freight logistics company without creating a conflict of interest, according to an outside attorney hired by the Port of Seattle Commissioners. The attorney presented his formal opinion to the port Tuesday.The situation dates back to this past summer, when Yoshitani accepted an offer to join the board of a company called Expeditors International.  Expeditors is a Seattle-based Fortune 500 company that helps other companies organize freight transportation. The company does not have any direct business with the Port of Seattle.  But the deal raised a lot of concerns, especially for Port Commissioner Rob Holland.“I’ve got over 3,000 emails and phone calls from people all over the county, from various backgrounds, from elected officials to business owners, you name it," he said.  "It’s not just a radical small little group of people who are trying to get rid of our Chief Executive Officer.  In fact they are reasonable, informed people and they did have a concern about it.”Some questioned whether the CEO might personally benefit by giving Expeditors an advantage over Port of Seattle customers. A letter from state lawmakers said the deal could give Yoshitani the "power to prioritize his personal profit over the public mission of the taxpayer-supported Port of Seattle."The Port then hired an outside attorney to review the situation.  They turned to Gerry Alexander, a former state Supreme Court Justice. Alexander found that the board job did not create a conflict of interest, nor an appearance of a conflict of interest.  In a 13-page memo, Alexander noted that “Expeditors does not perform any work for the Port and it has no contracts or other direct relationships with the Port.”  However, Alexander did suggest that Port Commissioners be required to approve any future employment contracts before any CEO is allowed to accept any position. Still, Holland says the matter is not over.  He said there are questions about whether Yoshitani inappropriately used Port resources as he was in talks with Expeditors about the board job.  Holland says the Attorney General’s office is investigating.“We are a public agency, we are here to do the economic development work of the public, not private corporations or private businesses.  And if we don’t have credibility with the public, then quite frankly, we don’t have the mandate to operate,” he said.The board deal is worth about $230,000 a year.  Yoshitani makes about $367,000 as Port CEO. 

  Oct 24, 2012 at 9:15 am
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  Heated Words Over Seattle Police Monitor Selection

  The war of words stemming from the effort to reform the Seattle Police Department is heating up. At issue is the selection of an independent monitor who would oversee the reforms.

  Oct 18, 2012 at 12:00 am
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  UPDATE: How The Sodo Arena Plan Would Work

  Story last updated by Patricia Murphy on October 15, 2012 at 3:13 p.m.The Sodo arena plan has had a few twists and turns.  After first being unveiled in February, it was later altered by the Seattle City Council and more recently by the King County Council.The latest iteration is scheduled to be voted on by the whole King County and Seattle City councils.Here’s an outline of how it works:The investor who’s pushing the arena plan, Chris Hansen, obtains land for the arena in Sodo.The City of Seattle would buy the land from Hansen, using government bonds that are backed by future taxes on arena events.Then, the city would lease the land back to Hansen.Hansen would build the arena.  He could end up paying property tax on the building for at least a year.After that, the city and King County would purchase the arena. Hansen would personally guarantee to cover any shortfalls or debt.Hansen, the city and the county would contribute toward an account that would pay for transportation improvement in Sodo.The plan is detailed in a memorandum of understanding (PDF).  Opponents To The PlanCritics of the plan include the Port of Seattle and maritime businesses.  Among other things they say that a new arena in Sodo would attract increased traffic and make it harder for them to do business.Also, a Seattle longshoremen’s union plans to announce a lawsuit Monday to stop the proposed Sodo arena.  An attorney representing the union said the actual filing will happen later, after the expected passage of the legislation.Supporters Of The PlanSupporters include many Seattle-area officials, including King County Councilman Joe McDermott, the chair of the council’s budget committee.He said it makes sense to use public resources for an arena, arguing that professional sports have a cultural value. “This proposal, which an independent expert has said is the strongest public-private partnership that he’s seen in a decade of studying them, uses only new revenue from existing taxes to pay back the county’s investment which would be financed by bonds — less than three percent of the county’s outstanding bond capacity.  So I think it’s a very solid investment for the county," he said.When asked why public bonds were needed for the plan, McDermott said public involvement lowers the borrowing cost.  “We can finance over a longer period of time, and those factors make it much easier to pencil out, and successful for the private investor. It wouldn’t otherwise be profitable and therefore it wouldn’t happen,” he said.One looming question is how Hansen would actually get an NBA team.  We’ll have to stay tuned for that.UPDATE: October 15, 2012 3:13 p.m. by Patricia MurphyThe King County Council and Seattle City Council both gave the go-ahead for an agreement to build a new professional basketball and hockey arena in Seattle.Meantime, the Longshore Union plans to file a lawsuit. They say the agreement violates state environmental law. 

  Oct 15, 2012 at 3:21 pm

• Ballot Fraud? Here's What To Do

  Washington state’s online voter registration system is vulnerable to hackers, according to The New York Times.

  Oct 15, 2012 at 12:00 am