KUOW Blog
News, factoids, and insights from KUOW's newsroom. And maybe some peeks behind the scenes. Check back daily for updates.
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Stories
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Seattle library patrons rejoice (quietly). Digital books are back
Books
A computer at the Seattle Public Library's central branch on June 5, 2024. A cyberattack on May 25 took out most of the library's digital systems.Readers rejoice! As of midday on Thursday, Seattle Public Library's digital book collection is once again accessible to the public.
It’s the latest milestone as the library system works to recover a cyberattack last month that halted services.
E-books and downloadable audio books are once again available on OverDrive and Libby.
“While restoring e-book access is a significant step toward the library’s recovery, we still have work left to do to bring other systems back online,” said a post on the library’s Shelf Talk Blog.
Several services remain unavailable, like public computers and in-building Wi-Fi, and library staff warn that wait times for digital books may be longer than normal.
They also say some titles may not have copies available, and new books haven't been added to the electronic collection since May 21.
Details of the ransomware attack that downed systems over the Memorial Day weekend have not been shared. It’s also unclear exactly when all library services will be up and running again.
For now, the library’s 27 branches are open and simply functioning in a low-tech capacity. The welcome return of e-books and e-audiobooks comes just in time for patrons to start their summer reading.
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Supreme Court, siding with Starbucks, makes it harder for NLRB to win court orders in labor disputes
Business
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for the federal government to win court orders when it suspects a company of interfering in unionization campaigns in a case that stemmed from a labor dispute with Starbucks.
The justices tightened the standards for when a federal court should issue an order to protect the jobs of workers during a union organizing campaign.
RELATED: Starbucks kicks off bring-your-own-cup effort to reduce waste
The court unanimously rejected a rule that some courts had applied to orders sought by the National Labor Relations Board in favor of a higher threshold, sought by Starbucks, that must be met in most other fights over court orders, or injunctions.
The NLRB had argued that the National Labor Relations Act, the law that governs the agency, has for more than 75 years allowed courts to grant temporary injunctions if they find requests “just and proper.” The agency said the law doesn’t require it to prove other factors and was intended to limit the role of the courts.
Following the decision, Starbucks said, “Consistent federal standards are important in ensuring that employees know their rights and consistent labor practices are upheld no matter where in the country they work and live.”
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Federal grant to help people in Northeastern Washington get hooked up to the power grid
Workers pour concrete into the transmission line trench and place caution tape into place for the underground electrical line.Washington State Department of TransportationSome people in Northeastern Washington aren’t hooked up to the power grid. Now, a new $5 million federal grant will help more than 200 people get access to power.
“We're aware of a lot of those areas within our service area where the power stops,” said Steve VanSlyke, manager for Ferry County’s Public Utility District No. 1.
RELATED: Demand for electricity in the Pacific Northwest expected to jump 30%
The grant will help parts of Ferry and Okanogan counties connect homes to the grid for the first time, extending 30 miles of underground electric distribution lines. The service area includes parts of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and other tribal members who live off the reservation.
The underground lines will prevent power outages from things like falling tree limbs or wildfires. The grant also will help upgrade one of the rural area’s substations, which will help make the grid more resilient.
According to the state Office of Financial Management, 37% of people in the public utility district’s service area are considered under the federal poverty level, with the lowest per capita income in Washington.
These rural areas disproportionately face larger burdens as the state transitions to carbon-free power sources, VanSlyke said.
Without access to the grid, people often rely solely on carbon-emitting power sources, VanSlyke said, like diesel generators.
“Those are the people that are going to be most adversely affected by being priced out of carbon emitting fuels,” he said. “Those resources just aren't gonna be available, or they're going to be priced out of them in the near future. So getting affordable energy sources to these people is going to be a big deal.”
RELATED: Northwest companies charge toward battery tech revolution
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Makah tribe clears major hurdle toward resuming traditional whale hunts
Environment
Members of the Makah tribe of Neah Bay surround a grey whale on May 17, 1999, the tribe's last whale hunt.SEATTLE (AP) — The United States granted the Makah Indian Tribe in Washington state a long-sought waiver Thursday that helps clear the way for its first sanctioned whale hunts since 1999.
The Makah, a tribe of 1,500 people on the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, is the only Native American tribe with a treaty that specifically mentions a right to hunt whales. But it has faced more than two decades of court challenges, bureaucratic hearings and scientific review as it seeks to resume hunting for gray whales.
The decision by NOAA Fisheries grants a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which otherwise forbids harming marine mammals. It allows the tribe to hunt up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over 10 years, with a limit of two to three per year. There are roughly 20,000 whales in that population, and the hunts will be timed to avoid harming endangered Western North Pacific gray whales that sometimes visit the area.
Nevertheless, some hurdles remain. The tribe must enter into a cooperative agreement with the agency under the Whaling Convention Act, and it must obtain a permit to hunt, a process that involves a monthlong public comment period.
Animal rights advocates, who have long opposed whaling, could also challenge NOAA’s decision in court.
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‘Troublemakers’ win the day, but questions remain after Amazon drops pipeline plans
Environment
Amazon has canceled plans to use natural gas from a proposed pipeline expansion in Oregon, something activists called for during a protest at company headquarters in March 2024.Amazon has withdrawn plans to buy natural gas from a proposed pipeline expansion in Oregon. Climate activists and some of the company’s own employees say that’s great news, but they also have questions.
Three months ago at Amazon headquarters in Seattle, a group calling themselves "Troublemakers" blocked the entrances at the start of the workday. They held signs protesting Amazon’s plans to rely on TC Energy’s Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) XPress pipeline expansion to power its data centers in Oregon.
Protesters said they were focused on the perils of climate change, and that relying on more fossil fuels was at odds with Amazon’s own climate pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Now Amazon appears to be granting their request.
RELATED: Trees and contaminated soil are removed following gas pipeline spill in Skagit County
Troublemakers spokesperson Emily Johnston said she’s thrilled to hear that Amazon has changed course on the pipeline.
“It’s very important that we not invest money or infrastructure in new fossil fuel, so it’s terrific that Amazon has backed away from this project,” she said. OregonLive reported Tuesday that Amazon had withdrawn its application.
Johnston said she’s hoping reduced demand will prevent the pipeline expansion from going forward. In a recent court filing, the pipeline owners raised doubts about the project’s financial viability. But Johnston said if Amazon keeps using other fossil fuel sources to power its data centers, then the move is less significant.
RELATED: Amazon's rise to the top explained in 'The Everything War'
Amazon did not say why it cancelled its plans. In a statement, a spokesperson for Amazon Web Services (AWS) said, “At this time, we are not continuing with fuel cell projects in our Oregon operations. We are engaging thoughtfully with Oregon policymakers, environmental advocates, and the energy sector to meet our shared goal of clean, carbon-free energy that can scale to meet the needs of families, businesses, and other constituents in Oregon.”
It added that AWS “is working to add more renewable energy in Oregon,” noting it reached a deal to purchase some wind energy earlier this year. “We expect the clean energy enabled by our investment in 'Amazon Wind Farm Oregon – Leaning Juniper' to start being delivered by next year,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
KUOW heard from Amazon employees who supported the company’s decision but want even more significant steps to reduce carbon emissions linked to record heat waves and wildfires.
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University of Washington President Cauce to retire in 2025
Education
After serving two 5-year terms as president of the University of Washington, Ana Marie Cauce announced on June 12, 2024, that she will retire from the role the following year.Courtesy of the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce announced Wednesday that she will retire from the role next year. The transition to UW's next leadership begins now.
RELATED: Congrats to the class of 2024. Now, how are you going to get a job?
"Serving as president of the UW is a joy and a privilege, including through some very tumultuous periods and transformative events that have shaped our University and our world," Cauce said in a statement emailed to the UW community Wednesday. "I’m incredibly proud of the amazing impact that UW faculty, staff, students and alumni create throughout our community, state and world, and I’m deeply grateful to be a Husky."
Cauce noted that this move has been "long planned" with UW’s Board of Regents. She will officially step down once her second five-year term ends. Cauce will not cut her ties with UW completely. Instead, she will move back into her faculty position as a professor of psychology.
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Damaged track switch derailed sulfur-hauling train in Whatcom County
Derailed tanker cars carrying hazardous materials lie on their sides in Custer, Washington, on June 5, 2024.Washington Department of EcologyFederal officials say a damaged track switch knocked a train carrying hazardous materials off the rails in Whatcom County last week.
Three tank cars carrying diesel fuel and two carrying molten sulfur tipped over along the BNSF Railway tracks in the tiny trackside town of Custer. Molten sulfur is a hazardous material used in oil refining and paper milling and transported at about 290 degrees Fahrenheit.
RELATED: Train carrying hazardous sulfur derails in Whatcom County
Six cars in total ran off the rails just before 11 p.m. on June 4, according to an email from BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent. The Washington Department of Ecology, which sent a responder to the crash site, said five cars derailed.
No spills or injuries were reported.
The train derailed where two tracks converged, according to Federal Railroad Administration spokesperson Warren Flatau. The track switch there had been damaged by the previous train running through it when it was not aligned properly.
That maneuver, known as "running through a switch," left the switch “gapped,” or in between alignments, when the 26-car mixed-freight train, heading the opposite direction, then hit it and derailed late on June 4.
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A downtown institution returns to Seattle's dining scene this summer
Arts & Life
A rendering of FareStart's renovated restaurant, which will have a fast, casual atmosphere.Rendering by NBBJ, provided by FareStartNonprofit restaurant and training center FareStart once again will welcome guests to its South Lake Union location on 7th and Virginia.
RELATED: This Seattle culinary program helps people get out of homelessness
For more than three decades, the restaurant was a staple for office workers and a training ground for people transitioning from homelessness, making it a steady pipeline for restaurant jobs. But like many businesses, FareStart closed during the pandemic.
It's now expected to reopen in early July.
The training never stopped even while it was closed to the public, though, said CEO Patrick D’Amelio. Students continued to cook as they prepared community meals for people in need.
“We produced close to 2 million meals a year for various partner agencies, communities, and folks that would’ve otherwise experienced hunger,” D’Amelio said.
D’Amelio said those years of pivoting during Covid gave them fresh ideas to expand the job training program to include other food-related industries.
RELATED: FareStart helps students find jobs beyond the food industry
“It’s not just about a job as a line cook in a restaurant, but there’s farming, grocery, there are food distribution jobs,” D’Amelio said.
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Pierce County hopes to cultivate community gardens with new seed libraries
Environment
The Pierce County Library System is calling all gardening enthusiasts and wannabes to get excited about their new sustainable seed libraries.
So, what exactly is a seed library? It’s similar to the standard library books system. The library is a place to store and collect a variety of diverse seeds.
The seeds are shared with the community, where the cycle continues with patrons planting, sowing, growing, and harvesting seeds to return to the library program.
RELATED: What Ciscoe Morris says you should know about spring gardening around Seattle in 2024
The goal is to promote sustainability — while also cultivating a passion for gardening in the community. Patrons don’t need to already know how to save seeds to use the seed library, but program operators encourage anyone interested to take the time to learn how, in order to keep as many seeds as possible available to all. The library system sometimes offers free classes on how to save seeds. The Pierce Conservation District website also has tips on the best way to harvest seeds.
Seven branches of the Pierce County Library System are participating in the seed program: Ander Island, Fife, Milton-Edgewood, Parkland-Spanaway, Steilacoom, Tillicum, and University Place. Find more information about when these branches are open here.
RELATED: Gardening in the time of climate change
Plus, this isn’t the only — nor the first — such sustainable “library” system in the Pierce County area.
The main branch of the Tacoma Public Library also houses a tool library for the DIY inclined and curious who don’t own all the tools they need for various projects. That program offers low-barrier access to over 2,500 types of tools.
Seattleites and residents of King County may be familiar with local seed and tool libraries, too.
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Puget Sound electrical workers vote on whether to end 2-month strike
Business
Members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 picket outside the National Electrical Contractors Association office in Shoreline, Washington, on June 6, 2024.About 1,000 electrical workers in the Puget Sound region were voting on Thursday whether to go back to work.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 has been on strike for two months in pursuit of better pay and benefits.
“Part of it is the holidays, we've never had paid holidays,” electrician Patrick Davis of Arlington said on the picket line outside the National Electrical Contractors Association office in Shoreline. “Holidays to us are just kind of an unpaid forced day off. So we'd really like to spend time with our families and not worry about working more for that.”
RELATED: Striking Seattle electrical workers demand better pay, improved safety
The Puget Sound chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, which represents the electricians’ employers, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
The union and the contractors association have been in contract negotiations since January.
Votes are to be tallied Thursday evening to determine whether the electrical workers will end their two-month-long strike.
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Fatal drug overdoses declining slightly in King County after 2023 surge
Tinfoil left behind from fentanyl use is shown on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Port Angeles.KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerOfficials in King County say after a bleak year of increased drug overdoses in 2023, they are starting to see signs of hope. At the county’s fourth annual conference on substance use Thursday, officials said fatal drug overdoses are trending down slightly in 2024.
Brad Finegood is a strategic advisor with Public Health – Seattle & King County. He said when they met last year, “hope was hard to find. We were in a place of escalating overdose. Today I’m super excited to let you know that in 2024 our overdose numbers are actually going down a little bit. Where that exponential rise happened, right now year-to-date from last year, we’re down about 8.4% of people who have experienced fatal overdose. That’s because of all of us coming together with hope.”
RELATED: Influx of deadly street fentanyl reaching the U.S. continues to grow, research shows
Finegood said last month that Washington state appears to be following a similar curve to the rest of the country, just with a slight delay. King County officials said there were 1,338 overdose deaths in 2023, of which 1,087 were due to fentanyl. So far in 2024, King County has had 433 overdose deaths.
Jon Ehrenfeld, the Mobile Integrated Health Program Manager for the Seattle Fire Department, said when it comes to overdose response, his teams have more tools now than they did just six months ago.
Last fall they revived one man, and provided him with the overdose reversal drug Naloxone, only to see him die of another drug overdose the next day, Ehrenfeld said. This spring after reviving people, paramedics in the field started offering those people the medication buprenorphine to stop their cravings for 24 to 48 hours.
RELATED: Everett reports 3 fentanyl overdoses in young children in 1 week
In one example, Ehrenfeld said for one teen it gave them time to call recovery specialists to the scene.
“They come out, they meet us on the scene in about two hours, we medically clear him, they get him into an inpatient treatment facility that night,” he said.
Last month Seattle also announced plans to build an overdose recovery center where people who have experienced an overdose can stay for up to 23 hours to receive care, medication assisted treatment, and connections to services.
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17-year-old student dies after being shot multiple times at Seattle’s Garfield High School
Updated at 4:40 p.m. 6/7/2024.
A 17-year-old Garfield High School student died on Thursday after being shot multiple times in the chest and abdomen during the lunch hour.
The shooting took place in the parking lot in front of the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center on the school campus, in Seattle's historic Central District.
Harborview Medical Center announced the boy's death six hours after the shooting. He has been identified by family and his football team as Amarr Murphy.
According to Deputy Chief Eric Barden, Amarr had tried to break up a fight. Afterward, his assailant pulled a gun on him, shooting him at what appears to be close range. An image of the shooter standing over Amarr, who is on the ground, trying to get away, was circulated to police in an attempt to identify the suspect, who remained at large Thursday evening.
"This is an extraordinary tragedy for the community ... Unfortunately gun violence emerged again today at our high school and we have a victim right now at Harborview," Barden said at a press event following the shooting.
According to a police source, Amarr was shot multiple times in the chest. He was unresponsive when police arrived, according to a source. They immediately rendered first aid, including a "chest seal," until relieved by Seattle Fire Department medics.
According to Deputy Chief Barden, a fight broke out at the school between two individuals and Amarr stepped in to break it up. Then, a "high school-aged" male produced a gun and shot the victim multiple times. According to Barden:
Our victim, it appears, tried to intervene and break up that fight. Subsequent to that, one of the original combatants approached the victim and an additional altercation broke out. The suspect produced a weapon and fired multiple rounds at our victim. The suspect fled the scene and remains large.
The shooting took place over lunch, according an email sent to parents by Principal Tarance Hart.
Police said the suspect is a high-school aged male who was wearing a red hoodie. They do not know his identity and ask that people call the tip line with information.
At 12:45 p.m., Seattle police announced that officers were responding to a shooting in the 400 block of 23rd Avenue, the block where Garfield High School is located in Seattle's Central District. Shortly after that, it was announced that the school was in lockdown.
Following the lockdown, Seattle Public Schools sent an email to parents with a message from Principal Hart:
"Today at lunch, shots were fired in the Garfield parking lot. A student was injured. The student is being treated at Harborview Medical Center. Garfield High School is currently on lockdown. All students inside our building are safe. Seattle police have secured the school and are working with the district's Safety and Security team. We will keep families updated with additional information including if students will be released early. Sincerely, Principal Hart."
Gun violence surrounding Garfield High School
In recent months, students and families at Garfield High School have raised issues with safety around the school. Protests were spurred in March, after another off-campus shooting at a nearby bus station.
A 17-year-old girl was injured during that incident. In October 2023, a series of incidents involving two students, followed by an off-campus shooting, also put the school on lockdown. As did three nearby shootings (that did not involve students) in June 2023.
After organizing protests in March, parents called for the district to bring back school resource officers which were removed from the schools in 2020. At the time, one parent told KUOW that they would like 23rd Avenue, adjacent to the school, shut down each afternoon to increase safety.
RELATED: Put cops back in school and shut down the street, Garfield High parents say after another shooting
Outside of Garfield High School Thursday afternoon, parents were again expressing similar sentiments as they waited for their students to be released from lockdown. Christle Young told KUOW that her son, a freshman, would not return to Garfield again.
“We're transferring. This is his last day at Garfield," Young said.
"I already talked to my wife and we are already calling other schools today," she said. "We moved here from New Orleans to have him in a safer environment and give him a better life. So I'm just going to do what I can to protect him."
Young was waiting outside the school at the time of the shooting. She was there to drop something off for her son. That’s when she heard gunshots and saw “like 40 or 50” students scattering.
"I'm a former police officer so I ran toward the gunshots,” she said.
Young found "a kid on the ground" with gunshot wounds. She said began providing CPR. Seattle police arrived and took over. After things calmed down, she was able to wash up, but her phone was still stained with blood while speaking with KUOW.
Anjali Rao had a similar thought. She too would like more police around the school, though she says that she feels Garfield is safe.
“I don't have an issue with my son coming to this school,” Rao said. “I do worry about the safety outside of the school, when he's doing soccer practice in the morning. I don't let him come on the bus. We always come and pick him up. It's not the school, it's the outside of the school that we worry about. And I wish there was more that was happening outside to keep the kids safe in school, on the fields, waiting for the bus."
Lesina Heffa has two students at Garfield, a son and a daughter. She too was waiting outside the campus Thursday afternoon. She heard about the shooting when the school district sent a text to parents. Heffa immediately contacted her children, who said they were safe while in lockdown.
"(My son) said, 'Yeah we're fine, but pray for my friend, he got shot,’” Heffa said.
On the day of the shooting, the front page of the Seattle Public Schools website featured a graphic for National Gun Violence Prevention Day, encouraging people to wear orange in support of the effort, and promoting a series of gun lockbox giveaway events. The closest event to Garfield, at 23rd and Jackson, was scheduled for Friday.
This is the second on-campus shooting at Garfield High School. The other shooting was in 1995.
Reporting by Katie Campbell, Liz Jones, Kate Walters, Ashley Hiruko, Dyer Oxley, Ann Dornfeld and Isolde Raftery.
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