Big hit to Washington grapes: Today So Far

Quick hits

• How roller skating and DIY concerts bring generations of Washingtonians together
• How a Seattle-area school district ignored repeated warnings of ‘grooming-like behavior’
• From drone videos to selfies at the front, Ukraine is the most documented war ever

If you've ever dreamed of making your own wine at home, now may be a good time to hunt for a great deal on grapes. That's because Chateau Ste. Michelle just announced it won't be buying a whole lot of grapes from Washington farmers this season — 40% less than expected.

This is a big deal. These grapes are already on the vine, growing out in Washington's fields. A difficult angle on this for growers is that these types of wine grapes are generally produced for large productions. That's why they were previously slated for Ste. Michelle. The winery's operations add up to half of the state's wine industry (and most of Oregon's too, though no Oregon grape contracts are taking a hit).

As Northwest News Network's Anna King reports, the wine industry has experienced a few hits and cutbacks in recent years, and this cut could mean that some of Washington's vineyards will either sell or go out of business. Read more here.

Our region might not have much wildfire smoke lingering about these days, but that doesn't mean Seattle isn't smoky. The city is experiencing a spike in vacant building fires. There was about one such fire per week by mid-July, which is about one-third more than in 2022. So far, investigators say some are arson, and others are accidents or have no known cause. KUOW's Ann Dornfeld has the full story here.

Meanwhile, fires continue to rage elsewhere in Washington state, which should be concerning to folks in Seattle. Those wildfires are inching closer and closer to hydroelectric dams that provide power to Seattle City Light.

Seattle's electric utility recently shut down its Diablo and Ross dams (they're technically still producing power locally, but not sending anything down the line to the utility). Workers from the small town of Diablo had to be evacuated because of the nearby Sourdough fire. But the concern here is not just about the dams themselves. Wildfires and wildfire smoke can damage transmission lines.

The Gorge Dam continues to provide electricity to Seattle, and the utility has purchased power from other sources. KUOW's John Ryan has the full story here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Native American tribes and First Nations from around the Salish Sea resumed their annual Canoe Journey to Seattle this summer. After paddling for hundreds of miles, they converged at the Muckleshoot Powwow Grounds near Auburn for a weeklong cultural celebration. (Megan Farmer / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

News of wineries pulling back on operations comes after many years of expansion in Washington. Washington is the second-largest wine-producing state in the USA (California is the top producer). There are 400 growers in this state, producing grapes across more than 60,000 acres. That's an all-time acreage high. According to the Washington State Wine Commission, there were 11,100 acres of wine-producing land in 1993 and production has steadily increased year after year. Back in 1981, there were just a handful of wineries in the state. There were fewer than 200 wineries until about 2006 when Washington wine really started to explode. By 2019, there were more than 1,000. Today, the state averages about four new wineries each month. There was a record grape harvest in 2016 with 272,000 tons; there were 240,000 tons in 2022.

This all adds up to at least 17 million cases of wine produced annually and a local economic impact of $8 billion. The most fascinating fact among all of these impressive numbers, to me, is that 90% of Washington's wine industry are smaller operations, producing fewer than 5,000 cases each year. In a way, that really speaks a lot to the state's small business, DIY vibe.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Who is sneaking fentanyl across the southern border? Hint: it's not the migrants

The vast majority of illicit fentanyl — close to 90% — is seized at official border crossings. Immigration authorities say nearly all of that is smuggled by people who are legally authorized to cross the border, and more than half by U.S. citizens like Haley. Virtually none is seized from migrants seeking asylum.

SUBSCRIBE TO TODAY SO FAR