'I'm just a bill, yeah I'm only a bill...': Today So Far

• We finally have something better than a 1970s song to help understand the legislative process.
• Cleanup work at Seattle's Gas Works Park is not over.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for June 27, 2023

Quick hits

• Homeless shelters in Tacoma are getting less funding this year
• To prevent wildfires, manage people — not just forests
• Some Seattle doctors are ditching the scale. They say focusing on weight drives misdiagnoses

The last time anybody found the legislative process remotely palatable was when there was a song and cartoon about it (personally, I liked the version by Deluxx Folk Implosion). This presents a challenge for reporters.

You see, there are all these bits of news that are important to you, but frankly, they're boring. I've long argued that if you really want to know what is going on, if you want to be in on what is actually influencing the world around you, look beyond sensational headlines and find the boring stuff. That means the ordinances coming out of your local city council meetings, and it means all the bills going back and forth in Olympia during the legislative session. That's right. I said "ordinances" and "bills." As a reporter, I've sometimes found that the gap between caring about these stories and not comes down to understanding this legislative process. Heck, it's sometimes so complicated, I even have to ask a few questions.

But we're in luck. A special project was just published by KUOW's Teo Popescu and Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay: "Navigating the maze that rules Olympia (and your life)." No matter your level of understanding for bills and politics, this has you covered. I highly recommend it for students (because nobody told me about any of this stuff when I was in school around here).

Did you know that when bills are numbered, it's not by accident? They're usually HB1111, or something like that, meaning "House Bill 1111." But if that number is below 1,000, then it's an initiative or referendum. If it's between 1,000 and 3,999, it's a House bill. And if it's between 4,000 and 7,999, it's a Senate bill. I got that from just one minute scrolling through this choose-your-own-adventure in Olympia politics.

This isn't just cool because of its simplicity, or the fact that it uses the last 2023 session as an example (you can see all the bills that just happened, like that speed safety camera bill that made Seattle's current street racing effort possible). This is KUOW's first major interactive story. Just like when KUOW unveiled its daily podcast (which you should really be listening to, it's great), this is a step forward for us, and I'm pretty stoked about this.

And hey, if fancy websites aren't your thing, you can always go back to Schoolhouse Rock from the '70s ... or the '90s. Honestly, I think those songs are due for another update.

Check it out here.

Despite its popularity with park goers (and cosplayers on photo shoots), the work at Seattle's Gas Works Park is far from over.

The park has been built over a former fuel processing plant, which left much of the area contaminated. The part folks mostly know about is the upper area with a lot of grass and sunshine. That's the part that has been cleaned up. The shoreline is another matter. That's what the city and the Department of Ecology are making plans for now. The current plan is to cap some shoreline soil and treat groundwater, and a few other things. Before getting underway, Ecology plans to bring the public up to speed. You have an opportunity to be in on that meeting. Read more here.

Note: You may have noticed that I placed three "quick hits" at the top of the newsletter today. Sometimes, KUOW just has a lot of new reporting, and I want to make sure we point folks to it all. I'm hoping this will provide you a better view of what we're reporting throughout the week.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Thousands celebrated Pride at various events throughout last weekend in the Seattle area. KUOW's Megan Farmer's recent photo gallery is all about Seattle Pride. Check it out here. (Megan Farmer / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

Seattle's Gas Works Park has a lot more going on than contamination cleanup. It has history. This site was a coal gasification plant from 1906 to 1956. The city of Seattle bought the land in 1962 with the idea of turning it into a park, but there was a problem. It was heavily polluted. It was a challenge apt for local landscape architect Richard Haag.

Haag came to Seattle in 1958 to work at the University of Washington, just a few years before Seattle took over the Gas Works land. He was hired to design the park in the 1970s, and it was his idea to keep many of the industrial structures that remain at the park to this day. Most folks would have taken them away, creating a clean slate to work with, but Haag felt they would provide a unique scene. Haag also incorporated methods to treat the soil, bringing in enzymes and other natural material that helped microorganisms address toxic substances in the soil over time. In the end, the park plan proved popular and Haag received an award for his work from the American Society of Landscape Architects.

A few years later, the ASLA gave Haag another award for his work designing the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. He's the only landscape architect to receive two awards for design excellence from this association.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Republican attacks on ESG aren't stopping companies in red states from going green

As conservatives strive to make ESG a wedge issue in American politics, many industrial companies in the U.S. are working to protect their operations and profits in a hotter world. And the Republican-controlled states leading the anti-ESG charge, despite their rhetoric, have benefitted from those investments.

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