Is our tech hub too big for just Seattle?: Today So Far

• Amazon is now the second-largest employer in Bellevue. Other tech companies are expanding on the Eastside, too.
• Out with the old, and in with "Cayou Channel." Why Washington just renamed this stretch of water.
• Washington leaders are further preparing for fallout from the overturning of Roe v Wade.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 6, 2022.

Remember that whole Amazon HQ2 thing? Back in 2017, Amazon announced it was searching for a second headquarters, outside of Seattle. Long story short, Amazon chose two locations, but one didn't work out. And today, it refers to Arlington, Virginia as its HQ2.

However, when it was all going down, I looked across Lake Washington toward Bellevue and said, "Well, that's actually HQ2." And now, Amazon just overtook T-Mobile to become Bellevue's second largest employer. The number of employees in Bellevue are nowhere near the levels at the Seattle HQ (about 61,000 people). Amazon has roughly 7,500 employees in Bellevue. It currently has 5,000 at its Virginia offices, though it aims to eventually have 25,000 people there. Then again, Amazon has also said it wants just as many employees in Bellevue by 2025.

It's an indicator that Bellevue and other Eastside communities are where Seattle's tech industry will further be expanding in the years ahead. KUOW's Joshua McNichol's has done a great job covering the fact that the Seattle area doesn't have enough office space for the demand. And that demand is driving further development in cities like Bellevue.

There may be lines drawn on a map separating cities, but my Dyer prediction is that this growth will add up to a single Lake Washington tech hub, with companies working more and more across offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Redmond, and beyond. We won't just be looking toward South Lake Union when we talk about the local tech hub. Read more in KUOW's Today So Far Blog.

If you plan on taking a trip to Orcas Island, you will now be passing by the new Cayou Channel. It's not a new body of water, and if you already travel this stretch, you may be quite familiar with it. For generations, maps have called it "Harney Channel." But a recent dive into history by a local resident revealed that General William Harney, who the channel was named after, wasn't exactly the type of character that modern residents would want to honor.

After a lengthy effort, this stretch is now named "Cayou Channel," after Henry Cayou. Before he passed away in 1959, he was an Indigenous entrepreneur, a fisher, and a San Juan County Commissioner for nearly 30 years. In fact, Cayou was one of the first Indigenous elected officials in the state. It's the type of character that's as inspirational as the view of Cayou Channel. Read more here.

Local officials are preparing to protect abortion rights in our corner of the United States now that Roe v Wade has been overturned.

Some states have already begun banning abortions, and there is further concern that those states will take legal action against residents who seek abortion services outside their borders. It's something that Washington is already expecting — people coming from out-of-state for medical care that is legal here. It is unclear if any law regulating what a state's residents do out of state will even hold up in court. But officials in King County are not taking any risks. Executive Dow Constantine issued an order, barring the Sheriff's Office from helping out-of-state investigations into local abortion services. Gov. Jay Inslee already issued a similar order to the Washington State Patrol.

The King County Council has also approved half a million dollars for the Northwest Abortion Access Fund to help with any influx of out-of-state patients. The lone "no" vote on the matter came from Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who said he doesn't want the county paying for people who aren't residents.

And one other development worth noting. On the national level, Sen. Maria Cantwell aims to protect personal health data. She is co-sponsoring a bill that would give users more control over such information. The concern here is over any potential digital trail that patients leave. Also, any data that people provide on smartphone apps, such as period-tracking apps. Read more here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

KUOW hasn't had an arts and culture reporter for quite a while now. But that has finally changed now that Mike Davis came on board. Meet Mike Davis here. (John O'Brien / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

The reason Harney Channel in the San Juan Islands was named after General William Harney is the Pig War. What was the Pig War?

In 1859, the United States and the United Kingdom got in fight over the exact borders in the San Juan Island area. And to be more exact, it was over a pig. Previous treaties left some things open to interpretation and both parties claimed the San Juans. So when an American farmer shot and killed a pig belonging to a UK rancher (employed by the Hudson Bay Company) on San Juan Island, things escalated. UK officials wanted to arrest the farmer. And the U.S. military came along to protect him, along with all other Americans who the UK considered squatters. The troops were sent by Gen. William Harney, which is where the channel got its original name (of course, there may have been another original name if anyone would have just asked the locals what they called it).

After warships were dispatched and guns were amassed, someone spoke up and said, "Hey, isn't this all just over a pig?" And a more reasonable solution was pursued. For a while, the Americans and British had joint military control of the islands. The two groups got along pretty well and mingled quite a bit. But by the 1870s, more treaties came along and an official border was established, giving the San Juans over to the United States. That's why the San Juans are in the U.S. today, and Vancouver Island is part of Canada. And somewhere in the mix, Harney Channel was named after the general who dispatched military troops to the islands.

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