Kirkland is listening: Today So Far

Kirkland is listening. The city just became the first in Washington state to try new camera tech that focuses in on vehicle noise associated with street racing. The tech works a lot like red light cameras. Instead of sensing a car crossing a red light, the cameras have sensitive microphones that listen for vehicle noise speeding by. They then log data that an officer can later use to issue a citation.

The thing to know is that this is all in theory right now. Kirkland is experimenting with this tech, but it is not issuing street racing tickets from these cameras. The city actually can't access images or data from them. Rather, two spots in Kirkland are being used to test the tech for six months. After that, the company that operates them will report back to the city and officials will determine if there is potential to use them to issue tickets. Read more here.

Washington state recently changed how it approaches drug possession offenses, and it isn't sitting well with small cities in Western Washington. So they're coming up with their own laws.

Without going too far into the nuts and bolts of the Blake decision, here's what to understand. Washington's Supreme Court issued what is now known as the Blake decision, which said the state was handling drug possession all wrong. The laws around drug possession were therefore unconstitutional. So the Legislature followed up with some new laws to clear things up. They made drug possession illegal in 2021, but unlike before, the crimes were misdemeanors, and new diversion programs were introduced. This is one of those wonky stories that a lot of people skip over, but it's important and has had a lot of effects on our region.

With a rise in open drug use, thefts, and other offenses, the cities of Auburn, Kent, and Federal Way have now passed new drug laws. In Federal Way, it's illegal to smoke fentanyl in public. In Kent, it's illegal to use drugs in public and dispose of paraphernalia in public. Auburn has increased penalties within its "anti-drug emphasis areas," which includes, for some offenses, a minimum 30 days in jail. Read more here.

Can the Seattle Police Department be held liable for how it handled a case? That's the question posed within a lawsuit brought by six women against Seattle hip-hop artist Raz Simone. They all reported to Seattle police that Simone sexually abused and exploited them for profit. SPD declined to press criminal charges, so the women filed a civil suit against Simone. KUOW reported on that last week.

Part of the case will determine if SPD holds any liability for not pursuing the case further. State law is not exactly clear on whether an agency can be held liable in this way. We'll find out as the lawsuit proceeds. A trial is tentatively scheduled for November 2023. Read more here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

The small Whidbey Island town of Langley has rolled out a slew of zoning reforms, meant to encourage the production of new homes. Langley has a long history of allowing multiple families to split the high cost of land. Soundside dives back into Langley's zoning approach to answer a listener's question: What is a community land trust? (Joshua McNichols / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

It's Diwali! Actually, it's one of the days of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The holiday usually lasts about five days. If you're like a lot of folks and the most you know about Diwali is from that one episode of "The Office," then here's your primer.

Diwali originated in India and is a metaphor for light overcoming darkness. Like a lot of older traditions, it is set to a lunar calendar, which is why it is generally scheduled in October/November. You often hear of this holiday being associated with Hinduism, but it's actually also celebrated in Jainism and Sikhism, and also by some Buddhists. Each tradition has its own spin on the festival, but lights are the main attraction. Candles and oil lamps are lit at temples, homes, on water, and most anywhere to make a dazzling scene. It's sort of like driving through neighborhoods that really get into Christmas lights, only way less campy, and way more artistic and pretty. I'm not likening this holiday to Christmas, but there are some similar themes of goodwill, feasts, gift giving, feeding the poor, etc. Though I think Diwali comes out a little on top because gambling and fireworks are encouraged during this time.

According to CNN, Diwali is having a "mainstream" moment in the United States right now, with major brands and retailers jumping on board. There are Diwali Hallmark products, and decorations at Target and Costco. Washington state is among one of the more popular regions for Diwali as it has a significant population of Hindus (about 79,000). About a third of Jains living outside India live in the USA, and there are Jain centers in Seattle and Redmond. And an estimated 20,000 Sikhs live in the Seattle area.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

NASA announces the team members for its UFO study

A group of 16 researchers will spend the next nine months studying unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), also known as UFOs, as part of a team for NASA. The research, which will use unclassified data, will lead to a report that will be made available to the public next year.

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