Spicy Seattle council races: Today So Far

• A look at Seattle council races after the primary.
• Does summer school help?
• What keeps cows cool?

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 18, 2023.

Quick hits

• Human rights group raises alarm about use of force, chemical weapons at Tacoma ICE center
• Auburn-area Proud Boy, convicted seditious conspirator asks for light sentence
• Mike's adventures in art: Titanish, COSMOS, Dream, Night Market

My new favorite thing about election season is when KUOW Editor Cat Smith tries to come up with a metaphor for each local race. That's what she attempted on Seattle Now this week, as she went down the list of Seattle City Council races. Council District 1 is "spicy." District 5 in North Seattle is a "wild card" where "chaos reigns." District 6 is just a "pilsner beer." What about the other districts? Check out Seattle Now for the full discussion. 

Facing pandemic learning curves (curves that pointed downward), some students turned to summer school to help catch up. Did it work? I like the answer that KUOW's Sami West uncovered: "Somewhat." It's nuanced and honest. Summer school generally has low attendance, and it's just one thing students can do to help with reading and math. Over the pandemic, it is estimated that Washington's students lost about five months in math, and three months in reading. 

How do cows keep cool? That's not the set up to a joke. It's an actual issue that Washington's dairy farmers ask themselves during increasingly hot weather. Turns out, the answers are similar to what humans turn to. One interesting bit of information that Northwest News Network's Anna King recently came by is that farmers will mix watermelon into the cows' food when it gets hot. It can have a cooling effect while helping with hydration. That's just one tactic.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Dolly Parton performs at an event celebrating the Imagination Library at Tacoma's Pantages Theater, Aug. 15, 2023. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer didn't perform her biggest hits, but instead shared songs with a personal connection to the program that provides free books for children. (Jeanie Lindsay / Northwest News Network)

DID YOU KNOW?

You've probably heard about how Seattle City Light has recently had to shut down a few hydroelectric dams because of threats from nearby wildfires. One of them is the Ross Dam on the Skagit River. Construction of this dam was completed on this day in 1949. The dam created Ross Lake behind it. Both are named after J.D. Ross. In 1911, Ross became the head of City Light and campaigned for the creation of hydroelectric dams to increase the power supply to Seattle. He helped get the Gorge Dam up and running in 1921. The Diablo Dam opened in 1930. Ross died in 1939, so he never saw the third dam on the river constructed, which bears his name. 

One issue arose from this dam in 1954. That's when Ross Lake, which the dam created, started flooding over the Canadian border, overtaking about 5,475 acres. Seattle City Light had to pay Canada $250,000 for the intrusion, as well as $5,000 each year. 

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Hilary could be the first tropical storm to hit California in more than 80 years

Hurricane Hilary, now a powerful Category 4 storm churning off Mexico's Baja California peninsula, is making its way towards the Pacific coast. It's projected to hit Southern California as a tropical storm — the first since 1939 — by Sunday night and into Monday, bringing high winds and the potential for dangerous flooding.

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