Traffic cops are looking for phones behind the wheel: Today So Far

• Big allegations about a chicken conspiracy in Washington state.
• Law enforcement is on the lookout for phones behind the wheel.
• It's hot out. Do you know where your local cooling center is?

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 26, 2022.

Let's get the obvious out of the way — it's hot out. I hope you're staying cool, or know where your local cooling shelters are.

Such shelters are often needed more than you'd think in an area like ours. Most folks in the Northwest do not have an air conditioner to fend off heat waves. Facts like that still sting after last year's deadly heat dome. That has local officials starting to think about keeping cool during heat events in the future, investing in cooling shelters, etc. And that will take time and money.

"Last year’s extreme weather was a wake-up call,” King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay told KUOW, adding that preparing for extreme heat “is a growing priority because every year our region is just going to get hotter and hotter.”

Why is it that the person parked directly in front of the stoplight never seems to be in a hurry. I feel red lights should be like Mario Kart, with all of us revving and ready to go. But that person right up front always seems to take a sigh first, then puts their car into drive, and slowly moves ahead in time for the light to turn yellow for the second car to pull up.

OK, that is more of a personal gripe and doesn't have much to do with our reporting ... though, perhaps that driver is distracted by their phone and isn't paying attention. That scenario is prevalent enough in Washington that law enforcement is upping patrols out on the road, especially looking out for drivers distracted by their cell phones. Washington has distracted driving laws that specifically relate to phones behind the wheel — basically, you can't use your phone when you're driving, even if you're stopped.

King County's Target Zero Task Force is upping traffic patrols through early August to send the message that phones are not allowed behind the wheel. The first E-DUI ticket will cost $136, and a second ticket will cost about a hundred bucks more. This will not just take place on county roads; nine cities are participating where law enforcement has noticed increased distracted driving involving cell phones. Read more on the Today So Far Blog.

The Washington State Attorney General's Office is claiming that a major chicken conspiracy has taken place in our state. AG Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit that claims 19 poultry producers artificially inflated the price of chicken in Washington. One allegation is that the producers intentionally destroyed chickens to create less supply, and in turn, up the demand (price) on the meat. But the lawsuit goes further and alleges the companies colluded to fix prices.

"If you purchased chicken in Washington state in the last 10 years, you were harmed by the conduct of these companies and these individuals," Ferguson said.

Soundside has the full story here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Tomo Nakayama usually puts his creative energy into his harmonious music. But when the pandemic hit, he found a new outlet: cooking. Shown here is Tomo and his favorite miso. (Shin Yu Pai / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

I sometimes save bacon fat to make fire starters. But the United States government once encouraged all citizens to save such grease for bombs.

During World War II, the U.S. government created a program for people to turn in bacon fat and other cooking greases. Home cooks could turn the grease over to a participating meat supplier. The American Fat Salvage Committee was created to organize the effort. Apparently, bacon fat and cooking grease could be further used in making bombs, which was sort of a big deal during wartime. Disney produced educational cartoons to get the word out and teach Americans about saving grease. According to one report, only about half of the home-cooking population participated. Rationing was a big deal during WWII, and cooking grease wasn't readily available for everyone. So many might have save their grease to use again. Also, there's only so much you can do with cooking grease, so the fat-saving program may have also been a bit of a propaganda effort to get Americans more engaged in the war effort, or give anxious folks something to do during tough times.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

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