Have you noticed eggs getting more expensive lately?: Today So Far

• Why vasectomies are trending up in Western Washington.
• A movement is growing against the proposed new airport in Pierce County.
• Have you noticed eggs getting more expensive lately?

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for January 24, 2023.

Ever since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in June 2022 knocked down Roe v Wade, there has been a trend of some states banning abortions, and others adding protections. Also since then, some doctors around Western Washington have noticed another trend — vasectomies.

"Rather than having like six vasectomies in one day, we’ll have eight or so now,” Dr. Grace Shih told KUOW.

Abortions are still legal and protected in Washington state. But as KUOW's Eilis O'Neill reports, vasectomies have shot up by 34% in Western Washington following the Dobbs decision. It's notable that much of the demand is coming from younger men aiming to avoid the risk of pregnancy. A big factor in the decision is the potential of long-term consequences of a vasectomy (they can be difficult to reverse), so it's a good thing that the wait times for the procedure in the Seattle area are now up to six months. Read more about that, as well as the frontier of male birth control, here.

We all know a new airport for the region is coming. We just don't know where it will ultimately be placed. Residents in Pierce County aren't taking any risks and an opposition movement has emerged.

"There are over 2,500 homes in the designated [central site], and there are over 3,000 homes in the Pierce County East location," Jake Pool told KUOW about two proposed airport sites in Pierce County.

The Pool family has become active in the opposition movement, and planned a town hall for the issue. About 500 people attended.

"Most of the public outrage is the homes of course, but then it's also the fact that this would be such an environmental disaster," Pool said. "We're sitting on the Pierce County central aquifer. It's a sole source aquifer."

Read the full story here.

You may have noticed that eggs have gotten quite expensive at the grocery store. And if you haven't noticed that, then you may have noticed all the headlines about how expensive eggs have gotten recently. Farmers are speaking up, saying, "Hey, don't blame us."

That's not verbatim, but it's the gist of the message from the American Egg Board. Emily Metz with the board told Northwest News Network's Anna King that, "We are seeing some very temporary, hyper-local isolated shortages, in some areas," and that is leading to higher prices. Inflation isn't helping either. But there are a few other factors at play, too. The holidays spike egg demand, so that egg surge is felt more considerably given the previously mentioned issues.

Finally, you have the elephant in the room — bird flu. The bird flu has struck particularly strong over the past year as wild birds have been spreading it to commercial flocks. It's those commercial flocks that provide our eggs. The Egg Board says about 6% of the USA's chickens have been wiped out in recent months because of this. Read more on this here.

Makeshift vigils of candles, flowers, and notes started to appear on Sunday after a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. A second mass shooting occurred within 48 hours of the first incident. A man killed seven people at two landscaping nurseries in Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, on Monday. (Jonaki Mehta / NPR)

DID YOU KNOW?

It happened again. Now, classified documents have been found at the home of former Vice President Mike Pence from his time in office. Classified documents have also been found at Trump's residences, and at President Biden's home from his time as vice president.

I have worked as a reporter in small towns and large cities. This is a problem everywhere — there is a considerable lack of understanding about public versus private information, resources, documents, etc. when it comes to public officials and employees. Here's a tip: It's public. If you're wondering if this email or document or device is public or not, and you're a public servant, just assume that it's public. Because in most cases, it is. Did you get a phone from a public agency? That's not really yours. Are you using a government email? Again, not really yours (despite what state lawmakers try to hide). Sure, there is some nuance around public records and there are plenty of exceptions to this rule. But it's better to be safe than "Oops, you mean I wasn't supposed to be making doctors appointments or sending memes via my government email?" Side note: It's also not a good idea to use your personal email for public business.

But back to the presidential issue. Do you know why folks make such a fuss when classified documents are found at a president's, or vice president's, home? In 1978, the United States passed the Presidential Records Act, putting to rest this private vs public debate at the presidential level. This was spurred by a lot of records drama following Nixon's time in office. Prior to this, a lot of presidential records were considered private. The Presidential Records Act set up rules around the records of presidents and vice presidents. Among these rules is a requirement that all records be turned over to the National Archives at the end of their term. That's why the FBI get's called when records are found at a former president's home. It's unclear within the text of the PRA what penalties, if any, are applicable for violating the law. Most likely, this will all serve as a lesson to everyone that ... it's not yours, it's public.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

How an Alaskan 'puppy bus' went viral on TikTok

Mo Thompson never planned to be a dog walker — and she definitely didn't plan to go viral on TikTok. But recently, her videos of the pups she walks have racked up millions of views, especially the ones showcasing how she picks them up: the puppy bus.

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