Week in Review: Tokitae dies, Seattle faces another shooting, and one county gets a 32-hour work week

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Times' Claudia Rowe, The Stranger’s Vivian McCall, and Geekwire’s Mike Lewis.

The last captive orca from the Salish Sea died Friday in Miami. Tokitae was one of dozens of southern resident orcas herded and captured from Puget Sound in the 1970s and put on display in places like the Miami Seaquarium. For years, the Lummi Nation and others called for the release of Tokitae, back to the Salish Sea to be with her family, including back to the orca that's believed to be her mother. Last year, the Seaquairium agreed to release her, but she didn't make it back home. Can we assume captivity shortened her life?

RELATED: Following Tokitae's sudden death, Northwest tribes call for repatriation of orca's remains

Yet another mass shooting happened in Seattle this week. Early Sunday morning in the parking lot of Rainier Hookah Lounge in Mt. Baker, three people were killed and six others were injured. One remains in critical condition at last report.

The people who died were ages 22, 30, and 32. One of the deceased was the sister of a staffer of King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, who said she was an innocent bystander who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This was Seattle's third mass shooting this summer.

A public meeting was held this week by the City of Duvall to discuss the removal of an LGBTQ Pride installation after two flags with symbols associated with right-wing extremists were put up next to it. The City claimed it could be sued for censoring speech if officials took down the far-right flags but left the Pride wall up, and said that leaving the hate symbols untouched at City Hall was not an option. To fix the problem, Duvall introduced a draft revision of its old public art policy and will consider changes to its right-of-way rules.

Unionized workers at the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families have launched a no-confidence vote against their boss. Workers contend Ross Hunter’s indifference to concerns over caseloads, turnover, and unsafe working conditions. The agency has one of the highest staff turnover rates among state agencies, with 18% of employees leaving in the 2022 fiscal year, up from 11.5% the previous. Handling fraught situations including accusations of child abuse and neglect and the placement of foster kids, DCYF has been pummeled by lawsuits, critical news coverage and far-reaching court decisions. What happens next?

In a move that may be the first of its kind in the United States, San Juan County will move its unionized government employees to a 32-hour work week. The county said it's not taking away any public services its workers provide now, though some departments may be open less. Additionally, workers moving to the shorter week will still earn their full-time wages.

RELATED: This Washington county is moving to a 32-hour work week

“The 32-hour work week is both fiscally responsible and socially responsive. It brings the opportunity to spend more concentrated time with family, volunteer locally, travel, schedule medical appointments, and do all the many things which are important to personal and community well-being without interrupting workflow," said San Juan County Council chair Cindy Wolf.

How can working eight fewer hours not affect your weekly workflow?