News NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Stories and features from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio. NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 KUOW News Tue, 21 Aug 2018 03:17:56 +0000 http://kuow.org/category/news Kara McDermott Call it "canary in the smoke-choked city." While people are struggling with the unhealthy air quality in Seattle, the animals are having similar issues. http://www.kuow.org/post/smoke-not-birds-mishka-asthmatic-otter-doing-fine 132944 as http://www.kuow.org Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:49:07 +0000 This smoke is not for the birds — but Mishka the asthmatic otter is doing fine Carolyn Adolph The number of people arriving in Seattle has dropped by more than a third. A year ago, 74 people were arriving in the city of Seattle daily, now the number is 46 people, according to the Puget Sound Regional Council. http://www.kuow.org/post/seattles-frenetic-growth-may-actually-be-slowing-down 132948 as http://www.kuow.org Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:32:16 +0000 Seattle's frenetic growth may actually be slowing down Tony Schick Oregons Department of Environmental Quality has settled a lawsuit that environmental groups filed over the states regulation of stormwater pollution. When it rains, water runs over industrial sites and collects toxics like copper, lead and zinc, which then wash into rivers and streams. This kind of pollution has become a major source of contaminants across the country. The settlement adds special protections for rivers and streams that are already too polluted for salmon, drinking water or swimming. Previously, the state treated permits for those waters no differently than permits to discharge into cleaner rivers. A real focus of our settlement this time around is trying to clean up the water that already has too much pollution in it, said attorney Jamie Saul with Earthrise Law Center. Earthrise and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, which are both based at Lewis and Clark College, filed the lawsuit along with the Columbia Riverkeeper. According to the settlement, DEQ will now http://www.kuow.org/post/oregon-settles-lawsuit-over-stormwater-pollution 132951 as http://www.kuow.org Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:21:00 +0000 Oregon Settles Lawsuit Over Stormwater Pollution Ruby de Luna A Seattle restaurateur has stopped offering chinook salmon at her restaurants. Renee Erickson, chef and owner of a group of restaurants, including The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard, said she made the decision after learning about the plight of J50, the young, ailing orca whale. http://www.kuow.org/post/chef-renee-erickson-pulls-king-salmon-menu-after-learning-starving-orcas 132918 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 23:47:29 +0000 Chef Renee Erickson pulls king salmon from menu after learning of starving orcas Eilis O'Neill When it comes to wildfires, the people of Wenatchee remember 2012. The air was so choked with smoke that summer camps were canceled and kids kept inside. Clinics and drug stores ran out of masks. http://www.kuow.org/post/smoke-means-smaller-newborns-and-more-er-visits 132919 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 21:43:28 +0000 This smoke means smaller newborns and more ER visits There has been an extraordinary federal-local-tribal effort aimed at nursing the killer whale known as J50 back to health. But is it far enough? Seattle Times reporter Linda Mapes has been covering the operation, and she told KUOW’s Angela King about it. http://www.kuow.org/post/how-far-will-we-go-save-single-sick-orca 132929 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 21:14:06 +0000 How far will we go to save a single, sick orca? Emily Schwing Wildfire activity in the American West is likely to get worse in coming years. A new study out in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences points to the lack of precipitation in the summer as the major driving factor when it comes to increasing fire severity. For decades, scientists believed a combination of warm temperatures, declines in winter snowpack and dry conditions in summer made for severe wildfire. All three of those things do contribute to the fire season, but now researchers believe it’s summer moisture that drives fire activity most. “We’re losing moisture when we need it the most: in the summertime. And that really does have consequences for things like agriculture (and) forest productivity,” Zack Holden said. He works for the U.S. Forest Service in Missoula, Montana. Holden and colleagues compared nearly 40 years of satellite maps of burned areas in the West with summer precipitation data between May and September for years 1979 to 2016. They found that http://www.kuow.org/post/wildfire-seasons-worsen-scientists-point-summer-precipitation-major-diving-factor 132920 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 19:02:00 +0000 As Wildfire Seasons Worsen, Scientists Point To Summer Precipitation As Major Driving Factor Sydney Brownstone Four teenagers formerly jailed in a King County solitary confinement unit at an adult jail have settled a federal lawsuit against the county. http://www.kuow.org/post/teens-placed-solitary-confinement-settle-king-county 132909 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 18:34:55 +0000 Teens placed in solitary confinement settle with King County Paige Browning The school year starts in a few weeks in Washington. This year, no public school student can be expelled just because they are tardy or have unexcused absences on their record. http://www.kuow.org/post/tardy-school-you-can-no-longer-be-suspended-washington-state 132906 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 15:50:33 +0000 Tardy to school? You can no longer be suspended for that in Washington state Joshua McNichols It’s been a hot, dry summer in Seattle. This July was so warm it almost broke the record — you know, the one set way back in 2015. Year after year of especially dry summers is killing some of Seattle’s trees. But it’s been harder on some trees than others. http://www.kuow.org/post/some-seattle-trees-have-had-it-these-dry-summers 132845 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 14:31:45 +0000 Some Seattle trees have had it with these dry summers Stay inside if you can. With wildfire smoke billowing into the Seattle area from a number of fronts, that’s the advice of the Puget Sound Clean Agency. http://www.kuow.org/post/sundays-smoke-was-just-whiff-whats-ahead-seattle-area 132902 as http://www.kuow.org Mon, 20 Aug 2018 13:48:24 +0000 Sunday's smoke was just a whiff of what's ahead in Seattle area Ian McCluskey Over the past 30 years of capturing stories for "Oregon Field Guide," were used to packing camera gear into remote locations. But on this expedition our goal was different than weve ever done before: to capture the solar eclipse a fleeting moment when the moon crosses the sun, turning day to night for two minutes. We knew it would hit the Oregon coast first, whisking over the entire state of Oregon in a mere nine minutes. But we didn't know exactly what to expect. The last time a total solar eclipse crossed the entire United States was 1918. Groups planning for totality's impact on the state, like Travel Oregon, predicted gridlock, long lines at gas stations and crowds. Hotel rooms were sold out. Grocery stores stocked up on bottled water and "totality glasses," that looked, appropriately enough, like 3D movie glasses from the 1950s, the kind folks wore to watch sci-fi flicks at drive-ins, under the stars. We hoped to get away from the crowds and capture this natural event in a http://www.kuow.org/post/wild-totality-capturing-solar-eclipse-cascade-peak 132873 as http://www.kuow.org Sat, 18 Aug 2018 21:21:00 +0000 Wild Totality: Capturing The Solar Eclipse From A Cascade Peak editor Theres a set of massive whale bones resting on the bottom of the bay in Newport, Oregon. Scientists from Oregon State University put them there with a plan for a future display on shore. But theyre having trouble finding the money to retrieve the rare blue whale skeleton from beneath the waves. http://www.kuow.org/post/osu-scientists-need-money-retrieve-blue-whale-skeleton-they-sunk 132866 as http://www.kuow.org Sat, 18 Aug 2018 20:50:00 +0000 OSU Scientists Need Money To Retrieve A Blue Whale Skeleton They Sunk Tom Banse There’s a set of massive whale bones resting on the bottom of the bay in Newport, Oregon. Scientists from Oregon State University put them there with a plan for a future display on shore. But they’re having trouble finding the money to retrieve the rare blue whale skeleton from beneath the waves. http://www.kuow.org/post/scientists-sunk-rare-blue-whale-skeleton-now-they-need-money-bring-it-back 132859 as http://www.kuow.org Sat, 18 Aug 2018 15:11:00 +0000 Scientists sunk a rare blue whale skeleton. Now they need money to bring it back up Kim Malcolm talks with University of Washington fisheries science professor Ray Hilborn about whether boycotting chinook salmon will help the recovery of southern resident killer whales. http://www.kuow.org/post/boycotting-chinook-salmon-save-orcas-it-wont-do-much 132846 as http://www.kuow.org Sat, 18 Aug 2018 00:49:20 +0000 Boycotting chinook salmon to save orcas? It won't do much editor After cutting down trees in a section of forest, logging crews can do their local bees a favor by sticking around to clear the debris and flatten the ground. A recent study from Oregon State University suggests that removing timber harvest residue also known as slash could help wild bee populations thrive in the wake of a clearcut logging operation. The study was led by wildlife biologist Jim Rivers, principal investigator in OSUs Forest Animal Ecology Lab . It was part of an effort to find out how the removal of slash to be used as biofuel might affect forest ecosystems including the populations of many pollinators, like bees. Bees have been in the spotlight recently due to concerns about pollinator shortage caused by colony collapse disorder . Cultivated bees are vital for agriculture; by some estimates, bees pollinate $15 billion worth of U.S. crops every year. But what about wild bees? Even far from farmland, insect pollinators are responsible for fertilizing up to 90 percent of http://www.kuow.org/post/wild-bees-may-benefit-cleaning-after-clearcuts 132847 as http://www.kuow.org Sat, 18 Aug 2018 00:09:00 +0000 Wild Bees May Benefit From Cleaning Up After Clearcuts Sydney Brownstone Rep. Matt Manweller (R-Ellensburg), who is seeking a fourth term in the state legislature, is suing Central Washington University after the school fired the legislator following a workplace conduct investigation. Manweller was a tenured professor of political science before he was fired. http://www.kuow.org/post/rep-matt-manweller-sues-central-washington-university-after-firing 132841 as http://www.kuow.org Fri, 17 Aug 2018 22:10:31 +0000 Rep. Matt Manweller sues Central Washington University after firing editor Last March, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the resignation of one of his longest-serving cabinet members, Employment Security Department head Dale Peinecke. A workplace misconduct investigation had found that over the five years Peinecke worked in state government, he made some staff uncomfortable and was “vulnerable to claims of harassment with sexual overtones.” http://www.kuow.org/post/inslee-let-cabinet-official-stay-job-two-months-after-resignation 132829 as http://www.kuow.org Fri, 17 Aug 2018 20:32:00 +0000 Accused of staring at women’s breasts, official still stayed on job until retirement Austin Jenkins For years, mentally ill inmates in this state have languished in county jails awaiting state evaluations to determine if they're competent to stand trial. But according to a legal settlement announced this Thursday , people with mental illness who are caught up in Washington state’s criminal justice system would get more services. In cases when inmates are found not competent, they often wait weeks or months more to get a bed at a state hospital. Last year there were more than 1,700 court orders for evaluations, according to the Department of Social and Health Services. That’s a 60 percent increase since 2014, when the lawsuit was filed. That led to a federal lawsuit and a judge's finding that the state was violating the rights of these inmates. The state has been slow to fix the problem, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in court fines. Now, both sides in the lawsuit have agreed to a sweeping settlement that — if approved by U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle — http://www.kuow.org/post/washington-state-reaches-legal-agreement-keep-mentally-ill-out-jail 132830 as http://www.kuow.org Fri, 17 Aug 2018 20:26:00 +0000 Deal over lawsuit could keep Washington's mentally ill out of jail Jeff Mapes Oregonians will have the chance to weigh in on proposed new smoke management rules that could ease the way for more controlled burns aimed at reducing the threat of major wildfires. State regulators will hold public hearings in five cities often affected by smoke from wildfires. Under the proposals, there would no longer be a strict ban against allowing controlled burns projected to cause visible smoke in nearby communities. Instead, these prescribed fires would have to remain under certain state and federal clean-air standards. We believe that will give us increased flexibility for using prescribed fire while still protecting communities, said State Forester Peter Daugherty, who heads the Oregon Department of Forestry. That agency is working with the Department of Environmental Quality on a rewrite of the rules governing prescribed fires, which are often used to reduce grasses and other underbrush in forests particularly prone to wildfires . There has been increased interest in using http://www.kuow.org/post/oregonians-can-weigh-new-proposed-smoke-management-rules 132831 as http://www.kuow.org Fri, 17 Aug 2018 20:21:00 +0000 Oregonians Can Weigh In On New Proposed Smoke Management Rules