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Axios Seattle
Why Pike Place Market is much more than a tourist trap
USA Today recently listed Pike Place Market as the 10th-worst tourist trap in the world. Here's why I, a Seattleite, disagree.Zoom in: One of my favorite things to do in Seattle with my 3-year-old son is ride the bus with him to Pike Place Market. We pick up produce (and maybe a baked good of some kind) and take it all back with us.These missions are so enthralling that he actually started picking out things like Romanesco broccoli to cook and eat at home.More subdued farmers markets we explored in the city just didn't have the same effect.Something about the...
Bird flu shows up in Washington state seals, prompting warnings
An outbreak of bird flu has spread to harbor seals off the coast of Washington in the first documented instance of marine mammals dying from the disease on the West Coast.Driving the news: The highly pathogenic H5N1 flu strain was detected in dead harbor seals on Marrowstone Island off the east coast of the Olympic Peninsula, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Why it matters: The increase in H5N1 avian influenza detections among mammals raises concern that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily, according to a statement from the World Health Organization.Some mammals may act as...
Get text alerts about your ballot in Washington state
You can now sign up to get a text message when there's an issue with your mail-in ballot in Washington.Driving the news: The new text alerts will let you know when there is a signature mismatch or other issue that can keep your ballot from being counted, so you can take steps to correct the problem (such as by filling out a form to confirm your signature).Voters who sign up for text alerts will also receive messages when their ballots are received and accepted.How it works: You can sign up to receive the text updates about your ballot status by...
El Niño could bring extreme weather to West Coast this winter
Climate models are suggesting that El Niño could become a "strong" or even "super'' strong event this winter, potentially bringing a wide range of extreme weather to the West Coast.Why it matters: Never before have we gone into an El Niño event with global ocean and air temperatures as high as they are now, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told Axios."This year has been unbelievably, insanely warm and we are shattering records by margins that are, quite frankly, shocking" he said.Both climate change and El Niño — a normal and predictable phenomenon — contribute to higher global temperatures...
How Seattle's District 1 council candidates compare: Rob Saka vs. Maren Costa
West Seattle's next City Council member will be either a former Amazon manager turned climate activist or a tech industry lawyer who has urged the city to take a harder line on drug use.Why it matters: At least four seats on the nine-member Seattle City Council will turn over this year, making the Nov. 7 election crucial for shaping the city's future.Details: In District 1, Rob Saka, an Air Force veteran and former lawyer for Meta and Microsoft, is running against Maren Costa, a user experience designer.Costa was fired from Amazon in 2020 after publicly urging the company to do...
More Seattle-area women are working soon after giving birth
Data: U.S. Census; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosThe percentage of Seattle-area women who work shortly after giving birth has grown since 2010, per new census data.Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force, at least temporarily — often slowing their career and earnings growth and contributing to the gender pay gap.By the numbers: In the Seattle metro area, 62.8% of women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were working a job as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey data.That's compared to 57.9% in 2010.Yes, but: The 2022...
These are the smartest home projects to tackle in the Seattle area
Data: Angi; Table: Axios VisualsBefore you tackle that home renovation you've been dreaming or dreading, think about how it could affect your home's resale value.Why it matters: Seattle-area sellers need to rake in all the cash they can if they're leaving record-low mortgage rates.By the numbers: Eight of the top 10 home projects with the highest return on investment are exterior changes, like fixing up the garage and replacing windows, according to Angi, the home services website.In the Seattle region, replacing a garage door — one of the cheaper high-ROI projects — cost around $1,430 on average, per Angi's data.A...
Seattle just had its sixth-hottest summer on record
Data: NOAA; Map: Erin Davis/Axios VisualsSeattle just saw its sixth-hottest summer on record, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Details: Between June and August, Seattle's average temperatures were about 2.2°F higher than the average from 1981 to 2020, per NOAA.The average summer temperature in Seattle this year was 66.8°F, compared to a 1981–2020 average of 64.6°F.Meanwhile, Seattle also just had its ninth-driest summer on record, receiving only 1.58 inches of rain. That's a little over half the city's average summer precipitation from 1981 to 2020, NOAA reports.Data: NOAA; Map: Erin Davis/Axios VisualsThe big picture: Numerous states saw a much hotter than average summer. In addition, some spots received unusually heavy precipitation and others entered flash drought territory, according to NOAA's data, Axios' Erin Davis and Andrew Freedman report.The odds and severity of extreme heat events are rapidly increasing as the climate warms in response to human emissions of greenhouse gases.This past summer featured the warmest June, July and August on record globally, with temperatures reaching some of the highest values ever recorded on a global basis.
This week in Washington state history: Oct. 1–8
An aerial view of the Puyallup Fair in the 1930s. Photo: Vintage Images/Getty ImagesHere are a few notable events that happened this week in Washington state history, according to the online encyclopedia HistoryLink.Oct. 4–6, 1900: A group of Puyallup Valley farmers, business people and residents produce an agricultural and livestock fair designed to highlight local products.The Valley Fair ultimately turned into the annual Western Washington Fair Association's Puyallup Fair.By the end of the 20th century, it drew more than 1 million people each year, the fifth-highest attendance of any fair in the country.It has since been renamed the Washington...
Billion-dollar disasters nearly tripled in Washington over last 20 years
Data: First Street Foundation; Map: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosNatural disasters causing at least $1 billion in damage nearly tripled in Washington state over the last 20 years, due primarily to wildfires and droughts, according to recent data.Why it matters: In addition to threatening homes and property, disasters are causing insurers to change how they factor climate and extreme weather risks into premiums.The number of homes at risk for wildfire damage in Washington is expected to grow almost 30 percent by 2053, according to another report released last month.Zoom in: An estimated 8% of properties in Washington could face higher insurance premiums or...
Seattle-area South Asian family makes history with Miss World America
Miss World America contestants are arriving in Seattle this week.Driving the news: The crowning of the winner, who becomes the U.S. representative to the Miss World pageant, will be held on Oct. 5 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.Regular tickets are $185.Why it matters: This year, Kent residents Ekta and Sanjay Saini became the first people of South Asian descent to be appointed national directors of the Miss World America competition.Their daughter, Shree Saini is the reigning Miss World America and was the first Indian-American woman to represent the United States at the Miss World pageant, which was held in Puerto Rico.Catch up quick: Shree Saini is a University of Washington graduate who has a pacemaker, survived facial burns from a car accident and has made overcoming disabilities a part of her platform.She placed second in the overall competition last year.
Seattle's "Week Without Driving" challenge, explained
First organized by disability advocates in Washington state two years ago, the "Week Without Driving" transportation challenge has gone national.Driving the news: This year, Disability Rights Washington (DRW), Disability Mobility Initiative, America Walks and more than 120 other advocacy groups joined efforts to bring this week's challenge to 35 states, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico.Why it matters: The challenge, started by DRW in 2021, is intended to give people an idea of how hard routine travel can be when you can't drive or don't have a car.This is an everyday issue for nearly a third of Americans, including...
What a federal government shutdown would mean for Washington state
Data: Census Bureau; Map: Alice Feng/AxiosA federal government shutdown is looking more and more likely and the impacts in Washington state could be huge.Why it matters: There are 62,100 active-duty service members and 54,526 federal civilian employees in the state.Driving the news: If Congress fails to pass a stopgap measure by midnight Saturday that would fund the government through Nov. 17, a partial shutdown of the federal government will begin Sunday.Details: For federal employees, the effects would be immediate and obvious, as most would be furloughed without pay.But military service members and others who work in fields deemed essential would...
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