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Lawmakers seek $200M for high-speed rail connecting Seattle, Portland and Vancouver
Democrats who represent Washington in Congress are asking the federal government to invest about $200 million to help plan a high-speed rail line between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. Why it matters: A bullet train that travels up to 250 miles per hour would "allow people to live in less...
Tips for staying cool on hot nights
Even with soaring daytime temperatures this week, it's lingering nighttime heat that can exacerbate the health risks and hazards of hot weather, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Why it matters: When the temperature remains high overnight, heat accumulates, there is less time to recover and physical stress multiplies,...
Washington expands access to fentanyl test strips
Washington is expanding access to testing strips that can warn people if the drugs or pills they're about to consume contain potentially deadly fentanyl, joining several other states that have recently made the test strips legal. Why it matters: Public officials say the strips can save lives by alerting people...
Ideas for taxes to fill Seattle's $200M budget hole
Seattle officials are projecting an annual budget hole of more than $200 million in 2025 β but several ideas for new taxes could help close that gap.Driving the news: A report released last week by a city workgroup outlines nine potential taxes that could help shore up the city's $1.6 billion general fund budget, which is projected to spend more than it's bringing in.Why it matters: If the city doesn't find a way to raise revenue, it will have to look at cuts to city programs and staff.Details: One of the revenue ideas is to impose a city-level tax on...
Hazardous heat comes to the Pacific Northwest
Potentially hazardous heat that could break daily records, with high temperatures in the 90s or even triple digits, is expected in the Pacific Northwest starting Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Driving the news: An upper level ridge of high pressure will likely bring temperatures in the 90s...
Washington gas prices are no longer the nation's highest β but they're still up
Washington's gas prices are no longer the highest in the nation, but they're still more than 20 cents per gallon above where they were a year ago. Details: A gallon of gas cost $4.96 per gallon on average in Washington state as of Aug. 1, per data from GasBuddy. That's...
What to know about latest COVID strain
While COVID-19 cases remain low in Seattle and Washington state, some researchers expect to see increased infections from a new strain that was named a variant of concern by the World Health Organization this week. Driving the news: EG.5, a descendant of Omicron that's unofficially been nicknamed Eris on social...
Things to do in Seattle this weekend, Aug. 11-13
π Get your grub on at the Food Truck Roundup, with seven local food trucks, a beer garden and craft vendors. Friday from 4-8pm at Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park. π± Explore your love of cats at the Sea-Meow Convention, featuring cat-related merchandise for sale, a kitten cuddle booth and a cat cosplay costume contest. Saturday and Sunday at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.
What it takes to be in the top 1% in Washington state
Data: SmartAsset; Map: Tory Lysik/Axios VisualsYou need to make at least $804,853 to be among the top 1% of earners in Washington state, according to a recent SmartAsset analysis of IRS tax filer data.That's more than $150,000 more than the national household figure of $652,657. And it's more than seven times the median household income in Seattle, which surpassed $110,000 in 2021. The big picture: The top 1% of wealthy U.S. families held more than a third of the country's total wealth in 2019, the Congressional Budget Office reported last year.Meanwhile, families in the bottom half held only 2% of...
Sexual assault and misconduct on airplanes is increasing, prosecutors warn
Incidents of sexual assault and misconduct on aircraft are on the rise as travel rebounds from the pandemic, according to federal prosecutors.Driving the news: With four federal criminal cases filed in the Western District of Washington since the beginning of the year, and numerous ongoing sexual assault investigations, federal law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm.Predatory conduct on airplanes will be investigated and prosecuted, said acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman at a news conference Wednesday, where she was joined by Richard Collodi of the FBI and Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa.What they're saying: "We're here today to stand up for...
Sound Transit light rail service will be disrupted starting Saturday
Sound Transit's Link light rail service will be disrupted starting on Saturday as crews work to level sinking tracks that are susceptible to flooding.Driving the news: Five stations will close this weekend so workers can repair rails that have sagged as much as three inches north of Stadium Station and tackle other maintenance and repairs, per Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher.The stations include Stadium, International District/Chinatown, Pioneer Square, University Street and Westlake.Following the weekend, the stations will reopen but trains will alternate on a single track across Royal Brougham Way through Aug. 20, slowing the 24-mile trip from Northgate to...
Don't crush that tick!
While Washington state is still far from being the tick haven found in other parts of the country, climate change and warmer temperatures are expected to bring the blood-sucking parasites closer to home.Driving the news: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported the state's second case of anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease, last month. It was diagnosed in a woman who had spent time in wooded areas of Puyallup and Eatonville.The first locally acquired human case was reported last year by the state Department of Health (DOH) in a man who had been working in Mason County brush when he was likely bitten...
City Council votes to repeal Seattle's "fun tax"
It soon will become easier for Seattle bars and restaurants to add pinball machines, pool tables and arcade games.What's happening: The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to get rid of the city's fees and license requirements for amusement devices. Those include everything from shuffleboard and billiards tables to jukeboxes and virtual reality games.Why it matters: City officials hope axing the license fees allows more entertainment establishments to flourish in Seattle.State of play: Right now, only a few dozen businesses apply for the licenses each year, according to city council staff.68 businesses applied in 2019; 46 applied in 2022."We are trying...
Seattle's downtown recovery has continued to lag other metros
Data: University of Toronto; Note: Seasons are March-May (spring), June-August (summer), September-November (fall) and December-February (winter); Visitors determined by counting unique mobile phones in ZIP codes with high employee density; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosFoot traffic in downtown Seattle from March to May was at roughly 46% of pre-pandemic levels, making Seattle's downtown recovery one of the weakest among 63 cities analyzed by researchers at the University of Toronto.Yes, but: Downtown boosters and businesses have noted a rise in foot traffic and credit card transactions since early May, when Amazon workers began returning to the office β a timeframe not fully covered...
This Washington city is the West Coast's pollen champ
Everett ranks as this year's pollen capital of the West Coast, according to a recent report from online allergy clinic Wyndly.Why it matters: The lengthening allergy season nationwide is tied to climate change, with big health ramifications for the roughly one-quarter of Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies β and for respiratory health more broadly.Driving the news: Everett's spring pollen count increased by 54% from 3,489 parts per million in 2022 to 5,386 ppm in 2023, per the Wyndly study. During Everett's worst pollen month, April, it had an average allergen level of 3,257 ppm, roughly twice as high as...
Geno Smith's star rises, while Russell Wilson's falls in new quarterback rankings
The Seattle Seahawks' Geno Smith had a big jump in The Athletic's Quarterback Tiers rankings this year. Meanwhile, former Seahawk-turned-Bronco Russell Wilson had the biggest drop in the history of the ratings.Why it matters: While both players are ranked within Tier 3 β middle of the pack β it's good to be in the city with the quarterback who's on the upswing.Details: The ratings are based on a survey of 50 NFL insiders, including general managers, coaches and executives.A Tier 1 quarterback's "team wins because of him," whereas Tier 3 quarterbacks need more assistance from their teammates on the field,...
Get ready, Seattle: Dreaded heat dome expected
That scorching summer heat we've been lucky enough to avoid so far appears to be on its way to Seattle and most of Western Washington.Driving the news: While much of the week could bring rain and cooler than average temperatures, forecast models are showing a strong upper-level ridge of high pressure developing that could bring above-normal temperatures to the Seattle area starting around Aug. 13, Michael Fagin with Washington Online Weather told Axios.National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Reid Wolcott said the heat event, if it happens, is expected to last through Aug. 16.It's not going to be as extreme as the June 2021 heat wave that brought a 108-degree day to Seattle, an all-time high, but several days with highs near 90 degrees cannot be ruled out, according to the National Weather Service.Yes, but: Temperatures are expected to be cooler than average early this week with a good possibility of rain between Tuesday and Thursday, Wolcott said.Fire risk to the region from the developing ridge will depend in some measure on how much, where and when we get rain, he added. Image courtesy of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center
More than half of Seattle lives on "heat islands"
More than half of Seattle residents live on "urban heat islands" with temperatures that can get at least 8 degrees higher than surrounding areas, per a new analysis by the nonprofit climate research group Climate Central.Why it matters: Heat islands β where warmth is trapped by hard surfaces such as parking lots and pavement β can make neighborhoods less livable and increase the risk of heat-related health complications, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.Driving the news: Climate Central analyzed surface heat absorption, tree cover and other factors in 44 U.S. cities and found that 41 million Americans live in urban areas that...
Backlash to Seattle City Council incumbents doesn't materialize in primary results
Most sitting Seattle City Council members are in strong positions heading into the November election, despite recent polling from business-backed groups that found many voters were dissatisfied with the council.Driving the news: In the latest ballot counts from Tuesday's primary, Councilmembers Tammy Morales and Dan Strauss each have amassed more than 50% of the vote in their respective races.Councilmember Andrew Lewis was faring worse, capturing 43% of the vote as of Thursday. But post-election night ballot counts have trended his way, making his re-election prospects appear less dire than on Tuesday night, when he was under 41%.Meanwhile, Councilmember Teresa...
You can get your child a free book every month through Dolly Parton's literacy program
Dolly Parton is coming to Washington this month to celebrate the expansion to every county of her Imagination Library, which delivers one book every month to participating children.Driving the news: She'll perform and talk about her early learning program at an invite-only event on Aug. 15. Imagination Library of Washington said it cannot disclose where in the state Parton will be for security reasons.State of play: Imagination Library of Washington, established last June, mails age-appropriate books each month to children from birth to age five at no cost to families in all 39 Washington counties. More than 1.6 million books have been gifted so far to approximately 65,000 enrolled children.Prior to the 2022 expansion, the program was only available in a handful of areas across the state.Parents and caretakers can register children here. Anyone can enroll, there are no economic restrictions.Details: The public can livestream Parton's performance on TVW and TVW's social media channels as well as the Imagination Library of Washington's Facebook page at 2:30pm on Aug. 15.
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