Category Archives: Local

Health and Lifestyle, Local

A smoky heatwave is on the horizon

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) After a few brushes with smoke this summer which gave us orange skies and bright sunsets, forecast models are pointing to the region’s luck running out next week. After tying the second-longest dry streak in Seattle history and a cool wet weekend ahead, Seattle’s smoke season appears to be arriving next week.

A shift in the wind next week coupled with our second heatwave of 2021, will bring increasing amounts of beginning late Tuesday.

The week will begin pleasantly. Monday’s high will be around 80 degrees for the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area under partly cloudy skies. Monday night will provide good sleeping weather, with lows in the high 50s.

Tuesday will begin a warmup as winds shift and start pulling smoke from British Columbia into the lowlands. Temperatures will climb into the mid-80’s. Air quality should remain good with most of the smoke remaining aloft.

Wednesday air quality will start to decline and with smoke, increasing high temperatures get harder to forecast. The computer weather models don’t do a good job of considering significant surface or high altitude smoke. Temperatures will be 86 to 88 degrees, however, if smoke is thick aloft, they could moderate.

Thursday and Friday are still a bit too far out to predict accurately, but confidence is high that we will have our second hottest heatwave of the year. If it wasn’t for our historic event in June, this would be a bigger topic. Thursday looks to be in the mid-90s and Friday the high 90s – which would be record-breaking heat. There is a good chance we will have an offshore flow, which will pull smoke from eastern Washington over the Cascades.

If the region gets significant smoke similar to 2017, 2018, and 2020, the high temperatures could moderate by 4 to 6 degrees. The worse the air quality gets, the cooler it will get. But with computer models indicating 96 to 99 degrees without smoke for Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville on Friday, cool will be relative.

The best way to protect yourself during smoke season is to limit your time outdoors. A tight-fighting N95 mask provides the best protection. If you don’t have air conditioning, you can set up a clean room in your home with a portable air conditioner and a box fan with a furnace filter to make an air purifier. You can read more about preparing for the smoke season in this story from 2019.

Breaking News, Local

UPDATED: Boil water order in Kirkland lifted after test results received

Updated: August 5, 2021, 4:20 PM

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) The city of Kirkland announced that the boil water order impacting Market, Norkirk, and parts of Juanita, Totem Lake, downtown, and Houghton has been lifted.

City officials are advising you to run all cold water faucets for five minutes to flush your pipes before drinking or cooking with water from the tap. They also recommend flushing all appliances connected to the water line that produce potable water such as icemakers, refrigerator ice dispensers, and water softeners.

On Tuesday a water main break along Forbes Creek Drive caused a drop in water pressure for some residents and the boil order to be issued.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

COVID cases surge 48% in King County as officials ask summer travelers to use caution

[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin announced that King County COVID cases have increased 48% in the last week as he asked for residents to apply caution during summer travel and mask up when indoors.

The Delta variant has grown to represent 86% of cases in King County with 83 cases per 100,000. Most cases are among the unvaccinated according to Dr. Duchin with residents 18 to 49 years old now the largest age group infected. Officials expect King County to move to high transmission per the CDC, in the next update.

In the last seven days, 62 people have been admitted into King County hospitals with COVID representing a three-fold increase. Currently, one King County resident is being admitted to a hospital with COVID every 2-1/2 hours and the average age of someone hospitalized with COVID has dropped 10 years since January 1.

“Regional hospitals are full and are concerned about being overwhelmed if there are more cases,” said Dr. Duchin, adding that hospitals are “very busy,” The challenge facing hospitals presently isn’t COVID. “One of the major challenges hospitals are facing is the inability to discharge patients who don’t need further hospitalization but can’t find a bed in a long-term care facility.” Dr. Duchin indicated that this was a statewide problem.

For the 30 day period from June 22 to July 21, 88% of COVID patients who were hospitalized and 87% of COVID-related deaths in King County were unvaccinated. COVID cases are, “half of the spring peak and one-quarter of the winter peak,” he added, and “vaccinate people are at much lower risk for hospitalization and death…compared to those unvaccinated.”

“Those unvaccinated are five times more likely to test positive for COVID, are 11 times more likely to be hospitalized,” Duchin added.

Concern over Delta appears to be moving some people with vaccine hesitancy to take action. There has been a 14% increase in people getting vaccinations from the low-point in mid-July. King County also has achieved 70% vaccination of residents 16 and older in all health districts, including South King County. Sixty-five percent of all residents, regardless of age are now vaccinated and 76% of residents 12 and old are fully vaccinated.

On the issue of breakthrough cases, Dr. Duchin said this. “Breakthrough cases do not meet mean vaccine failure and no vaccine is 100% protective. Vaccines prevent serious infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Less than one-tenth-of-one-percent of King County residents who are vaccinated have tested positive for COVID.”

With the start of school around the corner, Dr. Duchin deferred to the Washington State Department of Health, and the guidelines they released yesterday.

Officials stressed the continued need to wear masks in, “indoor public spaces like restaurants grocery stores gyms entertainment venues.” Additional guidance is that masks should be of a good quality, tight-fitting, and properly worn. Dr. Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00.

With the peak of the summer vacation season here, Dr. Duchin asked for residents to consider their travel plans and the amount of risk they are taking. “The most important message is vaccines are the most effective way but not the only way to protect yourself. The most important single factor to reduce your risk of getting COVID is reduce your exposure risk.” The recommendation was to consider the current situation in the location you’re visiting and the kind of activities you have planned. Nationally, health officials are concerned about the looming Sturgis Motorcycle rally, and the 700,000 visitors expected to visit the town.

Dr. Duchin provided new guidance on who should get tested for COVID and when.

  • All people who experience COVID symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, should get tested
  • If you’re exposed to COVID you should get tested 3 to 5 days after regardless of your vaccination statusI
  • If you test positive, even if you’re asymptomatic, you need to isolate for 10 days

King County and a number of medical facilities continue to provide COVID testing across King County.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

COVID cases and hospitalizations are increasing dramatically in Washington

[OLYMPIA, Wash] – (MTN) The number of patients in Washington ICUs has surged to the highest levels since April, while the 7-day moving average of new cases is now at the highest level since May and rising rapidly. Just 36 days after King County ended the masked mandate, cases fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant are exploding.

On June 27, there were only 167 new COVID cases statewide. That number has climbed 748% in a month, with the 7-day moving average up to 1,251 cases on July 28, per the Washington Department of Health. In the most recently available data, 173 patients are in the ICU with COVID – which represents 14.3% of all available ICU beds in the state and is well above the 10% threshold.

Statewide, Washington is no longer achieving any metric that would indicate the spread of COVID remains under control.

According to the Washington State Department of Health data through July 26, 2021, COVID positivity has climbed to 6.5% statewide. The target is to be below 5%, and over 7% is an indication of growing community spread and under testing. Only the sparsely populated counties of San Juan, Garfield, and Columbia were under 5%. Asotin, Lincoln, Franklin, Walla Walla, Benton, Klickitat, Pacific, Cowlitz, and Skamania were over 15% positive – Benton county was over 25%. King County was at 4.3%.

Statewide acute care hospital beds continue to exceed guidelines. Statewide 82.2% of beds are supporting patients, while in King County, it is 84.6% of available beds. Of the 7,517 patients in the hospital, 647 have COVID. For ICUs, the numbers are more concerning. Statewide, 81.7% of all ICU beds are occupied, and in King County, it is 83.9%. Some area hospitals already have full ICUs, just as the state appears to be heading towards its biggest surge since the spring of 2021.

Although there is no specific cure for COVID, the medical community has a much better understanding of supportive therapies than they did at the pandemic’s beginning. Due to low positive outcomes, moving a patient to a ventilator is now considered a last line of defense.

Some of the strain on the state medical system in Washington is caused by out-of-state patients from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Alaska. Hospitals in eastern Washington support trauma and the sickest COVID patients from Idaho and western Montana, while hospitals in Portland and Seattle take patients from Oregon. Trauma patients in Alaska are flown to Seattle once they are stabilized. This spring and summer have seen a dramatic increase in general trauma unrelated to COVID, accounting for the current high occupancy rate.

Locally, Evergreen Hospital was reporting 12 COVID patients in Kirkland and 5 in Monroe.

Hospitals are normally staffed to support 60% to 80% capacity, with the remainder aside to support short-term surges. An increasing number of specialists, doctors, and nurses are leaving the medical field as the stress of the last 18 months has taken an emotional and physical toll.

To a layperson, 80% to 85% occupancy may not seem like a challenge, but the primary issue is a lack of medical staff when rates get this high.

COVID deaths remain low in Washington but are a trailing indicator and don’t spike until 4 to 6 weeks after hospitalizations increase. The IHME current forecast indicates COVID hospitalizations will peak next month, and deaths will grow an additional 70,000 to 130,000 nationally by October 31. The same forecast models indicate that masks would dramatically lower that number.

The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the United States. Last week, the CDC reported that the COVID variant that emerged in India is as transmissible as chickenpox]. A super spreader event in Massachusetts over the 4th of July holiday sickened more than 880 with 74% vaccinated. Five were hospitalized, including 4 vaccinated people. The data from that incident resulted in a renewed recommendation to wear masks.

The NIH reported that in June 2021, the most recent data available, over 99% of people who died of COVID in the United States were unvaccinated. A vast majority of vaccinated people who test positive for the Delta variant are asymptomatic or mildly sick. However, unlike previous variants, the vaccinated carry a high virus load and can spread the disease. In states hit harder by Delta, such as Tennessee, vaccination rates have significantly increased as the impact of COVID becomes more real.

King County, Washington is over 80% vaccinated, and Washington state is over 70%. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA is expected to provide full approval to the Pfizer vaccine next month.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Local, Weather

After 50 days and 50 nights finally some rain in sight

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) The last time it rained at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, where official weather records are kept, was June 15 – 50 days ago. Despite spotty showers and thunderstorms passing through the area yesterday, and some spot drizzle and showers two weeks ago, the rain gauge only got a trace in July. That is the fifth time Seattle has had a rainless month, and the third time in the last ten years. It looks like that is about to change.

If you found a casino to take a rain bet and you picked August 6, you might be a winner – our dry streak is likely to end after day 52. The longest dry streak in Seattle history was in 2017 when the region went 55 days without measurable rain at SeaTac.

Today will feel a big muggy like yesterday with high temperatures in the mid-80s for Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville. We have another chance for some pop-up showers and thunderstorms in the early evening hours. Last night’s weather helped push out the vertically integrated smoke, so it will be less hazy.

Thursday will also have a muggy feel, with dew points approaching 60 degrees and highs once again in the mid-80s. Thursday night and Friday morning are when we get our chance for rain.

A system carrying moisture is finally going to reach our region and bring with it widespread showers and much cooler air. The chance of rain peaks in the morning hours and slowly tapers off through the day. It will be cloudy, and the high temperatures will reach 70 degrees for our area.

The weekend is looking cloudy and cool with temperatures during the day around 70. Late Saturday and into Sunday morning looks like another chance for widespread rain showers in the region.

The long-range forecast shows a return to summer next week and drying out again.

Breaking News, Local

Kirkland residents are advised to boil water after water main break

KIRKLAND, Wash. – A water main break has caused a loss of pressure in a large portion of Kirkland’s water system. Crews are in the process of repairing the break and restoring water service. The City is issuing a boil water advisory for neighborhoods north of NE 85th St., south of NE 124th St., and west of I-405. Residents are also advised that in the event that there is discolored water or air in the pipes, they should leave the faucet on or continue to flush until the water runs steady and clean.

The boil water advisory is in effect until further notice. Please refer to the boil water protocol listed below.

Residents are advised to use bottled water or boil tap water.  A boil water advisory means that recent tests show that your water system is contaminated with organisms that can cause illness. Boiling is the best way to ensure water is free of illness-causing organisms. Bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute. When it cools, refrigerate the water in clean covered containers.  More information is available on the Public Health – Seattle & King County website.

BIPOC, Local, National

Eviction moratorium allowed to end putting 8-million households at risk

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) Congress had no appetite to extended the eviction moratorium as the August recess began, allowing it to end at 12:01 AM on August 1. Now, up to 8-million households behind on rent or mortgages are facing an uncertain future.

When COVID-related shutdowns swept the country in March of 2020, U6 unemployment skyrocketed to 18.1%. Even before the public health and financial disaster, 40% of American families didn’t have $2,000 in emergency savings, let alone the 60 to 90 days of living expenses financial planners recommend. COVID wiped out entire industries such as hospitality, travel, and theater, and entertainment. For those in the service industry and gig economy, the slowdown has hit the hardest.

In response to the looming economic collapse, Congress passed the CARES Act, which included a one-time stimulus check of $1200 for some Americans, the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Despite trillions in aid, gaping holes remained that Main Street and American families have fallen through. Banks did not get guardrails on how to manage forbearances. Congress didn’t waive rent, only deferred it, and didn’t provide any financial support for small landlords. At one point, 12 million American households were $5000 or more behind on rent and 6 million households were facing foreclosure. The numbers have improved dramatically, dropping 50% for renters behind and 67% for mortgage holders.

Congressional leaders and the White House agreed on a second stimulus package in December 2020. President Trump initially did not sign the package, waiting until some benefits expired on December 26, before signing it the next day. The delay in signature created chaos for state unemployment systems. In March 2021, President Biden signed a third and almost certainly a final stimulus package, that extended the eviction moratorium another 30 days. 

Up to $4 trillion in cash awaits for the foreclosures and evictions to begin

At the start of 2020, private equity firms were sitting on $2.5 trillion in cash. They call it dry powder, money ready for investment where the quants feel the best ROI awaits. By some estimates, there is now as much as $4 trillion on the sidelines.

The United States needs at least 7 million more affordable housing units than what is available today. Although rents in cities like Seattle have declined by 20% in 2020, property values have skyrocketed. Additionally, just as the moratoriums are ending, rents are increasing across the United States, sometimes dramatically.

Private Equity, institutional investors, and banks are already moving in. In 2019, 6% of single-family homes sold went into the rental market. Today it is 20%, and 25% in cities such as Houston. Blackrock and JP Morgan have been buying up entire neighborhoods, up to 140 homes at a time. Large investors are extending all-cash offers 20% to 50% over the asking price in some areas. The plan is to convert these into rentals.

The ripple effect impacts first-time buyers as it constrains an already tight market that can’t compete with the offers. The price raises existing prices for sale, driving up property taxes, gentrifying neighborhoods. For some, living “van life,” in trailers in special communities, or couch surfing has become the fallback plan.

For millions of Americans who are still paying rent, there is a hidden crisis in 2021. As small landlords lose their properties, these renters will get eviction notices from hedge funds and banks, with no interest in working with them to make sure they don’t end up homeless.

According to the Aspen Institute, 80% of those facing foreclosure and eviction are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color (BIPOC). For white households in America, the average net worth is $170,000, while for Black families, it is $17,000. This inequity can’t be explained away by education, income, or indebtedness. For white Americans, once they become homeowners, five percent will fall back into renting. For Black Americans, the rate is double, at 10%. Black-owned small businesses had limited access to government aid programs, and by August, 40% of all Black-owned small companies had failed.

BIPOC communities are more likely to be “needless delinquent.” Analysts estimate 400,000 American homeowners are eligible for forbearances on their mortgage but are not aware or have been given misinformation from their lender. For some of these struggling homeowners, the damage isn’t foreclosure but the destruction of their credit score. A lower credit score impacts interest rates, insurance premiums and can even be a barrier to getting a job. 

What a $600 billion transfer in wealth looks like

Court systems from Boston to Seattle are bracing for a flood of forclosure and eviction filings. Here too, banks and large corporate property holders will benefit. With more legal resources and free cash to act, their cases will move to the front of the line. Mom and pop landlords will have to track their court cases independently, without a management company to oversee activity. Already facing a cash crunch, they’ll still have to pay court costs and lawyers’ fees, but that will only be the start of their problems.

The average American house has a value of $296,000. If 2 million households get foreclosed in 2021, that represents $600 billion in property dumped into the market. For the 4 million households facing eviction, the looming crisis is even worse. An eviction on a credit report is a barrier to permanent housing, requiring large deposits. They’re facing thousands in debt and potential judgments with interest they can’t pay. An eviction can be a scarlet letter for years, becoming a barrier to buying a car, getting a job, or buying a home.

Although it may appear to be a boom for landlords with 4 million families hitting a rental reset button, this isn’t the case. For many, the door to another rental will be closed. Landlords may evict a family who can’t pay the rent, only to find applications from families who were just evicted.

Millennials in high-paying office jobs fled the rental market in 2020 for the suburbs to escape COVID restrictions and get more space for a home office. Large investors can amortize their investment and use tax vehicles to lower their expenses. Mom and pop landlords will face a further reduction in their passive income, driving even more homes into sale and foreclosure.

Congress has no financial incentive to stop this nightmare. For both parties, lobbies, PACs, and dark money keep congresspersons and senators in their positions of power. For the 40% of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck, there is no lobby to bend representative ears and grease the palms.

The reality is if this financial disaster is not averted, the 6 million households on the brink could be the tip of the iceberg.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Sun, Smoke, and Showers loom as dry streak extends to day 45

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Another heat dome is building in the southwest bringing extreme heat to the western states, with a bump in temperatures for Western Washington coming. The Kirkland-Bellevue- Woodinville area will see nothing like what we had at the end of June, and we are in an era where a 90-degree day in the summer is a “new normal.”

Friday will see our region tickle 90 degrees in the hot spots such as Kingsgate, Totem Lake, and the urban canyons of downtown Bellevue. Cooler spots like Finn Hill, the Houghton Highlands, and right on Lake Washington will be around 88 degrees. East of the Cascades will be much hotter. Spokane is under an Excessive Heat Warning with a high today of 100, 103 on Friday, and 105 on Saturday.

The offshore flow that will start tomorrow will also carry with it smoke from fires burning outside of Winthrop, Washington, and British Columbia. Additionally, the circulation around the high pressure system will pull the smoke up from Oregon. There is nothing in the models to indicate the air quality will get chew or reach dangerous levels, in Western Washington, but unhealthy air is possible for the lowlands on Saturday.

Sunday will cool down due to a combination of events including vertically integrated smoke holding the temperature down, a shift to an onshore flow, and the heat dome moving westward. However, this will also pump moisture into the region making it feel sticky and adding a chance for showers and thunderstorms. The chances are slim right now, and it would require storms to drift off of the Cascades westward into the lowlands.

At 45 days, the dry streak at SeaTac Airport (KSEA) currently sits at 45 days. It seems safe to say at this point that July 2021 will tie July 2017 as the driest month in Seattle history, with just a trace of rain. However, the dry streak has a chance of ending on Sunday. The bad news for firefighters and our parched eastern half of the state is lightning is literally the last thing they need.

The long range forecast shows a growing chance for rain showers through most of next week. There is nothing definite, but I wouldn’t bet against our record streak of 55 dry days in a row falling next week. All it takes is .01 inches of rain at SeaTac Airport to end the streak.

BIPOC, Local, National

York Statue at Mount Tabor Park in Portland destroyed by vandals

Video

[PORTLAND] – (MTN) For the third time since March 2021, the bust of York, a slave that accompanied Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery, was severely damaged by vandals overnight. In the most serious damage to the bust to date, York’s bust was knocked off the pedestal and his face smashed in, shattering the installation. No suspects have been identified and no one has claimed responsibility for the destruction.

https://malcontentment.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/York-Statue-Defaced.mp4
Jeannette K Grode, 43 years old, allegedly vandalizes the statue of york at mount tabor park in portland, oregon

Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to modern-day Fort Clatsop, south of Astoria, Oregon. Among them was a slave by the name of York, who William Clark owned. York became the first African to cross North America and reach the Pacific Coast in known history.

Upon their return, York is said to have asked for his freedom which Clark denied. The historical record of what happened to York after the Corps of Discovery is unclear. Still, many believe he was either sold to a new slaveholder or was granted by Clark to move to Kentucky to be closer to his wife. It is believed he died of cholera.

The monument didn’t always have a bust of York. In 1933 a statue of Harvey W. Scott, the editor-in-chief of The Oregonian and later a principal shareholder, was erected at the summit of Mount Tabor. Scott was venerated after his untimely death in 1910. However, his legacy was already being called into question when his statue was erected 23 years later.

Scott fought in a volunteer militia in the Oregon Territory from 1855 to 1856 against the Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Klickitat first nations. He supported the Union and the new Republican Party editorially during the Civil War while being an outspoken critic of women’s suffrage and public education. On October 20, 2020, his statue was toppled, and in February 2021, replaced by a bust of York by unknown parties.

There are no known drawings or artwork of York, so the bust on Mount Tabor is a representation. The statue was previously vandalized in March 2021, less than a month after its installation. There were no arrests made in that incident.

Jeannette K Grode, 43 years old, vandalized the statue on June 8 while taunting witnesses. She covered the Mount Tabor Park monument in purple spraypaint while telling people to have her arrested and claiming she was racist.

The Portland Police Bureau reported on June 10 that Grode now faces four criminal charges. Criminal Mischief II is the most serious charge, a Class A Misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine. She was also charged with Abuse of Venerated Objects, Unlawful Applying of Graffiti, and Vandalism of Protected Park Property and Vegetation. She was issued citations instead of arrest due to ongoing COVID restrictions limiting bookings.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Nine counties recommend masks again as COVID surges

[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) Skagit County joined eight Western Washington counties today in recommending indoor use of masks for all people, even if they are vaccinated. Eight counties, including Grays Harbor, Callam, Pierce, King, San Juan, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Snohomish released a joint statement on Monday with the recommendation.

The CDC is widely expected to recommend wearing masks in regions with high infection rates today as COVID cases fueled by the Delta and Gamma variants, surges in all 50 states. In a report from Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MD, and epidemiologist, COVID cases have grown 170% in the last 14 days across the United States as tracked by Johns Hopkins University.

The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers and medical professionals projects that the so-called Fourth Wave will peak in October, with daily deaths growing to 850 in the United States as the best case, and as high as 4,000 a day in the worst case. The IHME out of the Univesity of Washington projects a peak in September and the United States entering a new normal for fatalities.

On July 14, Washington state achieved its goal of 70% of eligible residents over 16 years old vaccinated. King County is over 80% vaccinated, but there remains significant gaps in South King County in communities such as Federal Way. The number of new cases per 100K has grown to 107 in Washington state, well above the target of 25.

Acute care and ICU beds remain in short supply throughout Washington due to a number of contributing factors, including COVID. KING 5 reported that emergency rooms across Western Washington are overwhelmed including Harborview Medical Center, the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, where patients are waiting as long as 90 minutes to be unloaded from ambulances.