Category Archives: Local

BIPOC, LGBTQIA, Local

Racist incident at Edmonds Bar spills over into social media storm

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[EDMONDS, Wash] – (MTN) A racist incident caught on camera at an Edmonds, Washington bar on Saturday has created a social media firestorm, catching an innocent business owner in its net. Karlos Dillard, is an author, activist, and foster care advocate who moved to Seattle in 2015 according to his online bio. On Saturday he was eating at Engel’s Pub in Edmonds at their outdoor dining area when another customer accosted him asking, “are you going to pay for your drinks because you can’t get them for free,” according to Dillard. Dillard’s husband was inside at the time picking up their food, and a credit card had been left with the bartender.

In a second video, viewed over 1.2 million times, Dillard is apparently talking to an employee of Engels, which is surprised and empathetic over what happened. According to the person who is not in the video, they discuss how leaving a credit card at the bar wasn’t a requirement.

Internet sleuths thought they had identified the man who started the incident as Dean Worthy, of Seattle, Washington. They were wrong, and now Worthy, along with his business Dean’s Home Repair is caught in the crossfire. “I’ve received over 250 phone calls this morning,” Worthy said. “I’ve been getting death threats, and they are leaving terrible reviews about my business that I worked so hard to build.”

Worthy has a passing resemblance to the man in the video, but that’s where the similarities end. Worthy and his girlfriend were nowhere near Edmonds on Saturday, as he spoke from a car show in Everett this morning. “I have over 200 one-star Yelp reviews, and I want everyone to know I’m not the man in the video.”

Dillard reported in a third video along with comments on the Internet that the staff of Engel’s Pub was supportive and not involved in the incident. As for Dillard’s calm demeanor, many commenters stated they would have taken stronger action in the situation. “I have a lot to lose,” said Dillard. “My career is just taking off. I’m young, I’m cute, I’m sexy, and I have a lot to live for. Hit a white man in a predominately white city and see what happens to you. You have to respond like me, or you don’t have a life.”

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

24 days later, King County is asking you to mask up – again

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[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) With COVID cases climbing in King County and 90% of detected COVID cases are “variants of concern,” King County health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin is recommending to mask up once again.

“I know this is frustrating and disappointing to many,” said Duchin. “It certainly is to me. I didn’t want to be in this position. And I acknowledge that the changing communication on masking has been a real problem nationally.”

King County is one of the most vaccinated counties in the country, where 80.3% of residents 12 and over have at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Despite those numbers, 700,000 residents of King County remain unvaccinated including the young and the immunocompromised.

On June 28, the county was logging 56 new COVID cases a day. The count has climbed to 171, a 294% increase. Test positivity had dropped to as low as 1.2% but is now up to 4.1%. That is still within an acceptable range and indicates adequate testing, but the sharp increase in just 3 weeks is concerning to health officials.

Statewide, 9.4% of all ICU patients have COVID, moving closer to the 10% red light metric.

Hospitals in King County are near capacity – but not due to COVID

The Washington State Department of Health is reporting that 90.8% of all acute care beds and 88.7% of ICU beds are occupied in King County. Normally during this time of the year utilization would be 60% to 80%. As of July 22, only 2.6% of acute care beds and 5.4% of ICU beds have COVID patients. The problem? Area hospitals are overflowing with accident and trauma patients and patients that had elective surgeries delayed last year are moving through the system.

To the south in Thurston County, there are so many traumas and accidents 911 and ambulances are overwhelmed creating service delays.

Growing concern over Delta, Lambda, and Gamma variants

The Delta variant, B1671.2 from India, now makes up 83% of all cases in the United States. Two different studies found that Delta produces 1000% to 1200% more virus load than the original COVID strain. Neither study has been peer reviewed, however, both independent reports reached similar conclusions. The variant is 200% to 225% more transmissible than the original variant and has an R0 estimated to be 3.5 to 4.0 among unvaccinated populations according to Yale University.

Lambda has been identified in approximately 700 patients in the United States in the last 14 days. The South American variant appears to be less transmissible than Delta, so it likely won’t get established within the population. In South America, Lambda is over 9% fatal, but researchers believe this may be to lower quality healthcare, and only the sickest patients getting tested.

In Illinois, Gamma is the dominant variant with cases detected in Texas and Washington. According to a CDC study released this week, Gamma is showing a “strikingly high attack rate among persons vaccinated.” The report added, “Such a low vaccine efficiency against infection by the Gamma variant was not expected.”

Skeptic Republican leaders appeal to get vaccinated

In the last week, Steve Scalise (LA-R), House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY-R), and Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (AL-R) have appealed for constituents to get vaccinated. Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the county while in Louisiana, hospitals are becoming overwhelmed.

Delta, Lambda, and Gamma all appear to break through the currently available vaccinations to varying degrees. However, data indicates that almost all breakthrough cases is asymptomatic or mild. In June, the National Institute of Health reported over 99% of all COVID-related deaths were among unvaccinated patients.

According to the White House, vaccination rates are starting to increase in some of the states hardest hit by the fourth wave.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

BREAKING: Man charged with felony hate crime for death threats against BIPOC students at Marysville Pilchuck High School

[EVERETT, Wash] – (MTN) Snohomish County Prosecutors have charged Benjamin Richey, 20, of Lake Stevens, Washington with a felony hate crime for posting an apparent handgun in a Snapchat post with the caption, “killing minorities soon.” In a report in the Everett Herald, the former Marysville Pilchuck High School student is no stranger to the police. Charging documents indicate he has been investigated previously for hiring racial slurs at People of Color. Richey is the adult child of a Marysville Police Officer at the time of the January 28, 2021 incident.

On December 14, 2020, in an Associated Student Body Junior Leadership virtual meeting, things took an ugly turn for Marysville Pilchuck High School students. Two students during a Zoom meeting stated, “let’s kill all Black people,” and then went on to identify several Black students by name in the call.

A criminal investigation followed, and Marysville police interviewed two impacted Black families. According to police and a press release from the NAACP, one family stated they did not want to pursue charges. The two students that made the statements received suspensions from school and were transferred to a different facility.

On January 28, 2021, a different student came forward and provided images of Snapchat conversations. In one of the screenshots, one of the students involved in the December incident was brandishing a handgun with the caption, “killing minorities soon.” The student who reported this went on to state this wasn’t the first time this type of comment was made.

During the investigation, Richey told the police it was a joke. Students, faculty, and civic leaders didn’t interpret the incident that way, and the phone that was used was the same one involved in the December 14, 2020 incident.

Marysville Pilchuck High School was the site of a 2014 shooting that left five dead, including the perpetrator. Prosecutors argue in charging documents that, given this history, it was reasonable to fear harm from the social media threat.

On March 27, impacted families, the Snohomish County NAACP, and civic leaders called upon the Marysville School District and Snohomish County Prosecutors to take action against the threats.

OUR COVERAGE AND FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR. JANICE GREENE OF THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY NAACP

Richey will be appearing in court on a summons for arraignment on August 5. He is not allowed to possess or has access to firearms, he cannot contact Marysville Pilchuck High School, or violate any other laws as a condition of his release.

Local

King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance program still has aid available for renters

[SEATTLE, Wash] – The situation for landlords and renters have become cloudy again as COVID cases start to grow. Another crisis is looming that we wrote about in December as multiple federal aid programs are coming to an end in the next 45 to 90 days. The economic downturn brought on by the lingering pandemic has left tens of thousands of individuals and families unable to pay rent or cover mortgages and taxes on rental property and are living on the brink of homelessness.

To meet as much of this need as possible, King County is administering a 2021 Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program (EPRAP) to pay back rent and keep thousands of households safe and stable in their homes.

A total of $145 million is available to assist households in need and on July 16, King County announced that $4.3 million had been distributed. To be eligible, a renter must:

  • Be a resident of King County
  • Have a lease or proof of regular rental payments
  • Have a household income at or below 50 percent of the Average Median Income
  • Have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19.

The program also had funds allocated to support landlords. Applicants have exhausted those funds. The program was designed to pay not only all rent unpaid as far back as January, but additionally, pay up to three months in advance with a maximum of 12 months of back and front rent paid.

The program was built on the foundations of the 2020 EPRAP response, which assisted 9,073 households and distributed $47.6 million. A smaller program has continued operating this year and since February 2021 has spent $16.5 million to keep 1,500 households stable as the larger 2021 program comes online.

A lesson learned from 2020, was to create a hub and spoke model to make funds more readily accessible. Designed with input from the community, the new Hub and Spoke program will offer another path into rental assistance by empowering community-based agencies to enroll individuals and families they already serve in their community into EPRAP. Organizations such as 4 Tomorrow are supporting the community in English and Spanish by phone and through its website.

King County residents who need rent assistance can contact the King County Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program by going to the Tenant Portal. Assistance in 29 languages is also available from the main page.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Juanita Beach swim area closed due to high bacterial levels

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – Juanita Beach is closed as of July 21, 2021, for at least one week due to elevated bacteria levels.

Water quality staff from the King County Water and Land Resources Division tested the water on Tuesday, July 20, and found that the levels of bacteria on the eastern shore of the beach exceeded the thresholds for bacteria based on the average of the last three tests. King County crews will return to the beach next week to collect further samples. The beach at Juanita Beach Park will reopen when bacteria levels return to a safe range.

People and pets should not swim, drink lake water, or engage in other water activities at Juanita Beach.

Signs will be posted to indicate that the beach is closed. City lifeguards will be onsite during the closure to communicate with beachgoers and provide information.

For additional details, visit King County’s Lake Swimming Beach Data webpage.

BIPOC, Local, National

Despite pledge to crack down, white power items still for sale on Amazon

[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) Online retailer Amazon continues to wrestle with items for sale that embolden white nationalism with dozens of vendors selling “white privilege” cards. The cards of the same design declare, “White Privilege Card Trump’s Everything,” and are described as “inspirational” by sellers.

Although some may consider it humorous on the surface, two men in California have been indicted for conspiracy to destroy by fire or explosive a building used or in affecting interstate commerce. One of the men carried the same white privilege card for sale on Amazon.

The unfounded belief the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump allegedly inspired Ian Rogers and Jarrod Copeland to hatch a plot to blow up the Democratic Party Headquarters in Sacramento, California.

When investigators searched Rogers’ house in January, he allegedly had five pipe bombs, which court documents say were live. They also reportedly seized between 45 and 50 firearms, including at least three fully automatic weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Amazon has come under fire for selling Nazi memorabilia and white supremacist items as far as 2018. As recently as last year, Amazon said they would not sell these types of products.

Amazon’s published policies for Offensive and Controversial materials state that “products that promote intolerance based on race, religion, and sexual orientation” cannot be sold on the platform. Despite this policy, multiple sellers were offering one-day Amazon Prime delivery, and at least one was offering a coupon promotion. 

Breaking News, Local

DNR land closing in Eastern Washington due to extreme fire risk

[CHELAN, Wash] The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is temporarily closing all recreational and public access to DNR-managed lands in eastern Washington beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 23.

This temporary closure will apply to DNR-managed state lands, conservation areas, community forests, and any associated roads, trails, campgrounds, recreational sites, or recreational facilities.

“This summer is smashing all our records and leaving the state bone dry, leaving eastern Washington to face an ongoing, tremendous risk of wildfire,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, the elected official who oversees DNR.

In the most recent update to the US Drought Monitor – parts of Eastern Washington under under “exceptional drought” conditions for the first time in 20 years

“Our firefighters are already stretched thin fighting major fires across our state. We must take reasonable steps – and make sacrifices – in order to protect them and our communities.”

DNR decided to close recreational and public access to its managed lands in eastern Washington based on a number of factors, including current extreme hot and dry conditions, a forecast that shows no meaningful precipitation in the near future, current fuel loads, and a concern for public safety.

After a late-June heat wave that shattered many all-time temperature records across Washington, the vast majority of the state is currently in a drought emergency. Additionally, the number of fire ignitions in the state is approximately double the 10-year average, with months of fire season still to go. In all areas of eastern Washington, fire danger is at very high or extreme levels.

The decision to close recreation and all public access on DNR-managed lands east of the Cascades is in addition to the burn ban that Commissioner Franz enacted earlier this month on the 13 million acres of forestlands under DNR fire protection. The burn ban will remain in effect through at least September 30. Campfires also remain banned on DNR-managed lands statewide due to ongoing fire danger.

DNR joins the Umatilla National Forest and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in closing lands in eastern Washington to public access.

Anyone who spots a wildfire should call 911 to report it as soon as possible. DNR joins the Umatilla National Forest and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in closing lands in eastern Washington to public access.

Washington has had over 900 wildfires in 2021 that have burned more than 140,000 acres.

Washington State Parks are not impacted, however, state parks are under a burn ban.

Breaking News, Local

BREAKING: Prosecutors drop felony charges against 11-year old autistic child

[EVERETT, Wash] – (MTN) According to the family, charges stemming from a May 17 incident between an 11-year old child with significant autism and two Snohomish County Sheriff Deputies were dropped by prosecutors. The child, who we are not naming, was charged with two counts of assault 3. The police report never mentioned the child’s impairment and listed her as being 12 years old, not 11. In Washington state the age of culpability is 8 years old, however, the court must prove that a juvenile who is 8 to 11 years old is capable of understanding their actions and the potential consequences.

Last week we reported that an altercation with the child involving a school bus driver and an assistant resulted in a 911 call when she boarded the bus to go to school. When Snohomish County deputies arrived, the child was in the home with her mother, Lori Helmy. Deputies claim that the child charged at them, kicking one in the groin. The report says, “Due to [the child’s] size, it did not cause Deputy Watts to be immobilized.”

The report goes on to say the child struggled with both officers, called them “animals” and “pigs,” and said if she had a knife, “she would stab them with it.” The report adds, “Deputy Watts and Deputy Carson both did not have marks from the assault on them, but both had transient pain well after the incident.” 

In addition to the questions raised about age of culpability per Washington law, medical records released to Malcontent News show the child has significant impairment due to autism.

A report from Northwest Neuropsychology Learning and Behavioral Services of Bellevue from February 25, 2020, concludes that there is a “significant issue with perceptual reasoning” and “significant sensory issues that include easily hyper aroused which triggers dysregulation.” The report further states that she is “severely impaired in all aspects of community living.”

Despite the police report having her stated age wrong and her established medical history, Snohomish County prosecutors initially moved forward with the felony charges.

Local

Oops! I did it again! Truckbane the truck eating bridge has a nighttime feeding

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) Kirkland’s media darling, tourist attraction, and infamous truck eating bridge claimed another victim early Monday morning. Around 2 AM local residents reported hearing the telltale crash and scraping noises of yet another victim of the homicidal structure.

The driver tried for two hours to extract the truck, which struck the eastbound side before Kirkland Police showed up around 4 AM. A heavy-duty wrecker excised the latest meal from Truckbane’s jaws around 5 AM. This is the fourth truck to strike the bridge in three weeks.

Nighttime feedings are rare for Truckbane, which prefers to hunt during daylight hours.

Last Saturday a group of citizens did a banner drop on the westbound side. The community effort caught the attention of the local TV NBC affiliate KING 5, and the magazine CDL Today. In December of 2020, the city added a dozen signs to warn drivers of the truck eating bridge. The bridge’s location, architecture, and the traffic on Kirkland Way create a unique set of traffic engineering challenges.

Photo credit: Debbie Smith McLeod

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

CDC moves Washington state up to “substantial transmission” as COVID cases skyrocket nationwide

[SEATTLE, Wash] – (MTN) COVID cases are increasing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as the Delta variant of COVID rapidly spreads through the unvaccinated population. The South and Central Midwest show the most significant increases, with hospitals in Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana strained by caseloads.

COVID cases are up 140% nationally in the last seven days and are showing exponential growth. Only Vermont, one of the highest vaccinated states in the country and predominantly rural, is the only state with a low transmission rate. Tennessee has seen cases increase 340%, Massachusetts 261%, and Alabama 257%. Florida is trending 6,500 new cases a day, 21% of all new infections in the United States.

Hospitalizations, which is a lagging indicator of infections, are up 34% nationally. Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, and Nevada have more hospitalized COVID patients than the third wave over the winter and early spring of 2021.

Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, joined Los Angeles County in California, mandating masks for all residents and visitors. Governor Jay Inslee of Washington has said the state would not be moving forward with a renewed mask mandate. The CDC recently moved Washington state to “substantial transmission of COVID” in its latest weekly update.

The Delta variant of COVID originated in India. It brought the medical infrastructure of the nation of one billion to the brink of collapse. Officials wrestled with shortages of Oxygen, ventilators, and fuel to cremate the victims. 

In a non-peer-reviewed study of 167 patients infected with the Delta variant, viral load was 1000% higher than previous variants. Another study found the viral load to be 1200% higher, adding more weight to the first study. The increased viral load indicates that Delta is 225% more transmissible. In the United States, Delta now accounts for 58% of infections.

Another challenge facing health officials is some states moved away from reporting daily COVID data. Many believe infections numbers are worse. In Texas, for example, most COVID tests are happening at hospitals when patients are arriving much sicker than with previous strains. Many states, including Washington, converted testing sites to vaccination sites, making it more challenging to get tested.

Wall Street reacted negatively to the news of the “fourth wave.” The Dow Jones was down over 900 points, and the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil dropped almost 6% to $67.28 a barrel. Concerns over the economy slowing down again while most social safety nets related to COVID are ending were causing the retreat.

King County is offering free transportation to get vaccinated and is even offering free childcare for vaccination appointments and the recuperation period for those still unvaccinated.

Although side effects are mild, many have reported feeling fatigued, experiencing headaches, and having brain fog 24 to 48 hours after the second dose for a day or two. The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been reported to have lesser side effects, but that evidence is anecdotal.

Vaccine hesitancy still is holding along political lines. Twenty-eight percent of Republicans and 20% of Independents have stated they will not get vaccinated. The survey also indicated 50% reporting they who would not get vaccinated were taking a wait and see approach and were somewhat likely or likely to get vaccinated in the future.

If you or a family member needs to get vaccinated in King County, you can visit the Getting Vaccinated King County page on the Public Health website.