Plan to be heard!
Do you have a vote plan? Research shows that voters who make a plan to vote are more likely to follow through and make their voices heard. Take a moment today to consider things like where you’ll vote, what pen you’ll use (pro tip: any color is fine!), and what resources you’ll use to research your choices.
If your plan includes returning your ballot by mail, it’s best to get it to a mailbox by Friday, Aug. 1, to be sure it’s postmarked on time.
Prefer a drop box? There are more than 80 official ballot drop boxes around the county. You can find a list and map at kce.wiki/DropBox.
For more information about King County Elections, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.
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Join Metro in upcoming summer parades!
Summer is here—and with it comes the opportunity to show your King County pride in some of the region’s biggest community celebrations! Employees are invited to participate in either (or both!) of the following upcoming parades and events. Participation is completely optional, unpaid, and on your own time.
Whether you join the route or cheer from the sidelines, it’s a fun way to connect with community, coworkers, and share in the spirit of summer.
Upcoming events:
- Seafair Torchlight Parade on Saturday, July 26, from 7:30–10:30 p.m. Starts at Alaskan Way & Broad St. and ends at Alaskan Way and Yesler Way. Employees should arrive by 6:45 p.m. to join the Metro group in the assembly area. See the Torchlight parade map.
- Need a ride to the parade? A Metro bus will pick up participants no later than 4:25 p.m. on 6th Avenue between S. Royal Brougham Way and S. Atlantic Street, across from the employee parking garage. The bus departs promptly at 4:30 p.m. and will return to the same location after the parade ends.
- Africatown Heritage Parade at Umoja Fest on Saturday, Aug. 2, beginning at 1 p.m. Starts at 23rd Avenue and E. Cherry St., and proceeds south to Jackson St.
For these events, bring water and wear comfortable clothing. King County or Metro gear is encouraged if you have it. For more details or questions, email Gerald Freeman at gerald.freeman@kingcounty.gov.
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Firefighters train for real emergencies with rope rescue drill at South Plant
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories
No need for alarm. This is only a drill!
On a recent morning at our South Treatment Plant in Renton, about 30 firefighters and instructors, outfitted with helmets and harnesses, gathered around a service hatch in the Raw Sewage Pump Building to assess a developing situation. What they encountered was the scene of a high-stakes rescue operation. Their air monitors showed that below the first level, the air was unsafe to breathe, and two individuals were unconscious and in need of rescue.
The team quickly got to work, coming up with a plan to keep themselves safe while performing the rescue. Within minutes, ropes stretched across the facility, and supplied air lines were ready to go. Read more.
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Health + Care: A comic strip salutes 10 years of Seattle/King County Clinic
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
It’s been over 10 years since Seattle Center invited Public Health – Seattle & King County to join an ambitious effort to stand-up a massive pop-up clinic. The doors opened to Seattle/King County Clinic in KeyArena in 2014, with free medical, dental and vision care. We didn’t imagine then that it would become the largest community-driven free health clinic of its kind in the United States!
We are enormously proud to be one of the over 100 organizations that continue to make this free healthcare opportunity happen. At the same time, we’re keenly aware that ongoing barriers to healthcare access result in the massive number of patients who depend on Seattle/King County Clinic. At the tenth annual clinic, we talked to organizers, volunteers, and patients about the achievements of this community endeavor and their hopes that one day the clinic will no longer be needed. Right now, that goal seems further away than ever, but incremental change can get us closer. Read more.
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‘First Mariner’ Dan Krehbiel is leaving the helm
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog
Growing up in Alaska, Hawai’i and the Northwest, Dan Krehbiel has been on or near the water most of his life. While working at his parent’s fuel depot in Juneau, Alaska, he thought he could “make a living on the water.”
After decades of piloting tour boats and fast ferries from Trinidad and the Caribbean to Alaska and the Columbia River, an ad in a trade magazine caught his eye: the chance to pilot a passenger ferry system in Seattle.
“I flew down, did the interview and flew back.”
The job was to be the captain of the fledgling King County Ferry District.
After 16 years at the wheel, Dan Krehbiel, “Captain Dan,” the King County Water Taxi’s first boat captain, is getting ready to retire. Part of his legacy is helping grow a passenger-only ferry fleet that has two routes and carries thousands of passengers every day between downtown Seattle, West Seattle and Vashon and Maury Island.
Krehbiel was recognized by Metro, the King County Council and County Executive Shannon Braddock at a ceremony inside council chambers prior to his last day in the wheelhouse, which is Friday, July 25. Read more.
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Balanced You Conversations: Taylor Lee
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being.
Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Program Manager with the Balanced You team, sits down with Taylor Lee, Contract Specialist, King County Airport. They discuss the work he does to help keep the airport running and wellness activities he enjoys like coaching with the Special Olympics powerlifting team!
“Find something you like to do. It makes it easier to fit wellness in your life,” says Taylor Lee.
Check out the video below.
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Modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks, restore river corridors, expand access to outdoor recreation: Executive Braddock announces $31 million in King County Parks Levy grant funding
King County Executive Shannon Braddock today announced her proposal for $31 million in Parks Levy funding that would modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks and trails, restore river corridors, and expand access to outdoor recreation. The King County Parks Levy has generated a combined $88.6 million for community grants since it was approved by voters in August 2019.
Half of the funding would help city- and school-operated aquatic centers make swimming pools more accessible to children and families of all abilities while assisting with electrical, plumbing, and heating upgrades. City parks throughout King County would be able to add amenities, such as new spray parks in Kent and Seattle and a canoe launch along the Duwamish River in Tukwila. It would also make it possible for more young people to enjoy healthy after-school and summer activities, particularly in underserved communities.
Executive Braddock’s proposal is subject to approval by the King County Council. Read more.
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King County at the 2025 Ragnar Relay
For the eighth time since 2016, King County runners showed up at the start line of the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage at International Peace Arch Park. They continued the relay along 189 miles to the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in Langley, on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12.
With members from the King County Assessor’s Office, the Executive Office, the Department of Executive Services, Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, King County Information Technology, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and the Department of Community and Human Services, each runner took on three legs over 32 hours in the sun-drenched hot temperatures for this annual event.
If you are interested in learning about the Ragnar Race, contact Al Dams at al.dams@kingcounty.gov or Seth Watson at seth.watson@kingcounty.gov to be added to the distribution list.
If you are interested in the Ragnar Rainier Trail Relay on Aug. 22-23, email Angel Sanchez at ansanchez@kingcounty.gov, or Jasmine Anderson at jaanderson@kingcounty.gov.
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Summer Mindfulness schedule from Balanced You
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment—free from distraction or judgment. It’s a proven method to reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being. Balanced You partners with mindfulness providers CuriosityBased, SolJoy, and Mindfulness Northwest.
The new summer schedule is here! Check it out here.
Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with the Mindfulness summer 2025 schedule to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
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Sign up for ballot alerts
Visit kce.wiki/BallotAlert to receive a text or email when King County Elections (KCE) has received your ballot back at Elections Headquarters, and when your signature has been verified.
KCE will send you a reminder to vote before Election Day, and an alert if there’s any issue with your signature.
Ballot alerts are the best way to track your ballot through every part of the process! Sign up today at kce.wiki/BallotAlert.
For more information about King County Elections, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.
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