Understanding the MMR vaccine
We now have confirmed cases of measles in King County and surrounding counties. Ensuring you and your family are vaccinated against measles is an important way to protect yourself and others. Read on for information on why the MMR vaccine is important, who needs the MMR vaccine, and where they can be vaccinated.
What makes measles so dangerous?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles isn’t just about a fever and a rash; it’s a serious disease. Complications can include pneumonia and brain injury. Children under 5 are especially at risk. Read more.
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Welcome Rebecca Singer, new Solid Waste Division Director
Crossposted from the DNRP newsletter
On April 28, Rebecca Singer will start her role as the new Division Director for the Solid Waste Division. Rebecca is a visionary leader committed to achieving ambitious goals in protecting public health and enhancing environmental quality, all while steering towards a sustainable future.
Most recently, Rebecca served as the Operations Section Manager in the Wastewater Treatment Division. As the new Solid Waste Division Director, Rebecca will oversee both day-to-day operations and long-term waste management strategies. She will play a key role in advancing equity and racial justice while fostering collaboration across the division, as well as with our regional partners and labor unions.
Chris Stubbs has stepped in as Acting Solid Waste Division Director to ensure continuity in the division’s work and support a smooth transition.
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WSDOT e-bike rebate program coming April 9
Attention King County employees, Washington state is preparing to launch WE-bike, an instant rebate program that helps Washington residents purchase certain cycling equipment and electric bicycles, also called e-bikes. On April 9, people across the state will be able to apply online for one of these instant rebates. The programs ends the morning of Wednesday, April 23. More than $4 million is available for instant rebates of either $300 or $1,200 per person, depending on income qualifications.
Interested residents can visit the WE-Bike program website ahead of April 9 to check eligibility, learn about qualifying e-bikes and retailers and familiarize themselves with the application process. View the website here: WE-Bike WSDOT E-Bike Rebate Program.
If you have questions about the WSDOT e-bike incentive program or the application process, visit wsdot.wa.gov, email EBikesWSDOT@aptim.com, or call 1-833-909-4222.
For more information about this program and other employee transportation programs, visit kingcounty.gov/ETP.
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Now recruiting! King County Metro Equity Cabinet
Crossposted from Metro Matters
King County Metro needs new members to join our Mobility Equity Cabinet to help us shape our transit policies, plans and programs. We value your thoughts and opinions!
Members of the cabinet will:
- Gain a deep understanding of Metro as an organization, its guiding policies, services, operations and decision making.
- Build and strengthen connections in their communities, learn and share about their community’s history, assets, needs and priorities around transit.
- Shape Metro initiatives and policy updates by collaborating and advising us on key initiatives and policy updates.
We are seeking applicants who live, work or regularly visit King County, or use King County Metro services. Read more.
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DAJD manager supports Little Leaguers at Mariners Opening Day
By Noah Haglund, DAJD Communications Specialist IV
Seattle Central Little League joined the Mariners Opening Day festivities on March 27, having the honor of saying the two most important words in baseball: Play ball!
The league was represented by 70 young people alongside its Coach and President Aaron Parker, who also serves as director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s (DAJD) Community Corrections Division.
This unforgettable moment before first pitch was a highlight for local players, coaches, and families, as they helped start the Major League Baseball season
Seattle Central Little League is proud to call Garfield Playfield its home field. The league is made up of over 400 baseball and softball players, ranging in age from 4 to 14, who come together to learn, grow, and enjoy the game. Read more.
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Have your say in the Employee Engagement Survey
The Employee Engagement Survey is in full swing and now through April 21 eligible King County employees (all Executive Branch employees, employees in King County Elections, King County Assessor’s Office, and King County Council who have worked at the county for at least three months prior to the survey and are not an intern or on an STT assignment) are encouraged to share their feedback.
Look for an email from kcsurvey@qualtrics-research.com and noreply@qemailserver.com with your custom link to complete the survey. If you did not receive the survey email, please check your email junk or “Other” inbox. If you still cannot find the email, please reach out to your department’s Engagement Champion or contact employeeexperience@kingcounty.gov.
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King County Security Tips – Malvertising
Visit any website these days and it’s very likely that you will be viewing ads as well. Sometimes these ads can be tempting, with many offering sales, promotions, or freebies to attract more clicks. Ads on certain websites can even be targeted specifically to you based on past browsing history, making you even more likely to click!
Remember this: Just because you are on a reputable, well-known website, it does not mean that the ads on the website are safe to click as well.
How adspace can become infected: Advertisers do not sell their ads to websites one at a time. Websites that want to make money sell their advertising space to an ad network. Advertisers sign contracts with that ad network which then displays the ads on the participating websites. The ad network sits in the middle between the advertisers and the websites and manages the traffic and the payments.
Cybercriminals can take advantage of this system by fooling the ad networks into thinking they are a legit advertiser, but the ads which are displayed on major websites can be poisoned. If you browse to a page with a poisoned ad on it, that is enough to run the risk your PC will be encrypted with ransomware, which can hold your computer or your entire network hostage until you pay the cybercriminal a ransom.
Tips to prevent the effect of harmful ads:
- Disable Adobe Flash on your computer – or at least set the Adobe Flash plug-in to “click-to-play” mode – which can block the automatic infections.
- Keep up-to-date with all the security patches and install them as soon as they come out.
- Download and install a reputable ad blocker plug-in for your browser. These prevent the ads from being displayed in your browser to start with. These ad blockers are getting very popular with hundreds of millions of people using them.
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Employee discounts to Parade, at The 5th Avenue Theatre
King County employees can take advantage of a 25% discount to attend the Tony Award winning, Best Revival of a Musical, PARADE playing at The 5th Avenue Theatre, from April 16 through May 4.
This North American touring production of the Broadway musical is filled with soaring music and with a timely and heart-wrenching story. To book directly through the website, visit
5thavenue.org/seacity or go to the CALENDAR section of the website and enter promo code: SEACITY to purchase tickets.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount intranet page.
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Meditation and mindfulness resources for King County employees
Meditation and mindfulness are techniques used to reduce stress by encouraging a heightened sense of awareness and focused attention. Both approaches share many of the same tools to promote mind and body practices that increase calmness and physical relaxation and enhance overall well-being.
There are several meditation and mindfulness resources available for King County employees. Balanced You encourages you to explore these resources to find ones that work for you.
Making Life Easier (MLE) Toolkit
This meditation toolkit from Making Life Easier (MLE) includes tips sheets, guided videos and audio exercises, and additional resources. Read more.
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DAJD recruiters pioneer comic book-style approach
By Noah Haglund, DAJD Communications Specialist IV
To attract the next generation of officers at King County jails, the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s (DAJD) recruitment team is trying out a novel form of storytelling.
“On the Job” uses a comic book-style to show the journey of three wayward young people who tour a jail, meet COs, and overturn their assumptions about working in corrections. By the end, they are ready to apply to work as corrections officers.
Created in collaboration with LA-based Hero Projects, “On the Job” was published online in March. Hard copies are due to reach DAJD’s Human Resources Section in early April. Read more.
Employee News 