Fall for fitness
Crossposted from KC Healthy Incentives
Give yourself the gift of staying active this fall and winter. These tips can help you beat the dark, damp days and keep you moving.
Make outdoors safe and fun
- Make sure cars see you. When walking, jogging or biking at dawn, dusk or after dark, wear a reflective vest and a headlamp, or carry a flashlight. The same goes for walking with Fido – put a reflective collar on your dog or have a lighted leash for more visibility.
- Safety first. If you wear earbuds, take one out so you can be aware of your surroundings.
Read more at KC Healthy Incentives
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King County Executive seeks moratorium on Atlantic salmon net pens
Citing the threat to native salmon populations, King County Executive Dow Constantine has called for a six-month moratorium on allowing any new Atlantic fish farming facilities along marine shoreline in unincorporated King County.
“The hundreds of thousands of farmed, invasive Atlantic salmon that spilled into the Salish Sea in August threaten our native fish populations and our way of life,” said Executive Constantine. “Atlantic salmon don’t belong here. Beyond a six month moratorium, we need to ensure these operations can never again pose a threat to indigenous salmon already struggling to survive.”
Read more in the official press release.
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Seahawks Michael Bennett nurturing troubled teens
“It’s our responsibility as human beings to leave this world in a better situation for our kids. And that’s what the real legacy of all this is,” Michael Bennett, Seahawk defensive end, number 72.
This video clip aired last week during ESPN’s pregame show before Monday Night Football. It features Seahawk defensive end Michael Bennett mentoring youth housed at King County’s Juvenile Detention Facility, as well as comments from DAJD Juvenile Division Director Pam Jones and Doug Judge, Assistant Principal for Interagency Academy with Seattle Public Schools. 
Read more at ESPN.com.
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My Story – One World
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving
Story submitted by Beverly Hawkins, King County Assessor’s Office
Listening to NPR, National Public Radio, I heard a story about the Ebola outbreak in Liberia a few years back. It spoke of the brave doctors on the frontline, fighting this horrible affliction. One doctor, after coming down with Ebola, was nursed by his mother in an old plastic raincoat and galoshes used as protective gear. As she nursed him past the worst part, he was airlifted to a hospital funded by Samaritan’s Purse, one of the non-profits that I gave to my first year of pledging many years ago. I was so excited about hearing this story that I called Ms. Kroontje (King County Employee Giving Program Manager) to share in my excitement.
Imagine my surprise, when last week, I heard another story about Samaritan’s Purse rebuilding houses in the Houston Texas area that had been damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Again, here was this marvelous organization stepping up where needed most.
This is why I give because there is OneWorld. OneLove. and I wish for Peace.
Read more stories about why King County employees give through the Employee Giving Program at www.kcemployeegiving.com.
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What we heard in our 2017 Employee Survey
Dear fellow King County employee,
What kind of workplace do you want King County to be? How we can serve our customers better? How can you be your best at work?
Almost 8,350 of you told us about your experiences at King County in our 2017 Employee Survey, and I thank you for taking the time to have your say.
We have now received the results, which show a lot of improvements, as well as some areas where we need to do more work.
Please take a moment to watch this short video on some of the key takeaways from this year’s survey and how we’re acting on your feedback. You can see the full results here (Sharepoint).
Thanks again for helping us make King County work better for you and the nearly 2.2 million people we serve.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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Bloodworks Northwest is holding an Apheresis and Whole Blood Drive, December 1
On Friday, December 1 Bloodworks Northwest is hosting a blood and apheresis drive on the first floor of the Chinook Building, Room 123. The blood drive is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed between 11 to 11:45 a.m.
Additionally, all registered donors will be signed up for the Bleed for the Blue and Green Sweepstakes, possibly winning a chance to meet Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
- To donate apheresis or blood: Make an appointment, click here or call 1-800-398-7888.
- To donate platelets or plasma: Make an appointment, click here or call 1-800-398-7888.
For more information visit www.BloodworksNW.org/drives (Sponsor Code: 6500). Give Blood, it was meant to circulate!
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Social Media Spotlight: Tails from RASKC blog
In 2010, Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) was formed as a partnership between King County and more than two dozen cities to improve animal welfare in our region. Today, RASKC provides services to nearly one million residents living in 25 cities and unincorporated King County. With help from our city partners, more than 100,000 cats and dogs are licensed with RASKC annually. License fees are used to provide animal care and control services and to shelter homeless pets until they get adopted. Our animal services officers cover a territory of more than 1,100 square miles, an area nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island. Our Pet Adoption Center staff and volunteers give thousands of animals each year a second chance by providing quality care while they wait for their “forever home.”
Follow the Tails from RASKC blog today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Featured Job: Wastewater Engineer – Entry
Closing Date/Time: Sun. 12/03/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $34.38 – $43.58 Hourly, $71,510.40 – $90,646.40 Annually
Job Type: Term Limited Temporary, Full Time, 40 hrs/wk
Location: West Point Treatment Plant – 1400 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division
Description: The responsibilities of this classification include providing basic engineering designs, analysis and other functions for new construction projects or modifications/repairs to existing wastewater treatment facilities or assistance in reviewing complex design of large projects. The Wastewater Engineer – Entry, under close supervision from licensed professional engineering staff, will provide basic engineering tasks as assigned and may also act as a technical advisor in the field for a variety of situations as requested, including on-going wastewater construction projects and routine or emergency maintenance of systems and equipment.
Contact: For more information contact Diana Eberly-Shepard at Diana.Eberly-Shepard@kingcounty.gov.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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Your top general election questions answered
Crossposted from the Election Connection
Every election, voters call and email us with a number of questions. Why did I receive a ballot for the previous resident of my home? What do I do if I forgot to put my ballot in the security envelope? But each election fields a few questions specific to the races on that year’s ballot. Here are some of the most frequent questions we heard this election.
- I live in Seattle. Why aren’t any of the city’s candidates on my ballot?
If you live in Seattle and don’t see the city’s candidates on your ballot, it means you live in unincorporated King County. So, although you have a Seattle mailing address, you don’t live within the city limits, which means you don’t vote on city candidates or measures. There are 158,000 registered voters currently residing in unincorporated King County.
Read more at the Election Connection
Employee News 