Social Media Spotlight: King County Rivers Facebook
In King County we are surrounded by water, including 119 miles of rivers: from the Green-Duwamish to the White; from the Cedar to the Sammamish; and from the Snoqualmie to the Tolt, Raging and Skykomish rivers.
Follow King County Rivers on Facebook today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Share this:
Featured Job: Heavy Duty Diesel Mechanic (Transit Mechanic)
Closing Date/Time: Tue. 05/31/16 4:30 PM
Salary: $32.44 – $36.04 Hourly
Location: Multiple locations in King County
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Division: Department of Transportation – Transit Division
Description: In Vehicle Maintenance there is no such thing as a normal day. This position is responsible for the maintenance and repair of heavy-duty diesel industrial automotive engines, trolleys, coaches, and other vehicles operated by Metro Transit. Providing mechanic services is a career with meaning. king County Metro Transit is a regional leader in helping people move quickly throughout the region, reducing commuter stress, greening the environment and radically improving urban air quality, by providing comfortable, effective transit services for the thousands of commuters and other residents of King County, Washington. Working for Metro means working for a leader in this public transportation industry.
Learn more about this position or view all available jobs.
Share this:
Kudos! Helpful and considerate Metro driver praised by rider
This Metro driver went the extra mile to help riders with questions and directions.
Kudos to this driver and others who continue to provide excellent customer service!
Share this:
Environmental Protection Agency recognizes asthma program’s leadership
The King County Asthma Program has made a huge impact for people with asthma living in King County.
Crossposted from the KC Public Health Insider blog
On May 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the King County Asthma Program as a recipient of the 2016 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management. The award honors local asthma programs for leadership in improving the lives of people with asthma, especially those in underserved communities.
Asthma is a respiratory disease that makes breathing difficult. Nine percent of adults and five percent of children in King County have asthma, a chronic disease that can seriously impact quality of life and increase risk of death when left untreated.
Read more at KC Public Health Insider blog
Share this:
ESJ fairs to showcase how we’re addressing equity
Achieving equity and social justice doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes thoughtful intention, a willingness to honestly evaluate our practices, a spirit of innovation, and persistence in the face of obstacles. Throughout King County, committed employees have not shied away from the challenge. In every department, concrete actions are underway to further equity and social justice in how we do business, how we work with the communities we serve, and how we interact with one another.
You can find out about these efforts at one of three Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Fairs held during the month of May. The fairs will be a fun and informal opportunity for fellow employees from across the King County departments to showcase their ESJ activities and results, and for all staff to share information in order to learn from each other, stimulate additional actions, and inform future work efforts.
Employees at last year’s Equity and Social Justice Fair.
The large and enthusiastic turnout at the first ESJ Fair held last year in the Chinook Building prompted the organizers to offer fairs at three County locations this year, making it possible for more employees to attend:
- May 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. King Street Center, 8th Floor Conference Room
- May 16, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Chinook Building, Conference Rooms 121/123
- May 24, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Maleng Regional Justice Center, Rotunda
Please plan to join us for what promises to be an energizing and inspirational celebration!
Share this:
Spring – a natural time for lawns
Use Natural Yard Care tips to create and keep a lush, healthy lawn. This season start mowing about 2 inches high for most lawns, and switch your blade to mulch mow, which chops the leaves into fine clippings for free fertilizer. For lawns in poor condition: aerate, overseed, and top-dress with 1/2 inch of compost.
Kasey Keller, Hall of Fame soccer player appreciates that Puget Sound Starts Here with every lawn. Watch his and the new how-to videos at naturalyardcare.info.
Brought to you by STORM (Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities) a coalition of cities and counties.
Share this:
May is Puget Sound Starts Here month
May is dedicated to appreciating the streams, lakes and stormwater drains that connect everyone with Puget Sound. Puget Sound Starts Here has programs that get people involved in habitat restoration and preventing water pollution. Cities, counties and nonprofits have hundreds of local programs and events lined up at PugetSoundStartsHere.org.
Join us at Puget Sound Starts Here Night at the Mariners (Safeco Field) – May 14, 6:10 PM game against the Angels and visit our booths. Tickets are $15 View Level, $32 Main Level; Deadline to purchase: Friday, May 13 – 5:00 p.m.. Get a pair of Mariners/Puget Sound Starts Here sunglasses when you get a ticket through the special online offer at Mariners.com/PugetSound. See your name on the scoreboard if you have a groups of 20 or more!
Brought to you by STORM (Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities) with funding from Ecology.
Share this:
Trade industries fair highlights the ‘other’ four-year college
The Women in Trades Fair offers information from every field, including King County Metro.
For more than 35 years, the Women in Trades Fair has helped young women (and some young men) learn about career opportunities in diverse industries from transportation and utilities to maintenance, energy, and more. The event is held every spring at the Seattle Center, and is attended by more than 1,000 people.
Over 80 exhibitors are featured at the fair, providing workshops, first-hand learning opportunities, career information and resources. Notable exhibitors have included Seattle Pipe Trades, Pacific Northwest Ironworkers, and last year’s first place exhibition winner, King County Wastewater Treatment Division. The Fair is a great way to meet people in the trades and build connections for a future career.
“The Fair is where we can plant the seed for a different opportunity,” said Linda Romanovitch, Carpenter Foreman for King County Executive Services Facilities Management Division. “It gives people a place to say ‘Oh yeah, I think I’ll check that out.’”
Share this:
Vets 4 HIRE, a bridge from military to civilian employment
King County employees and recent participants in the Vets 4 HIRE Program.
The King County Vets 4 HIRE (Heroes In Reintegration Experiences) Fellowship Program was created to support military personnel and veterans in making a successful transition to civilian employment. The Program goal is to provide veterans with valuable hands-on, practical experience to increase their competitiveness for King County and other civilian positions.
The Program started in response to President Obama’s 2012 plans to downsize the military. King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn and others motioned for the Human Resources Division to explore creating an internship program for veterans.
“A disproportionate unemployment rate exists among Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts,” said Dunn, prime sponsor of the Motion. “King County should help to provide our veterans the opportunity to apply the skills they acquired in our nation’s armed forces—skills which would benefit not only King County, but any employer in our region.”
Share this:
From the Hip: Lorinda Youngcourt, Director, Department of Public Defense
A promising program helps young people take charge of their lives
As public defenders, we’re often representing people who have already experienced considerable trauma in their lives, people in need of much more than a good criminal defense lawyer. We represent people who are homeless and mentally ill, who are poor and jobless, who have few resources and little support.
That’s why I’m so pleased when we’re able to take steps that help to address some of the underlying issues that bring a person into the criminal justice system. And one such program just got a new lease on life. ROYAL – Raising Our Youth as Leaders – was started several years ago by the Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons, a former public defense agency and now a division within the Department of Public Defense. After a six-month hiatus, during which we retooled the program, ROYAL is once again ready to address one of our most pressing needs – supporting youth of color who are considered at high-risk of reoffending.
Employee News 