King County employees receive 20% off by using this link for select seats/dates. For VIP packages and groups of 10+, contact Michael.Ciaccia@cirquedusoleil.com for details + added savings.
Off-duty King County Metro bus driver honored for heroism
This article and video originally appeared on “Seattle Refined.”
When one King County Metro driver’s heart attack sent a bus down an embankment, an off-duty colleague intervened to save the driver and the passengers.
King County Metro Bus Operator Chyee Howell was driving the family car with two of her children and her niece on July 12 when they first noticed a Metro bus that had gone off the road. The bus was partly on its side and had come to a stop midway down a ravine with the vehicle’s engine still running.
With no one else yet at the scene, Howell didn’t hesitate to act. Read more.
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Seattle Kraken hockey discounts for upcoming games
King County employees can now take advantage of discounted tickets to see the Seattle Kraken hockey team. Discounts are available for several upcoming games, now through Jan. 30. View upcoming games here, and use promo code SEACITY to purchase.
See all available employee discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
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Cirque du Soleil KOOZA at Marymoor Park, Jan. 19 – Mar. 16, 2025
Cirque du Soleil returns to Marymoor Park with KOOZA, a show that combines two circus traditions: acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.
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King County biologists report the strongest return of Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon in a decade, a possible breakthrough after a near extinction
King County biologists recently reported the strongest return of adult kokanee salmon in the Lake Sammamish watershed in a decade, a potential breakthrough for the freshwater species after nearly going extinct a few years ago.
At least 6,800 adult kokanee salmon have returned from the lake to their spawning ground this season after 10 years of alarmingly low returns, including just 19 salmon returning to spawn during the 2017-2018 season. The strong return occurred six years after King County Executive Dow Constantine directed the Department of Natural Resources and Parks to enact emergency actions recommended by partners to prevent the possible extinction of a salmon population that is important to the region’s history and habitat. Read more.
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Brothers close out family tradition with their retirements
Cross-posted from the DAJD Employee News
Officers Jim and Mike Breiner, who followed their father into a corrections career, are both retiring with 30 years of service. But not before passing on their knowledge to the next generation of officers. Read more.
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Aerospace manufacturer thinks globally but acts locally to protect Puget Sound waters
Originally published by the King County Wastewater Treatment Division
To those who pass by, Skills Inc. may seem like just another grey building tucked behind Auburn’s mile-long dealership row. Inside, the company is quietly making its mark contributing to western Washington’s cluster of innovation in commercial aerospace.
The work of manufacturing and finishing wings, landing gear, side panels, and other aerospace parts involves the use of heavy metals and caustic chemicals. While Skills Inc.’s finished products end up all over the world, the company has a responsibility locally to keep Puget Sound and its surrounding waters clean. King County Wastewater Treatment’s Industrial Waste Program makes sure that happens.
“A lot of wastewater comes from local industries,” says Dana Heinz, a King County industrial waste compliance investigator. “And we closely work with King County’s many industrial users like Skills Inc. to make sure that harmful pollutants to our treatment system are not discharged to the sanitary sewer.” Read more.
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Cybersecurity Training deadline now Jan. 31, 2025
Annual cybersecurity training is required for all employees and contractors with access to King County systems. Training must be completed by Jan. 31, 2025.
Cybersecurity training is an important safeguard that helps protect vital King County systems; the number of employees that complete training each year impacts our insurance rates. Total instruction time is about 60 minutes. If you can’t find the email with the links to assigned training, login to the KnowBe4 website with your work email: https://training.knowbe4.com/ui/login.
Thank you for doing your part to protect King County! For assistance, please contact the KCIT Helpdesk.
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An Intern to GM: Driving King County Metro’s future
This article by Andrew Binion originally appeared in Seattle University Magazine.
Michelle Allison, ’10 MPA, started with the King County Council while working on her degree and 13 years later is leading the largest mass transit agency in the Northwest.
Sunday mornings after church in Michelle Allison’s hometown of Homer, Alaska, conversations would invariably shift to an announcement that a neighbor planned to drive the 220 miles to Anchorage—a 10-hour round trip.
Stops would be slated for Costco, the hardware store, the auto parts store and the like.
“What else do people need?” the driver would ask. Read more.
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Recognizing Native American Heritage Month
Crossposted from Metro Matters
By De’Sean Quinn, King County Metro Assistant General Manager for Strategy and Partnerships
As Native American Heritage Month comes to a close, I invite you to join me in reflecting on the privilege of living in a region shaped by the deep history and enduring contributions of Native American communities.
In Washington state, 29 tribes are part of a network of more than 500 federally recognized tribes across the United States. In King County, we live on the ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Tulalip, Suquamish, Coast Salish Tribes, and the Duwamish people. For countless generations, these tribes have been stewards of this land. However, this land was acquired through broken treaties and unfulfilled promises, leaving a legacy of displacement and injustice. Recognizing this history is essential to understanding the ongoing challenges Native communities face today. Read more.
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Records Management Reminder: Content Manager (CM) is the required repository for all inactive electronic records
Content Manager (CM) is the name for King County’s enterprise records management system. According to Executive Policy, Content Manager is the required repository for “King County’s inactive electronic records.” This refers to electronic records in any format (including, but not limited to, email messages, Word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, photographs, video files, etc.).
Records can be filed to Content Manager from Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams; which are countywide tools where active records might be stored, especially while they are in draft status or being collaborated on.
Although policy requires that records are filed to Content Manager when they become inactive, they can be filed at any time in their lifecycle. Storing records in Content Manager ensures that records’ retention periods are calculated so that they can be dispositioned on a timely basis; preserves the security and integrity of records by keeping them unalterable and only accessible by the correct individuals; and meets requirements from state auditors.
Please remember that King County is a large organization and more specific guidance might apply to your agency (reach out to your records management lead for more information). For example, many county agencies manage active records in Content Manager as described in their standard work documentation. The Finance and Business Operations Division (FBOD) also requires that all electronic records needed to support p-card transactions are stored in Content Manager within 3 days of approval in EBS. P-card documentation should not be stored in SharePoint or Teams (except as transitory access copies).
For more information, visit the county’s Records Management Program website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The Records Management Program, in the Department of Executive Services, provides guidance, resources, and training to all King County employees to assist them with managing King County’s public records according to state and local legal requirements and best practices.
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