In December of 2011 we implemented an Internet Gateway Filter to prevent users from accessing inappropriate (as defined by the county’s Acceptable Use Policy) or malicious web sites that can infect computers with viruses. Why do we need a filter? The King County network experiences an average of 100,000 malware attacks each week, 90% of which originate from the Internet. The Internet Gateway Filter helps to significantly reduce these incidents, resulting in less downtime and increased productivity. 

In September we will be making some changes, and moving the function to a different system. This change will cause some websites to be re-categorized, and some websites may be blocked that are currently available. The re-categorization process might place sites into a different category than in the old system.

Category change:

If you believe that the site is improperly categorized, please contact the IT Service Center (206-263-4357) and provide the following information:

• Your name
• Your user name
• The site you wish to access and what category it falls under

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Seattle University’s CitySoil Farm collaborated with Ricardo Israel, a local artist and Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) South Treatment Plant employee, and the Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS) to design an aerosol art mural in Renton.

Ricardo designed and created the center piece of the art installation and the youth group made several quarter-sized pieces to surround the centerpiece. The students created images of bugs, flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables. 

The mural will be displayed on the treatment plant’s fence facing Grady Way, and visible to passersby from I-405. Views of the mural will also be available from the Black River Trail and a nearby bus stop.

CitySoil farm offers environmental and food system education and donates all produce to the local food banks. Students touring the treatment plant also spend time in the garden planting, harvesting, and learning more about biosolids.

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On average, Americans waste 25 percent of all the food they buy. While most people think they’re not wasting much food, studies show that Americans waste much more food than they think they do.

“In collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, King County’s Solid Waste Division (SWD) has developed the Food: Too Good To Waste program to bring awareness to the environmental and financial impacts of wasting food and to offer residents helpful tips on reducing food waste,” said Karen May, the program’s manager.

Food waste makes up the largest percentage of what ends up in King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and the greenhouse gas emissions in King County that result from food consumption (from farm to plate) are second only to emissions from personal transportation. King County is one of the first communities in the country to tackle the issue of consumer food waste – a worldwide problem with significant financial, environmental and social impacts.

“It’s not just wasting food and money, but also the natural resources that were used to produce, package and transport food from the farm to our plates,” May said.

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Like radio host Sandy Macdonald, King County employees do lots of interesting things in their “other lives” in addition to the work they do for King County. Do you have another life outside of your King County work that you’d like to share with your colleagues? Email us the details at kcemployees@kingcounty.gov or tweet us with the hashtag #kcotherlives (remember to follow us @kcemployees), and we will feature your stories in upcoming editions of Employee News. 

Employees commuting to/from downtown Seattle for work on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 25 and 26, should prepare for upcoming transit delays and reroutes on State Route 99 and Aurora Avenue North as the state closes sections of the roadway for construction 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 through 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Seventeen routes will be directly affected by either delays, reroutes or both during the construction closures. Riders can go online to see reroute information for five Aurora Avenue North bus routes. Riders on another 12 bus routes should prepare for delays as buses travel to and from downtown Seattle on the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Because of potential widespread traffic delays, most bus riders using transit service into Seattle should prepare for possible weekday commute delays Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 25 and 26, as traffic shifts from SR 99 to Interstate 5 and other city streets.

Metro Transit affected routes:

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At a Seattle Storm basketball game, 80 Zumba instructors performed for the half time show. Sitting in the crowd, Lilian Yetter thought that might be something she’d want to try.

Lilian Yetter

“They were looking like they had so much fun. One lady I focused on out of the 80 instructors out there had this big smile on her face, and I was watching her thinking, ‘wow, this is really cool,’” Yetter said.

So Yetter joined a local gym to learn Zumba, and was greeted by none other than the Zumba instructor with the big smile. A year later Yetter was out at the Key Arena dancing Zumba at half time.

Yetter, who works at King County as a Fiscal Specialist for the property tax section in the Department of Executive Services, has been a certified Zumba instructor for two years and teaches free Zumba classes for King County employees every Wednesday and Friday during her lunch break.

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