King County GreenTools Program “sheroes” honored by the US Green Building Council for equity and social justice work
The US Green Building Council honors King County “Women in Green Sheroes” for advancing equity and social justice through sustainable development, green building, and community empowerment. For their efforts to advance equity and social justice through the sustainable development work carried out under King County’s GreenTools Program, Solid Waste Division employees Patti Southard and Nori Catabay were honored as “Women in Green Sheroes for Economic Empowerment in the Pacific Region” by the US Green Building Council. “Everyone in King County deserves access to a healthy community where people, businesses and the environment can thrive,” said… Read More
Pet of the Week: Coco
Summer is nearly here – and our Pet of the Week Coco is ready for some outdoor fun with you! This young German Shepherd/Akita mix is energetic, playful, and loving – so he’s one of our “Rambunctious Red” pets. Coco is a very smart dog who is learning how to “sit.” Though Coco may come off as seeming uninterested, he simply needs some time to warm up before being your best friend. Given his boundless energy, Coco would do best with lots of exercise as well as brain games such as puzzle… Read More
What does Phase 2 mean for families?
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Are you a parent or caregiver wondering what Phase 2 means for your family? We’ve compiled a list of questions and answers that may help you navigate through some of the confusion as we safely re-open. Can we see friends and family again? Yes! You can gather with up to five favorites once a week. For example, you can invite five or fewer friends over to your home once a week. (That number six on your list should be on your B team and will have to come over the following week). In reality,… Read More
Celebrating Pride and the fight for equality
Dear fellow King County employee, Each June, we celebrate Pride and the fight for equality and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, their accomplishments, and many contributions to our communities here in King County and around the world. While COVID-19 precautions prevent us from celebrating together in person, the fight for equality remains critical. This year’s Pride celebrations come at a time when millions of people are standing up to ongoing racism, violence, and killings of black people and other people of color, and the systemic racism that continues to impact the life… Read More
King County employee guidance for wildfire smoke during COVID-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important to prepare ahead for wildfire smoke and extreme heat this summer. Washington State is already above average for the number of fires for this time of year, and experts are forecasting a high chance of wildfire smoke in our region this summer. Wildfire smoke may make it more difficult to fight respiratory infections such as COVID-19. It may also increase some people’s sensitivity to infection by COVID-19 and in some cases may make the symptoms of COVID-19 more severe. A previous COVID-19 infection may… Read More
Seven questions people ask about our daily COVID-19 data dashboard
Crossposted from Public Health Insider The recently expanded “Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary” shows the latest data for test results, hospitalizations and deaths in King County and in each city, town and zip code. Dashboard users can use “tabs” to filter by race, age and gender for each location. They can also compare how each city or zip code area compares to the overall rates for King County. (Most unincorporated areas are also included, and more will be added.) The dashboard includes demographics for race, age, and gender. (Don’t miss the other COVID-19 data dashboards,… Read More
Update on our services in Safe Start Phase 2
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC King County is now in Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee’s “Safe Start” plan, another step forward as we work to carefully and gradually recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our focus at Regional Animal Services of King County continues to be helping people and pets safely as our region emerges from the public health emergency. Many of our services can be accessed online or by phone from the comfort of your home, including animal control response, lost and found pet services, and pet licensing. Phase 2 allows many businesses and service providers to assist in-person… Read More
The virus hasn’t let up and we can’t either
Crossposted from Public Health Insider On June 19, King County was approved for Phase 2 of the Governor’s Safe Start plan. Phase 2 allows for twice the capacity in retail, restaurants, and other businesses previously allowed in King County’s modified Phase 1 and goes into effect immediately. There are several new things that we can do in Phase 2. We can now enjoy eating out a favorite restaurant—and it will be roomy because capacity is limited to 50%. You can shop more easily to get what you need at a clothing store. You can gather… Read More
King County enters Phase 2 of Safe Start recovery plan
King County’s application to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start recovery plan was approved by the state Department of Health last Friday, allowing many businesses following the state guidelines to operate at double the capacity of the modified Phase 1. Following approval by state Secretary of Health John Wiesman, King County has officially entered Phase 2 of the state’s Safe Start recovery plan to allow limited business re-opening. Phase 2 allows for twice the capacity in retail, restaurants, and other businesses Read more in the official press release.
Some good news
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog We interrupt this beautiful day to bring you beautiful news – more water taxi service is floating your way starting Monday, June 22! As Washington State moves forward with its “Safe Start” plan, the Marine Division is enhancing service on the water taxi routes to Vashon Island and West Seattle starting next week. Both routes will operate a Monday to Friday commuter schedule. This means that service will triple over its current level of service. Read more.
Employee News 