King County’s Stormwater Services Section offers a surface water management fee discount for low-income property owners in unincorporated King County. Low-income households may be eligible for a 50 percent discount on this annual fee for their primary residence. Residents already approved for the King County Senior Citizen and People with Disabilities Reduction through the Assessor’s office do not need to apply. Additionally, Stormwater Services Section staff will help identify discounts callers may be eligible for. The open period to apply for this discount is every year from Aug. 1 through Sept. 15. Learn more… Read More

As you prep for school or childcare, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) makes it easy to know which vaccines are required for kids. These simple charts from Washington DOH’s School and Child Care Immunizations webpage walk you through what’s needed at each age: Required Immunizations for School-aged Children and Required Immunizations for Childcare. To check if your child is already up to date on their vaccines, you can follow any of the steps in this blog. Read more.

If you or your family and friends live in the communities of South Park, Boulevard Park, Duwamish, or Bryn Mawr-Skyway, we are planning for clean water and need your help. We are making a list of priority problems to fix in these areas through a clean water survey. Your information on local flooding, potholes, erosion, and septic problems will build the project list to protect property and communities. The survey takes about five minutes and you can sign up to win a $100 gift card. Share your feedback at https://tinyurl.com/SAMPsurvey by Aug. 17. The survey… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters Another boost in King County Metro bus service begins Aug. 30. New and improved routes will better serve Eastside communities and help facilitate connections to Sound Transit’s 2 Line light rail stations. Metro also is adding bus service in Seattle on Route 106 funded by the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure. On-demand service Metro Flex is expanding to Bellevue on Sept. 15. Read more.

Now that Election Day has come and gone, it’s time to be sure your ballot can be counted. Sometimes folks forget to sign their ballot and sometimes a ballot signature doesn’t match the ones King County Elections has on file. If you received notice about an issue with your signature, take a moment to resolve the issue. You can return a signature resolution form by mail or email, in person, or online at kce.wiki/SigCure by 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 18. Trained staff review all signature resolution forms and verify voters’ identities so their ballots can… Read More

Crossposted from Headwaters By Nalia Matias-Jacinto, WLRD Communications Intern In King County, water is the foundation of daily life, cultural traditions, and thriving ecosystems. But what happens when poop pollution contaminates our water and dangerous levels of bacteria threaten public health and culinary treasures? Solving that problem requires more than infrastructure alone. Scientists, public health experts, and communities must work together to keep the waters and the people of King County safe and healthy— and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Read more.

King County Parks is applying multiple strategies to simultaneously protect historic nature camps and provide more equitable access to a new one in South King County, connecting more young people to healthy outdoor recreation and environmental education. King County Executive Shannon Braddock recently toured Camp Sealth on Vashon Island where the county helped the nonprofit that has operated the summer camp for more than a century permanently protect most of the campsite. The Department of Natural Resources and Parks also partnered to reopen Camp Kilworth in Federal Way and helped Highline Public… Read More

Get your I Voted sticker out  – it’s Election Day! If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, you have until 8 p.m. sharp to get your ovals filled in, return your ballot to a drop box, and make your voice heard. With more than 80 ballot drop boxes around the county, chances are that there’s one near you – find out where at kce.wiki/DropBox. For more information about King County Elections, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.