Walk in the Shoes – Cynthia and Dynese
County employees do amazing work on behalf of our residents, which I was able to see firsthand in May when I visited King County’s Youth Services Center (YSC) to walk in the shoes of Juvenile Detention Nurse Cynthia Marino and Juvenile Detention Supervisor Dynese Greer. They help youth in King County who enter the criminal justice system leave it with a better chance of living a happy, productive, successful life. Accompanied by Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams, I met with Juvenile Detention Deputy Director Angela Toussaint who gave us access badges for… Read More
Sheriff’s Marine Rescue Dive Unit trains on Snoqualmie River
The King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive Unit deploys specially trained and equipped deputies who are responsible for water-related law enforcement, investigations, rescue and recovery work. Members of the Marine Rescue Dive Unit train for marine rescues twice a month to be ready when a swimmer needs them. KIRO 7’s Allison Grande caught up with Sgt. Mark Rorvik and Deputy Chris Bedker on the Snoqualmie River during their last training session. “I think rivers, they’re inherently dangerous unless you have specific training and the right equipment,” said Rorvik in the KIRO… Read More
CHOMP!, King County’s celebration of local food and sustainability, returns Aug. 18 with Matisyahu, Caspar Babypants, more
Shared from the DNRP Newsroom CHOMP!, a full-day celebration of local farming, food and sustainability, returns to King County’s Marymoor Park on Saturday, Aug. 18. Now in its fourth year, this fun, family-friendly event is hosted by King County Parks and is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Featuring cooking demonstrations from Beecher’s Foundation Sound Food School, hands-on workshops to make you a better backyard farmer and gardener, kids’ activities, a farmers market, live entertainment, and so much more, CHOMP! is a free all-day event that will inspire, entertain and feed… Read More
Investing in water quality, one community at a time
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories When it comes to making a big impact on the environment, sometimes it pays to think small. King County’s WaterWorks Grant Program began in 2015 to kick-start investment in hyperlocal projects that improve water quality and encourage community partnerships. Through a sense of purpose and the dedication of countless volunteers, our WaterWorks grants are supporting the kind of environmental progress that makes our neighborhoods – and our region – an even better place to live. Take for example how a former parking lot in Kent was transformed… Read More
Kudos! to DNRP’s Solid Waste Division
The Solid Waste Association of North America announced last month SWD’s Factoria Replacement Project is the recipient of the SWANA Gold Excellence Award in the Transfer Station category. The King County Solid Waste Division has received national recognition for its newest recycling and transfer station, which advances the division’s commitment to environmentally and economically sound solid waste management. The new station replaces the old with a 78,200-square-foot LEED gold facility. Constructed in four phases and sequenced, the facility maintained service to customers throughout construction. The winners will be acknowledged and awarded at… Read More
Metro driver Mark George honored for pulling two people from burning vehicle
Crossposted from Metro Matters By Scott Gutierrez, King County DOT King County Metro bus driver Mark George didn’t hesitate when two people in a burning car needed his help. On the evening of May 12, George was driving his usual route near the Eastgate Park-and-Ride when an oncoming vehicle lost control while turning and collided with the side of his bus. The car ricocheted into a boulder wall and caught fire. George quickly checked on his passengers and rushed to the other vehicle with a fire extinguisher. He doused smoke rising from… Read More
Microsoft generates 125 million building footprints using AI and deep learning
Crossposted from GIS & You By Greg Babinski King County GIS Training Program partner Eric Pimpler of Geospatial Training Services has authored a fascinating article about a building footprint dataset which Microsoft has generated from Bing aerial imagery using artificial intelligence, deep learning and computer vision. The dataset comprises footprints of 125 million structures across all 50 states. This data is available for download via GitHub free of charge in the open standard GeoJSON format. Heads up! Geospatial Training Services will be teaching two specialty GIS classes at the King County GIS… Read More
We’ve got a #PicturingTrails winner!
Crossposted from King County Parks Plog By Gabriel Avila-Mooney, Communication Specialist for the King County Regional Trail System We’re super excited to announce the June winner of our #PicturingTrails photo contest! Meryl Schenker took this photo on the Preston Snoqualmie Trail and got 69 likes! She also met all the criteria for the contest (pays to read the rules and regs!) since she took the shot from one of our Regional Trails. We can’t wait to give her the prize of an S-Zone Camera Bag, an REI Camp Blanket, a Klean Kanteen Water Bottle, and… Read More
Pet of the Week: Loki
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC There’s nothing low key about Loki, our Pet of the Week! This young boy is a spirited cat with a fun-loving personality, so he’s one of our “Rambunctious Red” pets. With all that youthful energy, Loki is a very active cat who loves to play! A couple of his favorite pastimes include chasing lasers and playing with ping pong balls. He is also full of surprises and he will keep you on your feet. Loki enjoys being around people, but he can play a bit rough sometimes,… Read More
White Center Teen Program helps local youth thrive
The White Center Community Center, also known as the Log Cabin at Steve Cox Memorial Park, houses King County Parks’ White Center Teen Program and serves the community by fostering a safe positive place for local youth to partake in recreational and educational programs. The goal of WCTP is to reduce youth involvement in violent, criminal or gang-related activities and increase young people’s connection to community through civic and volunteer opportunities. “We want to keep them out of trouble, and we want to also keep them in school,” said Darlene Sellers, Recreation Coordinator for… Read More
Employee News 