All Are Welcome Here: How a statement of King County commitment became a sign for every work site
By Meredith Li-Vollmer, Public Health – Seattle & King County Even before the Trump administration announced its travel ban, Public Health staff started to notice a downturn in the number of immigrant patients coming for care at our clinics. Tina Maestas, Public Health Nurse at the Renton Community Service Organization, contacted Director Patty Hayes to express her concern. “The Latino community is rightfully fearful and many are unaware that we are a [welcoming] county,” wrote Maestas. “As national policy takes a grim turn, we can be a beacon of light by proactively… Read More
ESJ book winners and the continuing conversation on racism, new series to begin March 21
By Rowena Johnson, Department of Natural Resources and Parks Earlier this year an Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) project team in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks held a drawing to give away five books by poets featured in the 2016 “Reflecting on Race and Racism through Spoken Word, Story, and Conversation” series. To be eligible for the drawing, King County employees were asked to submit their reflections on the 2016 reading series, particularly on what they had learned and what they hope to see in future ESJ literary events. Those… Read More
Water Taxi’s Ron Panzero wins national safety award
Crossposted from The Captain’s Blog Keeping riders and crew safe is Job 1 for us here at King County Water Taxi, so when a national organization recognizes one of our team member’s efforts, we humbly accept the accolades. Ron Panzero, Operations and Maintenance Manager for the Marine Division, was awarded the Roger Murphy National Marine Safety Award, for his work to improve safety by demonstrating, enhancing and contributing to the Water Taxi’s overall safety efforts. He received the award Tuesday at MariTrends 2017, the Passenger Vessel Association’s (PVA) Annual Convention held this… Read More
NASA testing (really cool) flight software at King County International Airport/Boeing Field
Crossposted from The Centerline If NASA’s newest technology to increase airline efficiency and reduce air traffic delays eventually takes flight, remember that King County International Airport/Boeing Field played a small role in helping it go mainstream. How? By hosting one of the coolest games of “Follow the Leader” we’ve ever seen. NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is in the Northwest testing airborne flight deck interval management software. That’s a mouthful, but basically it’s technology that can help pilots better space their approaches into airports so air traffic controllers and airlines can pinpoint… Read More
United Way free tax preparation available
Tax season is upon us and King County would like to highlight United Way of King County’s free tax preparation services as a convenient option available to you, your family members, and your community! Tax time can be stressful and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be; consider taking advantage of this free service so you can avoid costly tax preparation fees and maximize your refund. United Way offers free tax preparation services at over 27 locations throughout King County and online from now through April. Households making under $64,000 can have their… Read More
Executive Constantine announces continued commitment to health care priorities as Congress debates rollback
Shared from the DCHS Touching Base Newsletter The people of King County benefitted dramatically from the expansion of health insurance and other reforms under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – and a repeal without a comparable replacement threatens widespread damage to the region’s health and economic well-being. More than 200,000 people access health care in King County through the ACA, including many people now eligible for Medicaid coverage under Medicaid expansion. That has made health and behavioral health care possible when treatment and other services were previously out of reach. But that… Read More
King County open regular hours today
King County operations, including Superior Court, District Court, Department of Judicial Administration, Elections, Department of Assessments and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, will open at regular hours today, Tuesday, Feb. 7, unless advised otherwise by your leadership. Icy road conditions and freezing temperatures may impact your commute this morning. Please let safety be your guide when making commute decisions. Where allowed, employees may be able to telecommute or take a day of accrued vacation or comp time instead of reporting to their normal work location today. Check with your supervisor for more information…. Read More
Come see us at the Northwest Film Forum’s Archival Screening night, February 17
The King County Archives is delighted to be participating in the Northwest Film Forum, Friday, February 17. Titled “Moving History Returns: Saving Our Magnetic Media,” the event will begin with a happy hour at 7 p.m., with the program kicking off at 8 p.m. The King County Archives and other participating organizations will showcase clips of rare feature films, historic Seattle, oral history interviews, dance performances by Pacific Northwest artists and much more. This archival screening night is presented by Moving Image Preservation of the Puget Sound (MIPoPS) to showcase video digitized… Read More
CPR classes available
King County employees are welcome to sign up for available CPR classes. Class dates and locations are below. Please note additional dates are available on the registration pages. Basic Heartsaver CPR/AED Training (Open to all employees) Register here. Wednesday, February 22, 2017- 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Chinook Bldg., Room 126 Thursday, March 23, 2017- 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m, Chinook Bldg., Room 126 Refresher Heartsaver CPR/AED Training (Open to all employees) Register here. Wednesday, February 22, 2017- 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. Chinook Bldg., Room 126 Thursday, March 23, 2017- 9 a.m.- 11:00 a.m…. Read More
Walk in the Shoes with Doug Dobkins, Department of Permitting and Environmental Review
A few months back, I spent some time in Snoqualmie with staff at the King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review (DPER). DPER ensures that folks are building in ways that are safe for people and for the environment. They are the keepers of a land use code that was developed with input from thousands of stakeholders in our region. With millions calling King County home, and scores more arriving each day, it is important to ensure that we are smart about our growth. So I was excited to visit DPER,… Read More
Employee News 