Crossposted from Clean Water Stories It was the early-2000s and Western states were reeling from blackouts and skyrocketing electricity prices as the energy company Enron manipulated the spot market for profit. South Treatment Plant, which was purchasing electricity on the spot market, endured a 10-fold price spike from 1999 to 2000 and was looking for stable power pricing that was not tied to the craziness of Wall Street. Read more. 

Crossposted from the KCSO Employee newsletter A request came in to the Comm Center to have a Deputy come by a home in Covington as a surprise for a child’s birthday. Though this is a little bit of an unusual call for service Deputy Welch, Deputy Luu and Deputy Pfeiffer jumped at the chance to handle the call. They went out and presented some Covington swag to the young man to help celebrate his birthday. You can see by the smile on his face that he enjoyed his chance to meet some… Read More

Crossposted from the KCSO Employee newsletter Last week, a Canadian woman and her son, David, stopped by Precinct 2 and the Sammamish Police Department. David has special needs and is an avid collector of police department memorabilia. He and his family visit local agencies wherever he travels. He’s also a competitive powerlifter who has competed in Europe. Although David and his mom dropped in on short notice, the teams at Precinct 2 and Sammamish SPD quickly shifted gears to make sure his visit was one to remember. He enjoyed full tours, got… Read More

Crossposted from the KCSO employee newsletter Recently, the King County Sheriff’s Office was proud to take part in the annual Festival at Mount Si—our first big community event since we began working with the city to again provide contract police services sometime in 2026. Members from Community Programs and Services Division (CPSD) and Precinct 2 were out in full force, meeting residents, answering questions, and enjoying the festive atmosphere. We had the chance to connect with North Bend’s Mayor, one of the City Councilmembers, and other community leaders, all of whom shared… Read More

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.