Executive Zahilay announces $15 million grant for crisis intervention training, gun violence prevention, and other community safety initiatives
Recently, Executive Girmay Zahilay announced that King County received a $15 million grant from the state Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Public Safety Funding Program ESHB 2015 to support local public safety initiatives, including crisis intervention training for law enforcement and corrections officers, enhanced behavioral health responder options, and community gun violence prevention programs. “With the heartbreaking tragedy at Seattle Center, we must double down on our efforts to interrupt cycles of violence, strengthen community safety, and ensure people get the right support when they need it,” said Executive Zahilay. Read more.
IT Helpdesk (Cherwell) ticketing blackout Aug. 14 through 16, as Neurons prepares for launch
King County’s current IT service management system, Cherwell, will soon be replaced by a new system called Neurons. As part of the cutover, Cherwell will go offline at noon on Friday, Aug. 14, creating a temporary ticketing blackout from Aug. 14 through 16. During this time, employees will not be able to submit new tickets or view existing tickets online. The KCIT Helpdesk will remain available by phone during regular business hours, with after‑hours support continuing for urgent IT issues. Please call 206-263-HELP for assistance. All tickets submitted before noon on Aug. 14 will be… Read More
King County Metro announces major service expansion across King County
Crossposted from Metro Matters Starting Aug. 29, riders across King County will see one of King County Metro’s largest service expansions in recent years, including nine new bus routes and more than 3,000 additional bus trips each week. In response to feedback from riders, Metro is boosting frequency and expanding service earlier in the morning, later in the evening and on weekends, making transit more convenient, reliable and better connected to the region’s expanding Link light rail network. The most significant improvements are in South King County, where Metro is making major investments to improve all-day and weekend service while strengthening connections to new Sound Transit Link light rail stations. Additional service improvements also are planned on dozens of routes serving North King… Read More
PeopleSoft new homepage available Aug. 9
An update to PeopleSoft is coming on Monday, Aug. 9. Starting Aug. 9, when employees login to PeopleSoft, they will notice the new homepage design (below) with an updated color scheme and navigation options. Check out this video on the updated ways to navigate PeopleSoft, or look over this helpful training document to learn more about the new changes. For other PeopleSoft resources, visit the PeopleSoft Knowledge Center. For those who experience any technical issues after the update, first try clearing the internet browser cache using these instructions. If issues persist, please submit a help ticket at helpdesk.kingcounty.gov.
Wildfire smoke in our region
Smoky air from wildfires is expected in our region this week. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the agency that oversees outdoor air quality, is reporting air quality levels will likely be MODERATE to UNHEALTHY for sensitive groups for the first half of the week. Wildfire smoke can cause a range of health problems, including chest pain, coughing, fast heartbeat, headaches, and asthma attacks. Some groups are more sensitive to smoke, including: Children and teens People with asthma, lung or heart disease, diabetes, or who have had a heart attack or stroke Anyone who is pregnant Anyone older than 65 People who… Read More
Executive Zahilay joins summer gathering for kokanee salmon recovery partners amid hopeful signs of progress
Crossposted from Field Notes King County Executive Girmay Zahilay kicked off a summer gathering of the Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group amid hopeful signs of a sustainable recovery for a native salmon species that is important to the region’s history and habitat. Hosted at the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe’s new Harvest Kitchen in Snoqualmie, the partners provided an update on actions they have taken in recent years to ensure the survival of the freshwater kokanee and previewed actions they will take next. The gathering occurred 18 months after King County biologists reported a surge in the number… Read More
Look out for a postcard about your Making Life Easier benefits
Employees will soon receive a postcard at home that highlights some of the services available to employees and household members through our Making Life Easier program. Making Life Easier now provides King County employees with assistance for workplace concerns, as well as ongoing support for employees and all household members to help with everyday challenges. Services include: Confidential and free counselor accessibility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for employees who work all shifts Network of mental health counselors and coaches who offer a variety of clinical specialties, cultural backgrounds, and… Read More
Records Management reminder: Best practice is to develop and use naming conventions across your team/work group
As county employees, we have the option of deciding what subject lines to use for our emails and what file names to use for documents or folders we create. Using consistent naming conventions is one of the most important parts of good records management. You do not need to reinvent the wheel for your own records; it is best to use the same naming conventions across your workgroup. For more information, reach out to your Records Management Lead. You can view more details in the Folder Structures and Document Naming Conventions guidance for specific considerations. For more information, visit the County Records and Information Management… Read More
Make this weekend a voting weekend!
Vote Centers across the county are open this weekend, and Elections staff are ready to help you register, get a replacement ballot, and answer any questions you need answered in order to make your voice heard. Vote Center locations and hours are available at kce.wiki/VoteCenter If you do spend time voting this weekend tag us in your photos @kcelections on Instagram, Bluesky, or even LinkedIn! For more information about King County Elections visit kingcounty.gov/Elections.
“GoGreen” event unites employees in conservation efforts
King County Parks recently hosted its annual “GoGreen” night on July 22, at the Movies at Marymoor showing of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” The event brought together a variety of King County units working on sustainability initiatives. Since moviegoers often arrive well before showtime, it was the perfect opportunity for these groups to connect with many community members. Teams attending the event included the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) Climate Preparedness Office, DNRP Hazardous Waste in collaboration with Public Health and Seattle Public Utilities, DNRP Solid Waste, DNRP Wastewater Treatment, Department of Executive Services (DES) Office… Read More
