Recorded Teams Meetings will be deleted after 90 days

Microsoft has implemented a new policy to auto-delete recorded Teams meetings from the meeting owner’s OneDrive after 90 days. This policy will only apply to recordings created on or after April 15; previously recorded meetings will not be impacted. Going forward, meeting owners will be notified via email when recordings are deleted and can retrieve the files from their recycle bin. This will improve file management by removing unneeded recordings from employees’ OneDrive. Employees can save and share recorded meetings using Microsoft Stream. View the quick guide to uploading Teams Meeting Recordings to… Read More

Airport staff to present on diversity and inclusion at industry conference

Cross-posted from Executive Services Express Vanessa Chin and Kevin Nuechterlein’s proposal for a presentation on diversity and inclusion has been selected by the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (NWAAAE) for their fall conference. Their presentation will be titled, “Sustainable Culture Change for a More Diverse and Inclusive Airport.” “For me, one thing I want to definitely impart with the airport industry is that the way that King County empowers our airport to live out our True North values and embed equity in all the work we do,” said Chin,… Read More

New Finance and Business Operations Division employee taps into experience to drive success and promote inclusion

Cross-posted from Executive Services Express Sue Mason is the new Labor Equity Program Supervisor in the Finance and Business Operations Division in DES. Her job includes administering the county’s priority hire program and collaborating with unions, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and contractors to support the hiring, retention, and training of underrepresented workers, and encouraging folks to consider construction as a career. Click here to read the full announcement.

It’s safe to give help: Questions and answers about secondhand fentanyl exposure

Cross-posted from Public Health Insider As the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl has spread across King County and the rest of the nation, it has, unfortunately, become more common to encounter a person who may be experiencing an opioid overdose. Questions arise about what to do in that situation – how to give help, and whether it’s safe to do so. Some stories in the media have raised worries about whether people who come into close contact with someone experiencing a fentanyl overdose could get exposed to the drug while trying to help. Dr. Scott Phillips, Medical Toxicologist… Read More

COVID-19 update: Considerations and recommendations as we move into spring

Cross-posted from Public Health Insider With cases slowly but steadily rising over the past month in our region, we’re taking a closer look at what we know about the state of the pandemic locally. The bottom line is that although ongoing ups and downs in COVID-19 activity are likely, it’s best not to become infected and there are effective ways to reduce our risk. Click here for a brief look at the current COVID-19 situation in King County and recommended strategies for anyone who wants to reduce their risk for COVID-19 and long COVID, especially… Read More

Celebrating Earth Day 2022

By Dow Constantine, King County Executive Climate change can feel overwhelming, especially now that we are experiencing the impacts in unprecedented ways. Last summer’s record-setting extreme heat event, coupled with more frequent flooding and greater wildfire risks, makes it clear that climate change is no longer a projection or prediction – it is right here, right now, and certain to get worse. Yet as we mark the 52nd Earth Day, we also see the progress we are making each day to create a more resilient, more sustainable, more equitable future for all… Read More

Juvenile Division uses Lean process to align with new law

As shared from Roll Call: the DAJD newsletter, December 2021 – January 2022 issue Washington state lawmakers signed House Bill 2277 in July 2020, prohibiting the use of solitary confinement statewide. While DAJD’s Juvenile Division is already in alignment with the local King County Ordinance No. 18637 passed in December 2017, this new state legislation created new definitions of both “isolation” and “room confinement.” These definitions posed significant challenges to the Juvenile Division as the Restoration Hall, a living hall where youth spend their free time learning behavioral skills after exhibiting challenging… Read More

Happy 79th birthday to retired Sheriff’s Deputy Harris

Retired Deputy Jerry Harris’ daughter recently contacted the King County’s Sheriff’s Office about her father, who had worked for KCSO from 1969 until his retirement in 1987. “He was very fond of his time with the department and proudly displayed his uniform on his wall,” said Chief Jeff Flohr. “His daughter requested a surprise visit for his 79th birthday, and we were happy to oblige.” Newcastle Police Chief Jason Houck and KCSO Community Engagement Specialist Manny Apostol visited Deputy Harris at his assisted living facility. He shared memories as an MPO and… Read More

Meet the City Hall Park Neighborhood Outreach Team

By Katie Rogers, Department of Community and Human Services Updated Oct. 6, 2022 While downtown, you may come across people in blue coats assisting our unsheltered neighbors around City Hall Park. These people are part of the City Hall Park Neighborhood Outreach Team, a one-of-a-kind program funded through the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) within the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS).  Robert Ewanio, a King County employee since 2013, supervises the outreach team and is a familiar face around City Hall Park. He took a Special Duty assignment last… Read More

Celebrating our 911 staff National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

This week we are recognizing King County’s 911 Communications Center employees and the KCIT employees who support the 911 system during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Sunday, April 10 through Saturday, April 16. 911 Communications Center employees are the primary link between people who desperately need help and people who provide it. The King County Sheriff’s Office handles 911 calls from unincorporated King County, contract cities, Metro Transit Police, King County Airport Police, and Regional Animal Services of King County. More than half a million people rely on the County’s call receivers,… Read More