That plume you see is sediment, not sewage
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories The power of imagery was on full display in a March 12 front page Seattle Times aerial photograph of West Point Treatment Plant and its adjacent waters. The photo purported to show a plume of sewage and stormwater that had discharged from the plant’s emergency outfall before the bypass gate was closed early in the morning of Feb. 16. The accompanying story began: “A mighty river of brown, raw sewage and stormwater makes a plume offshore at Discovery Park, plainly seen from the air…It’s from the West Point Treatment plant, gushing untreated wastewater… Read More
A promising local solution to ensure a fair shot at local jobs
Crossposted from Best Starts for Kids Blog Earlier this month, staff from King County’s Natural Resources and Parks were busy getting ready for the upcoming spring and summer season when Pacific Northwesterners experience our parks in full force. This time of year also marks hiring for important jobs to ensure our parks are ready for the season. This hiring event took place at the local community center in White Center. The event is part of a purposeful effort to address the growing disparities we see in our region between those that have opportunities to… Read More
Women’s History Month Celebration March 24
Please bring your lunch and join us in County Courthouse Room E-942 for our second annual “Women’s History Month Celebration.” This event is part of the Legislative Branch Equity and Social Justice Committee’s Lunch and Learn series, co-hosted by the King County Women’s Advisory Board. Friday, March 24 from noon to 1:30 p.m. King County Courthouse Room E-942 The event will feature a panel discussion moderated by Councilmember Kohl-Welles. Click here or on the image below for more details and information about the guest speakers. If you would like more information about this… Read More
Featured Job: Sustainability Program Coordinator – Project/Program Manager III or II
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 3/24/17 4:30 PM Salary: We are seeking someone qualified at a III level (Range 63: $84,304 – $101,918), but may modify the position to a II (Range 58: ($74,877 – $90,522) if need be. Job Type: Special Duty Assignment Location: 201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104 Department: Department of Transportation Description: This special duty assignment this is a 6 month position to backfill during parental leave and is open to all King County career service employees. This position will coordinate management for the Metro Transit Divisions’ sustainability program and be instrumental in moving forward the 2017 work program. The position provides… Read More
State of the County: Executive Constantine announces focus on healthy aging, new reception centers for youth
In his eighth State of the County address, Executive Dow Constantine introduced the theme: you belong here. Noting that 40 percent of the region’s population increase since 2010 has been from people not born in the country, Executive Constantine said the region’s diversity was one of its greatest assets. “All these people came here to seek a better life but they are making all of our lives better,” said Executive Constantine, speaking at the Auburn Community and Event Center. Read more here and view the video below.
Tech Tip: Common IT wisdom that keeps you secure
By Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer Day in and day out, employees hear the same things from their IT staff about cybersecurity and safety. Though they may sound like a broken record, there are very important reasons and rationale behind these practices and advice. Keeping safe and secure while connected isn’t just about how your system is set up – it is also very much about how you end up using it. Below, we discuss some common IT staff wisdom and provide some background information and the rationale as to… Read More
King County Information Technology Service Alert: SharePoint changes
What’s happening? On Wednesday, March 22 at 9 p.m., KCIT is performing an upgrade that may affect how you login to Office 365 applications such as SharePoint Online, CRM Online, etc. After this change has been implemented, you are required to use your email address and password to login to these Microsoft applications. This is the same password that you use to access email, Skype for Business, etc. Why are we doing this? This change is required because Microsoft is retiring the current account synchronization method in April 2017 and we must… Read More
KCCF Corrections Officer Chris Chu lives for moments of peace and solace
Shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Employee Spotlight The Chinese New Year in downtown Seattle’s International District can be heard clear across the skyscrapers to the Puget Sound. KCCF Corrections Officer Chris Chu provides the rhythmic drumbeat during the Lion Dance. When he is finished, he walks amongst the participants and onlookers, mounts his BMW motorcycle, and briefly, the exhaust’s roar mingles with the boisterous festivities. A pile of fallen orange and red leaves scatter excitedly as the motorcycle roars across I-90 as its rider travels up to Snoqualmie… Read More
Bus operator takes passengers on multi-lingual, multicultural experience
Bus driver Kathy Maddux cares about her riders. She wants them to enjoy the time on board her bus as they drive together around the city. In late December 2016 she used a car window marker to make them feel especially welcome, by writing write fun messages to her riders on the windows. Just an afterthought after finding the non-permanent marker in her daughter’s backpack, the messages Kathy wrote were simple and thoughtful. “The first day I did it, I wrote ‘Happy January’ facing the inside of the bus, and ‘Feliz Enero,’… Read More
2017 State of the County address
Dear fellow King County employee, In our work together, we are continuing to reinvent how King County does business. We call it Best Run Government, a mindset that embraces innovation, continuous improvement and teamwork to take on challenges, big and small, in our communities. Along the way we’ve been winning national recognition and the support of our residents for our ideas. That support led to the success of Sound Transit 3, which will allow us to build on the successes of our transit system – including Metro’s RapidRide network and ORCA LIFT… Read More
Employee News 