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Holiday travel? Metro will help you get there
Emergency exercise tests communications ahead of World Cup
King County Wins 2025 Geospatial Professional Network Award for Innovative AI-GIS System
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
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Join Metro in upcoming summer parades!
Summer is here—and with it comes the opportunity to show your King County pride in some of the region’s biggest community celebrations! Employees are invited to participate in either (or both!) of the following upcoming parades and events. Participation is completely optional, unpaid, and on your own time. Whether you join the route or cheer from the sidelines, it’s a fun way to connect with community, coworkers, and share in the spirit of summer. Upcoming events: Seafair Torchlight Parade on Saturday, July 26, from 7:30–10:30 p.m. Starts at Alaskan Way & Broad… Read More
Firefighters train for real emergencies with rope rescue drill at South Plant
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories No need for alarm. This is only a drill! On a recent morning at our South Treatment Plant in Renton, about 30 firefighters and instructors, outfitted with helmets and harnesses, gathered around a service hatch in the Raw Sewage Pump Building to assess a developing situation. What they encountered was the scene of a high-stakes rescue operation. Their air monitors showed that below the first level, the air was unsafe to breathe, and two individuals were unconscious and in need of rescue. The team quickly got to… Read More
Health + Care: A comic strip salutes 10 years of Seattle/King County Clinic
Crossposted from Public Health Insider It’s been over 10 years since Seattle Center invited Public Health – Seattle & King County to join an ambitious effort to stand-up a massive pop-up clinic. The doors opened to Seattle/King County Clinic in KeyArena in 2014, with free medical, dental and vision care. We didn’t imagine then that it would become the largest community-driven free health clinic of its kind in the United States! We are enormously proud to be one of the over 100 organizations that continue to make this free healthcare opportunity happen…. Read More
‘First Mariner’ Dan Krehbiel is leaving the helm
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog Growing up in Alaska, Hawai’i and the Northwest, Dan Krehbiel has been on or near the water most of his life. While working at his parent’s fuel depot in Juneau, Alaska, he thought he could “make a living on the water.” After decades of piloting tour boats and fast ferries from Trinidad and the Caribbean to Alaska and the Columbia River, an ad in a trade magazine caught his eye: the chance to pilot a passenger ferry system in Seattle. “I flew down, did the interview and… Read More
Balanced You Conversations: Taylor Lee
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being. Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Program Manager with the Balanced You team, sits down with Taylor Lee, Contract Specialist, King County Airport. They discuss the work he does to help keep the airport running and wellness activities he enjoys like coaching with the Special Olympics powerlifting team! “Find something you like to do. It makes it easier to fit wellness in your life,” says Taylor Lee. Check out the video below.
Modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks, restore river corridors, expand access to outdoor recreation: Executive Braddock announces $31 million in King County Parks Levy grant funding
King County Executive Shannon Braddock today announced her proposal for $31 million in Parks Levy funding that would modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks and trails, restore river corridors, and expand access to outdoor recreation. The King County Parks Levy has generated a combined $88.6 million for community grants since it was approved by voters in August 2019. Half of the funding would help city- and school-operated aquatic centers make swimming pools more accessible to children and families of all abilities while assisting with electrical, plumbing, and heating upgrades. City parks throughout King County would… Read More
King County at the 2025 Ragnar Relay
For the eighth time since 2016, King County runners showed up at the start line of the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage at International Peace Arch Park. They continued the relay along 189 miles to the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in Langley, on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12. With members from the King County Assessor’s Office, the Executive Office, the Department of Executive Services, Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, King County Information Technology, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and the Department of Community… Read More
Summer Mindfulness schedule from Balanced You
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment—free from distraction or judgment. It’s a proven method to reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being. Balanced You partners with mindfulness providers CuriosityBased, SolJoy, and Mindfulness Northwest. The new summer schedule is here! Check it out here. Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with the Mindfulness summer 2025 schedule to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
Sign up for ballot alerts
Visit kce.wiki/BallotAlert to receive a text or email when King County Elections (KCE) has received your ballot back at Elections Headquarters, and when your signature has been verified. KCE will send you a reminder to vote before Election Day, and an alert if there’s any issue with your signature. Ballot alerts are the best way to track your ballot through every part of the process! Sign up today at kce.wiki/BallotAlert. For more information about King County Elections, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.
July 31 is the third payday of the month
King County employees have a biweekly payroll schedule and get paid every other Thursday. Most months have two paydays, but some months have three and July 31, 2025, is the third payday of the month. This year, there are 27 paydays. If you view your paystub, you may see that the net dollar amount of these “third” paychecks is larger because not all deductions are taken out. For example, Deferred Compensation, supplemental insurance premiums, Benefit Access Fees, and Employee Giving donations are not deducted from these checks. While you are in in… Read More
Seattle’s Aurora Avenue N. gets 24/7 bus lanes, giving nearly 14,000 daily riders better service
Crossposted from Metro Matters Thanks to voter-approved funding through the Seattle Transportation Levy and Seattle Transit Measure, buses will run more smoothly during Revive I-5, other summer construction, and beyond, improving the citywide transit network and keeping people moving. We’ve completed major improvements along Aurora Avenue N. in partnership with King County Metro, adding expanded 24/7 bus lanes from downtown Seattle to N. 145th St, the city’s northern limits! These all-day bus-only lanes improve frequency and reliability on Metro’s highest-ridership route, the RapidRide E Line, for nearly 14,000 transit riders daily. Read more.
Celebrating a record number of graduates from King County Children, Youth and Young Adult Division programs!
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections More than 234 young people celebrated earning their secondary credentials (GEDs or high school diplomas) last month thanks to several programs managed by the department’s Children, Youth, and Young Adults Division (CYYAD). Many of these young people also earned college credits. CYYAD operates three learning centers for young people ages 16 to 24. Run by our team of dedicated social services professionals, these centers engage young people by connecting them with education and employment services after leaving or being pushed out of traditional high school without a credential. Read more.
Supervisor Spotlight: Highlighting those behind the scenes who keep us moving
Crossposted from Metro Matters It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day. Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, and there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro. Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs. Read more.
Refuge Outdoor Festival returns to King County’s Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground, elevating BIPOC youth leadership in the outdoors
King County Parks welcomes the Refuge Outdoor Festival back to Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground in Carnation for its eighth year Aug 22-24, offering a weekend of workshops, outdoor recreation, art, music and community in nature designed by and for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. In a climate of shrinking public investment in outdoor recreation, organizers view the festival’s continued presence as a reflection of deep community resilience. “We’re proud to continue hosting the Refuge Outdoor Festival at Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground and to support events that reflect the diversity… Read More
Green Workforce Development Training receives Innovation Award for Equity and Racial and Social Justice
The recipient of the 2024 Best-Run Government Innovation Award for Equity and Racial and Social Justice is the Green Workforce Development Training program. Developed by the Solid Waste Division in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks – with a big assist from community-based organizations – the innovative job training program protects the environment, provides high-demand job skills to BIPOC and frontline communities, and helps the building industry meet requirements to deconstruct buildings and salvage materials that may still have value. Eighteen participants have completed the training, and several have moved into… Read More
Watch your mailbox!
Your ballot is in the mail. If you haven’t received your ballot by Monday, July 21, give King County Elections a call at 206-296-VOTE. Not sure if you’re registered? Visit VoteWA.gov to register or update your registration information. Election Day is Aug. 5. Local elections like this one are your chance to make sure your voice is heard in your community. Choices you make this August directly affect who will be on the ballot in November. We’re projecting just 35% turnout this election so your vote will make a big impact. For… Read More
Registration open for AAAE Inclusion in Aviation conference
Crossposted from the DES Express King County International Airport-Boeing Field is gearing up to host the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Inclusion and Aviation Conference in Bellevue from Nov. 17 to 19. Early bird registration is open now through Oct. 3. Vanessa Chin, Innovation Manager at the airport, is part of the planning team. “This is the first year it’s ever been brought to the West Coast,” Chin said. “Inclusion and belonging is at the heart of our organization. To invite others to share our inclusive community in the Seattle area… Read More
$1.5 million grant kick starts solar project at Emergency Management
Crossposted from the DES Express The county recently kicked off a project to install solar panels and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC) in Renton. The county secured a contractor this spring and design is now underway. Once completed in the summer of 2026, the project will begin producing energy and providing environmental benefits. “It’s an almost immediate payback,” said Sarah Calvillo Hoffman, Climate and Sustainability Manager. Read more.
FMD recognizes security officers who work on holidays
Crossposted from the DES Express While many county employees enjoy time off on holidays, others keep vital county services operational. Facilities Management Division security officers are among those. Dan Cromwell, Security Management Section Manager, visited security personnel at Maleng Regional Justice Center, Clark Children and Family Justice Center, and the King County Courthouse over the Juneteenth holiday. Dan shared time and treats with his team members working over the holiday.
Cybersecurity training starts Aug. 4 – look for the email from KnowBe4
Starting Aug. 4, KCIT’s vendor KnowBe4 will send an email to all employees with links to cybersecurity training. This is not a phishing attempt. Annual cybersecurity training is required for all employees and contractors with access to King County systems (even if you took it last year). Training must be completed by Jan. 30, 2026. Cybersecurity training is an important safeguard that helps protect vital King County systems; the number of employees that complete training each year impacts our insurance rates. Total instruction time is about 60 minutes. Thank you for doing your… Read More
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