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King County Wins 2025 Geospatial Professional Network Award for Innovative AI-GIS System
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
News
King County first in the nation to order new hybrid fire truck
Crossposted from the DES Express King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) is the first airport in the nation to finalize the purchase of a hybrid electric fire engine. The Striker Volterra 6×6 Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle is made by Oshkosh Airport Products, a division of Pierce Manufacturing Inc. The new rig will complement the airport’s existing diesel-powered firefighting vehicles, also made by Oshkosh, and will allow the airport to retire its oldest diesel fire truck. Read more.
Recognizing 37 years of service of retiring DJA Director Barb Miner
Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) Director Barb Miner is retiring after 37 years with King County. While her last official day is July 21, her last day in the office is Friday, July 14, which King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Patrick Oishi and Chief Administrative Officer Linda Ridge have proclaimed “Barb Miner Day.” “Barb’s commitment to excellence and quality have helped shape DJA into the high performing Clerk’s Office it is today,” they said. View the official proclamation here and congratulations Barb! Thank you for your service.
ARFF attend live fire training in Montana
Crossposted from the King County Sheriff’s Newsletter The King County International Airport’s Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) Team recently completely rigorous live fire training. The training was held at the esteemed Rocky Mountain Emergency Services Training Center in Helena, Montana. During this intensive training program, the ARFF team demonstrated their excellent skills by fearlessly combating full-scale aircraft fires. Equipped with their specialized fire trucks, they showcased their proficiency in extinguishing these formidable blazes. However, their training didn’t stop there. The team also engaged in simulated scenarios where they skillfully navigated their way into… Read More
DNRP’s Shin Yu Pai talks with disability activist Alice Wong
Shin Yu Pai is not just a storyteller for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP). Among her other accomplishments — and accolades — she’s the author of eleven books of poetry, the current Civic Poet for the City of Seattle, and host of the KUOW award-winning podcast Ten Thousand Things. Recently, Shin Yu had a conversation for her podcast with disability activist Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project and author of the best-selling memoir Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life. Growing up in a suburb of… Read More
FSA mid-year check
We’re more than halfway through 2023, and it’s a good time to check your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) balances and take steps to make sure you spend your remaining funds before the end of the year. Here’s some additional reminders: Health Care FSAs Use Health Care FSA funds to purchase summer-related items such as sunscreen, first aid kits, and prescription sunglasses. Schedule any necessary back-to-school check-ups and sports physicals if you have children. Many over-the-counter items are FSA-eligible, such as pain relievers, cold and allergy medicine, antacids, and feminine care. See the… Read More
Moving stories from the King County Refugee Resettlement Hotel program
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections “When he entered their private room and saw they had a small kitchen with a two-burner stove and a sink that spit out clear water, he called his mom in Afghanistan. ‘We have everything in here,’ he [Ahmad] told her.” The Seattle Times, recently published an article, “A King County refugee program turned 2 hotels into communities of support” on the efforts of the DCHS team, partnerships with neighboring jurisdictions, state partners, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Together, this program impacted the lives of 793 people, including… Read More
What’s on in Seattle for MLB All-Star Week
Friday marks the start of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week in Seattle. Throughout the weekend and leading up to Tuesday’s All-Star Game, employees can check out several activations around the area, many of them free-of-cost. So whether you’re going to the stadium to catch one of the games or just out enjoying the summer weather, check out the Visit Seattle page for activities to participate in!
What makes a place worthy of preservation? King County Landmarks Coordinator Sarah Steen shares her thoughts
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green King County is creating a new approach to historic preservation. The field aims to protect physical reminders of a community’s past, but the traditional approach to historic preservation tends to overlook historically marginalized groups within those communities. Sarah Steen, landmarks coordinator for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, is working to bring a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to King County’s Historic Preservation Program. Sarah explains her perspective on how to make historic preservation a more inclusive space. Read more.
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month
Established in 2008 in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, the formally recognized National Minority Mental Health Awareness month was created to bring awareness to the unique mental health struggles that underrepresented groups in the U.S. experience. Anyone can experience mental health challenges; they do not discriminate based on race, age, gender or identity. At the same time, one’s background and identities can present unique experiences, specific barriers, and opportunities to get support. Read more here about how to support yourself and your community with mental health resources and worksheets.
Help us recruit your next teammate to King County
Have you noticed some of the new outreach and marketing being done to attract candidates to King County? There is a small, creative team within the Department of Human Resources’ Talent Acquisition team who are creating tools to support centralized outreach and marketing. Some of those tools include social media blocks that we released for Mental Health Awareness Month, which you may have seen online. The team’s efforts were designed to bring visibility and voice to county-wide recruitment with coordinated messaging at no cost to departments. Examples include advertising on El Rey radio in February… Read More
Are you one of our 38,000 LinkedIn followers?
More than 38,000 King County employees, residents, and job seekers are getting up-to-date news and information, job opportunities, trainings, employee spotlights, and more by following King County on LinkedIn. Are you one of them? To follow King County on LinkedIn, go to the King County company page and click “follow” (you will need to create a LinkedIn account if you do not have one). You can also get employee news and information by following us on these platforms: Accessing Employee News is an acceptable use of IT assets.
Tech Tip: Multi-factor Authentication
What is it? Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is the process of verifying that you are who you claim to be when logging in to a device or an account. If you’re reading this from your work computer, you probably logged in to your computer – that’s single-factor authentication. But single-factor authentication is no longer enough to keep your accounts secure. Learn more below about the various ways you can digitally-authenticate your identity. Understanding the types of identity claim factors: Something you own. This is using a mobile phone or device that you have… Read More
Social Services on ‘portrait mode’
“King County has a lot of services that can help people. Maybe other employees are veterans or have relatives who are. If they need help or have questions about the program, I’m always open,” Anh Tran says. Following several iterations of what is now known as the Veterans, Seniors & Human Services Levy (VSHSL), veterans and their family members can access housing, connect to mental health counselors, and get help navigating a complex system. King County defines veteran differently than other agencies, allowing Social Service Professionals like Anh to provide lower-barrier services to… Read More
Angela Toussaint receives 2022 Individual Contributor Award
DAJD Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager Angela Toussaint has been honored with the Individual Contributor Award, one of King County Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards which highlights an individual contributor who does not directly manage staff. The Individual Contributor Award is one of three Leadership Excellence Awards honoring King County leaders who embody the Executive Branch values and drive for results that make King County better for employees and customers, and move King County closer to its True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. View the award announcement and watch… Read More
Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health on Vashon Island
Cross-posted from Cultivating Connections Young people across King County and the country are facing increasingly difficult mental health challenges. Young people who are in underserved communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC young people, face even steeper challenges. According to King County’s Healthy Youth Survey, LGBTQ+ young people have an urgent need for mental health supports, with higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts, and depression. King County is working with community partners to meet LGBTQ+ youth with needed resources, through programs that prioritize culturally relevant supports. Read more.
Transforming transit for a greener tomorrow
Cross-posted from Metro Matters Every week, more than one million people use King County Metro‘s buses, on-demand services, paratransit vans, water taxis and other modes to get to where they need to go. Metro serves 37 cities in Washington state, including Seattle, and a county with a population that’s greater than 15 U.S. states. Metro is proud to be an industry leader in how we deliver our service sustainably. Our transition to a zero-emission fleet powered by renewable energy is part of King County’s holistic approach to combat climate change. We are on track… Read More
Executive Constantine appoints Marissa Aho as new Director of Climate Office
King County Executive Dow Constantine has appointed Marissa Aho – a highly experienced leader in climate action and resilience planning – to serve as Climate Director, overseeing King County’s work to address climate change and advance its Strategic Climate Action Plan. “Marissa has an exceptional background to lead King County’s Executive Climate Office, bringing with her nearly a decade of expertise in strategy and policy planning around climate action, environmental justice, resilience, and sustainability,” said Executive Constantine. “We look forward to her leadership as King County continues investing in solutions and taking… Read More
Executive Constantine announces changes to Senior Leadership Team
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the upcoming departure of Deputy Executive April Putney and the appointments of Shannon Braddock as Deputy Executive and Karan Gill as Chief of Staff. Shannon, the current Chief of Staff, and Karan, the Deputy Chief of Staff, have decades of experience between them in policy, strategy, and government and community relations in our region. “I would like to thank April for her service to King County as she prepares to depart next month for an exciting new opportunity outside of government,” Executive Contantine said. Read more.
White Center Teen Program celebrates 30 years
Cross-posted from King County Parks The White Center Teen Program will celebrate its 30-year anniversary on June 30. The program, based out of the Log Cabin at Steve Cox Memorial Park, exists to create a space for young people to come together and build friendships in a safe space. Through discovering new activities and hobbies, teens build community together, practice leadership, and cultivate a sense of belonging. Read more.
Sean Catanese named 2023 Public Risk Manager of the Year
Cross-posted from DES Express Sean Catanese, Enterprise Risk Management Program Manager, has been named the 2023 Public Risk Manager of the Year by the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA). Catanese received the award at the PRIMA 23 conference in Long Beach, California. The award honors “the grand master of risk management — the one with the ability to handle losses, foresee risks and mitigate dangerous outcomes,” PRIMA stated in the award announcement. Read more.
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