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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
News
New approach by King County Regional Homelessness Authority featured in Washington Post
King County was featured this week in a Washington Post article on innovations to improve the accuracy of data on the homeless population in our area. The article documents a new method being trialed by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) for counting unsheltered populations, and also features a report from the King County Department of Community and Human Services that analyzes integrated data hubs to better identify gaps between systems serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Better data will mean more effective solutions for people experiencing homelessness. Read more.
Search and Rescue team airlifts injured hiker
A team from the King County Search and Rescue team recenlty were caught on video airlifting an injured hiker off Cathedral Rock mountain. The hiker had a broken ankle and was not able to continue without assistance. Kudos to the team of deputies involved: Joshua Sweeney, Alexander Paul, Anthony Mullinax, Keith Potter, Robert Clarkson, and Peter Linde. According to a thank you email from the injured hiker, she is successfully recovering back home in California and doctors say she should be able to finish the trail next year. Click here to watch the rescue video.
Free Youth Transit Pass starts Sept. 1
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced today the one-week countdown to the Free Youth Transit Pass at a celebration and rally with advocates, young leaders, families, and officials who were champions for the change. King County will also join regional transit agencies in lowering ORCA LIFT fares to $1. Read more.
King County Elections receives national recognition
King County Elections was honored by the Election Center, the National Association of Election Officials, in the organization’s annual Professional Practice Paper Awards for 2022. The Election Center’s Professional Practices Program is a celebration of best practices from jurisdictions around the country and the U.S. Territories. Read more.
Washington State Fair discounts for King County employees
Employees can save on tickets to the Washington State Fair, Sept. 2-25. Click here for instructions on how to purchase your discount tickets. Once you log in to the Corporate Perks portal, your discount pricing will be unlocked. There is no need to enter an additional discount code. See all available King County employee discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
Equity and Social Justice Change Team summit celebrates success
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express About 60 Equity and Social Justice Change Team members from all eight Department of Executive Services divisions and the director’s office recently met virtually to celebrate successes under very trying times. Special guest Derrick Wheeler-Smith, former Director of Zero Youth Detention for King County Public Health and current Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, gave an inspirational message at the second annual Change Team Summit. Read more.
King County is removing nearly 2,000 toxic-coated pilings from the Harbor Island shoreline
The King County Solid Waste Division is removing a derelict timber dock from the mouth of the Duwamish River, supporting a regional effort to clean up historic pollution and restore shoreline and aquatic habitat. The $8.1 million project, led by King County’s Solid Waste Division, is removing a 72,700 square-foot dock and its 1,800 timber pilings coated in creosote, a chemical once used to preserve wood that is harmful to water quality and marine life. The project contributes to a regional partnership committed to cleaning up historic pollution in the industrial corridor of… Read More
Executive Constantine announces a combined $8.2 million for community-led projects
King County Executive Dow Constantine recenlty announced two grant funds worth a combined $8.2 million for 37 community-led projects that will increase access to open space and parks, expand recreational facilities, and help protect and restore floodplain habitat. The King County Council approved the plan to allocate both grants, which are funded by the voter-approved King County Parks Levy. Read more.
State retirement plan contributions change Sept. 1
Employee and employer contribution rates for some of the following retirement plans will change on Sept. 1, 2022, as approved by the State Legislature. The state Pension Funding Council adjusts contribution rates, as needed, to fund the retirement benefits earned by members. The PERS employer rate will change to 10.39% for all PERS plans. There were no changes to the LEOFF plans. The PSERS employee rate will change to 6.66% and the employer rate will be 10.63%. New contribution amount deductions will begin with your Sept. 15 paycheck. More information is available… Read More
Professional Development Scholarship Program accepting applications in 2023
What could up to $3,000 do for your career? The newly designed Professional Development Scholarship Program is returning in 2023. The scholarship is designed to assist King County employees who are represented by a union in the Coalition of Unions with their professional development by providing financial assistance to help obtain training, certificates, degrees, licenses, and certifications related to work performed at King County. Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: A comprehensive leave benefited employee (excluding Term-Limited Temporary (TLT)) represented by one of the unions in the Coalition who has completed… Read More
Enjoy late summer and Labor Day weekend hiking with Trailhead Direct
Trailhead Direct – the popular transit-to trails service offered by King County Parks and King County Metro – offers convenient, eco-friendly adventures for late summer hikes as well as service during Labor Day weekend. Check out the route schedule and trail information, and watch the video below.
Stuck in an elevator? ARFF to the rescue!
Cross-posted from Plane Talk Ever thought about what happens if you get stuck in an elevator? If you’re at the King County International Airport, the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit, recently trained in elevator rescues, would be the first to respond. Read more.
Executive Constantine announces King County’s first-ever Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy
King County has developed its first-ever Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy, a set of 12 recommended actions to improve preparedness, response, and recovery as the region experiences hotter, drier summers due to climate change. The strategy’s recommended actions are organized around three guiding priorities: Make King County forests more resilient to wildfire, reduce risks to communities and infrastructure in the wildland-urban interface, and enhance emergency response. Read more.
Gone but not forgotten – Indigent remains ceremony Aug. 24
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider Every few years, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office (KCMEO) hosts a unique memorial to ensure that every King County resident is remembered. The KCMEO’s Indigent Remains Program provides burial for King County residents who have died without resources or family to claim their remains for a proper burial. The next ceremony to remember these individuals will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Renton (100 Blaine Ave NE). It’s open to any member of the public who wishes to pay their respects. Read more.
Meet Wellness Hero Damont Cain
Cross-posted from Balanced You Meet Damont Cain, Power Technical Assistant at King County Metro Power and Distribution, whose team was instrumental in bringing an activity center to his worksite location. Damont talks about why staying physically strong is important to his job and mental health, and what he is doing these days to find calm and be his authentic self. Read more and watch the video below.
Celebrating our award-winning treatment plants
Cross-posted from Clean Water Stories All five of King County’s wastewater treatment plants received 2021 National Association of Clean Water Agency’s (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards, honoring multiple consecutive years of compliance with state and federal effluent permit limits. Special congratulations go to Brightwater for earning its first Platinum award for five years of compliance – and to Vashon for Platinum with 11 years of compliance. Read more.
Winners of the Metro 2022 Wall of Fame and General Manager’s Award
Cross-posted from Metro Matters The Wall of Fame is an annual award that recognizes the valuable and impactful work of current Metro employees—both individually and as part of a team—who help to improve regional mobility and quality of life in King County. Read more.
Executive Constantine announces coalition to tackle behavioral health crisis in King County
A coalition of elected leaders, health care professionals, crisis responders and community organizations announced they will develop a broad policy approach to improving the state of behavioral health availability and sustainability for King County. Read more.
King County recognized for innovative approaches
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express Recently, the Centre for Public Impact released Reimagining Public Value: Our Learning Journey in King County. The report details King County’s efforts to reimagine and reinvent the way it approaches public value, breaking down long-standing internal and external barriers in order to build a thriving, equitable county. Read more.
COVID-19 and general vaccination information for children and babies
Crossposted from Best Starts for Kids Best Starts wants all children and babies to stay healthy, safe, and protected from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. With fall and back-to-school season just around the corner, this information can help answer common COVID-19 vaccination questions and make sure children are up to date on vaccinations required by school, preschool, and child care programs. Share this information with families you know! Read more.
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