Photo: Visit Bellevue
Most King County Offices will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. If you are planning to take transit to one of the many July Fourth community events, please note that Metro buses are operating on a Sunday schedule and 2 Line light rail service will run an extended Sunday schedule, so check Metro’s service advisories before planning your trip.
Remember that fireworks are banned in unincorporated King County and most cities, so you can skip lighting off your own and instead attend of the many public fireworks shows, including:
-
Bellevue Family Fourth, Bellevue Downtown Park, fireworks at 10:05 PM
-
Carnation Fourth of July Celebration, Remlinger Farms, fireworks at 9:45 PM
-
Federal Way Red, White, and Blues Festival, Celebration Park, fireworks at 10:15 PM
-
Kent Fourth of July Splash, Lake Meridian Park, fireworks at 10:00 PM
-
Seafair 4th of July, Lake Union Park, fireworks at 10:20 PM
-
Snoqualmie Red, White, and Boom, Snoqualmie Community Park, fireworks at 9:45 PM
Fourth of July fireworks can be scary for pets and increase the risk of pets running away—in fact, about half of all pets that go missing every year are lost around the Fourth of July. Check out Regional Animal Services of King County’s tips for keeping your pet safe and comfortable, like keeping your pet indoors (even if they usually stay outside), ensuring your pet is licensed and tagged or microchipped, and checking with your veterinarian about calming medications. Together we can make sure everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July!
Speaking with ATU Local 587 President Greg Woodfill during our ride on the E Line
Last Tuesday, I joined leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 for an evening ride along the RapidRide E Line—which begins near the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle and extends north to Shoreline—as part of my ongoing efforts to improve transit safety following the tragic murder of operator Shawn Yim. This ride offered a meaningful opportunity to observe both problems and bright spots on the route and to better understand the daily experiences of our transit operators and riders.
During the bus ride, we spoke with frontline transit security employees, gaining valuable insights into safety concerns and potential improvements. We also visited one of Metro’s public restroom pilot facilities—an initiative championed by Councilmember Dembowski and former Councilmember Upthegrove—that helps meet the needs of the riding public. A special highlight was meeting a retired man who volunteers his time to pick up litter at the Aurora Transit Village stop, a quiet but inspiring example of community care in action.
This ride-along is just one part of my broader involvement in the Transit Safety Task Force , which is now concluding its information-gathering and issue identification phase before identifying recommendations that are requested in the legislation I co-sponsored with Councilmember Dunn. I’m grateful to ATU Local 587 for the chance to witness these issues firsthand and for their ongoing leadership.
Last month I joined the first-ever Crime Survivors Summit, organized by King County, community organizations, and survivors of crime. This powerful event featured survivors, advocates, law enforcement, and criminal legal system experts and highlighted how our criminal justice system must be reformed to better support survivors of violent crime.
As someone who worked in our jail system for many years, listening to people who have been physically and emotionally harmed or lost loved ones to violent crime and hearing about how the system doesn’t serve their needs, I came away with a renewed dedication to provide survivors with the support they need through more funding and system reform.
|
