News from and about King County… from health updates to community news affecting our daily lives.

Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes news about honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a pizza party with Federal Way High School Basketball Seniors, a community food hub in King County, a public health update from Dr. Faisal Khan, the Community Accelerator Grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, law enforcement and health updates, and more.




Washington Trivia

This printer, educator and public official was the namesake of Bates Technical College in Tacoma. Who was he?
(Answer is at the bottom).




Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” is one of my favorite quotes from Dr. King, and I used it when introducing his daughter, Rev. Bernice King, to a gathering at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church many years ago. Dr. King led by words and deeds!




Federal Way High School Basketball Seniors Pizza Party

As I live within walking distance of Federal Way High School, I hosted a pizza party for the basketball team’s seniors to celebrate their achievements, both on the court and in school. While many of us remember Yattah Reed as a player at FWHS, he is now known as Coach Reed and his Eagles are currently ranked #1 in the state. Congratulations Yattah for your success as a teacher, coach, and parent.



With Coach Yattah Reed, Coach Quinn Gillis, Coach Jeffery Forbes Jr. and the Federal Way High School Seniors Basketball team


King County partners with community-based organizations to create a 40,000-square-foot food hub, better connecting local farmers to hunger relief organizations

King County is partnering with Food Lifeline to convert their 40,000-square-foot warehouse into a new food hub, providing much-needed shared space for storing, packing, and distributing fresh produce and goods to people and families experiencing hunger. Read more here.





Community Accelerator Grant

ArtsFund is thrilled to announce the Community Accelerator Grant, a new grantmaking program funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, that will provide unrestricted grants for cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington state in amounts of $2,500 to $25,000. Awards will be unrestricted, allowing recipient organizations to utilize funding in ways that they determine and prioritize for highest impact.

The application is now live and the deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. on January 31st. Click here for more information on how to apply.




Public Health Update from Dr. Faisal Khan

Last week, the Regional Policy Committee had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Faisal Khan, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County, about some public health updates. Dr. Khan’s report focused on respiratory illnesses in King County, as they are intertwined with the hospital bed occupancy issue.

The graph below shows a variety of respiratory illnesses that usually circulate from October until the end of April. Influenza is the major threat among these respiratory illnesses, with cases going up between September and December last year. Pre-pandemic influenza seasons have seen over 36,000 deaths in the United States, which could have been further exacerbated if we had the influenza strain in circulation that was not covered by vaccine administered for that.

Among these viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has made the headlines this season, with many patients admitted to the hospital, flooding intensive care units across hospital systems in most metro areas in the country. In our region, Seattle Children’s Hospital saw most of the cases, however, cases have dropped sharply in the middle of December, helping the system to return to some degree of normalcy.




King County Homeless Response System

Data is a critical tool for preventing and ending homelessness. Because many variables affect homelessness and circumstances are often changing, it is important to collect the numbers and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness, as well as information about services and how they are provided. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority provides dashboards with data varying from people experiencing homelessness to households receiving services through the King County Homeless Response System. To view these dashboards, visit https://kcrha.org/data-overview/.




Crime Updates

This update is intended to inform you about what is happening in our communities and where. My hope is that this information will not only make us better informed, but also provide us with solutions for how we can address the issues facing our community as we move forward. Click the following links to see crime information in Auburn, Federal Way, and all of King County.


Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities

As of December 31, 2022, 226 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty in 2022. This is a dramatic decrease of approximately 61% from the 586 officers killed in 2021. The massive decrease in line-of-duty deaths for 2022 is almost entirely related to the significant reduction in COVID-19 deaths.



For a detailed 2022 end-of-year law enforcement officers fatalities report, click here. For a complete list of benefits for public safety officers and survivors as shared by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), click here.


King County COVID-19 Case Update

Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 189 daily average positive cases, bringing the total in King County to 541,675. In addition, Public Health reported 2 daily average deaths, bringing the total in the county to 3,442.



Vaccine Locator: To find COVID-19 vaccine appointments, visit Vaccine Locator.

For King County residents: Register here to schedule your appointment at one of the high-volume vaccination sites in King County.

For in-home vaccination: Call King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977.

To register by phone: Call King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977 or Washington COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #.

For veterans: Call 206-716-5716 or visit www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine.

For more information, visit getting vaccinated or getting tested in King County.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 9-8-8 to connect to the new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, text TALK to 741-741 or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

Find your King County Council district here.


With best wishes,

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

LaVerne Hazen Bates was instrumental in bringing vocational training to Washington state in the early 1940s to support the country’s war efforts. Prior to becoming the director of the then-Tacoma Vocational School (Tacoma Vocational-Technical Institute) in 1944, Bates attended public schools in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, he worked as a printer in Spokane’s trade school, and served as a printer’s assistant at North Central High School in 1934. In 1937, he was appointed as an instructor of printing in both the trade and high schools and became active in the National Youth Administration.

In 1951, Governor Arthur Langlie appointed Bates to be employment security commissioner, and later in 1957, as director of the department of labor and industries. After Bates retired as a director of the Tacoma Vocational-Technical Institute, the Tacoma School Board changed the school’s name to L.H. Bates Vocational Technical Institute, now known as Bates Technical College, in honor of his service and dedication to the Institute and vocational education.

Bates died in Tacoma in 1982 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery.


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