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

Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes news about our "Good Eggs" Breakfast with King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, King County Council's Recognition of Iam Tongi, the Carpinito Bros. Farm Stand, the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle, Emerald Downs' King County Express, celebrating FWHS Alum Dr. Caleb Dawson, the upcoming August 1st Election, a grant opportunity, crime and health updates, and more.




Washington Trivia

This American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney from Seattle invented electrophotography (xerography). Who was he?
(Answer is at the bottom).




“Good Eggs” Breakfast with King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion joined us for this month’s Good Eggs breakfast meeting. As Prosecutor, Leesa oversees an office of 600 employees and is responsible for enforcing the laws pertaining to violent crimes, sexual assaults, and property crimes.

The past few years have brought soaring crime rates and many of us have unfortunately experienced this lawlessness first-hand. During our meeting, Leesa addressed what we have been seeing and spoke to the importance of collaborating with local law enforcement, increasing police and prosecutor resources, and reducing the backlog of pending cases.



With Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier, Federal Way Council President Linda Kochmar, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, Kent Councilmember Toni Troutner, Des Moines Deputy Mayor Traci Buxton, and Federal Way Councilmember Jack Walsh


King County Council Recognizes Iam Tongi

While many recognize Iam Tongi as the 2023 American Idol, I see a young 18-year-old fulfilling his late father’s and supportive mother’s dream for their son. Pacific Islanders are all about family, and many showed up for the recognition of my constituent and recent grad of Decatur High School, Iam Tongi. Mahalo!




Shop Local at Carpinito Bros. Farm Stand

Shop local! Brothers Mike & Dan Carpinito began farming vegetables on their family’s farm in Kent over 50 years ago, and I recently stopped for some produce. Their selection brought Federal Way Councilmember Hoang Tran in as well. Carpinito Bros. Farms is one of the last remaining farmlands in the Green River Valley, and Mike & Dan, along with their children, have expanded their crop selection to include over 40 varieties of farm fresh vegetables, hand-harvested from over 800 acres.



With Federal Way Councilmember Hoang Tran, Mike Carpinito and his nephew Joe Carpinito


MLB All-Star Game in Seattle

While many of the 47,159 in attendance will remember the NL defeating the AL 3-2, or Julio Rodriguez's 41 home runs in the home-run derby at MLB's All-Star Game, I will remember reminiscing with Lou Piniella about the Mariners' 116 wins in 2001 and the number of times his passion got him ejected from a game. Great to see you, “Sweet Lou”.




Emerald Downs’ King County Express

Horse racing is a great job-producer in King County! Over 200 King County Employees and their families attended the $50,000 King County Express race, including my King County Council colleagues Claudia Balducci, Sarah Perry, and Honorary Race Steward Jeanne Kohl-Welles, as well as King County Superior Court Judges Pat Oishi and Jim Rogers.

Horse racing is an integral part of Native American culture as well as an economic engine that provides thousands of jobs and millions of tax dollars in King County. Emerald Downs Races are on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!



With Rep. Bill Ramos, King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Sarah Perry, King County Council Chief of Staff Stephanie Cirkovich, King County Superior Court Judges Patrick Oishi and Jim Rogers, King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Alex Welles


Celebrating FWHS Alum Dr. Caleb Dawson

Is there a doctor in the house? Yes! Dr. Caleb Dawson worked with me as a Federal Way High School Associated Student Body (ASB) president and later while he was at Gonzaga University where he was also student body president. This weekend his proud mother, Federal Way Councilmember Lydia Assefa-Dawson, hosted a backyard party to celebrate this new PhD from University of California Berkeley’s School of Education, along with his patient wife of four years, Limairy!




Election Day is Tuesday

Election Day is Tuesday, August 1st. Ballots need to be in a drop box by 8 p.m. sharp or have a postmark on or before Election Day. Vote Centers open this Saturday, July 29th, for those who need in-person assistance.

Call King County Elections with any questions at 206-296-VOTE (8683), and for more information visit www.kingcounty.gov/elections.


4Culture’s 2023 Cultural Equipment Grant

4Culture’s Cultural Equipment grants will fund the purchase and installation of equipment that can be considered as fixed assets, including computer hardware. You can request a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $10,000 for this grant. Applicants often receive partial funding of their request. The deadline to apply is August 30th by 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit 4Culture’s website or contact Melissa Newbill at 206-263-1603 or melissa.newbill@4culture.org.


Non-Profit Corner

South King County may not have the same large benefactors that Seattle does, but our non-profits work just as hard to help people and good causes in our region. Below are a couple places where your donations go a long way:

Auburn Valley Humane Society 
https://www.auburnvalleyhs.org/ 

Multi-Service Center Food Bank  
https://mschelps.org/getinvolved/donations/  

Bridging A Gap Weekend Feeding Program 
https://www.bridgingagapfw.org/get-involved/adopt-a-school/

Federal Way Kiwanis: 67th Annual Salmon Bake 2023
July 28th, 4:00 pm | Steel Lake Park
https://federalwaykiwanis.square.site/




Crime and Law Enforcement 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.



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.



Click here to see the Crime in Washington 2022 Annual Report, which was compiled from data submitted by statewide law enforcement agencies to the Washington State Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.


Health Updates

Safe Medication Return Options

Visit https://medtakebackwashington.org/ to find secure disposal drop-off locations or where you can obtain mail-back supplies. Call (844) 4-TAKE-BACK or (844) 482-5322 for more information or to order mail-back supplies.

South King County Vaccination Clinics

It might be the height of summer, but families will soon shift to preparing to get kids back to school. To help families stay on top of these, Public Health – Seattle and King County (PHSKC) has compiled a list of no-cost vaccination events for children living in South King County, including those who are uninsured, experiencing homelessness, or who recently moved to the U.S. and do not have a healthcare provider.

Starting during summer and running into early fall, these events are hosted by Go-Vax Kids, HealthPoint, Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, and Stepping Stone Pediatrics in collaboration with school districts and community-based organizations. Check PHSKC’s Find a Clinic webpage for a list of no-cost vaccination events, locations, and times. This webpage will be continuously updated as additional events are scheduled.




King County COVID-19 Case Update

Yesterday, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 58 daily average positive cases, bringing the total in King County to 563,151. In addition, Public Health reported 0.4 daily average deaths, bringing the total in the county to 3,592.

For more information on the latest data, visit the King County COVID Daily Summary Dashboard here.



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 206-477-3977, press option 3.

For veterans: Call 1-800-698-2411 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: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat https://988lifeline.org/ to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Find your King County Council district here.


With best wishes,

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Chester Floyd Carlson is an American physicist, inventor and patent attorney who invented electrophotography, a method for dry photocopying using electrical currents now known as xerography or dry writing.

Carlson was born in Seattle in 1906. While he attended San Bernadino High School, he worked for a local printer and attempted to typeset and publish a magazine for science-minded students, but he got frustrated with traditional duplicating techniques. This inspired him to think about easier duplicating methods.

Carlson’s experiments constructing a copying machine in his Astoria, Queens apartment, eventually led to the discovery of a method for dry photocopying.

It took years for the printing industry to take this scientific breakthrough seriously, however Haloid, eventually partnered with him and began using the technology in all their printers. Haloid later became Xerox, and Carlson’s invention paved the way for personal printers in every home.

In 1968, Fortune magazine ranked Carlson among the wealthiest people in the nation. He devoted his wealth to philanthropic purposes. In September of that year, he died of a heart attack in New York.



Image of the world’s first xerographic image. (Photo source: Wikipedia, Xerox Image Library)

To unsubscribe or update your preferences, click here.
1. Enter your email address and click confirm.
2. Select the subscription/s you want to unsubscribe from and click submit.