Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes information on our upcoming virtual community forum, SR99 partial road closures, hiking and health updates, and more.

Washington Trivia

When was the first Seafair in Washington?

(Answer is at the bottom).



Virtual “Good Eggs” Community Forum with King County Sheriff

Prior to COVID-19, I regularly hosted “Good Eggs” Breakfast meetings once a month to encourage regional dialogue and collaboration among local elected officials and community leaders from South King County. In keeping with public safety guidelines, I invited King County Sheriff, Mitzi Johanknecht, to join us for a virtual community forum Wednesday, August 19th, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. If you are interested in participating on Zoom, email tyler.pichette@kingcounty.gov for details, or you can follow along live on Facebook at www.facebook.com/petevonreichbauer.



Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus reported in two Eastern Washington counties

According to the State Department of Health, four mosquito samples have tested positive for the West Nile Virus in Benton County this year, and another three samples have tested positive in Yakima County. In past years, West Nile Virus has been detected across the state. You can read more about the news in this KING 5 article.

Closures on State Route 99 for Federal Way Link Construction

Two lanes of northbound State Route 99 between Kent/Des Moines Road and 240th in Kent will be closed for underground utility work. The nighttime closures will take place on Aug. 17 to 21 and again on Aug. 24 to 28. The closures will be from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. each night.

KCSO Receives Alarming Number of Hiking Rescue Calls

Just in the last month, the King County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team has received and responded to 87 hiking rescue calls, which officials consider alarming compared with the total 199 rescues they performed in 2019. The team often finds people who are not prepared with basic supplies and are taking risks beyond their skill level or bringing pets that cannot endure heat or distance. As a reminder, the team requests that people ensure they pack 10 essential items before hiking.

Weekly King County Health Update: Save Lives with Hands-Only CPR and AED

Cardiac Arrest is a major issue in the United States even during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 350,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year, and about 9 in 10 of them die. If you are in a position to save a life, please do not hesitate to do so.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency lifesaving procedure that keeps blood flowing in a victim and gives them a better chance of making a full recovery. An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a device that can help someone experiencing cardiac arrest by delivering an electric shock.

You do not need to take a special course to do hands-only CPR or use an AED. If you see someone experiencing cardiac arrest near you, don’t be afraid to take action. Follow these steps as outlined by the CDC:

1. Call 9-1-1 right away. If another bystander is nearby, save time by asking that person to call 9-1-1 and look for an AED while you begin CPR. All 50 states have laws or regulations requiring AEDs in public gathering places.

2. Give hands-only CPR. Push down hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions or pushes a minute. Let the chest come back up to its normal position after each push. American Heart Association (AHA) recommends timing your pushes to the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive.” This method of CPR is called “hands-only” and does not involve breathing into the person’s mouth.

3. Keep giving hands-only CPR until medical professionals arrive or until a person with formal CPR training can take over.

If you would like to learn more about cardiac arrests and how you can help, please click here.

HIV vaccine design strategy holds promise for COVID-19

The University of Washington School of Medicine has developed a new vaccine design strategy that could enable a more targeted immune response against viruses, including those that cause AIDS, flu, and COVID-19. The scientists attached proteins from the surface of a virus, called antigens, to custom-made protein nanoparticles, which enables a unique level of control over the molecular configuration of the resulting vaccine. To learn more about this study, please visit UW Medicine’s website.

King County Case Update

Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 225 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 17,204. In addition, Public Health reported 5 new deaths, bringing the total in the county to 685.

Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember



Washington trivia answer:

Designed as a ten-day celebration to attract tourists and showcase marine events in Seattle, the first Seafair was held from August 11th through August 20th in 1950. The original plan was to celebrate Seattle’s centennial in 1951-52, but when Seattle officials recruited Walter Van Camp, Winter Carnival director in St. Paul, Minnesota, to produce the event in the Emerald City, he saw no reason to wait for the centennial. He started working in March, planning the ten-day event featuring parades, community events, boat races on Green Lake, and several entertainment events at the brand-new 5,500-seat Aqua Theatre. The Aqua Theatre was built in just 75 days, and was ready on August 7th, just four days before Seafair began.