Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes information on King County Elections’ ballot delivery and collection, King County Metro’s Subsidized Annual Pass, COVID-19 and health updates, and more.

Washington Trivia

How did Burien get its name?

(Answer is at the bottom).




Election Update

King County Elections reports that as of yesterday, ninety-nine percent of the ballots that they mailed on October 14th were delivered to voters. Additionally, King County Elections has received over 278,000 voted ballots back at their facility as of this morning. Please be aware of the following important information:

Ballot Delivery. If you have not received your ballot, please call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683) or visit this website.

Ballot Tracking. King County Elections highly encourages voters to track their ballot. With this feature, voters will now see when their ballot is sent, delivered, mailed back, received, signature verified, and ultimately counted (example below).



Ballot Drop Box Returns. King County Elections had a record high of picked up ballots at drop boxes this weekend with 91,537 ballots compared to their previous record of 16,000. Another 74,000 ballots were picked up yesterday. The top five ballot boxes that had the most ballots were at the Ballard Library, Redmond City Hall, Alaska Junction in West Seattle, Sammamish City Hall, and the Broadview Library. You can monitor the current ballot drop box numbers here. To report a full box, please call 206-296-VOTE (8683) during business hours or share it on social media anytime and during off-hours. All 73 ballot drop boxes will remain open until 8:00PM on November 3rd, Election Day.

Vote Centers. Vote Centers are a great option for voters who still need to register or update their registration after October 26th, voters who would like to use an accessible voting unit, which offers an audio ballot, touch pad and other options for adaptive equipment for individuals with a disability, and anyone who lost their ballot (may also pre-order one online to save time at the Vote Center).

The Vote Center in Renton is officially open and six locations (Federal Way Performing Arts Center, Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Bellevue College, CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, Dempsey Indoor Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Kenmore City Hall) will be open on Saturday, October 31st, Monday, November 2nd, and Tuesday, November 3rd.


King County Metro Update

King County Metro and Sound Transit have partnered to create a new, subsidized annual pass program, allowing qualified riders to travel on select transit in our region with subsidized fares. Customers who reside in King, Pierce, or Snohomish County and are enrolled in one of the six state benefit programs are eligible to apply. Read more about it here.




U.S. is staring down a ‘substantial third wave’ of coronavirus cases

As the temperatures get colder in the Northern Hemisphere, infectious disease experts warn that the daily new number of coronavirus cases remains dangerously high and could rise even higher this flu season. According to a Johns Hopkins University data, the nation is averaging 55,000 new coronavirus cases daily, which is a more than 16% increase compared with last week’s numbers.



Dr. William Schaffner, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, expects the nation to experience a substantial third wave of infections as people will spend more time indoors, which creates a greater risk compared with outdoor activities. Read more about this article here.




Weekly King County Public Health Update: Fitness at Home

Over the past seven months, we have been staying at home more to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in our community. Our normal routines have changed; we are working from home, learning online, and limiting our in-person activities. For many of us, our usual exercise modes have been disrupted, but it is still possible to maintain our physical fitness or even become more physically active.

The Washington State Department of Health states that “physical activity benefits people of all ages and abilities” and the benefits are numerous: reduced stress and anxiety, weight control, immune system support, reduced health risks and disease, improved overall strength and fitness, and enhanced cognitive health. Additionally, studies point to the importance of regular physical activity to the health, concentration and behavior of children and adolescents.

The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week for adults to remain healthy and emphasizes that being active can be achieved without special equipment and even with limited space. Before embarking on any physical activity, contact your healthcare provider for their approval and recommendations. Here are some suggested activities:

• Take short active breaks during the day – dancing, playing with children, gardening, cleaning, active recesses from online learning
• Follow an online exercise class – free classes are available on YouTube
• Walk outdoors or indoors/in place – during phone calls, walk your pet
• Stand up – aim for every 30 minutes during the day, during phone calls/work
• Focus on mentally stimulating activities – puzzles, reading, board games
• Relax – practice meditation and deep breathing

Additional resources:

• Physical Activity is Essential to Healthy Aging
• Exercise Programs That Promote Senior Fitness
• Physical Activity for Children


King County Case Update

Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 119 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 23,268. In addition, Public Health reported 3 new deaths, bringing the total in the county to 769.

Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Located in South King County, Burien was originally called Sunnydale by Michael Kelly, son of settlers in the Duwamish River valley, after climbing the daunting hill west of the confluence of the Duwamish and Black rivers. He was expecting to see the Salt Water (Puget Sound), but what he saw instead was a heavily wooded forest and a beautiful valley that he eventually called Sunnydale.

According to HistoryLink, Kelly wanted to homestead the area with Elizabeth Jane Forton, his bride-to-be, but he needed to build a road first before he could do so. He obtained a permit and built a road from the Riverton settlement to South Park with the help of Forton and her family. Kelly and Forton got married and moved into a log cabin on their homestead in 1873.

In 1874, Gottlieb Burian and his wife, Emma Worm Burian, arrived in Washington Territory from Lower Silesia Prussia (now part of Poland). They moved to Seattle in 1876 and built a second home for their family in Sunnydale in 1884. The Burians were suburban landowners who kept their home in Seattle while raising their family near the lake. The 44-acre kettle lake, which formed during the retreat of the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice sheet as a chunk of the glacier calved off and melted, was named Lake Burien - taken after the Burians. There does not seem to be a record explaining how Burian was changed to Burien.

After five attempts from Burien residents to incorporate their area, and with Sea-Tac Airport’s growth, the city of Burien was eventually incorporated on February 28, 1993.