Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes information on my recent visit with Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier to discuss flood protection projects in the city of Pacific, health updates, an interesting article on Social Security benefits and more.

Washington Trivia

How did Redmond get its name?

(Answer is at the bottom).




Flood Protection Projects in Pacific

Last week, I met with Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier to visit one of the flood protection projects in Pacific. King County Flood Control District Director Michelle Clark joined us and provided updates on the following projects: Stuck River Drive Flood Damage Repair, Countyline Levee Setback Project, Pacific Right Bank Flood Protection Project, Government Canal, Pacific City Park, and US Army Corps of Engineers and Mud Mountain Dam Coordination.

With Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier and King County Flood Control District Director Michelle Clark.


Weekly King County Public Health Update: Decreasing our COVID-19 risk indoors

Our colorful foliage, cooler temperatures, and famous Pacific Northwest rain signal that autumn is here, and winter is quickly approaching. Public health experts are concerned about the additional risks of COVID-19 transmission as people may gather more indoors.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasize that indoor settings carry more risk of virus transmission because:

• Indoor settings often lack adequate ventilation of outdoor fresh air allowing for virus buildup in the air.
• Indoor heating produces lower relative air humidity (virus is more stable) and drier respiratory systems (more susceptible to infection).
• There may not be enough room to socially distance among one another.

Seattle and King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin strongly cautions people from gathering with people outside of their household but shares these recommendations should people choose to do so:

• Limit gathering size to 5 or less people outside the household
• Always wear an appropriate face covering
• Make sure to ventilate indoor areas
• Socially distance a minimum of 6 feet from each other
• Provide or bring your own disinfectant wipes
• Wash hands often and wipe down any shared surfaces frequently
• Avoid sharing anything with others (utensils, towels, condiments, etc.)
• Avoid higher risk activities such as singing or speaking loudly
• Quarantine at home after the gathering and get tested if you have symptoms
• If someone at the gathering tests positive, consider testing 5-7 days after exposure

CDC risk assessment for COVID-19 transmission for different types of gatherings. Click here for details.

Lowest risk: Virtual-only activities, events, and gatherings.

More risk: Smaller outdoor and in-person gatherings in which individuals from different households remain spaced at least 6 feet apart, wear face coverings, do not share objects, and come from the same local area (e.g., community, town, city, or county).

Higher risk: Medium-sized in-person gatherings that are adapted to allow individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and with attendees coming from outside the local area.

Highest risk: Large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area.


Here's the salary you need to make to get the maximum Social Security benefit possible

A video in this CNBC article shows steps on how much your monthly check will be if you start collecting benefits at your full retirement age. According to the Social Security Administration, to get the maximum benefit possible next year, you would need to retire making $137,700. But there are limits to how much you'll receive.



Photo from CNBC video.


Seattle Mariner Kyle Lewis is the Unanimous American League Rookie of the Year

The Baseball Writers' Association announced voting results yesterday and unanimously named Seattle Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis as the American League Rookie of the Year. Lewis was the first player drafted by general manager Jerry Dipoto after he took over the Mariners baseball operations in 2015. Read more about this here.



Photo from MLB’s Twitter account.





King County Case Update

Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 332 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 31,576. In addition, Public Health reported 4 new deaths, bringing the total in the county to 816.

Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Sitting in a fertile basin created by ancient glaciers that once covered most of King County, Redmond was originally known as Salmonberg (other sources spell it as Salmonburg) because of the abundance of salmon in the Sammamish River.

According to HistoryLink, the first settlers in the Redmond area were Luke McRedmond and Warren Perrigo. McRedmond left Ireland and immigrated to the United States, settling at Port Madison in Kitsap County where he served as county commissioner and sheriff. Perrigo was a Civil War veteran who settled in Kitsap County as well. Both wanted to homestead and after visiting Seattle, they decided to file claims in the Sammamish Valley.

Perrigo built a house that could also be an inn and named it Melrose House after his hometown in Massachusetts. Due to the popularity of the inn, the name Salmonberg was changed to Melrose. However, McRedmond started creating a village and when he became postmaster in 1882, he changed the name of the area from Melrose to Redmond.