Double decker buses come to Spokane
Spokane has joined London, Las Vegas and Victoria, British Columbia as cities with double-decker buses in their city fleets.
This week, the Spokane Transit Authority received two of the iconic motor coaches it has ordered for the routes between Spokane and Cheney. Transit spokesperson Carly Courtright says 60-foot long articulated buses — also known as accordion buses — now serve the run to and from Eastern Washington University.
“The double-deckers offer more capacity. They also, even though the articulated are perfectly safe, the double-deckers do handle better in inclement weather conditions," she said.
The new buses were delivered this week, but they aren’t scheduled to go into service until next fall.
“They need to be inspected by us. They need to be licensed. And then we have to equip them," she said. "We need to get our security system in place, as well as our fare system. So we have to put our fare collection box and our tap fare system in place.”
Courtright said Spokane Transit expects to receive five more double deckers in February. Those, too, will be earmarked for the Spokane-to-Cheney route, she said.
The cost for the new buses: about $1.25 million each. Courtright said federal and state grants covered about three-quarters of the cost.
Seattle to get minimum wage bump in the new year
Seattle’s minimum wage is about to rise. Beginning in January, the wage will be $20.76 per hour.
The change will affect both employees and business owners.
Damon Kauhola, a part-time barback in Seattle, said the pay bump provides a layer of financial security.
"When I go grocery shopping or something I won’t have to necessarily zero in on the cash register hoping that that payment goes through," he told KUOW public radio.
For years, businesses have been able to apply customer tips toward worker pay and benefits.
But that practice expires at the end of 2024.
Sarah Zehner co-owns Mulleady’s Irish Pub in Magnolia and said she’ll have to adjust schedules, including her own, in order to make the math work.
"Maybe that’s an hour shaved off of this employee’s weekly hourly, or this other employee’s weekly hourly, which isn’t something that we want to do but it’s just the reality," she said.
Other business owners are bracing for the change too.
Some are making adjustments to help pay for the raises. Some are increasing their menu prices.
A recent survey shows that the change will affect diners’ behavior, too.
"People understand that restaurants have to raise their price, and they’re saying ‘I can no longer afford to eat out as much. I may be pickier where I go,'" said Mariah DeLeo with the Seattle Good Business Network, the non-profit behind Seattle Restaurant Week.
The poll was taken this past fall, in anticipation of the new wage increase.
DeLeo said she can appreciate diners’ concerns. They have to manage their budgets too.
"I feel the diner perspective needs to come into play, just because they’re dealing with their own kinds of pressures on budgets and things like that," DeLeo told KUOW public radio. "And they’re the ones ultimately, their business is making the business run."
She added that Seattle restaurants have already seen a drop in diner visits in the past few years.
Seattle already has one of the highest minimum wages in the country.
The state-wide minimum wage in Washington currently sits at $16.66 per hour for tipped and non-tipped employees.
Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, and it’s $2.13 an hour for tipped workers.
Immigration bill could end sanctuary policies in WA
A bill to be considered in next year’s legislative session seeks to change the way Washington deals with undocumented immigration. State Senator Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, has already pre-filed Senate Bill 5002.
His proposal links undocumented immigrants to crime and human rights abuses. It would require local law enforcement to support federal immigration authorities.
It would also repeal Washington laws that protect immigrants, including so-called “sanctuary policies.”
Fortunato has presented similar bills before. This one comes as Donald Trump prepares to assume control of the government. Immigration and mass deportations were focus areas of Trump’s campaign.
The prospects for Fortunato’s bill in the Democratic-controlled legislature are unclear.
Bird count tracks migration patterns, long-term species health
A large group of Spokane area residents are counting birds to help track the species long-term health.
It’s part of the annual Christmas Bird Count conducted by the National Audubon Society.
Spokane Audubon Society Outreach Coordinator Shenandoah Marr told SPR News that the local bird count helps guide national resource management:
"It does feel like you’re kind of contributing to something that will help to guide reports and then maybe decisions that are made with respect to land use," she said.
Marr said researchers are finding some bird species are now migrating farther north and others are delaying winter migrations until later in the year.
She and others identified 35 bird species in the first half of the count earlier this month.
The second half count will be held on Jan. 4, 2025.
“You don’t need prior bird watching experience. You don’t need to be an expert," Marr said. "If you don’t know much, you’ll be paired up with someone who does."
The nation-wide bird count began 125 years ago.
Those interested in participating can contact The Spokane Audubon Society.
Holiday waste: what is recyclable and what is trash
Now that you’ve opened most or all of your holiday gifts, you have to decide how to get rid of the stuff that’s left over.
Spokane city officials say some of it can be recycled. That includes wrapping paper that is not shiny or metallic. Metallic paper, tissue paper, ribbons and bows go into the trash. So do the plastic bubble packing and styrofoam and paper envelopes lined with plastic.
Paper Christmas cards can be recycled, but envelopes with glitter and metallic material must go in the garbage.
Batteries, especially lithium ion batteries, can’t be recycled or tossed into the trash. They must be taken to garbage transfer stations or Spokane County’s waste-to-energy facility. Electronics may be eligible for e-cycling.
Fresh trees, if they’re small enough, can be recycled. Six feet in length, three inches in diameter are the magic measurements. The city of Spokane will pick them up at the curb between December 30 and January 10. Old Christmas lights go in the trash, not the recycling bin.
Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Ruby de Luna, Johanna Bejarano and Tom Lee.