A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
🖋️Letter From the Editor🖋️
Voters in unincorporated areas of King County have two more days to join the participatory budgeting process and help determine how money is invested in their neighborhoods! More monkeypox vaccines are also now available, with the Sexual Health Clinic reopening for vaccination today, with drop-in and appointment-based visits.
On a national level, Kansas voters gave an unexpected victory for abortion rights last week, which serves as evidence that perhaps U.S. voters are not as in line with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as anti-abortion advocates may have thought.
—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald
✨Gleaming This Week✨
- Vote for Participatory Budgeting in Unincorporated Areas of King County by Aug. 10
- More Monkeypox Vaccines Are Here
- Kansans Vote Overwhelmingly to Keep the Right to Abortion in the State’s Constitution
Vote for Participatory Budgeting in Unincorporated Areas of King County by Aug. 10
In 2021, King County embarked on a new participatory budgeting process that would give communities the power to choose how money is invested in their neighborhoods and learn about community projects which could come to their areas. Its framework was created by the Community Investment Budgeting Committee, consisting of a group of residents from King County’s urban unincorporated areas.
Participatory budgeting allows communities to identify, discuss, and prioritize public spending projects. Residents can help decide how to spend money on capital projects (physical things that are bought, built, installed, and/or fixed up), programs, and services.
King County approved funding for this program in its current two-year (2021–2022) budget:
- Skyway/West Hill: $3.9 million for capital projects, $810,000 for services and programs
- North Highline/White Center: $3.1 million for capital projects, $540,000 for services and programs
- East Federal Way: $1.96 million for capital projects
- East Renton: $301,000 for capital projects
- Fairwood: $720,000 for capital projects
Voting on the projects takes place through Aug. 10! Head over to PublicInput.com to view sample ballots and share your thoughts on which community projects need to happen!
More Monkeypox Vaccines Are Here
Monkeypox has been getting more serious in Washington State and across the country. As of Aug. 3, the Washington State Department of Health reports 166 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Washington State, with the large majority – 153 cases – in King County. These numbers are likely lower than actual numbers.
To date, Public Health has received 9,160 monkeypox doses (including 4,440 that arrived Friday, Aug. 5). Updates on numbers of vaccines in the county can be seen on the Public Health – Seattle & King County’s website, along with information about the people currently eligible to receive the vaccine.
The Sexual Health Clinic reopens for vaccination today. The Sexual Health Clinic provides both appointments and walk-ins. Services are available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Check hours at: KingCounty.gov/SexualHealth
Kansans Vote Overwhelmingly to Keep the Right to Abortion in the State’s Constitution
Last week, Kansas voters turned out in record numbers for their August primary. They delivered an electoral win for abortion rights after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, voting overwhelmingly to keep the right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
“As the first state to vote on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Kansas attracted attention from a national and international audience,” writes The Washington Post. “Aside from partisan contests, the Kansas results signal what to expect when other states vote on abortion rights this November. Kentucky votes on a similar measure, for instance, while Michigan voters will decide whether the state should expand and protect abortion access.”
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