WA lawmakers argue for more transparency in utility bills

King County’s Trailhead Direct service returns for its fifth year this weekend to shuttle car-free hikers between Seattle and North Bend trailheads on weekends and holidays through Sept. 4. 

The county invested in a shuttle service in 2017 amid concerns about both climate change and recreation access. It opened some of the region’s most popular hiking trails to those who either don’t use cars or who don’t want to deal with the traffic congestion that plagues these trails during peak hours. Cyclists, rejoice: Each shuttle includes bike racks with space for two to three bikes. 

The route starts at the Capitol Hill light-rail station every half hour, but users can also board at the Downtown light-rail station and the Eastgate freeway station. Stops include the North Bend Park & Ride and the trailheads for Little Si, Mt. Si and Mt. Tenerife. The longest ride takes one hour between Capitol Hill and Mt. Tenerife. 

Users can walk or roll onto shuttles and pay as they would for bus and light-rail rides. The one-way $2.75 fee can be paid using cash, an ORCA card or the Transit GO app. Users 18 and under ride for free.

As Washingtonians continue to suffer the fatal effects of fentanyl, three local advocates took to the stage at the Crosscut Ideas Festival on Saturday and spoke about how to support people experiencing substance-use disorder.

"Overdose does not have to be fatal,” said Brad Finegood, strategic adviser at Public Health – Seattle & King County. 

Finegood’s brother died of a drug overdose, something he believes could have been prevented if the person who had been with his brother at the time of his death knew what an overdose looked like. 

He and his co-panelists — Julian Saucier, a drug policy advocate currently in recovery from substance-use disorder, and Darcy Jaffe, senior vice president of safety and quality at the Washington State Hospital Association — agreed on what’s not working: criminalizing people who are experiencing addiction; shaming and judging; stigmatizing substance-use disorder. 

Seattle, like many other cities throughout the country, has seen an increase in deaths related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. Panelists noted fentanyl has impacted communities of color in particular, and rural areas as well.

The three emphasized different ways to confront the crisis, like educating youth and making naloxone — which can reverse the effects of a drug overdose — more accessible.

More than a third of U.S. species are imperiled or at elevated risk of going extinct, and more than 150 species already have. Experts say biodiversity loss is a trend just as threatening as climate change to keeping the Earth habitable.

How to increase the public’s understanding of the biodiversity crisis — and how people can act on both that challenge and on climate change — were the two main topics of a Crosscut Ideas Festival panel on Thursday about the biodiversity crisis.

Here are three takeaways from the session, which featured author and magazine editor Michelle Nijhuis; Paula Sweeden, who works on wildlife and natural resource management policy for Conservation Northwest; and Bruce Stein, who works on species extinction and biodiversity for the National Wildlife Federation: 

1. Biodiversity loss is about way more than saving the whales. It also involves the malfunction of a system of interconnected species at varying levels of individual vulnerability. “When a species starts to go extinct, it’s usually going to take something else with it,” Sweeden said. To save species, we need to think even the most common ones before they’re in harm’s way. Stein noted that biodiversity is also about genetic variation, which helps species and ecosystems adapt. 
2. Biodiversity is threatened by many things — including our own individual actions. For Sweeden, one of the biggest factors is that people aren’t usually very good at connecting how our individual and communal decisions affect biodiversity loss. That lack of awareness can make it hard to push policy changes. 
3. There are biodiversity wins happening in Washington state. Restoring natural ecosystems to their best, most biodiverse selves can be a result of climate action, Sweeden said. Millions of dollars from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, the state’s new cap and invest system, is devoted to natural climate solutions that protect older forests that heavily remove carbon.

It’s the last day of virtual sessions for the 2023 Crosscut Ideas Festival, and Friday night’s VIP event kicks off our in-person sessions with … slime? 

You might want to bring your poncho.

If you haven’t bought tickets but are interested in attending, you still have a chance — the Festival will culminate in an all-day Saturday in-person event including art installations, workshops and keynote speakers at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. Find a full list of speakers, sessions and ticket prices at crosscut.com/festival. 

Here are today’s remaining virtual sessions: 

• The New Abortion Underground: After the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion access has become increasingly restricted in many states. The landscape harkens back to before Roe, when grassroot groups like "the Janes" created underground networks to provide access. Judith Arcana, a former “Jane” whose Chicago arrest and mugshot became representative of the movement, joins us to discuss her experience living in the pre- and post-Roe era. Arcana is joined by Kelsea McLain, an abortion rights activist and deputy director of Yellowhammer Fund, which works to ensure access to stigma-free and inclusive sexual-health education. The session starts at 9 a.m.
   
• Spiritual Rx for Mental Health: While yoga is on the rise as the popular new workout, Deepak Chopra's new book, Living in the Light, argues the exercise is also a holistic approach to well-being that includes the body, mind, and spirit. Chopra, a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego, is a pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is also the author of more than 90 books translated into 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Amna Nawaz, the co-anchor of PBS NewsHour, will moderate. The session starts at 11 a.m. 
   
• KCTS 9 presents "Your Last Meal" live podcast taping: "Double Dare" host Marc Summers!: Friday’s VIP event includes a live taping of Your Last Meal, the James Beard Award finalist for Best Podcast and the #1 food podcast on Apple Podcasts. Seattle-based host Rachel Belle is joined by Marc Summers, known best as the host of the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare. Find out what he would choose for his last meal, then follow along as Summers and Belle dig into the dish’s history, culture and science. The event includes catered food, drinks and some light morbid humor. 

The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. Don’t have a VIP ticket? You can use code SLIME to get 50% at checkout.

The Crosscut Ideas Festival is back for day three. 

In case you missed it — the Crosscut Ideas Festival is a gathering for newsmakers, changemakers and innovators to come together and discuss current events and the issues of our time. Along with virtual sessions running through Friday, the Crosscut Ideas Festival will culminate in an all-day Saturday in-person event including art installations, workshops and keynote speakers.

Each day, we’ll offer a synopsis of what’s to come. Here are today’s virtual sessions: 

• Building the Education-to-Work Pipeline: The education-to-work pipeline is a system designed to help students transition to the workforce, involving mentorship programs, alternative options to traditional education and coordination with outside employers. While the system is good in theory, it is a bit more difficult in practice. Speakers include Kelvin Dankwa, a mentoring program coordinator at Seattle Public Schools; Rebecca Wallace, assistant superintendent of Secondary Education and Pathway Preparation; Angie Mason-Smith, senior program officer at Washington STEM; and Dr. Angela Jones, director of the Washington State Initiative at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The session starts at 9 a.m.
   
• Crosscut Reports live podcast taping: What happened in Olympia?: After the end of the Washington Legislative session, Crosscut Reports reviews which bills passed, which failed and which didn’t quite make it to the finish line. Host Sara Bernard is joined by Crosscut reporter Joseph O’Sullivan and Axios reporter Melissa Santos to discuss the new laws and political dynamics that have emerged, including the possibility of new gun regulations and moves on housing and education funding. The session starts at 11 a.m. 
   
• Our Biodiversity Crisis: Climate change isn’t the only environmental issue plaguing our planet. America’s wildlife is in crisis — last summer, 60 experts who co-authored a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment said that biodiversity loss was equally as critical. The issue can be reversed, though, if we look to solutions within reach. Speakers include Bruce A. Stein, chief scientist at National Wildlife Federation; Paula Sweeden, policy director at Conservation Northwest; and Michelle Nijhuis, author and journalist at High Country News. The session starts at 2 p.m. 

Interested in attending? Tickets are still on sale for Thursday’s and Friday’s virtual events and Saturday’s in-person sessions at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. Find a full list of speakers, sessions and ticket prices at crosscut.com/festival. 

The Washington Legislature delivered a number of major headlines this past session, from new gun laws to protections for transgender youth and, of course, the state’s official dinosaur. Then there were the headlines for things that didn’t get done, including major housing legislation pushed hard by the governor and a drug-sentencing bill that is likely to get a second chance during a special session in the near future.

Lawmakers gave us a lot to discuss and explain, which is what the Crosscut Reports podcast is great at doing. For this year’s Crosscut Ideas Festival we have invited Crosscut politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan and Axios Seattle reporter, and former Crosscutter, Melissa Santos to a live taping of the weekly podcast. Host Sara Bernard will be asking what these two longtime Olympia watchers saw at this year’s legislative session and how new laws are likely to impact the lives of Washingtonians and inform the national debate.

Here are five stories to help you get up to speed before the 11 a.m. session.

With assault weapons ban, Washington enters a new era of gun reform by Joseph O'Sullivan, Crosscut

WA Senate passes "missing middle" bill to increase housing density by Joseph O'Sullivan, Crosscut

Washington enacts abortion protections to counteract red state laws by Melissa Santos, Axios

WA transgender youth bill targeted in national culture war by Joseph O'Sulllivan

With Washington state set to decriminalize drugs, cities may step in by Melissa Santos, Axios

Hours before Rep. Adam Smith took the virtual stage at the Crosscut Ideas Festival to talk about foreign policy, reports of explosions at the Kremlin provided a reminder of the ever-evolving state of the conflict over Ukraine.

Smith, who for four years chaired the House Armed Services Committee and is currently the Democrats’ ranking member on the committee, spent the session discussing developments in the war in Ukraine, as well as ongoing tensions between China and the U.S.

Rep. Smith cast doubt on Russian claims that Ukraine was behind the attack, noting that he has not been fully briefed on the matter. “Things are not going well for Russia in Ukraine,” he said. “[Putin] needs something to get the Russian people to get behind him — the burning of the Reichstag, if you will."

Here are three other takeaways from the session:

1. Strategic ambiguity is necessary when it comes to Taiwan. Rep. Smith noted that some in Congress have responded to growing tensions between China and Taiwan by calling for the U.S. to state clearly its support for the island’s independence. Smith said that is the wrong tack. He voiced support for the continuation of the so-called “One China” policy, which recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the “sole government of China” while also allowing the U.S. to support Taiwan’s right to self-determination. Smith also called for greater military support for Taiwan, suggesting that the U.S. could help turn Taiwan into a “porcupine.”

2. Investment abroad does not equal disinvestment at home. The Congressman said he does not believe Ukraine has distracted Congress from the domestic issues he finds most pressing, such as income inequity, threats to democracy and climate change. He pointed to $7 trillion in additional spending, including the CHIPS and Science Act and infrastructure investments, as evidence that the federal government can get things done while also sinking resources into international affairs. “It’s not like if we weren’t engaged in Ukraine, everything would be fine here,” he said.

3. There is a path to a negotiated peace with Russia, soon. Rep. Smith pointed to a possible Ukrainian counter-offensive that he believes could push Russian forces back to near the February 2022 border and threaten Russia’s hold on the disputed Crimean peninsula. “That forces him to the table.” Smith suggested negotiations could happen as early as October and said he would like to see a “One Ukraine” policy in which Crimea is a part of Ukraine, "but we're not going to quibble about the details" in how that is done.

Watch a replay of the session here. Or subscribe to the Crosscut Talks podcast to hear this and other Crosscut Ideas Festival sessions in the coming weeks. New episodes will publish every Tuesday and Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tech companies are struggling with middle age. Instead of being edgy and fun, people now think of them as being like any other “evil” big business. 

“When you start getting labeled big, that means people are worried about you or fear you. They don’t love you anymore,” said Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for The Washington Post, on Wednesday at the Crosscut Ideas Festival.

It’s difficult to be young and fun when facing new federal regulations, disdain from the general public and stagnant business growth. Oremus shared his perspectives with host Lizzy O’Leary on a live recording of Slate’s What Next: TBD podcast. 

Things have changed in recent years as tech companies have failed to follow through on their idealism. 

“I think we’re finding out ‘Big Tech’ can’t have it all,” Oremus said. “If they want to make a crap-ton of money – and we’re clearly seen that’s their number-one imperative – they’re going to make choices all the time where they’re not a force for good.” 

Oremus said he expects a messy process to reign in Big Tech, similar to the midlife experience of other industries – think pharmaceuticals, tobacco and automobiles. 

“In every case, it took a long time, it took a change in attitudes, it took regulation, it never changes quickly,” he said. 

Oremus and O’Leary also discussed AI, or artificial intelligence: training machines to mimic the functions of the human brain. The face of AI has been ChatGPT, a chatbot that can do everything from write essays to generate computer code – while generating controversy and amusement at the same time.

Even though big tech companies may be stagnating and not innovating as much, that doesn’t mean they can’t get their fingers into innovation. Microsoft, for example, is investing in OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT. 

The ones who will benefit initially from AI’s success are the companies “who have giant clouds of computing power that the models have to be trained on and run on,” Oremus said. 

Day two of the Crosscut Ideas Festival is underway. The Crosscut Ideas Festival is a gathering for newsmakers, changemakers and innovators to come together and discuss current events and the issues of our time. Along with virtual sessions running all week, the Crosscut Ideas Festival will culminate in an all-day Saturday in-person event including art installations, workshops and keynote speakers.

Each day, we’ll offer a synopsis of what’s to come. Here are today’s virtual sessions: 

• Slate Live Podcast Taping: "What Next: TBD": Big Tech's Midlife Crisis: Is the tech industry all right? Lizzie O’Leary, host of Slate’s podcast What Next: TBD, sits down with The Washington Post’s tech industry analyst Will Oremus to discuss widespread layoffs, tumultuous profits and what lies ahead for the industry. The session starts at 9 a.m.
   
• Ukraine, China and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy: The war in Ukraine has reshaped foreign policy in differing ways. The U.S. strengthened its relationship with NATO while also increasing tension with China over Taiwan, which the U.S. has vowed to defend. Congressman Adam Smith, who said the invasion is a “defining moment” for the world, discusses managing our economic reliance on a competing nation while keeping global order intact. Connie Lead, associate professor of political science at Seattle University, also joins the discussion. The session starts at 11 a.m. 
   
• CRISPR and the Future of Genetic Engineering: Jennifer Doudna is a co-founder of CRISPR, the highly contested gene-editing tool. The discovery offers opportunities to treat or cure diseases, increase crop resistance and raise livestock that are more efficient at producing meat and milk. The tool has also faced backlash, including ethical concerns that it could lead to a new class of “designer babies.” Doudna will be joined by New York Times columnist and science author Carl Zimmer. The session starts at 2 p.m. 

Interested in attending? Tickets are still on sale for virtual events and Saturday’s in-person sessions at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. Find a full list of speakers, sessions and ticket prices at crosscut.com/festival. 

Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd has some advice for his Republican colleagues: Engage with the voters, take sensible and collaborative stands on the issues and tell your friends to vote in the primary.

He believes the Republican Party is primed and ready for a reset, as he wrote in his 2022 book American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done and as he said at his appearance Tuesday at the Crosscut Ideas Festival.

He offered advice on how to re-engage with voters and move past former president and current candidate Donald Trump. One idea: Be more like our current president, Joe Biden, whom Hurd said does a good job of engaging in dialog and meaningful debate, unlike his predecessor.

The party isn’t going to engage younger voters, women in the suburbs and people of color, Hurd said, if Republicans aren’t open to talking about and developing meaningful stands on sometimes contentious issues like immigration, transgender rights and the environment.

He warned that meaningful engagement takes time and effort — as well as an open mind. And, he added, don’t be racist, don’t be a homophobe, don’t be misogynist, don’t be nasty.

People want to vote for people who are nice and have good ideas. “We should expect that from our elected officials,” he said.

And be part of choosing the candidates by voting in primaries, Hurd said. The best selection is in the primary, and most voters do not participate. He believes the Republican Party can get over Trump by voting in large numbers in primary elections.