06.27.2024

Today’s Forecast

911, what’s your emergency?

City of Seattle announces proposal to expand CARE department’s dual dispatch program

The CARE team has their own snazzy marked transportation. | Photo via City of Seattle

More Seattle neighborhoods could start receiving behavioral health specialists as first responders for emergency calls after Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a proposal to expand the city’s Dual Dispatch program.

The dual dispatch program launched as a pilot in October 2023 under the city’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department. In an effort to diversify the types of first responders, CARE deploys a set of behavioral health specialists trained to provide more tailored care to some emergency situations, freeing up police officers in the process.

The city believes the dual dispatch system has been largely effective at safely assisting community members after analyzing emergency response data from the last eight months.

The city now intends to expand it by:

Hiring 21 new staff members, including 18 responders and three supervisors
Extending hours from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. to a 24/7 schedule
Expanding the neighborhoods covered by the program from Downtown, SODO, and the Chinatown-International District to include Capitol Hill, Central Area, First Hill, Judkins Park, Madison Park, Montlake, and upper Pike/Pine
Building new partnerships with Seattle University, the University of Washington, Crisis Solutions Center, and others

The expansion, which would be phased throughout 2024, would cost the city ~$1.9 million to implement.

Mayor Bruce Harrell has included the price within his Mid-Year Supplemental Budget request, with the intention to pull it from available federal funding. Seattle City Council will still need to approve the move.

A group of CARE Dual Dispatch first responders pose for a photo in their distinctive royal blue polo shirts. — The dual dispatch specialists’ bright shirts sure make them a little easier to pick out.
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Photo via City of Seattle

Here are some other stats to sum up dual dispatch’s first eight months:

Behavioral health specialists responded to more than 500 calls since the program began.
Their average response time was less than 10 minutes and responders were on-scene for an average of 39 minutes.
Police officers requesting assistance accounted for 88% of calls received.
The most common request involved transportation to shelters and day centers.

Events

Thursday, June 27

“Dolly!” | Thursday, June 27-Sunday, Sept. 8 | Times vary | Can Can Culinary Cabaret, 95 Pine St., Seattle | $69-$89 | This rhinestone-encrusted country burlesque will have you quaking in your cowboy boots.
Pride Super Show | Thursday, June 27-Saturday, June 29 | 7-10 p.m. | Club Comedy Seattle, 328 15th Ave. E., Seattle | $20-$25 | Be prepared to giggle and tap your feet at this cabaret featuring stand-up, live music, and more surprises.

Friday, June 28

Seattle Mariners vs. Minnesota Twins | Friday, June 28-Sunday, June 30 | Times vary | T-Mobile Park, 1250 First Ave. S., Seattle | $15-$550 | Time to grab a hot dog and root, root, root for the Mariners.
Dimelo: A Latin Experience | Friday, June 28 | 10 p.m. | The Crocodile, 2505 First Ave., Seattle | $20 | Shake the night away to your favorite Latin beats.
Redmond Dudes vs. DubSea Fish Sticks | Friday, June 28 | 6:35-9:35 p.m. | Mel Olson Stadium, 1321 SW 102nd St., Seattle | $13.50 | This isn’t any ordinary baseball game — get ready for some mid-game, family-friendly shenanigans.

Saturday, June 29

Heavy Breathers Meetup | Saturday, June 29 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Dog Yard Bar, 1546 NW Leary Way, Seattle | $0-$16 | Expect some... unconventional ASMR at this meet-up for dogs known for their loud respiratory habits like pugs, Frenchies, bulldogs, and more.

Sunday, June 30

Seattle Pride Parade | Sunday, June 30 | 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Downtown Seattle, Fourth Avenue + Union Street to Second Avenue + Denny Way, Seattle | Free | Join 300,000 spectators in cheering on the annual Seattle Pride parade, featuring Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe as the parade’s grand marshals.
Indigo Dyeing Class | Sunday, June 30 | 1-4 p.m. | North End Makerspace, 12317 15th Ave. NE, Seattle | $40 | Ever had a crafts class that blue your mind? Take some fabric or yarn and change its hue.
Adam Ray’s “Dr. Phil LIVE” | Sunday, June 30 | 7 p.m. | Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St., Seattle | $91-$315 | Television’s favorite psychologist doesn’t do stand-up, but this impersonator imagines what Dr. Phil’s show would be like if he did.

Events calendar here

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Plan Ahead

🍷 Wine don’t you add this festival to your cal?

Wine don’t you add this festival to your cal?

Presented by a SEAtoday Partner

Kirkland Uncorked_Article_SEA_June 2024.gif

You’re invited to a celebration of wine, food, and community, as the essence of Washington’s vibrant culinary and viticulture scene is uncorked. | Photos courtesy of Alabastro Photography; GIF by SEAtoday

Uncork summer fun and flavors at Washington’s biggest summer wine festival, Kirkland Uncorked, happening Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 14.

This premier wine-tasting event allows attendees to indulge in a sensory journey through exquisite flavors, surrounded by breathtaking views of Lake Washington.

Discover some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest as you sample 70 different wines on the lake’s beautiful shores at Kirkland’s Marina Park. This curated selection of exquisite vintages features everything from local favorites to renowned estates.

The sips and smiles continue with new craft cocktails, live music, beachside grilling, craft market shopping, and more. The best part? Proceeds from the fest benefit Motley Zoo Animal Rescue.

General Admission, Grand Admission, and VIP tickets are now on sale. Pro tip: Enter code SEA to receive two extra drinks when you buy a Grand Admission ticket.

We'll cheers to that

News Notes

Coming Soon

Legendary New York City-based cocktail bar Death & Co. will be opening a new location in Pioneer Square. The bar will take an alley-facing spot at the RailSpur development with an opening date slated for some time next year. (Eater Seattle)

Edu

Seattle Public Schools’ announcement of which 20 elementary schools it plans to close as an adjustment for budgetary shortfalls has been delayed until at least September. The list was expected at the school board’s meeting yesterday, June 26, but was delayed to allow for more time to factor in public comments. (Seattle Times)

Open

Las Vegas brunch spot Truffles & Bacon has a new sister restaurant that’s now open in Interbay. Choose from Barrel & Bacon’s dinner items like katsu fried chicken + waffles, or a mac and cheese burger.

Civic

The City of Seattle is granting $200,000 to three different projects targeting commercial food waste reduction. The recipients include Edible Food Recovery, More Than Food Project, and the Pedaling Relief Project — all of which focus on food redistribution efforts.

Community

A new live arts series highlighting various pieces of culture from local Indigenous groups will be coming to City Hall Park. Native Indigenous Presentations have been scheduled throughout July + August and will feature performances like Lummi violin storytelling and Snohomish Coast Salish Canoe Family songs.

Ranked

According to a recent US Census Bureau study, the Seattle metro area had the highest percentage of adults who have attended a live arts performance in the past 30 days than any other US city. Out of the area’s ~3.2 million residents, about 29.5% (956,000) had gone to a show. (Seattle Times)

Drink

Psst... we’ve got some in-cider information that Channel Marker Cider is opening its first taproom in Ballard this week. The cidery, which opens its new location Friday, June 28, will also use the 5201 15th Ave. NW spot as a production facility. (My Ballard)

Sports

The Mariners narrowly avoided their first sweep of the season in a series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hear from the local experts about what went right and wrong with Locked On’s daily, Mariners-focused podcasts.

Transit

The future is now (for Androids, at least)

ORCA cards now compatible with Google Wallet

Two ORCA cards stacked on top of each other — one black the other blue

The new ORCA card designs should roll out this summer. | Photo via Sound Transit

Welcome to the digital age, Seattle-area transit users — ORCA cards can now be added to Google Wallet.

The new feature allows riders with Android phones to add the transit pass to their phone’s wallet to do things like pay for trips, view transactions, add funds to their account, and see trip history within the Google Wallet app.

To add the card, Android users need to:

Open the Google Wallet app.
Click “Add to Wallet.”
Click “Transit Pass.”
Look for ORCA.

Riders will then be able to tap their Android phones to the readers for the King County Metro, Sound Transit, Washington State Ferries, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Pierce Transit, and Kitsap Transit.

Apple users will have to wait a bit longer for the feature. No date has been announced for when ORCA cards will be compatible with Apple Wallet.

The Buy

The Buy 6.27.24 (Affiliate)

A great basic baseball cap to keep the sun off your face all season long, like ones from Life Is Good or Adidas.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alina

From the editor

I saw “Girl from the North Country” last night and I gotta say (spoiler alert) — I did not expect three big disco balls to drop down during a musical about 1934 Minnesota. But it worked really well and was easily one of my favorite moments from the show.

I also spent a great deal of the show completely awestruck by how talented the entire cast was. I can’t sing, play any instruments, or act — and here the entire cast was doing all three beautifully. Blew my mind.

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