Where Can Seattleites Take Their Beloved Pooches for a Swim? While we might have access to the city's best secret (er, not-so-secret-anymore) beaches, Fluffy and Fido, per Seattle Parks regulations, can only take a dip at Magnuson Park. 😢
City Officials Want to Fix Up Dog Parks, But Not Build More of Them: The Parks department currently has a proposed $500,000 master plan to improve "the existing dog parks, with things like trail repairs and new water stations. It will also pay for two staffers to enforce the city's dog laws," reports KUOW. Parks officials say that that money isn't enough to build additional dog parks.
Man Drowns at Wild Waves Water Park: The 33-year-old died in the park's activity pool. "There are questions being raised about whether the lifeguards at Wild Waves responded properly or were fully equipped to handle the situation. Witnesses said the lifeguards appeared to be struggling to get the man out of the water," KOMO reports.
Sea-Tac Airport Prepares for Record-Breaking Travel Year: Air passenger travel is up by 10 percent from last year, thanks in part to low jet fuel costs and competition between airline for affordable flight prices, KING 5 reports. This has prompted Sea-Tac officials to hire on additional staff to help visitors through the terminals.
Raging Wildfires Burned Nearly 3,000 Acres Near Spokane: The Beacon Hill brush fire in north Spokane has destroyed multiple homes and other buildings, prompting evacuations from the area, The Spokesman Review reports. The Yale Road Fire, which was caused by a downed power line, began around 3 p.m. on Sunday has has already burned 2,500 acres. Another fire in Davenport grew to 1,600 acres as of Sunday, which prompted rounds of evacuations from the area, which includes Wellpinit land on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Man Stabs Interracial Couple Outside Olympia Bar: Local police believe the attack was unprovoked. The suspect, Daniel B. Rowe, is being held in jail on a $500,000 bail on investigation for assault and malicious harassment, MyNorthwest reports.
Historic Floods in Louisiana: It's the worst disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Red Cross told The Washington Post. "At least 40,000 homes have been damaged, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D). The death toll has risen to 13," the paper reports.
Floods Prevented the Start of the School Year for Louisiana Students: According to the state superintendent, some 4,000 teachers and school staffers, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, have been displaced by the floods. Some schools are even too damaged to reopen. "At stake is not only whether schools will be able to provide students with stability and routine at a time of great upheaval, but also whether students — many of whom are disadvantaged — will lose out on more precious learning time," WaPo reports.
U.S. Women Sweep the Olympic Games: They're taking home 61 medals, 27 of which are golds, NPR reports.
Many of Those Olympian Medalists Are Women of Color: And they slayed. Simone Manuel became the first black woman to win an individual medal for swimming. Dalilah Muhammad became the first U.S. woman to win the 400-meter hurdles. Simone Biles, who won four golds and a bronze with her physics-defying gymnastics routines, became the most decorated U.S. gymnast ever in a single Olympics. Ibtihaj Muhammad, who won the bronze in women's fencing, was the first Muslim-American to compete in a hijab. "Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin became the first Olympians from the same nation to finish 1-2-3 in the 100-meter hurdles," NBC reports.
