KPLU's Sound Effect hears from Anzel Herz, a reporter for The Stranger, Rosette Royale, an independent journalist, and Alex Hudson, a writer for the blog Seattlish.
This week's picks for under-reported stories include an analysis of contract negotiations between the city of Seattle and the Seattle Police Officers' Guild which have been conducted out of the public eye for about a year. A lot of the police reform agenda hinges on the outcome of these negotiations. One key group with a lot at stake is the Community Police Commission. This civilian commission was formed following the U.S. Department of Justice review of the Seattle Police Department. Many of their recommendations need to be negotiated by the police union, and that is happening in secret.
The panel also considers Seattle's First Hill streetcar line which showed off its new cars this week but has yet to announce a start date. The line was scheduled to begin running about 18 months ago but was delayed due to problems with the cars' batteries. Delay penalties are being absorbed by the vendor but the city still incurs costs for extra staff time and travel during the delay.
The discussion concludes with a look at the scarcity of pay phones in the Seattle area. Pay phones are life lines for those without cell phones, especially people who are homeless or indigent. They help with job searches, connect people to family, and provide a way to talk to government agencies in order to track down much needed services. But there are fewer and fewer pay phones out there and many of them are broken. In Seattle, for example, the only library with a bank of pay phones is the downtown central branch. But all libraries keep a list of where pay phones are in the city, so if someone needs to find out, it's worth asking a librarian. However, there's no guarantee those phones will be in service.
