Each week on The Newsfeed, host Paris Jackson and a team of veteran journalists dive deep into one topic and provide impactful reporting, interviews and community insights from sources you can trust. Each day this week, this post will be updated with a new story from the team.
County Health Department adapted to manage measles outbreak
By Paris Jackson, story published 03/27/2026
About 25 years ago, measles was eliminated in the U.S.
But now, the highly contagious virus has seen a resurgence.
Health experts say measles spreads through coughing and sneezing and can survive for up to 2 hours in a room. If someone is not immune and is exposed to the virus, their chances of being infected are about 90%.
Cases appeared in Snohomish County in the early part of January, and the health department says they believe a group from South Carolina brought the virus while visiting family and friends in the county.
“The majority of our 14 cases were in two households, which had multiple people who were not immunized in those households. So it took a while for everybody to get sick. But now that has happened. So at this point, we're beyond one fall incubation period. So the incubation period is when you get exposed to measles, the time it takes you to get sick. So for measles, that's 7 to 21 days,” Snohomish County Health Department Health Officer Dr. James Lewis said.
Dr. Lewis says the agency isn’t expecting any more local cases, and he says they don’t have any known exposures in the community that would result in additional cases. Click here to view the Snohomish County Health Department’s measles dashboard.
He says most people in the county - an estimated 90% or more - are immunized. He also says there are a small pockets of people with lower immunization rates in the area.
Health officials say the two groups with the biggest concerns are children under 12 months old (because babies are not eligible for measles vaccinations until they’re 1 year old), and those who are unvaccinated for religious or philosophical reasons.
The latter was the case with many in the group that were infected in Snohomish County. Dr. Lewis says the health department tailored their approach given the group’s religious beliefs.
“We responded aggressively because we knew we had a really large number of people exposed, and we knew there was a large number of susceptible people exposed. We knew there was a particular community group that was high risk. And so we focused a lot of our outreach to them,” Lewis said.
Lewis says they focused their messaging on quarantining and other methods to stop the spread.
“We specifically tailored our messaging and our outreach efforts to be in a preferred language by that group as well as, avoiding discussion at that, you know, critical moment of immunizations because we knew that was not something that they were open to from a, you know, religious or, social, perspective. And so, now's not the time during a crisis to try and convince people to change their mind on that topic. So we created messaging tools and posters for people for that. For them to put up in various places, as well as messaging that can be posted on social media in the preferred language and avoiding discussion of immunization,” Lewis said.
Snohomish County Health Department Prevention Services Division Director Katie Curtis says the lessons from the pandemic prepared them for this most recent measles outbreak.
“Really working more with our community, rather than coming out as ‘public health knows what's best for you and we're going to tell you.’ It's really, how can we help co-create messages? What are the questions that your community has that we can help answer or get you the information in a way that's understandable to the people you're trying to serve? Because really, us pushing out messages only in English, only on our website, really does not reach our full community,” Curtis said.
Lewis and Curtis say the best way you can protect yourself and others is getting vaccinated and listening to your healthcare provider.
“Knowing how to isolate, knowing how to keep your other family members safe, knowing how to keep the rest of your community safe, by maybe just staying home and waiting until your illness subsides, before you're back out. And really making sure that the message of: vaccines are the best way to prevent. But there are also other ways we can help prevent the spread of disease,” Curtis said.
“Right now, there's a lot of rumors going around about vaccines, even coming from pretty high up in our government. So I think, really paying attention to science-based recommendations, you know, whether or not those align with your personal or religious beliefs can be a separate discussion. But really pay attention to where these recommendations are coming from and that they're coming from people who are experts in vaccines, experts in vaccine preventable diseases, and really have, you know, human health at heart,” Lewis said.
Teaching transit as Snohomish County continues to grow
By Jaelynn Grisso, story published 03/26/2026
Snohomish County is rapidly growing, creating an increasing need for public transportation. The Link Light Rail currently goes into Lynnwood and Community Transit buses people to those stations and elsewhere in the county. The light rail line is planned to expand further north to Everett between 2037 and 2041.
But that’s only one piece of the puzzle. First, folks need to know what’s available and how to use it. That’s why Community Transit offers two free programs to teach people how to use transit in Snohomish County: travel training for adults and transit basics for youth.
Travel training offers a chance for adults to walk through their transit options with a professional.
“We all need like a little extra support or, you know, transit can be a really intimidating and, mystifying thing,” said Natalie Lawrence, Youth Program Marketing Strategist at Community Transit. “So programs like travel training that pair you with like a trusted professional that's there, patiently just waiting and ready to help you get where you want to go, I think is really how you help people change behavior.”
Another program, affectionately known as Busing Basics, teaches middle and high school students how to use the public bus system.
“When I was in high school, it was so possible to work a summer job at minimum wage and save up and buy a car at the end of the summer.” Lawrence said. “To talk to young people now, that's so out of reach. Used cars are going for such premiums. We have such expensive gas prices. Car maintenance is more expensive now, and it's just this really expensive rabbit hole ... And so just really trying to help young people figure out that there is a free way you can get around your community.”
Fewer teenagers are getting licenses, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2000, more than 9.7 million licenses were issued to folks 19 and younger. As of 2024, that number dropped to just under 9.1 million.
Lawrence says she thinks teaching folks about public transportation when they’re young is key to instilling lifelong transit habits. It’s those habits that can keep riders connected to their community.
“The bus is a complex, shared social space. There are all types of people on it, and we don't really get that many spaces that are that way anymore,” she said. “So I think transit has the opportunity to really show us what's happening in and around our communities.”
Cities weighing restarting license plate readers under new law
By Lizz Giordano, story published 03/25/2026
Flock cameras have been a major point of disagreement in Snohomish County, as community leaders and courts weigh their value for public safety against privacy concerns.
Since late last year, several cities there hit pause on their automatic license plate reader systems after residents pushed back — and after judges ruled the data was subject to public records law. Now, with the state's first rules on the books for this technology, those cities are weighing whether to flip the switch back on.
Automatic license plate readers scan passing vehicles, giving officers the ability to search by license plate or physical characteristics of the car. Flock, a main provider in Snohomish County, can run those searches statewide — or even nationwide.
Lynnwood resident and privacy advocate Quinn Van Order called the technology “warrantless mass surveillance.”
“If we have to sacrifice all of our privacy to make law enforcement' s job a little easier, I don't think that represents what American values are, or at the very least should be,” Van Order said. “There is a problem with discriminatory policing practices, and this technology would amplify that.”
In March, the legislature passed a law regulating this technology can be used — limiting how long the data can be kept and shielding it from public records requests.
In a statement to Cascade PBS, a spokesperson for the city of Everett praised the new bill, noting it protects against stalking by exempting the data from public disclosure.
Stanwood Police Chief Glenn DeWitt told Cascade PBS the city plans to turn its cameras back on as soon as the governor signs the bill - which would take effect immediately. Officials in Sedro-Woolley said they're still reviewing the law.
Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace had already terminated their contracts with Flock before the bill passed.
Snohomish County farms face long rebuild after December flooding
By Venice Buhain, story published 03/23/2026
In rural Snohomish County, preparing for floods is just reality.
Even as heavy rains continued to threaten floods this spring, farmers here are still mopping up after December’s major flooding.
For 18 days in mid-December, three storm systems hit Washington, forcing 100,000 people to evacuate. 13 counties declared disaster and nearly 4,000 homes were damaged. One person in Snohomish died.
In Snohomish County, the flood caused at least $18 million damage to public infrastructure and at least $5.5 million damage to private property, but that’s not counting damage to agriculture or future impacts, the county says. Statewide, the flooding did $182.3 million damage to public infrastructure, the largest amount submitted to FEMA in Washington state in more than 40 years, according to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office.
Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Lucia Schmit said the county mitigates risks through warning systems, emergency planning and water management.
“Because what you see in places where they try to control rivers is rivers don't appreciate being controlled. And so eventually they will break through the dikes, and then you have really catastrophic flooding,” she said. “And so what our surface water management folks have been doing is just trying to give the river room to breathe. They've been purchasing lots of land down in the estuary of the Snohomish to give the river room to spread out.”
Agriculture is the second largest industry in Snohomish County, with 1,400 farms and 70,000 acres of farmland. Some farms here face a long rebuild.
“We’re not going to know until the fall, until next season, whether some of these plants survive, particularly when you look at the Christmas trees and the blueberry bushes and some of those crops that really represent years of investment,” Schmit said.
Linda Neunzig, Snohomish County Agriculture Coordinator, said December’s flood washed out topsoil that farms are now working to replace.
“One of our largest producers, he said it may be a complete crop loss this year, or maybe he'll get a third of his production. That's huge. That's a big economic loss to that producer. And we have multiple farms that were like that in here,” Neunzig said.
Fr. Jim Eichner of Food Bank Farms in Snohomish said the nonprofit farm, which grows produce for food banks and food programs, was lucky. It was able to draw from donations and volunteers as they rebuild, as well as from insurance coverage from The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Redmond, which operates the farm.
“Tons of volunteer labor. So those were resources I had, that that other people might not be able to get to,” Eichner said.
To help farmers clean up after the December flooding, the county is working with a South Korean supplier to provide new plastic covering for greenhouses, Neunzig said.
Despite the widespread damage, county and state officials still are waiting for FEMA to declare the December storm a disaster, which would unlock aid from the US Department of Agriculture.
The Small Business Administration, which does not have to wait for that declaration to release aid, is offering loans to homeowners and small businesses. Homeowners have access to loans of up to $500,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, including personal vehicles. Businesses may also be eligible for up to $2 million for both physical and economic losses due to storm damage. The deadline for homeowners to apply for SBA help is April 27.
Businesses may also be eligible for up to $2 million for both physical and economic losses due to storm damage.
But Eichner said no one should underestimate the resilience of farmers.
“They don’t want any pity,” he said. “They just want people to buy their produce, their products, their bales of hay, their beef and all of the things that they that they produce out here.”
Outreach group helps elders facing isolation
By Paris Jackson, story published 03/23/2026
A Snohomish County senior center is prioritizing community among Black elders to combat isolation and foster connection.
Every Tuesday, a group of Black seniors meet to share meals, fellowship and participate in activities through culturally-specific programs curated by Homage Senior Services inside the Carl Gipson Senior Center in Everett.
Last month, the seniors in the Black Elder Outreach Program rode Community Transit buses to learn how to ride public transportation and help maintain their independence.
Emma Nuckles, 84, is one of the Elder Outreach Program members. She says she’s the only Black person in her senior living building and has enjoyed the company of the other Black seniors since the group’s inception 3 years ago.
“It makes me feel wonderful because as you know, in this area - and we talk about it all the time - you know, there's not very many of us. And being sheltered and in-home most of our lives, especially when we get to the age, we are and not seeing people like us,” Nuckles said.
In 1961, Nuckles moved to Washington state from Louisiana and settled in Spokane, where she and her husband started a family. She moved to Everett in the 1990s and has lived in the area ever since, but now that’s she older, she says the senior center is another place to go outside of her church.
“To be able to come out and meet and do activities together, and to reminisce about old times, recipes, and children and grandchildren. You know, and it's just good to get out of the house,” Nuckles said.
Homage staff say the 60-plus age group is the highest growing population in the county. They say many seniors face isolation, which leads to increased rates of dementia.
“I see it every day, you know, I come across... elders they're sitting or they're just at the grocery store by themselves, not really shopping, but just walking to get out of the house. And, I wish that everyone knew that there are programs such as this,” said Shree Smith, an elder advocate with Homage Senior Services.
For the last year, Smith has led the elders with intentionality behind the effort she puts in.
“I even plan for my meetings. My group, meetings, a week in advance. I sit and I think, what can I do that will be enjoyable? It will make it worthwhile that they get dressed and came to the meeting this morning. They've been coming. I have some members that are consistent. I don't care if it's raining. Snowing. They are here and I want to make it worth their while. And so far, I think I'm doing that because they continue to come.” Smith said.
Homage also offers 6 other ethnically tailored senior support groups throughout Snohomish County.
