KIRO Newsradio Headlines: Jury shortages in Marysville and Edmonds causes trials to be postponed

In Marysville, two cases did not go to trial this summer because not enough people responded to their jury summons.

Court administrators tell the Everett Herald they typically send out 55 to 60 summons per case in the hopes of getting 20 potential qualified jurors to seat a jury of six. A dozen needed to show up for the jury selection process, and over the summer, the court saw just five of the 50 summoned jurors show up, so they were forced to postpone the trial.

It’s a similar story in Edmonds, where the municipal court typically sends out 75-80 summons per case with only about 20% responding.

Washington state encourages but does not require employers to pay workers who have jury duty which is a barrier for a lot of potential jurors, but court officials say it’s important to show up, or the system does not work.

Ignoring a juror summons is also a misdemeanor that can come with a fine of up to $1000.

Motorcyclist killed taking corner too fast in Tukwila

A motorcyclist was killed in Tukwila after police said he was taking a curve too fast at around 10:30 p.m. Monday night.

Washington State Patrol reports the incident occurred at the intersection of State Route 99 and State Route 599 near the end of Boeing Field.

Police say the man was ejected from his motorcycle and his head hit the pavement.

He was pronounced dead on the scene.

KIRO Newsradio Headlines: Storm win playoff series against Mystics, set to play Aces in semi-finals

Orcas spotted near Raft Island

Some Pierce County residents who were out boating got a surprise while near Raft Island.

KIRO 7 TV reports Kayla Chase’s in-laws’ boat was bumped by one of two orcas that surfaced, and they also heard the orca making noise.

While they normally see a lot of seals where they live, they’ve been seeing plenty of orcas as well this year.

Chase said the orcas were seen surfacing several times.

VIDEO: Two orcas spotted near Raft Island https://t.co/ir83oPUGx3

— MyNorthwest 🌲 (@Mynorthwest) August 23, 2022

Sewage spill evacuates beaches on Lake Washington

A Monday morning sewage spill shut down a half-mile stretch of the Lake Washington shoreline in Seattle.

The city is warning people to avoid the water at Howell and Madrona Parks and the area in between them.

High bacteria levels already closed down several beaches along the lake, including Gene Coulon, Newcastle, Matthews, and Meydenbauer Bay.

New quarantine procedures to halt beetle infestation damaging crops 

A Japanese beetle infestation in South Central Washington has prompted the Washington state Department of Agriculture to issue a quarantine alert, impacting a 49-square-mile area near the community of Grandview.

For now, the Department says starting September 15, potted plants, clippings, and leaves are not to be taken out of the area. It also affects sod, un-shucked corn, and some other items.

Japanese beetle adults are metallic green and brown and have little tufts of white hair on their sides. They emerge — usually from lawns or in other soil — in the spring and feed throughout the summer.

Officials say the pest eats more than 300 plants, including roses, grapes, and hops.