Keith Seinfeld

Mass: Some rain, some sun this Memorial Day weekend

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:21:33 +0000

Rain showers will be coming and going this weekend. That's the big picture, but Cliff Mass, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington, says the weekend won’t be a total washout.

“Memorial Day weekend is generally not the best,” he says. “We have a really nice period sometime in the early to mid-May most years, and we’ve had it.”

Now, Mass says, we’re starting to see the infamous “June gloom syndrome,” which he says involves “a lot of low clouds and sprinkles.”

Cash only for marijuana businesses after credit union backs away

Keith Seinfeld — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:41:19 +0000

Verity Credit Union has backed away from helping marijuana businesses open checking accounts. The move is a major setback for pot businesses as the Seattle credit union had been the only financial institution in the state openly providing banking to those shops.

Most young adults won't pay more for coverage under Obamacare

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:51:06 +0000

If the price tag for health insurance goes up under Obamacare, it’s likely to hit some policy holders in their 20s, economists have warned. Now that the first round of numbers are available in Washington state, we can see whether that’s the case.

Mass: Half-and-half weekend, then not so pretty next week

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:29:45 +0000

If you liked the light rain falling this morning, you'll get a bit more on Saturday, and possibly Sunday morning, says Cliff Mass, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.

On the other hand, if you're looking for some good outdoor times, Mass says we should dry out Sunday afternoon.

'Staggering' rate hike under Obamacare no longer likely

Martha Kang and Keith Seinfeld — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:28:13 +0000

View full-size map

Small businesses in Washington lose out on subsidized health plans

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:51:14 +0000

Small businesses in Washington state will not be able to participate in the new health care law, because not enough insurance companies were willing to sell them coverage.

The biggest part of Pres. Barack Obama’s new health care law is aimed at people with no health insurance. Starting this fall, they’ll be able to buy individual health policies from an online system where they can compare prices. It's also where you can get subsidies for insurance. In Washington state, it's called Washington HealthPlan Finde r.

If you work for a business with fewer than 50 employees, the law says your employer has the option of getting insurance for low and middle-income workers—with subsidies. That won’t happen in Washington, at least not on time.

Mass: Mother Nature to spoil outdoor Mother's Day plans

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:24:17 +0000

All you need is a quick look out the window to see a gorgeous day in store for Friday, with none of those morning clouds we've been seeing all week.

The day is the last “almost perfectly sunny and warm” day we’ll see this weekend, says Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington.

Under new law, CPR training mandatory in Wash. high schools

Keith Seinfeld — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:13:32 +0000

Starting this fall, all high school students will get CPR training under a new mandate signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The students don’t have to get certified in CPR—the proposal for certification was rejected as too cumbersome for public schools. But the state-mandated health class, which kids typically take in 9th or 10th grade, will now include a day or two of CPR training.

Born between '45 and '65? Get tested for hepatitis C, says CDC

Keith Seinfeld — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:03:50 +0000

A silent epidemic in the baby-boomer generation has health officials urging widespread testing. It’s hepatitis C, which can quietly infect your liver for years, leaving tiny scars but without showing any symptoms.

Left untreated, you end up with cancer or in need of a transplant.

Now, a new battery of tests and better treatments are arriving, just as boomers reach an age when their livers could suddenly fail.

Balmy Monday breaks records in Seattle, Bellingham, Olympia

Keith Seinfeld — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:21:50 +0000

May 6 isn’t known for much. Perhaps it languishes in the shadow of its older sibling, Cinco de Mayo.

But at least this year, May 6 saw something special when the mercury climbed to a record-breaking high of 87 degrees at Sea-Tac Airport around 5 p.m., crushing the past record high of 79 set in 1957.

Fears of a Catholic monopoly dominate talk of hospital mergers

Keith Seinfeld — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:49:25 +0000

Washington is one of the least religious states in the country, but when it comes to health care, it has some of the fastest growing religiously-affiliated hospitals, partly because so many hospitals are merging.

The trend has some communities worried about losing access to certain medical procedures—if they’re not allowed under church teachings.

Mass: Welcome to a weekend that will get better and better!

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:31:19 +0000

"We have an extraordinary weekend ahead," says KPLU's weather expert Cliff Mass. "And In fact, it's probably not going to rain until at least next weekend as well."

Friday will warm up to lower 70s with “no precipitation anywhere,” says Mass, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington. “And it just cranks up over the weekend."

NBA committee recommends denial of Kings move to Seattle

Keith Seinfeld — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:37:13 +0000

It appears there will be no professional basketball in Seattle this year.

The NBA’s relocation committee has favored keeping the Kings franchise in Sacramento, turning down a bid to revive the Sonics.

The unanimous vote leaves a number of questions about what happens next for investor Chris Hansen and his attempts to bring the Sonics back to Seattle.

Mass: Back to cooler and wetter days, but be thankful for normal

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:13:41 +0000

Be thankful for normal, even if it's not sunny and warm, says Cliff Mass, KPLU's weather expert and a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.

"The interesting thing about this spring is it's been really normal. It's really normal to have some periods where it's above normal and below normal," says Mass, adding he's not quite a prophet of doom; maybe the "prophet of deterioration."

Help coming to protect students with allergies

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Nurses, teachers and other school staff will likely have more flexibility next fall to give adrenaline shots if a student goes into allergic shock. Both houses of the Legislature have unanimously approved a bill that loosens restrictions on how and when schools can use an epinephrine injector.

The change is meant to save the lives of kids who have a severe allergy, including some rare cases in which the first-ever reaction to a not-yet-diagnosed allergy takes place at school or on a field trip.