5 things to know this weekend
Air quality this weekend; Tokitae died; Tokitae’s timeline; Kohberger goes to court on October 2; Why are hurricanes so rare on the West Coast?
USA –
These areas of western Washington will have the worst air quality due to smoke this weekend
Air quality is expected to worsen over western Washington this weekend as wildfire smoke blankets the area.
The wind changed direction, bringing smoke into western Washington. Wildfire smoke is likely to reach Snohomish County Saturday morning and continue to move south throughout the day.
According to KING 5 meteorologist Christopher Nunley, the impacts will worsen from Saturday night to Sunday.
Air quality levels could be moderate to bad for sensitive groups across the Puget Sound on Saturday. According to the PSCAA, air quality is expected to continue to deteriorate Sunday, sometimes reaching unhealthy levels or worse. Read more
Tokitae, a resident orca of the South, dies in captivity after calling for her to be brought home
The orca Tokitae, known to the Lummi nation as Sk’aliCh’elh’tenaut, died on Friday at around 1 p.m. Pacific time, according to the Miami Seaquarium.
The Miami Seaquarium said in a Facebook post that Tokitae began “showing signs of severe discomfort” over the past two days. Tokitae was treated by the medical team but passed away on Friday afternoon from what is believed to be kidney disease. Read more
From capture to death, a timeline of Tokitae’s tragic journey
53 years and 10 days after Tokitae was captured from Puget Sound, the killer orcas that resided south of Tokitae died in captivity at the Miami Sea Aquarium.
She is the last surviving killer whale among killer whales captured from the Puget Sound and sold into captivity. Here’s a look back at her life, from being violently arrested and sold to her death.
The judge rules that the trial for the murder of Bryan Kohberger will take place in October
The trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, will begin October 2.
The state proposed maintaining the October 2 trial date, expressing concern about the potential delay affecting the victim’s family and the overall integrity of the trial.
The defense also made a motion for adjournment due to irregularities in the grand jury process but was denied by the judge, who found no significant flaws in the process.
The judge stated that based on the information provided, he did not believe there had been a failure on the part of the prosecutor. The trial is scheduled for October, with jury selection taking place the week before. Up to 1,000 potential jurors can be summoned for the trial.
If convicted, Bryan Kohberger faces the death penalty. Read more
Why hurricanes are so rare on the US West Coast
Hurricane Hilary briefly strengthened to Category 4 off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday and could reach Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years, causing “remarkable impacts” significant and rare” including widespread flooding.
The US National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm warning has been issued for Southern California, the first time it has done so.
Those along the West Coast of the United States may wonder why the West Coast is usually hurricane-free.
The two main reasons the US West Coast is generally hurricane-free is due to cold ocean temperatures and cold ocean currents, plus the direction of trade winds. Read more
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