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InvestigateWest (investigatewest.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Visit investigatewest.org/newsletters to sign up for weekly updates.
'; document.querySelector('#copytext').value = textContent; modal.showModal(); }); // Modal close functionality const modal = document.querySelector('.republish-modal'); const closeBtn = document.querySelector('.republish-modal-close'); // Close button click closeBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { modal.close(); }); // Close on backdrop click modal.addEventListener('click', function(e) { if (e.target === modal) { modal.close(); } }); // Close on ESC key (this is usually built-in, but adding for safety) modal.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) { if (e.key === 'Escape') { modal.close(); } }); // Copy text button functionality document.querySelector('.copy-text-button').addEventListener('click', async function() { const textarea = document.querySelector('#copytext'); const text = textarea.value; try { // Try modern Clipboard API first if (navigator.clipboard && window.isSecureContext) { await navigator.clipboard.writeText(text); this.textContent = 'Copied!'; } else { // Fallback for older browsers textarea.select(); document.execCommand('copy'); this.textContent = 'Copied!'; } // Reset button text after 2 seconds setTimeout(() => { this.textContent = 'Copy text'; }, 2000); } catch (err) { console.error('Failed to copy text: ', err); // Fallback to selection if copying fails textarea.select(); this.textContent = 'Text selected'; setTimeout(() => { this.textContent = 'Copy text'; }, 2000); } }); });“Breathing Uneasy” is the result of a collaboration between InvestigateWest and KCTS 9. Veteran environmental reporters Robert McClure of InvestigateWest and Jenny Cunningham of KCTS 9 spent six months examining the impact of truck traffic on the communities that border the Port of Seattle, an area that new studies say has some of the worst air in the state. Their stories detail how toxic emissions from diesel trucks endanger residents of some of Seattle’s poorest communities, but also contain lessons and implications for any area dealing with major roadway traffic near schools and residential neighborhoods.
In addition, McClure and Cunningham examine how Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Tay Yoshitani helped oppose changes in legislation that would have made trucks cleaner, despite his promise to make Seattle the “cleanest, greenest, most energy-efficient port in the U.S.”
A special report on air pollution, co-produced by InvestigateWest and KCTS 9, will air on KCTS Connects Friday, June 17 at 7 p.m. Click here to view the video.
To read the stories on Crosscut, click here. And you can listen to Robert McClure discuss the issue with Ross Reynolds on The Conversation during the noon hour Tuesday, June 14 on KUOW 94.9 FM.
The public will also get a chance to have their say about upcoming port decisions that could affect the air pollution load in the region. The Port of Seattle is holding a public meeting from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. on June 28 at South Seattle Community College. For more information, call (206) 787-3000.
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