成人X站 Radio reporter Tracy Taylor talked to WSDOT’s Meagan Lott (who manages the area of Snoqualmie Pass) and Doug Adamson (who manages the Olympic Peninsula area), and Trooper Rick Johnson with the Washington State Patrol.

Lott said WSDOT crews have spent the past weeks preparing for winter weather conditions by getting plows and deicers ready for snow. She said the forecast calls for a wetter, cooler winter up at the pass.

“Drivers just need to make sure that they’re prepared,” Lott said.

Adamson, who noted that traffic volumes are slowly returning to normal, said the pandemic has taught us all that there are other options if you need to get things done or visit with friends or family. Conducting life virtually may also come in handy when weather conditions make it too risky to drive.

“Since a lot of people already have the ability to work from home, fire up that laptop if it works for you,” Adamson said.

While Trooper Johnson doesn’t recall a time he’s cited someone for not carrying chains in their vehicle, he did emphasize that it’s important to keep that tool somewhere handy during winter months. Chains required over the passes means just that.

“Abide by those advisories, they’re there for a reason,” Johnson said.

Preparedness is really the key in keeping traffic flowing smoothly over the mountain passes, Johnson said. Make sure you have the right tires, good tread depth, and extra water, food, and blankets in case you get stuck in a closure.

Besides snow and ice on the roads, Adamson reminded Tracy that the other weather hazard drivers are often faced with is a wind storm.

“On the Hood Canal Bridge, for example, it can be closed for six hours at a time,” Adamson said. “I personally keep an extra blanket, I have an extra charger for my phone, I make sure I have a first aid kit, and with COVID, I have a mask and hand sanitizer in case I have to walk over to a store.”

Additionally, if there’s a road closure sign posted, heed that warning. It doesn’t mean drivers should try to go around it because their driveway is only 100 yards away. Especially during flood season, that entire roadway could have washed away.

Finally, Adamson asked that drivers are patient with the WSDOT plows, which are essentially oversized loads. He said some of those plow drivers are traveling 40-100 miles with a lot of things happening inside the cab to clear snow. Being patient is key. There have been times plow drivers have noticed an impatient driver will make a dangerous decision to pass a slow plow, only to end up stuck in a ditch three miles down the road.

“You don’t win if you get tangled up with a plow,” Trooper Johnson emphasized.

A post shared by (@kiroradio973) on May 4, 2020 at 3:07pm PDT

Montreal Health Institute needs participants for COVID-19 clinical trial

Do you remember back on March 16 when the COVID-19 vaccine trial started up here at EvergreenHealth? Those volunteers now have received their second round of shots. The clinical trial has since expanded twice.

Also, if you鈥檝e ever had blood work done or you鈥檝e had any labs done, you鈥檙e probably familiar with Quest Diagnostics. They have over 125 labs across the United States, and they announced this week that they started to perform antibody tests.

So how do you get a hold of one? How do you get tested? If you were sick maybe in last part of February, first part of March, did you have COVID-19? Are you carrying the antibodies now?

We鈥檒l tell you how you can get involved in these trials and how you can get an antibody test, too.

Tune in to the Coronavirus Medical Updates on the :40s on 成人X站 Radio to learn more.

Colchicine is the drug that鈥檚 used to treat gout, and is a part of a clinical trial that鈥檚 led by Jean-Claude Tardif from the . He has teamed up with the University of California San Francisco as well as New York University for this clinical trial.

It鈥檚 open to 6,000 patients internationally, so anyone from the U.S., Canada, and pretty much across the world who has tested positive for COVID-19 can be a part of this study with the drug colchicine. However, there鈥檚 a caveat. This is a placebo trial, so either you get the drug, or you don鈥檛 get the drug and you get a placebo.

How to listen to 成人X站 Radio during stay-at-home order

If you want to learn more about how you can get involved with this COVID-19 clinical trial, tune in to 成人X站 Radio on the :40s for the Coronavirus Medical Update with Tracy Taylor.

that the U.S. Air Force just signed a $13 million agreement with a startup company called Curative Inc. The hope is to develop kits to test saliva for the presence of COVID-19. It’s similar logistically to how ancestry services work — you spit in a tube, it gets sent off to a lab, and the sample is tested for the virus.

Meanwhile, LabCorps has now received emergency use authorization from the FDA allowing nasal swab specimens to be collected at home.

However, there’s a caveat — at least for now, these at-home tests are available only to frontline health care workers and first responders.

Listen to Tracy Taylor’s ongoing coronavirus updates on the :40’s weekdays on 成人X站 Radio 97.3 FM.

The first surveillance program in the United States has been conducted right here in King County. When will we see these kind of tests made available to the majority of the public? has the details 猡碉笍

— 成人X站 Radio 97.3 FM馃帣 (@成人X站Radio)

Volunteer participants using a new at-home test kit that Dr. Jay Shendure, lead partner of SCAN, aptly named ‘the swab and send test kit.’ The patient collects a nasal sample and return it to a lab for testing.

From these test kits – SCAN tested 4,092 samples, 44 (1.6%) positive results for COVID-19. Dr. Duchin from King County Public health says the results were found when social distancing was in place.

Testing like this has been made available for symptomatic first responders and health care workers who cannot access testing through their health care provider or occupational health services.

Read more about SCAN’s study here.

Join us on 成人X站 Radio after every local newscast for one minute, on what’s coming out of the medical field while we search for a cure for coronavirus.

We’ll hear about testing, treatments, vaccine trials, and recovery. We’ll hear from local and national doctors, scientists, and virologists. It’s just a part of our coronavirus series, including our coronavirus podcast, hosted by Aaron Granillo and Dave Ross.

Fun at-home activities for kids during stay-at-home order

During quarantine, I’ve been scrolling social media an awful late lately. As you scroll through, you stop on something that looks a little interesting 鈥� like front porch photos.

The Snoqualmie resident said got the idea from other posts on social media, and found a way to make it her own.

“I had seen it on Facebook or seen it in different areas, … and I just thought it was a good idea. I thought it was a great way to bring some fun and cheer to this somewhat dreary situation,” Anderson said. “Not trying to make light of it, but trying to make it more fun.”

With staged family photos, the worst thing is often your kids fighting or your husband doesn’t want to be there, Anderson said.

“In this case, we鈥檙e like ‘please let the kids fight, let the husband look mad!’ Because that鈥檚 real life and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to portray is this is real life, and this is our life for quite a while now.”

These silly photos could definitely be seen on family Christmas cards later this year. For now, it’s just a fun hobby for Anderson.

“I do this for fun. I am not taking a dime,” she said. “I stay more than six feet away; I don鈥檛 take my kids with me. … I think it helps all of our mental health to be outside, especially with this weather, and then also get people to laugh and be goofy.”

The families Anderson has photographed all come up with their own ideas and bring their own props. She texts from the car when she’s here, and they come out to the porch, snap a few photos, and off they go.

“They鈥檙e having fun, I鈥檓 having fun.”

How to listen to 成人X站 Radio during stay-at-home order

For those of us who are safe at home and looking for something for the kids, why not start the trend in your neighborhood?

Grab your favorite to put in your window. Then, when you go for a walk, or for a drive, you can have your kids spot the animals.

This adorable scavenger hunt idea seems to be sweeping the nation right now. In my neighborhood, I’ve seen several teddy bears in windows, and there’s a little dachshund in mine.

11-year-old Natalie is spreading kindness with chalk in Snohomish County

When you’re looking for something to do with the kids, maybe just to get out of the house, go for that drive, or for a walk, and count those cute stuffed animals in windows smiling back at you.

Kids are also taping up rainbow drawings and parents are decorating their trees with holiday lights.

There has been a surge in surrenders of pets due to job losses from the coronavirus outbreak in Washington. Because of that, many of the area shelters are looking for families who have time to foster an animal.

Most shelters are doing adoptions by appointment — you will need to check with the shelter you鈥檙e interested in.

With the stay at home order in place, donations are down at shelters, and most are in need of food and supplies. I have linked animal shelters and their Amazon Wish Lists below.

Auburn Valley Humane Society:聽听辞谤听

Homeward Pet Adoption Center:聽听辞谤听

The NOAH Center:聽听辞谤听

笔础奥厂:听听辞谤听

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC):聽听辞谤听

Seattle Animal Shelter:聽听辞谤听

Pawsitive Alliance : .

Rantz: Send chocolate to local coronavirus health care workers

The majority of the festivals events and activities have been cancelled, which is a hit to the Skagit County economy. However there鈥檚 a way you can help.

For $15, will donate a bouquet of tulips to a hospital, nursing home or other members of the Courage Community that could use the joy of tulips. Tulip Town is calling the campaign Color For Courage.

Growers say they are updating their social media pages as often as they can and looking at virtual reality options in the near future.

If you would like to donate a bouquet visit .

How to get your medications delivered during stay-at home order
How to renew your WA license online during coronavirus outbreak
How to get groceries without leaving your home

Overnight Saturday to Sunday at 8 a.m., three lanes of Northbound I-5 will be closed from north of the I-90 interchange and south of Union St.

Changes are coming to the Berkeley Overpass in Lakewood on Monday. Chris Sullivan explains here.

Snow is in the weekend forecast and mountain pass conditions can and will change at a moment’s notice.

Watch: Mountain pass webcams

“There will be snow all day tomorrow through the passes and Snoqualmie Pass could get a half foot of snow by Friday night with Stevens Pass more than that,” said Chief Meteorologist Morgan Palmer at 成人X站 7 TV. “The snow continues all day Saturday, too, with the passes getting from nearly a foot to two feet by Saturday night.”

Make sure you have your emergency preparedness kit in your vehicle, including chains if you don’t have all-wheel drive.

What bike riders need to know during 10 weeks of light rail disruptions

That includes shuttle buses, no more bikes, and a new temporary platform at Pioneer Square. Let’s walk through what to expect starting this weekend.

Link shuttle buses are going to replace trains between Capitol Hill and SoDo. There will be a few other weekends with that same closure — one from Feb. 8-9, and another from March 14-15. You can stay up to date on ongoing closures by subscribing to text alerts .

If you think the trains are going to come as frequently as they typically do, prepare for delays. Four-car trains are going to arrive every 12 minutes during all service hours.

Bikes will not be allowed at the Pioneer Square Station, situated directly between the International District and University Street Stations. That being so, cyclists won鈥檛 be completely out of luck, with a protected bike lane providing a safe way around that route.

Prepare for a commute change on Sound Transit鈥檚 Link light rail

During this construction, Link light rail is going operate as two lines: Angle Lake to Pioneer Square, and University of Washington to Pioneer Square. If you want to continue past Pioneer Square, you’re going to have to get off the train through the inner doors, and go across across the temporary platform.

Sound Transit will have ambassadors out on the tracks to help direct riders across those areas. If you want to exit at Pioneer Square, you’re going to use the outer doors facing the permanent platform.

I’ll be watching train schedules for potential delays, and will keep you up to speed every afternoon from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on The Candy, Mike and Todd Show on 成人X站 Radio.

Prepare for a commute change on Sound Transit鈥檚 Link Light Rail

“We’re going to ask riders if they need to take their bikes, to please de-board at International District Station, or University Street Station,” said Sound Transit Operations Director Marie Olson.

Over the 10 weeks of expected service disruptions for light rail riders, bikes will not be allowed at the Pioneer Square Station, situated directly between the International District and University Street Stations.

That being so, cyclists won’t be completely out of luck, with a protected bike lane providing a safe way around that route.

“You’ve got a dedicated bike lane that runs between those two stations and around Pioneer Square,” Olson described.

Sound Transit will be also closing parts of the International District/Chinatown Station from January through mid-March to tie-in the east link track. This means that the trains will not be able to go through that station during the closure.

SR 99 tunnel 鈥榓lways going to be best route鈥� through Seattle

Trains are expected to run every 12 minutes during this construction phase in early 2020. Trains currently run every six minutes during weekday peak hours and 10-15 minutes the rest of the time.

There will also be three other weekends where no trains will run between SoDo and Capitol Hill during that January to March time frame.

MyNorthwest staff and 成人X站 Radio’s Chris Sullivan contributed to this report

What鈥檚 the deal with Sound Transit鈥檚 new light rail colors?

The core issue is construction at 35th Avenue SW and Avalon Way. Drivers have been telling me it has taken them up to 30 minutes to get through this one spot.

The Seattle Department of Transportation along with the Washington State Department of Transportation has been working on a plan to extend the bus merge lane in this area for about 1,000 feet. That could help ease things on this stretch as it comes off the West Seattle Bridge onto SR 99.

That work will begin this weekend. The lane will be adjusted to give drivers more space to merge.

Will this help? You tell me.

Why Seattle鈥檚 light rail expansion is taking so long

It all started with a question from a Twitter follower, asking about Sound Transit’s .

They’re now in the process of starting to change things over to red line, blue line, and green line, and more, as light rail continues its expansion.

This is all to get us adjusted to using colors before the opening of the east link “Blue Line” set for 2023. Blue Line trains will run from Northgate to Overlake via Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond.聽The 22-mile line will have 19 stations, 10 of which are brand new.

“Red Line” trains will also start in Northgate, running to Angle Lake. Between Northgate and the International District, the Red and Blue Lines will combine for service every four minutes during peak hours.

Sound Transit expands parking permit program鈥� for a price

Tacoma Link service from the Tacoma Dome to the Theater District will operate as the “Orange Line.”

In the near future, the “Green Line” will connect Ballard to Tacoma, while the “Purple Line” will transport riders between South Kirkland and Issaquah.

Keep an eye out for the signage, and get ready for the changes if you take light rail!

This is the last wooden bridge over a major roadway in the city of Seattle. While it’s safe to use, it doesn鈥檛 meet current seismic standards.

成人X站 Radio traffic reporter Tracy Taylor walks you through what to expect, bus route changes, and how to get around this 18-month closure.