🦍 Mama gorilla vibes

It's finally Friday!

Today's weather: Partly sunny. High near 65.

🎉 Come hang with us! We're getting together with our members next week on Oct. 2!

• Not a member? Join now for $50+ a year to get the invite and help us grow.

🎂 Happy early birthday to our Axios Seattle member Tim Sellard!

Today's newsletter is 883 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Drug overdose deaths have continued to rise in Washington state, even as they've started to fall nationwide, according to preliminary CDC data.

By the numbers: Between May 2023 and April 2024, Washington saw nearly 3,600 overdose deaths — a 14% increase over the previous 12 months, the CDC says.

• Nationwide, overdose deaths fell by 10% over the same timeframe.

Between the lines: Washington likely didn't see the same decline in overdose deaths because "fentanyl became prevalent in the Pacific Northwest later than the rest of the country," John Doyle, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, told Axios this week.

• Several other Western states also saw their overdose deaths increase year-over-year, including Alaska (+42%); Oregon (+22%); Nevada (+18%); Utah (+8%); and Colorado (+4%), per the CDC.
• Preliminary data indicates overdose deaths may be starting to level off in Washington, although it's too soon to say for sure, Doyle wrote in an email.
• "In general, we tend to see changes in overdose trends in the eastern part of the country before the West," he wrote.

Zoom in: In King County, overdose deaths were down in the first half of this year, the county health agency told Axios.

• In the first seven months of 2024, the county had 15% fewer fatal overdoses than it did in the first seven months of 2023 — 683 vs. 802, agency spokesperson Sharon Bogan wrote in an email.
• Fentanyl-related overdoses have decreased as well, with the county recording 443 overdoses involving fentanyl between January and June, compared with 551 in the first six months of 2023, Bogan wrote.

What they're saying: Bogan said that's a "hopeful indicator" that some of the county's efforts to combat fentanyl use are working.

• In the first six months of 2024, Public Health–Seattle & King County distributed 54,000 kits containing the overdose-reversing medication naloxone, she said — far more than the 30,000 distributed in 2023 and the 13,500 distributed in 2022.

The bottom line: Overdoses still are the leading cause of death from preventable injuries in King County, which shows there is more work to do, Bogan said.

Go deeper

Baby Abeo is finally in the arms of his forever gorilla mom.

Driving the news: The zoo announced that Abeo, which means "bringer of happiness", was successfully introduced to 40-year-old foster mom Kweli and his eight-year-old foster sister Kindi this week.

Catch up quick: Born June 28 at Woodland Park Zoo, he was transferred to Louisville Zoo in Kentucky after he was rejected by his birth mother, Akenji.

The bottom line: He has been in Kweli's arms almost continuously since then, said Louisville Zoo's general curator Ron Evans in a must-watch video update.

Share this story

Self-driving wheelchairs have been zooming around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for the past month, helping transport passengers to and from their gates.

Why it matters: The wheelchairs have generated buzz in recent weeks, with passengers frequently stopping to photograph and take videos of them — especially when the chairs zip by with no one inside.

By the numbers: More than 1,500 people have used the self-driving wheelchairs at Sea-Tac since mid-August, when Alaska Airlines began testing 10 as part of a pilot program, the airline told Axios this week.

Zoom in: You'll find the self-driving electric wheelchairs in the C and D concourses at Sea-Tac.

• Travelers operate them by selecting their destination on a touch screen, Alaska wrote in an emailed statement to Axios.
• The chairs typically have a sign on them that says "reserved," meaning random passengers can't just hop on — they're called to help specific passengers once they get through security.

Zoom out: Other airports, including in Amsterdam, Winnipeg and Miami, are also using the technology.

Our thought bubble: Generally, the wheelchairs seemed to work fairly well when we saw them during two trips through Sea-Tac airport this month.

• But we did spot one that appeared to get tripped up by a large column in Concourse C.
• It stopped in front of the column and repeatedly said, "Please step aside," when no human was blocking its way.

Tell a traveler

Instagram is launching Teen Accounts in September, with built-in protections limiting who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.

The impact: More protections for teens, and peace of mind for parents.

Learn more.

🚧 If you're hitting the road this weekend, check WSDOT's website first, as it's the biggest weekend of construction closures in the Seattle area this year.

• Closures will affect State Route 520; northbound Interstate-405 in Renton; southbound State Route 167; both directions of I-5 in Federal Way; and the Mercer Street on-ramps to I-5 in Seattle. (FOX 13)

⚾ The Mariners are officially no longer in the running to make the playoffs. (And, our grudge against the Houston Astros grows ever deeper.) (Seattle Sports)

🚗 To address an ongoing license plate shortage, Washington will temporarily start issuing flat, non-embossed license plates, which require less labor to produce.

• By eliminating the raised letters and numbers, the state believes it may be able to resolve the license plate shortage in six to eight weeks. (Seattle Times)

👋 Melissa here. I'm new to the trick-or-treating scene in Seattle, and my 4-year-old has big expectations this year.

• So, tell me, where are your favorite places in Seattle to take kids trick-or-treating?

We want to compile a guide for the best areas in Seattle and would love to include your recommendations.

• The more specific, the better, if there are particular streets you know of that go all-out for Halloween.

Clue us in by responding to this email or sending a message to seattle@axios.com.

Starting in September, Instagram Teen Accounts have automatic protections for who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.

What this means: Built-in protections for teens, and peace of mind for parents.

Learn more.

❣️ Clarridge is rewatching the video of Abeo clinging to his new mom.

🥞 Melissa had amazing blueberry pancakes yesterday at Finch & Pine that she couldn't believe were vegan.

This newsletter was edited by Rachel La Corte.