Red and white frat party-ish coolers. Hazard suits from Amazon. Isolating a tree with Styrofoam and Saran wrap. The operation to track and eradicate murder hornets in the Pacific Northwest was surprisingly DIY, as Washington Department of Agriculture public engagements specialist Karla Salp shares.

(To the extent that you can post mort something that’s still unfolding.) What happened locally? Statewide? How are you feeling? And what does your city executive think of it all?

What do former lawmakers think of the 2020 national and local elections?

Claims of mail-in voter fraud, stolen elections, and fraudulent ballots are circulating online as fact-checkers rush to verify. With an official end to the election still in the distance, the ongoing period of uncertainty makes us especially vulnerable to mis- and disinformative attacks.

On today’s show, we get an update on how folks are spending their day, from first time voters to King County’s director of elections. (Spoiler: she’s kind of busy.)

Before 11am, King County had already processed its millionth ballot of the 2020 election. County elections director Julie Wise has, as you might imagine, a lot on her plate. But she made time for The Record, joining King County Executive Dow Constantine for his regular Tuesday chat. (Neither of them are on the ballot this year.)

Why are there non-binding advisory votes on a ballot? And on the other end of the spectrum, why are judges and sheriffs elected positions? Welcome to the wonderful world of elections.

It’s unlikely to harm you – and you don’t necessarily have to eat it. Why are our ballots so wonky? And what do you need to think about before forming a pandemic pod?

Our area has the highest concentration of chanterelle mushrooms in the world. Daniel Winkler, former vice president of the Puget Sound Mycological Society, says our focus on gathering and eating mushrooms misses the point. After all: birders don’t ask “can I eat it?” before setting out after a specific avian.

Criminal legal reform and solving Seattle’s homelessness problem were on the docket for this week’s chat with mayor Jenny Durkan – as was a question about any regrets she has regarding her career history on race.