I understand that KUOW is a small newsroom. And they have to put something out. But I do not understand this story. Police say drivers are not stopping when they put on lights and sirens. And they blame the fact that there are new restrictions on high speed chases. At best, it feels like it needs more work.

Like, their numbers don’t make any sense. The story admits it doesn’t have the data to back up police claims. And only at the end does it mention oh by the way fewer people are dying in high speed chases. Imagine leading with that, and how frivolous the rest of the story might seem.

Finally, they provide one person who called 9-1-1 and asked the dispatcher to have the police stop chasing them. Presumably they caught the person, so it shows the chases aren’t necessary.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Good morning! It seems like people are getting their life back in the wake of the Blake decision. Fines and convictions for simple drug possession are being refunded and vacated. It’s a little frustrating that how smoothly the process is going depends, in part, on what county you were converted in. I suppose that has always been the system in some ways.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Hey, good news about the West Seattle Bridge. It would be fabulous if there was a solid timeline. West Seattle has been so cut off for so long now. I have only taken my car to West Seattle once (granted, pandemic) since the bride closed and I don’t want to do that again.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

This is a fun story about the Miller Seed Vault at the University of Washington. I didn’t know it was a thing, but I am glad that it exists. These types of projects are vital. And we (understandably!) don’t spend as much time on things going right as them going wrong.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

A very fine Friday to you all. I had a lovely walk after work the other day. Not very far outside the urban core, there were several homeless encampments. Dozens of tents and 2 people sleeping on the sidewalk not sheltered by more than a sleeping bag. And I thought to myself if this is the rest of massive sweeps, why bother? Like, what does teem sweeps think it’s accomplished?Out of the tourist and business areas and into the industrial parts of the city.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Man. Fucking Edmonds, man. I don’t know what I can add to my last few posts about their homeless camping law. Except, fuck, now it’s the law. Fuck 5 of the City Council members. Fuck the cruelty. Fuck not building shelter, let alone enough housing. Man, and jail time if you don’t break up your family for an unsafe shelter in a different city. Keep shuffling people around like there isn’t a goddam pandemic still. Sorry, you have to choose between getting rid of your pet and going 30 miles away for one night’s shelter or rising 90 days in jail and a fine.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

It’s filing week, Washington. Every state House and half of the state Senate are up for grabs. The only statewide race is for Secretary of State. Depending on where you live, there may be local races too.

If you aren’t satisfied with your legislator, or whatever other office, and nobody is picking up the slack, that someone can be you. We need people to run.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. Right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Are you excited? Free transit (h/t) this weekend. Re-register your Orca Card. Look at the card reader confused as it doesn’t work. What fun.

Seriously, if you don’t normally use transit, this could be a good weekend to try it if you live in the Puget Sound region. There are soccer and baseball games to go to. Downtown is hopping, and it’s a nice weekend to go somewhere. Please wear a mask, though.

And hey, wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you haven’t yet.

Good morning. I have read a few things about tires degrading it it harming salmon. But this is one of the more comprehensive articles on it. First, kudos to KUOW on finding the local peg for California is looking for alternatives. Local news is the best. Second, it’s really terrible what we’re doing. What chemicals we’re putting in the water every time we drive, and the timeline to fix it. Geez.

Anyway, wash your dang hands. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Gosh, it seems like a sweeps-centered plan to get people into shelter isn’t working. Maybe of we do more sweeps, we can crack the code.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

I don’t know what’s going on in Edmonds. Special council meeting to vote on the demand people find a shelter despite not having any shelter. Several times.

Now shelter has to be 35 miles from Edmonds City Hall. That sounds like a lot. Just eyeballing it, they’re saying if there’s shelter anywhere between Everett and Seattle, they can fine someone for sleeping on a bench and send them to jail. It’s just cruel. At least it keeps not getting a vote.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated if you haven’t and get boosted if you’re eligible.

Roe v Wade is almost certainly going to be overturned. It’s awful. It’s going to mean a lot of women, trans men nonbinary people, and other people who can get pregnant are going to have much worse life outcomes. Including, but hardly limited to, dying in childbirth and raising unwanted children. Awful.

It will probably be state by state for a while. Here in Washington abortion will still be legal for now. Of course the people who spent the last several decades talking about states rights will try to take bans national.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Forgot about this. Running behind, but at least there’s a thread.

I don’t claim any expertise in the Seattle Community Court. But it seems good. And I certainly don’t trust Ann Davison. So, I am pretty skeptical of her plan to send fewer people there and more to prison. Especially if they are only committing very low level misdemeanors.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Good morning to everyone except for the people in Edmonds trying to criminalize homelessness. Jesus, man. 5 years in prison for a second offense. And they have the temerity to call their approach “compassionate”? Get the fuck out of here.

Anyway, I am glad it didn’t pass, but I couldn’t figure out from the article when it will be heard again. So if you live in Edmonds, you may want to contact your city council members and, politely, ask them to actually be compassionate, rather than using it as a buzzword while doing the opposite.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you haven’t yet.