Sixty-five major building projects are underway downtown.
Sixty-five major building projects are underway downtown. steve estvanik/Shutterstock

The Seattle City Council Is Considering New Housing Affordability Rules: The program sounds bureaucratic and boring—"Mandatory Housing Affordability Residential" or MHAR—but it's a huge deal. Stick with me. Here's how it would work: The city would pass upzones in some areas across Seattle. In exchange for giving developers the ability to build taller buildings in those areas, it would require that new multifamily housing developments include some affordable apartments or that, in lieu of actually building the cheaper units, that developers pay into a fund to build affordable housing somewhere else. The whole thing is part of the so-called "grand bargain" that emerged from the mayor's housing affordability committee last year. The Seattle Times has a good Q&A on the policy. The council will hold more meetings on the issue next month.

Lots of People Are Pissed About This: During a council hearing on the policy yesterday, single family homeowners were out in full force complaining about possible upzones. (I'll just leave this here.) But there are other people complaining about this policy, too, like developer lobbyist Roger Valdez and anti-displacement activist John Fox, who believes upzones will displace existing affordable housing. While some people at yesterday's testimony want the city to require more affordable units from developers, Valdez claims the requirements will discourage new development.

But the NIMBYs Weren't the Only Ones Who Showed Up Yesterday: The YIMBYs were there too, including activist Laura Bernstein and the Vulcan-supported group Seattle for Everyone. Bernstein spoke on behalf of the local Sierra Club. "When our friends are displaced out of the city, they have to drive from the suburbs to work, to visit friends and family, to go to their faith organizations, to eat at their favorite restaurants, to come to Sierra Club events we host," she said. "This has an economic, social, emotional and environmental impact on many of our communities and the overall character of our city. The character of our city is more than the aesthetics of its buildings—it’s the character of the people that call it home."

Three People Are Dead After a Shooting Near Lacey: KIRO reports that a Thurston County Sheriff's Office deputy says "a man called 911 at 5:15 a.m. Wednesday saying his friends were dead, he was shot and he wasn't sure where he was."

How Did Microsoft Dodge $143 Million a Year in U.K. Taxes? By routing British sales through an Irish subsidiary.

About that Bettie Page Mural "Some Feminists" Vandalized: "If all depictions of female nudity equal exploitation of women’s bodies, we’d have to Ctrl-Alt-Delete much of what’s been considered art and religious/ritualistic ornament over the last several thousand years," Sydney writes.

Your snaps can wait.
Don't even try to check your Snapchat right now. Peter Gudella/Shutterstock

Cops Are Posing as Hitchhikers to Catch Drivers Texting: Let's all groan together at this opener from KING 5: "Despite his rather off-putting appearance, the hulking guy in the cut-off hoodie at the corner of Bennett Road and Airport Drive near Bellingham isn’t a drifter on the wrong side of the law. He is the law." Anyway, the story is about a Whatcom County Sheriff's Office deputy posing as a hitchhiker—or something? see the outfit for yourself—and then radioing to a colleague when he sees someone texting.

The 43rd Legislative District Democrats Made Their Endorsements Last Night: You all know how I feel about legislative district party groups, but this one, representing Capitol Hill, is somewhat influential. The group endorsed Nicole Macri in the race for state house in the 43rd and Brady Walkinshaw in the race for Congressional District 7. Josh Feit has details.

Bad News for Local Hospitals: During a surprise review, Virginia Mason failed to meet 29 standards including conducting fire drills, reducing risk of infection, and ensuring no risk of "immediate threat to life," the Seattle Times reports.

And at Northwest Hospital and Medical Center: A class action lawsuit claims the hospital did not screen low-income patients for Charity Care, a program that offers discounted medical services. Instead, the patients' bills went to collections.

A 4-Year-Old Tacoma Girl Was Hit By a Speeding Car: "Her father, Jarred Holden, said she looked both ways and the car 'came out of nowhere,'" KIRO reports. "He said she was hit so hard, that sequins on her shirt imprinted on the vehicle." She was taken to the hospital in serious condition.


New FAA Rules Make Amazon's Drone Delivery Dreams Basically Impossible: New rules from the Federal Aviation Administration say anyone operating a commercial drone must be within sight of the drone and the drone can't fly over people unless they are inside buildings or stationary vehicles.

Washington Republican Delegate Says "Anybody but Trump:" "I cannot in good conscience try to let a nomination for Donald Trump go forward,” Eric Minor, a Washington delegate to the national Republican convention, told KING 5. “We have a responsibility to use our judgement.” Feels a little late to start using your judgement, Republicans, but good luck.

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