Millennials unsympathetic relatives: What do you MEAN you cant afford this $1,000,000, average-looking house?!
Millennials' unsympathetic relatives: "What do you MEAN you can't afford this $1,000,000, average-looking house?!" DS

Local Republicans Want a Seattle County: Senator Phil Fortunato, a Republican representing Auburn, has proposed a bill to separate the city from the rest of King County. "Seattle has gone so far off the left cliff that the rest of the county is paying for Seattle's craziness," Fortunato told KING 5. "So my dream is Seattle could be King County, and they could do whatever the heck they want, They could have a $25 minimum wage. They could give away free needles. They can do whatever the heck they want, they just can't do it with my money."

Response from King County Executive Dow Constantine: "Maybe they should now focus on adequately funding the education of our schoolchildren, rather than more cheap political stunts," he told KING 5. 💀💀💀

Seattle's Home Prices Are Even More Expensive Than Last Year: Which probably doesn't surprise anyone. The Seattle Times notes that the city has been the "hottest real-estate market in the country" for the last six months, according to the Case-Shiller housing-price index monthly report. Scary: Since February 2016, Seattle's single family homes have increased in price by 12.2 percent, "the biggest jump in three years." Scarier: "Compared to just a month before, Seattle area housing costs grew 1.9 percent, which was by far the biggest increase in the country, and about eight times the national average." Housing prices are soaring across King County—prices have doubled in the last five years, the Times reports.

Meanwhile, a 24-Hour Homeless Shelter Gets Delayed: Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced plans in February to build the long-awaited Navigation Center, a low-barrier facility, in Little Saigon. However, community groups criticized the mayor for failing to properly communicate with neighborhood residents and business owners. A community task force is working with city officials to address concerns during the delay.

Speaking of Ed Murray: His attorney representing him in a child sex abuse lawsuit has called for sanctions against Lincoln Beauregard, the attorney representing his accuser, Delvonn Heckard. Murray's lawyers claim that Beauregard "has been violating conduct rules by filing letters with the court intended to grab media attention, which they claim is an improper purpose," Sydney Brownstone and Heidi Groover report.


Trump Says Sanctuary City Ruling Is Result of "Judge Shopping": After a San Francisco judge blocked Trump's order to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities limiting their cooperation with immigration officials, the president took to Twitter to complain about the "ridiculous" ruling. Surprise! "Out of our very big country, with many choices, does everyone notice that both the 'ban' case and now the 'sanctuary' case is brought in the Ninth Circuit, which has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%)," Trump tweeted. "They used to call this 'judge shopping!' Messy system." But that statement isn't accurate. From POLITICO: "Judge William Orrick, who handed down Wednesday’s injunction, is a U.S. district court judge based in San Francisco and does not sit on the 9th Circuit, although that is the next court that would hear the case should the Trump administration appeal the decision."

Seen at a rally at the Northwest Detention Center.
Seen at a rally at the Northwest Detention Center. ASK

Immigrant Detainees at the Northwest Detention Center Relaunch Hunger Strike Again: About 40 men were participating as of Tuesday evening, NWDC Resistance announced in a media release. This marks the third hunger strike this month, organized to allow people detained inside the Tacoma immigrant prison to voice their demands from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Those demands include more nutritional cafeteria food, raising the $1 a day prison wage, properly cleaned laundry, prompter medical care, and contact visits "so parents can hug their children." On Sunday, groups of women detainees ended a nearly week-long hunger strike. Another strike, which began on April 10, rose to a height of more than 750 participants, according to activists. ICE officials told The Stranger that the prison has not had any hunger strikes in the last month. Instead, they classify detainees' strikes as "meal refusals," per department protocols.

Anti-NWDC Activists Call on the City of Tacoma to Take a Stand Against Deportations, Trump: They want to ensure the detention center cannot expand to incarcerate more immigrants. From their media release:

The Trump administration has staffed the ICE deportation force with openly anti-immigrant officials with links to white supremacist organizations, leaving people detained with little choice but to put their bodies on the line to fight for their basic dignity. At the same time, local governments like the City of Tacoma have the ability to choose their own destiny. City government has the power to change municipal codes to ensure that for-profit detention facilities cannot expand into heavy industrial zones that pose environmental hazards, and that existing facilities comply with environmental and public health requests for monitoring and remediation. All people have a basic human right to health.

The most recent hunger strikes, part of a history of hunger strikes and activism that dates back years, signals that the NWDC does not meet city, county and state regulations for health and safety. This alone is enough for Tacoma’s Finance Director to revoke GEO Group’s business license to operate the NWDC.

Today in Sports News: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has signed a two-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. "NFL.com and others are reporting that Oakland will pay Lynch a base of $3 million with a chance to make $2 million if he gains 1,000 yards with the total contract having a max value of $8.5 million," The Seattle Times reports.

Fake Money Dispensed at Wedgwood ATM: Darcy Fox told KOMO that she got a fake $20 bill from a Bank of America ATM. The glaring indicators: "President Andrew Jackson’s face was misshapen, and several areas clarify the bill is not for legal use and is for ‘Motion Picture Use Only.’"