The fire in the U-District spread to two homes. (This is not that fire.)
An early-morning blaze in the U-District spread from an apartment building to two homes, leading to evacuations. (This is not that fire.) Gemancom/Shutterstock

Fire in U-District: A fire broke out at an apartment early this morning and spread to two nearby homes, KIRO reports. Firefighters evacuated a group of students and a family; no one was hurt.

Charlie's Appears to Be Closing: "All these years, nobody wanted to buy a Broadway legend," reports Capitol Hill Seattle blog. "Charlie’s, a last of its kind Capitol Hill hangout that had been perpetually on the market in recent years, will close later this month, employees of the 39-year-old restaurant are saying."

Did Developers Shoot Down Discussion of Rent Control on the Mayor's Housing Affordability Committee? According to former Tenants Union Director Jonathan Grant, yes. He's a member of the committee, and he says developers torpedoed rent control, plus the cochair of the committee made it sound like the committee had studied rent control, even though it hadn't. The cochair of the committee has his own perception of what went down.

Capitol Hill Businesses Blame Construction for Downturns in Sales: "Amid all this construction," Crosscut reports, "owners feel like developers are taking advantage of a system that lacks oversight. Heather Staples says the biggest thorns are the parking barricades that dot the hill."

Countdown Begins to State Government Shutdown: Because the state hasn't passed a budget, Washington's government could partially shut down on July 1. "[The governor] does not believe the government will be shut down," said David Postman, a spokesman for Jay Inslee. "The consequences are too great. We have history on our side."

This is a Boeing 757 landing at St. Martin airport, one of the most dangerous airports in the world, according to Shutterstock.
This is an actual photo of a Boeing 757 landing at the St. Martin airport, one of the most dangerous airports in the world, according to Shutterstock. Naumenko Aleksandr / Shutterstock.com

State Officials Lobbying Boeing to Build New Jet in Washington: If they get their way, the successor to the 757 will be built in the Northwest, but they'll face competition from South Carolina, where Boeing has been shipping jobs over the past decade.

Ways of Achieving Digital Equity in Seattle Besides Municipal Broadband: Bill Schrier, the former chief technology officer of Seattle, says there are eight things the city could do: "(1) Declare internet access a basic human right for Seattle’s residents; (2) Create a Seattle Technology Opportunity Fund; 3) Subsidize internet access for low-income residents and small businesses; (4) Provide free or low cost devices for students and low-income residents; (5) Upgrade networks in Seattle’s public schools; (6) Invest in computer labs, free wi-fi, and maker-spaces; (7) Community academies and workforce training; (8) License popular content." These are good ideas.

Uber Drivers Are Employees, California Labor Commission Rules: "It's potentially a huge blow to Uber's business model, at least in California," Business Insider reports. "Uber is appealing the ruling."

Tell the Truth About Police Violence: "We live in the age of big data and analytics," writes Deray McKesson in the Washington Post, "yet we have no systematic way of collecting even the most elemental data on the actions of police officers. It is as if the lives of those that are killed by the police simply do not matter. In fact, it appears as if these lives are not even worth cataloguing."

"Shit's Going to Hit the Fan," Warns Billionaire Nick Hanauer: ...unless we deal with extreme wealth inequality, stat. Hanauer's definition of political leadership, in addition to being accurate, sounds a lot like socialist city council member Kshama Sawant's: "If you care about real change, deep structural change, that involves politics, and all politics is friction. It takes leadership, and the willingness to create that friction, that leads to social change. When I first started talking about this stuff, it made my peers angry. There’s much more acceptance today. But if I’m realistic, it’s not getting me invited to the country club, either. This is not a way to endear yourself to your rich friends."