Styrofoam

On June 7, members of Foam Free Seattle and the Bring Your Own Bag Coalition, many toting large bags of trash and wearing elaborate Styrofoam hats, lined up to urge the city council to ban plastic bags and Styrofoam—two elements of Richard Conlin's progressive Zero Waste proposal. (Portland has had a polystyrene ban in place since 1989.) "I see this is a topic that makes for great visuals," Conlin said. A few commenters noted that the ban might render unnecessary a proposed transfer station for trash in Georgetown; currently, the city exports a mile-long train of trash to Eastern Washington every day. ERICA C. BARNETT

Strippers

The pleas of exotic dancers and the men who love them went unheard at the city council's meeting on June 11, as council members voted unanimously—sans Sally Clark, who was out of town—to create new rules restricting strip clubs to areas 800 feet or more from schools, parks, community centers, and day cares. Several strip-club customers—who referred to themselves, weirdly, as "consumers"—spoke passionately against the proposal. "It just results in price gouging if the current cabaret owners [remain] in complete power," one told the council. The lobbyist for Rick's strip club, Tim Killian, predicted the legislation "will likely put Seattle back in court," as prospective strip-club owners find themselves with nowhere to go. Council members countered that if anyone had truly wanted to open a strip club, they could have done so during the two years that strip clubs have been virtually unregulated since the moratorium on new clubs was overturned. ERICA C. BARNETT

SAFECO

The public agency overseeing Safeco Field, the Mariners' Public Facilities District, renewed its $100,000 contract with Pat Fearey's consulting group. Fearey was brought on last December to lobby against height increases for developments around Safeco Field [See "Field of Schemes," May 9, Josh Feit]. Fearey's receipts for her first four-month contract are vague—off-the-record meetings, "outlining scope of work," and designing a website—www.saveourpublicviews.com—which had not been launched to the public as of press time. NANCY DREW

Sorrow

In infinitely sadder news, Seattle lost its most beloved institution when the Cha Cha Lounge closed its doors on June 10, leaving hipsters like the staff of The Stranger (median age: 21; median trust fund: $2 million) with nowhere to go for vodka sodas and PBRs for four whole days. Fortunately, there is a silver lining to this unspeakable tragedy: The Cha Cha's new digs will be just one block (!!!) from The Stranger offices, ensuring the tousle-haired hipsters of 1535 11th Avenue a place to drink again—until density claims another beloved low-rise block of hipster hangouts as its victim. STRANGER STAFF