Legislators Have Until Next Friday to Pass a Budget: Or parts of the state government will shut down. At the same time they need to find funding for education to meet standards set by the McCleary decision. Meanwhile, Joseph O'Sullivan reports, legislators have been doing all the negotiating behind closed doors, leaving the public in the dark.
What Does a Government Shutdown Mean For You? State parks will close. More than 32,000 state workers could be temporarily laid off. More than 25,000 adults won't be able to receive housing services. 1.9 million Medicaid enrollees will be affected. State prisons won't accept new inmates. And new laws, including legislation that would speed up the testing of rape kits, could become void. Here's a comprehensive list from the state Office of Fiscal Management.
We're Still Number One! Single-family home prices in Seattle rose an average of 12.9 percent since last April, higher than any metro area in the country. That's eight months on top. And prices are rising fast. As Mike Rosenberg of the Times observes, "At this pace, by next month, home values will be surging at their fastest rate since the bubble years before the recession."
Fancy Ass Restaurant Stiffed Workers: The U.S. Department of Labor is ordering The Willows Inn to fork over $74,812 in unpaid overtime to kitchen staff, plus damages, totaling $149,624. The workers came to the James Beard-award winning restaurant as "stages," which is industry-speak for an internship. While still widespread in Europe, the "stage" is now coming under legal scrutiny in the U.S.
Bona Fide Relationships: When the Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump's travel ban, upholding the policy until then, your high court justices carved out an exception for people with a "bona fide relationship" to someone or some institution in the United States. Ambiguity over what those three words mean could lead to more lawsuits. Who will definitely be hurt? Refugees.
Ethnic Studies, Coming to a Seattle Public School Near You? The local NAACP passed a resolution in January asking public schools to ready up an ethnic studies curriculum by the fall. Now, the school board is considering its own resolution, though one with less teeth.
There Will Be a Public Hearing Over Charleena Lyles' Death Tonight: But Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole does not plan to attend. So neither does Lyles' family, according to Andre Taylor, brother of Che Taylor.
Man in Racist Puppet Costume Says He is Not Racist: "I never felt so misunderstood in my life," wrote the puppeteer in a letter to Mudede this weekend. Also, the puppet's name is Poquita.
Concerned About Pedestrian Safety in Seattle's Streets? There's an app for that.
Wildfires in Middle Washington: The fire, started by lightning, has spread to four counties and triggered evacuations.
Pot Shop Robbers: They only made off with $300 worth of goods.
Trump Will Get a Disney World Robot, But it Might Not Say Anything: Trump's ego is involved. We'll be damned.
