
A $15 minimum wage won’t ruin everything: A new UW study found that supermarket prices did not increase because of the increased minimum wage. Our minimum-wage policies are setting a real trend across the United States, with a few other states following suit and Democrats calling for a nationwide $15 wage. Another UW study found that child-care businesses saw labor costs go up—so you win some, you lose some.
Human composting bill passes state senate: Never heard of human composting? It’s exactly what it sounds like, but you can read all about it here from Katie Herzog. Instead of wasting precious resources (land, energy, wood, concrete) by getting buried, you can just have your body composted and nourish the earth. Sign me up! State senators seem pretty stoked about it, too!
Green New Deal has arrived: And we finally get some goddamn specifics. You may have heard politicians vaguely throwing their support behind the “Green New Deal” first proposed by freshman representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). But now she and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) have released an actual plan, and the others will have support or critique it. Dave Roberts of Vox has a great explainer of the policies they propose.
Congressional negotiators feel another shutdown creeping up: According to CNN, the bipartisan team of negotiators haggling over “border security” feel they need to reach an agreement by tomorrow night to avoid another shutdown. So can Congress actually get something done? Will Trump declare a state of emergency? Tune in tomorrow on “I Don’t Want to Live in This Country Anymore.”
Snowpocalypse 2: If you thought Sunday brought a lot of snow, then you haven’t seen anything! A perfect storm of big fluffy snow, bone-chilling cold, and gusting wind is coming this way on Friday, and it’s going to be so much fun. The National Weather Service says we could see 8 to 12 inches of snow, but who cares? A guy Nathalie talked to on Twitter says we could get as much as 30 inches!
A wide range of snow accumulations are expected with the upcoming system starting Friday and extending into Saturday afternoon. The bulk of these amounts is expected to fall Friday night through Saturday morning before starting to taper off Saturday afternoon. #WAwx #WAsnow pic.twitter.com/l248dHvS0o
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 7, 2019
Shooter at Central Washington University was false alarm: Police responded to an active-shooter report yesterday evening but found no evidence of a shooter. Nobody was shot, and no students reported hearing any gunshots. Students and faculty were locked down for two hours while police cleared the campus, but classes eventually returned to normal.
UW faces backlash after 19-year-old student dies on campus: The student slipped and fell near Drumheller Fountain on south campus Wednesday afternoon and died shortly after. The aftermath has many asking why UW didn’t do more to make pedestrian walkways safe for students to use and why they opened up campus on Thursday at all. To be clear, it hasn't been confirmed that the student slipped on ice as many are assuming.
My heart goes out to the family of the student who died as the result of a fall on campus. All of us at the University of Washington are grieving this terrible tragedy with them. Student safety is our number one priority, and UWPD is investigating the exact cause of the accident.
— Ana Mari Cauce (@amcauce) February 7, 2019
Everyone not at UW has mocked us about closing campus this week, but THIS is how underprepared our city and community are for below-freezing temps. Opening campus is never worth risking lives for, and @UW should have made a different call today. This death was 100% preventable. https://t.co/Fn6N2tmHQj
— Hannah Henrikson 🌲 (@hjhenrikson) February 7, 2019
Mayor Jenny Durkan is cancer-free: She had a melanoma removed from her knee last week but has made a full recovery. She's been working from home since the surgery but is expected to return to the office tomorrow. She is even challenging Sue Bird to a game of horse. Very bold.
Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: The First Thursday Art Walk, a stand-up show with Kelsey Cook, and a citrusy sweet night of indie-rock with Tangerine, Cumulus, and Emma Lee Toyoda.