Wildfire season is upon us but can we actually pay to fight them? The Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands requested a tax that wouldāve raised $65 million for fire fighting work this year. Instead they got a flat $50 million from a general fund. There have already been 239 fires this year, which puts Western Washington on track for one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory. Itās going to be a smoky summer folks.
Gov. Inslee signs a slew of new orca bills: This guy is on an environmental policy bender right now! Itās almost like heās running for president on that issue alone. All cynical politics aside, these bills are really good for not only orcas but salmon and the ecosystem they support. One bill would increase catch limits on walleye and bass that prey on young salmon. Another would mandate oil shipments in the San Juan Islands be accompanied by a tugboat to prevent spills.
Dickās in Kent may live to see another day: The beloved, old-timey burger joint was slated for destruction to make way for the new light rail station in Kent, but the public wouldnāt stand for it. According to a new report, 865 people contacted transit officials to rail against tearing down Dickās and Sound Transit is taking it seriously. Theyāve started looking at alternative locations so people can keep their precious hamburgers.
The US and China are on the brink of a historic trade deal: But thereās some last minute fuckery afoot. The deal was essentially done last week when Chinese officials decided they wanted to renegotiate broad swaths of the pact, including policy on intellectual property, currency manipulation, and competition. Trump isnāt exactly pleased and he let his Twitter fingers show it. Thereās now a chance that the Trump administration could simply walk away from this deal that seems to be moving backward.
Man killed by police in lower Queen Anne: The manās girlfriend called the police saying her boyfriend was wielding a knife and trying to assault her. She had locked herself in the bathroom when authorities showed up. Four officers entered the apartment and two shot the man holding the knife. It is not clear what if any verbal commands they gave to him before opening fire. Police have not yet released any details about the victim.
A famous chef was stopped at LAX for bringing in a duffle bag of piranhas: He was interrogated for a total of five hours before he convinced authorities that he wasnāt going to use the dead, frozen fish for evil. Virgilio Martinez, a famous Peruvian chef, just wanted to make something special for his friends in America and it is notoriously hard to get good piranha here (as we all know) so he brought his own.
To celebrate temperatures in the 80s today: Go listen to your favorite song from the '80s. Contrary to popular belief, the '80s had some incredible music. Talking Heads! Whitney Houston! The Smiths! Run-DMC! Donāt forget to hydrate while youāre dancing though. And also remind yourself that we haven't had rain in what feels like forever and this climate change is far scarier than a balmy 80-degree day. Sorry, mood-killer?
With high pressure over the region, western WA will continue to experience unseasonably warm temps over the next few days. Sunny skies will prevail into next week. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/A22IOncsYm
ā NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 9, 2019
Berlin tries out safe drug dealing zones: After multiple failed attempts to clear out drug dealers from a southern Berlin park, the park manager took the matter into his own hands. Wielding a pink bottle of spray paint, he drew large boxes or āpink zonesā where drug dealers can run their businesses in peace. Well not totally in peace, they can still be arrested but theyāll be bothered a lot less by park security. This reminds me of that one season of The Wire where the police officer did this exact same thing, except without the pink spray paint. That was a nice touch.
We've all forgotten to do something once or twice: The captain of the Titanic forgot to look for icebergs. James Cameron forgot to come up with a plot for Avatar. A whole bunch of you forgot to vote in 2016 and look where that got us. I say all this to put in perspective my slip of the mind yesterday of not putting in your mugs. In my defense, I was a little preoccupied with taking the GRE, but there are no excuses. The only just penance I can think of is making next week's mugs shots TWICE AS GOOD! But I need your mugs to make that happenāsend them to me at tkenney@thestranger.com or send them to me on twitter. Until then, I will wallow in my shame.
Now listen here you $#!%: Jungle has the grooves to get your booty shaking. They also have a million people on-stage when they perform which is always fun to watch!
Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: A stand-up show with Vir Das, the first night of Neve Mazique-Bianco: Lover of Low Creatures, and a show with Northwest supergroup Filthy Friends.
