King County approves moratorium on fossil-fuel infrastructure: The ordinance also declares a state of emergency, so maybe state officials are taking Greta Thunberg’s advice to treat climate change as a crisis after all. The moratorium bans a small portion of fossil-fuel infrastructure projects for six months, so it’s a small victory but a welcome one.
You don’t want to vaccinate your kids? WELL, TOUGH SHIT! You might not have a choice for much longer. A bill introduced in the state house last Friday would eliminate the “philosophical or personal objections” category parents can use to opt out of getting their kids the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. There would still be medical exemptions of course for kids whose immune systems are too weak to get vaccinated, the same kids who rely on every other kid they meet to be vaccinated. Ever heard of herd immunity?!
Seattle City Council had a busy day: They unanimously approved a plan for a Local Improvement District downtown to raise $160 million for the new waterfront park. Small property owners are royally pissed, but the big players aren’t sweating it too much because property values near the new waterfront development are going to shoot up. I’ve got a massive mural of a sea turtle on the corner outside my house, so that’s why I think my rent is so high (but, hey, I do really love turtles).
Hamilton wrapped up its final show in Puerto Rico: You might not think this is cool, but I just recently listened to Hamilton for the first time all the way through, and I love it more than Donald Trump Jr. loves killing leopards. Alexander Hamilton is originally from the Caribbean, but the local people took up a collection to send him to America to become a doctor or something important with the expectation he’d bring those skills back with him. But he got caught up with trying to start a new country and being power hungry, so he never made it back. The Puerto Rican creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, said this was a way to complete that loop and raise money for Hurricane Maria relief. Even the Clintons were there!
Here’s @Lin_Manuel and the rest of the #HamiltonPR #HamiltonPuertoRico cast waving our flag up high. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We love you!!! Come back soon!!! pic.twitter.com/hQuf5MqMQy
— Sandra M. (@SandraSaysStuff) January 28, 2019
Taliban negotiations clouded by troop pullout: It’s a mistake we’ve made countless times. We get caught up in a war that can’t be won against guerrilla fighters and extremists we can’t vanquish, so when we leave, these same people gain power in the vacuum. With peace negotiations ongoing between US officials and Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, everyone is trying to avoid that same mistake and leave a solid infrastructure to prevent the resurgence of Taliban control in the country. The pullout method? It’s flawed! And that’s science.
Country with two presidents hit with sanctions and maybe American troops: The scene playing out in Venezuela is a lot like in The Office when Jim and Michael decided to be co-managers. But instead of being painfully awkward in Venezuela, it’s just painful in every other way imaginable. Protesters are being killed, inflation is so high people can’t buy food, and the two factions seem poised for conflict. The United States imposed sanctions on their already struggling state-owned oil company and security adviser John Bolton’s notepad seemed to hint we were sending 5,000 troops to Colombia. They really have to stop flashing private notes to the cameras.
Colombia’s foreign minister says his government doesn’t know why U.S. national security adviser John Bolton had “5,000 troops to Colombia” written on a notepad he held during a news conference announcing new Venezuela sanctions https://t.co/PpApX3UZxQ pic.twitter.com/mEdEQKvIcP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 29, 2019
Capitol Hill Historical Society gets first public funding: They plan to use the $2,000 to help preserve historical landmarks and buildings in a rapidly changing Capitol Hill. Quick, is it too late to buy Neighbours?!
Facebook keeps snapping up Bellevue’s hottest buildings: The social media giant is starting to rival even Amazon for its physical presence in Seattle, mostly concentrated in Bellevue, South Lake Union, and Redmond. They just leased a new building adjacent to the (slowly) forthcoming light rail station in Bellevue and show no signs of slowing.
Cold? Did you say it’s a cold morning? You don’t know cold. I grew up inside an igloo and used an icicle as a toothbrush. My hair would freeze on the way to school (that’s true,) so I’d have to ice-skate down the street as fast as I could (that’s very untrue). Real talk, though, the Midwest is struggling pretty hard, so say something nice about Iowa today. I will have updates from field reporters (my parents) on the ground.
After taking a peek at current wind chills across the Midwest 😱, it seems silly to say it’s a chilly morning here in western Washington #wawx pic.twitter.com/1CkzRiSPyM
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 29, 2019
Tonight’s best Seattle entertainment options include: One of your last chances to see local poet Quenton Baker’s series of “erasure poems” in Ballast, a show with Juan Wauters, and the Children’s Film Festival Seattle.
