Still illegal nationally Credit: Canna Obscura/Shutterstock
Still illegal nationally
Still not decriminalized. Canna Obscura/Shutterstock

Feds Dash Hopes of Pot Legalization: “Marijuana advocates who hoped the cascade of states moving to legalize medical marijuana would soften the federal stance on the drug faced disappointment Thursday,” USA Today reports, “as the Drug Enforcement Administration indicated it will keep marijuana illegal for any purpose.”

Drive-By Shooting on Aurora: “Three men were injured in a drive-by shooting late Wednesday as they were walking along a sidewalk in North Seattle,” KOMO reports. “The shooters drove off after the shooting and police are now hunting for them.”

Gunpoint Robbery on Capitol Hill: It happened at 1:30 a.m. on Summit and Denny Way on early Wednesday morning, according to CHS. The suspects had a semi-automatic handgun, police say.

Capitol Hill Business Owners Tell Senator the Gayborhood Is Disappearing: “Senator Patty Murray visited our Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to hear from LGBTQ small business owners about issues facing Seattle’s gayborhood,” CHS reports. “Their response was fairly unanimous: the biggest concern is that it is disappearing.”

All Those Fines on State Legislature For Criminally Underfunding Washington Public Schools? They total $36 million, reports the Seattle Times. “So where is this money? The short answer: in the ether, on an Excel spreadsheet.”

Enough, Seattle. Women’s Commission Shines a Spotlight on Harassment: The women’s commission hosted a panel last night, featuring our own Heidi Groover and Sydney Brownstone. Knock it the fuck off, Slog commenters:

Marissa Johnson Reflects on Interrupting Bernie Sanders in Seattle One Year Ago: “When you see a black woman rise up in her power as we did—as many have done and as many will continue to do—and it causes you distress, know that it is working,” she writes for The Root. “For white supremacy is death, and the one who calls you up out of death is a blessing.”

The One Thing You Need to Read About the DOJ Investigation of Baltimore Police: “To Baltimore’s black residents, the findings were hardly news,” The Intercept reports. Plus:

Even in cities that do claim to embrace the DOJ’s findings and to want to work on their recommendations—as Baltimore seems to have done so far—change can be so slow and insufficient that the DOJ will actually need to return after a number of years and start a new investigation.

“The urgency of consent decrees tends to fade over time especially after cities spend millions of dollars implementing required reforms; a complacency sets in and because law enforcement institutions tend to either be inherently racist or police communities of color in ways that are discriminatory due to structural biases, police departments begin to slip back into old habits,” said Imani Gandy, a legal analyst and activist who writes for the website Rewire News. “That’s why certain cities subject to consent decrees — Cleveland, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh come to mind — will find themselves under DOJ investigation within a decade after the prior consent decree was lifted.”

This Week on Blabbermouth: Heidi’s talking about the city council’s ban on sweetheart move-in deals for tech workers, Cary Moon is talking the city’s housing crisis, and there’s Jen Graves on the Seattle Art Fair. So much good stuff. Listen here.