Smoke Is “Unhealthy” in Seattle Today: Air quality monitors show numbers that mean we stay inside and definitely avoid exercising outdoors. Burn bans are in effect for the whole state, and in Chelan County they’re handing out masks. The smoke is no joke, people. Wildfire smoke—which will become increasingly common as wildfires burn more acreage in residential areas—is full of particulate matter, including carcinogens. Here’s how to help people who are experiencing the worst of it.
But It’s Expected to Get a Little Better Over the Weekend: Either way, check out wasmoke.blogspot.com, the best smoke blog around.
Wow, Couldn’t Have Guessed: That a group of grown men who enjoy play-acting at being raping, pillaging, lawless dandies of the sea would place an “emphasis on drinking alcohol and targeting women,” four former Seafair Pirates tell the Seattle Times.
As in:
And this year, on April 8, a woman stopped by Sparks Firehouse Deli in Puyallup to grab a Coke with a co-worker. When a Seafair pirate offered a button in exchange for a kiss, the woman and her friend agreed. But, the woman told the Puyallup Police, when she went in to kiss the pirate on the cheek, he turned his head and “forced his tongue” into her mouth, splitting her lip in the process.
UW Microbiology Researcher Fired for Sexual Harassment: A January 2016 University of Washington investigation found that Michael Katze, a famed Ebola and flu researcher, asked employees to solicit a sex worker for him, looked at porn on his work computer, persistently made “unwanted sexual comments” and more. The university had received complaints about Katze going back as far as 2006, but he continued to receive a six-figure salary until Tuesday, even after his lab was shut down last year. Katze unsuccessfully tried to sue the UW and science reporter Azeen Ghorayshi, who wrote an exposé on Katze and the UW for BuzzFeed last year.
Disclosure: I’ve known Azeen since our days as fact-checkers at Mother Jones and consider her a friend. She is objectively a fucking rockstar. You must go read her piece. And while you’re there, you should also check out Azeen’s work covering genital surgery on intersex infants.
A 19-Year-Old Woman Was Raped in Burien: And the suspect is a 23-year-old DACA Dream-er. Fox News is having a field day in a city that’s considering repealing its sanctuary city ordinance. Of course, the suspect’s immigration status and the rape have nothing to do with one another. (Fun fact: Rapists are everywhere, in every demographic!) “The fact that he’s an immigrant has nothing to do with how we’re treating other immigrants,” Stacia Jenkins, chair of the 33rd District Democrats told me yesterday. “It has to do with how we’re treating rapists.”
If Rents Rise by 5 Percent, 258 Will Become Homeless, Report Finds: A Zillow study that worked in partnership with the statistics department at the University of Washington found that skyrocketing rent coupled with slower wage growth have a direct impact on people becoming homeless in Seattle. “Of Seattle’s homeless population, 41 percent said they became homeless after being evicted or losing a job,” KING 5 reports.
And Now, an Election Update: Teresa Mosqueda and Jon Grant will go to the general election for City Council position 8, arts measure Prop 1 may still have a fighting chance, and Cary Moon’s lead over Nikkita Oliver has grown. We’ll find out more after today’s ballot drop in the late afternoon.
It’s almost like progress… keeps on…. progressing? And maybe…… outside pressure forces politicians left???? https://t.co/0xqRI0zyLq pic.twitter.com/p9VuNoiLVK
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) August 4, 2017
Robert Mueller Issues Subpoenas Seeking More Info on Don Jr.’s Meeting: Dun dun dun.
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