NEW ATTACK ON MEDICAL POT Seattle representative Eileen Cody is the sponsor of a bill, which passed the state house on February 17, that would ban medical-marijuana collectives by next year, cut the number of plants patients can grow to six plants (down from 15 plants), and slash the weight of bud they can possess to three ounces (down from 24 ounces). The lawmakers, including several Seattle Democrats, say this will prevent the medical pot market from siphoning tax revenue that could be collected from the recreational market. But in the process of downsizing, critics say, the sickest patients may not be able to obtain the cannabis strains required to treat their ailments. Why not? The recreational pot stores are not yet open, and when they do open, some people anticipate pot shortages, because many entrepreneurs seeking licenses are not expected to have operational facilities for an unknown period of time. Furthermore, gardens with only six plants will yield inadequate supply for certain patients. Representative Cody did not reply to two requests for comment by press time. (DOMINIC HOLDEN)

ARSON SUSPECT IN COURT Musab Masmari, the suspect in the New Year's Eve arson at Neighbours nightclub, pled not guilty at his arraignment in King County Superior Court on February 18. He has a full beard now and smiled frequently during the four minutes he was at the bench. His attorney, Harold Palmer, successfully fought to lift a no-contact order with any Neighbours customers, arguing that it was impossible to enforce, patting his client gently on the back before Masmari was led away by officers. There was no mention of the 750 people he allegedly attempted to burn inside the club, and no details from the case were discussed. Palmer maintains his client's innocence, while the prosecutor's office says they're confident they have enough evidence to move forward. (DANIELLE HENDERSON)

MAYOR WAGES WAR ON COMCAST After Comcast announced plans to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45 billion (no wonder they can't invest in better fiber-optic infrastructure around here!), Mayor Ed Murray released a fierce statement last week calling the merger "bad for consumers, bad for the future of the internet, and bad for democracy." But he didn't stop there. Reminding the public that Comcast's franchise agreement with the city expires in January 2016, he asked for feedback on how people feel about Comcast's service to the city, threatening, "If we determine Comcast has not lived up to their obligations, the City of Seattle will not renew the franchise agreement." (ANNA MINARD)

VERY LITTLE BLACK HISTORY The King County Republican Party celebrated Black History Month by sending out an e-mail honoring the only three prominent "black Republicans of King County" they could think of in the county's 162-year history: two who made their mark in the 1890s, and a third who last won a race for office as a Republican back in 1956. Hooray for "the Party of Lincoln!" (GOLDY)

VERY LITTLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING Data from a housing forum held at City Hall on February 13 showed that the city's "incentive zoning" program, which lets developers in certain neighborhoods get extra height for towers in exchange for paying into an affordable housing fund, has created only about 700 units of affordable housing that wouldn't have otherwise existed since its implementation in 2001. Sad trombone. (ANNA MINARD) recommended