Two remarkable stories chart Murrays fall from grace.
Two remarkable stories chart Murray’s fall from grace. DAVID RYDER / GETTY

Eli Sanders spent 71 days as a speech writer for interim mayor Tim Burgess: This was during a time of upheaval, unrest, and coping for the mayoral staff who had lived through the previous six months with former mayor Ed Murray. Evocatively, Sanders details Murray’s—and his reputation’s—demise through the progression of sexual assault claims that mounted against him. From the first Seattle Times story that broke in April, to the last damning report in September, the story is interspersed with insights from Murray’s hardworking, dedicated, and, ultimately, conflicted staff. Months after the incident, people are still reeling. It’s ultimately too much to sum up in just this news brief. But, it gets to the heart of an issue that first shook Seattle to its core and, more broadly, has found its way to the national scale. “Ed was the canary in the coal mine of powerful men being taken down,” says one staffer. Do yourself a favor and read the entire piece.

After you read that, immediately read this one: The Seattle Times tells the same story from a different point of view. It details the Murray scandal through documents the Times uncovered, texts and emails from public officials. It’s disturbing to read councilmembers’ messages and to see how many stood idly by. “Shame on those who want a political witch hunt for their own political gain,” Councilmember Sally Bagshaw said in a text. It’s like a behind the scenes from all of their reporting and depicts how Ed Murray tried desperately to save his career. The two pieces are incredible especially when read together.

Former Garfield student dead in Los Angeles car crash: Leah LaBelle Vladowski was an R&B singer. When she attended Garfield High School, she performed on the third season of “American Idol” and placed 12th. She died in a car crash with her husband, ex-NBA player Rasual Butler. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.

What’s next after those City Hall sexual harassment claims? Crosscut reported on a group of city employees — dubbed the silence breakers — who shared their stories of harassment. Now, councilmembers are trying to think of solutions to this pervasive issue within the City. Do they create a new position to field harassment claims? Do they extend the role of an existing office? The solutions are in their beginning stages but the discussion is on-going.

Manhunt underway after deadly Kent shooting: Reports of a dispute in the East Hill area came in around 10 p.m. last night. One person was shot dead; another was shot and injured, and one other person was hit by a vehicle. The suspect or suspects are at large in a blue Dodge Charger.

Petition circulates for Amazon Go store to accept food stamps: Care2, a social network, wants Amazon Go to start accepting food stamps. In a post, Care2 cited that Bezos is “clearly out of touch with the reality of his workers,” citing how many Amazon workers are currently on food stamps.

No one is inheriting the Ikea fortune: When Ikea founder, Ingvar Kamprad, died Saturday he was ranked eighth on the Bloomberg Billionaires index with a fortune of $58.7 billion. However, his wealth will be dissipated because Kamprad placed control of Ikea in a network of foundations and holding companies.

FBI vs. Trump: This all centers around a memo. It’s being called the Nunes memo and it’s a secret document put together by House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes. It supposedly holds information about how the FBI and Justice Department abused their surveillance powers. The FBI is concerned about releasing the document, that it is inaccurate, misleading, and would set a bad precedent for making government secrets public. Donald Trump wants it released.

And this just broke:

The school-bus driver strike started this morning:

Jinkies! Armed robber at pizza shop turns out to be the old boss: A masked man, armed with what turned out to be a fake gun, hopped the counter at a pizza shop and forced an employee to open the register. He failed. Employees wrestled him to the ground and, when they unmasked him, found he was their old manager who was fired last summer. Give those workers a raise and a Scooby Snack.

San Francisco dismissing marijuana convictions: San Francisco’s Attorney General says he’s dismissing and sealing 3,038 misdemeanor convictions from before the state’s legalization of marijuana went into effect, NPR reports. Prosecutors are also reviewing felony charges and are considering dropping them to misdemeanors.

Listen to Blabbermouth! This week Dan Savage, Eli Sanders, and Rich Smith cover the ins and outs of all things State of the Union and Stormy Daniels. There’s some Nikki Haley in there for you mixed with a dash of alleged liberal hypocrisy.

Prideful clouds in Brazil:

Black History Month fact of the day: Langston Hughes was born on Feb. 1, 1902. He was an American poet, social activist, novelist, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. He’s credited as being the leader of the Harlem Renaissance.

An update from my alley:

I’ve hinted that my alley is a treasure trove of experience and hosts a plethora of rich characters.

It’s rare to find real treasure, but it does happen. Usually, a find will be a strange collection of things, like, say, a street full of used tampons. Or, a haunting, abandoned children’s car seat that sits untouched for months.

I’d like to wish you and yours’ a happy February from me and the best thing I’ve ever found in my alley.

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Sorry, I meant a happy February 2010. I happened upon this handmade calendar from 2010 called “12 Months of Vladdy” sometime last year. It was sitting discarded in the alley partly obscured with leaves. Someone — Vladdy— made this in 2009. Someone didn’t throw it away until 2017. I saw it and couldn’t let it be trash. Each month has a meticulously planned out and coordinated themed picture. Each stars who I assume is Vladdy. He is truly a star.

I have no idea who Vladdy is. Part of me needs to know. Part of me never wants to know. I kept his calendar. The cover was pretty gross because it was covered in who-knows-what from our alley. In fact, I have a suspicion it gave me bed bugs for a spell. It doesn’t matter. I’m never throwing it away. Happy February 2010.

Start February off on the right foot: Tonight’s best events include the First Thursday Art Walk, Tankard & Tun’s Oyster & Beer Happy Hour with Hama Hama Oysters, and Miranda Lambert’s Livin’ Like Hippies tour stop in Tacoma.

Nathalie Graham covers anything she finds fun, weird, or interesting. You can find a lot of that in her column, Play Date. Her work has also appeared around town in The Seattle Times, GeekWire, and the...