Slog AM: Hormuz Is (Mostly) Open; Pedestrian Deaths Are Up in Seattle; and No, You’re Not Imagining Things, Your Seasonal Allergies Really Are Getting Worse

Spring/Sprung/Etc: We’re gonna hit the 70s this weekend, maybe! Tomorrow will be partially cloudy with a high of 69 (don’t say it) and on Sunday we might even get into the low 70s. GO OUTSIDE!!!!!!

Ceasefires for Everyone: Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. According to the Lebenese Health Ministry, “more than 2,000 people have been killed—including at least 172 children and 91 healthcare workers—and 7,000 wounded” in attacks over the past six weeks. Trump plans to invite Lebanon president Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for peace talks. He will, undoubtedly, serve them McDonald’s.

Oil Prices Dropped, Too: Hours ago Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz is open for the 10-day ceasefire, and oil prices dropped and stocks “surged” and people are reporting on it like it’s Good News and not just the volatile results of an unconstitutional war. Wild. And once all that news broke, Trump woke up and grabbed his phone to clarify via social media that actually the US Naval blockade will stay in place.

Head of ICE Is Out: Acting ICE director Todd Lyons has resigned—his last day will be May 31. This man refused to apologize to Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s families, he encouraged ICE agents to forcibly enter people’s homes without a warrant, and he has big dreams of turning mass deportation into a business, saying in April 2025 that it should be “like Prime, but with human beings.” Todd Lyons is a bad man. I wish him nothing but the worst.

Stop Hitting People With Cars: The number of pedestrians killed on Seattle streets nearly doubled last year. Ten people were killed in 2024, and 18 were killed in 2025, so Councilmember Rob Saka wants an audit on the Vision Zero program, which was founded in 2015 with the goal to “end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.”

You’re Not Imagining Things: Your allergies might actually be worse this season, and climate change is to blame.

Thankfully, People Are Trying to Do Something About It: The First Peoples Climate Fund—a project established by tribal nations and Indigenous-led organizations to help the region adapt to climate change—was just awarded $5.5 million from the city via the payroll tax. The money will “help grow programs to support Native food producers, reduce emissions, restore habitat and educate tribal youth.”

More Climate News: The cooling towers from Google’s data centers might be fucking up the weather in Oregon along the Columbia River. At the very least it’s disrupting aviation schedules and sucking up a bunch of water. The Seattle Times reports, “Google consumed 550 million gallons in The Dalles. That’s 40% of the water used by the entire city.”

An Update on Washington’s Energy-Sucking Data Centers: You know those massive data centers that four companies are proposing for Seattle? Well one company has since dropped its plans, so now three companies are looking to build four data centers and Andy Strong, an executive at Seattle City Light, told KIRO Newsradio that the three companies are, Prologis, Equinix, and Sabey, “a company headquartered in nearby Tukwila engaged in the development, ownership, and operation of multi-tenant data centers.”

And Here’s a Fun Fact About Sabey: One of their executives appears to sit on the Seattle City Light board! Here’s a slideshow that digs in a little deeper:

View this post on Instagram

Not Everyone Is Terrible: Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026. Yes, the Torrent are officially eliminated from the PWHL playoffs, but Knight isn’t done here. On Wednesday, while speaking at the SheBelieves Summit, Knight said, “I want to win the Walter Cup in Seattle … this place is so special.” The Torrent have three home games left this season, on April 18, 22, and 25. They’re very fun! Go to one!

Do Something Fun While the World Burns: Did you know that we have a fuck-ton of art and culture recommendations in every issue of The Stranger? You can find a copy at hundreds of locations, and our monthly picks are all online, too, so find something fun to do this weekend! Haven’t you been talking about wanting to get out of the house more? In our music calendar, contributor Todd Hamm recommends tonight’s Devin the Dude show at Nectar. And for you theater fans, tomorrow is the closing night of Dacha Theater’s The Best Damn Thing, which Julianne Bell describes as a “meta-musical” that tells the story “of gay Midwestern teens Ellie and Rachel, who are determined to spread the gospel of Avril Lavigne by putting on the best damn pop-punk jukebox musical this town has ever seen.” It’s the weekend! Go see art! Eat good food! Dance a little, you dummy! Here are all our picks, conveniently linked because I love you: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.