ICE wants to take a peek at your electric bill: Immigration and Custom Enforcement is up to no good again. This time ICE subpoenaed utility records associated with a particular address from Seattle City Light. Fishy. Seattle City Light, despite their recent setbacks, put that shit on pause. A Washington law restricts the company from handing over records unless thereâs a customer under suspicion of a crime and thereâs reason to believe the records could prove that suspicion. It also goes against Mayor Durkanâs Feb. 6 directive to have all department directors refer ICE requests to her office. This occurred after ICE was getting sensitive information from the Department of Licensing under everybodyâs noses.
A different kind of ice in Seattle: The record lows and the moisture on the roads are leading to perilous commutes this morning. Things are icy out there. Not "snoop-on-your-personal-records" type of ice, but still a nuisance. Snow is expected in lowland areas today.
A passing front will bring lowland snow today. Most locations can expect an inch or less but portions of Whatcom and Skagit counties may see 1-3" with heavier amounts possible in the Cascades foothills. Mountains will see 6-12". Snow will transition to rain late in the day. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/G0AAzQXHvB
â NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 23, 2018
Bill incentivizes schools to utilize student data more: Everything a student does is tracked at school. From grades to disciplinary infractions, the school has it all. A new bill encourages schools to utilize this data earlier in order to get potential drop-outs back on track and to place well-performing students in more advanced courses.
Homeless take better care of their pets than themselves: An estimated five to 10 percent of homeless people have pets. Theyâre crucial to homeless people both physically and socially. Thereâs a free clinic downtown that treats homeless pets. Homeless people wait in line hours to get their pets seen every other Saturday when the clinic is open. The clinic, opened in 1985, is funded entirely by donations and is one of the only clinics of its kind in the country.
German shepherd shot in home invasion: Rex, a German shepherd in Des Moines, defended his house, and 16-year-old Javier Mercado, when there was a break-in. The dog ran downstairs when intruders entered the home, barking furiously and startled the attackers. Mercado ran upstairs to hide and call 911. Rex was shot multiple times. He survived and was rushed to an emergency pet hospital in Renton. Talk about a good boy.
Pacific Science Centerâs start-up makeover: For the last two years, the Pacific Science Center has been getting a face lift. Thereâs been a boon in programming, an emphasis on community, and an influx of start-ups. These are all part of the Science Centerâs attempt to claw its way back to relevance and into the hearts of the community. Part of whatâs new is the introduction of start-ups. There are multiple working on site with many helping to create new exhibits such as a new virtual reality exhibit.
Seattle man wins big on "Jeopardy!": Do you think I can infuse some type of "Jeopardy!"-related news into Slog AM every week? I sure hope so. Alan Harrison, a Seattle local, won $16,000 on âJeopardy!â last night. Which, impressive, but also not super unheard of. I think the bar is being set too low. Iâm proud of you, Alan, I am, but letâs talk once youâre a three-day champion.
Record-breaking year in Sound Transit ridership: Transit fans, rejoice! Last year, Sound Transit carried riders on 47,031,129 trips last year. This is a 10 percent increase from 2016.
Szechuan Sauce is coming back to McDonaldâs: The sauce was discontinued 20 years ago. But, Adult Swimâs incredibly popular show, âRick and Mortyâ made a joke about it and then it became a movement of sorts. McDonaldâs brought it back for a limited time, to limited locations. It was â well, to put it lightly, it was hell. Chaos broke out in McDonaldâs stores around the country as angry âRick and Mortyâ fans demanded their sauce. It was embarrassing. There were tears and meltdowns. Hilarious, but only from afar. Now, McDonaldâs is bringing the sauce back in a greater capacity. Itâs shipping 20 million packets to locations nationwide.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car for president: Enterprise also holds car rental agencies Alamo and National who will also cut discounts to NRA members.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car says it is ending discount program for National Rifle Association members. https://t.co/JeAqdKmrKf pic.twitter.com/klmBr2BB5J
â ABC News (@ABC) February 23, 2018
Now, if only Congress would follow Enterpriseâs lead:
Everytown took out this 2-page ad in the NYT today listing off members of Congress, their phone numbers and how much NRA money theyâve taken https://t.co/Z5eOmWAvyH pic.twitter.com/9Ot8KYGJix
â Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) February 21, 2018
Armed sheriffâs deputy at Florida high school didnât enter the building: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had an armed deputy on campus. Scot Peterson was useless during the shooting and didnât enter the building where the gunman was. Surveillance videos show Peterson âdoing nothing,â The New York Times reports. When police arrived, Peterson was taking cover in the parking lot.
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates indicted on 32 counts: The two men are accused of funneling more than $70 million through offshore accounts. They both used a bunch of this money to pay for personal expenses. The new charges are additional to the indictments filed in October that ranged from failing to register as foreign agents, money laundering, lying to federal officials, and more. They pleaded not guilty to those charges. However, Gates is expected to plead guilty to the new indictments and cooperate with Mueller in the inquiry.
Trump wants to arm teachers: Because nothing says safety like knowing your teacher is packing heat. Trump has enthusiastically embraced this NRA position to arm teachers, suggesting armed teachers could earn extra pay. Educators said theyâd preferred to be armed with the school supplies they desperately need instead.
China attempts to stop funeral strippers: Thereâs a tradition in China where people hire strippers to perform at funerals. Theyâll dance â strip, rub menâs crotches, etc. â while a picture of the deceased is emblazoned on a screen behind them. The intent is to draw people into the funeral because, in some parts of China, more mourners is a sign of honor to the dead. Chinese officials donât agree. Theyâre trying to stop the practice by setting up a hotline for people to report any âfuneral misdeedsâ in their area.
Fun fact for your Friday: When you speak inside your mind, small muscles in your throat mimic the formation of each word. It's called subvocalization and I can't stop focusing on it while I type this.
There are lots of great things to do this weekend: Like the Washington Beer Open House and Corridor on Saturday, the Urban Poverty Forum on Sunday, and the Seattle Asian American Film Festival all weekend long.