Republicans attempted to pass a "skinny stimulus" bill in the Senate: It failed. Dead. KO'd. Eight votes shy of the 60 it needed. The bill would have provided $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits through the end of the year and more Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding. It offered nothing for local and state governments and no second stimulus check for individuals. However, it did preserve liability shield measures for businesses trying to make sure they aren't liable when their employees die from being forced to work through a pandemic.
Here's Chuck Schumer giving the skinny on Mitch McConnell's "skinny" bill, via The Hill:
Schumer fired back that Thursdayâs vote was âpointlessâ and that the GOP bill was âemaciated.â
âIt is laden with poison pills. Provisions our colleagues know Democrats would never support to guarantee the billâs failure. The truth of the matter is the Republicans and the Republican leader donât want to pass a bill too many on the hard right in the Senate and outside it would be angry with," Schumer said.
"It looks increasingly unlikely that Washington will be able to reach a deal before the election for more virus aid," mused the New York Times.
As you've probably heard by now, you should get ready for that "super-massive" cloud of smoke headed up the I-5 corridor: While temperatures drop over the next few days, smoke from Oregon and California fires will roll up the coast. "Officials said the cloud of smoke and ash...was too high in the atmosphere at this point to cause serious health effects," notes the Seattle Times. "But predictions are that it will mix downward over the next day and make for unhealthy air conditions overnight."
This super massive cloud of smoke is likely headed our way tomorrow. Remember how bad it was earlier this week? Think that. Except the smoke isn't from new fires, but fires in Oregon and California.
â WA Emergency Management đ· (@waEMD) September 10, 2020
Start preparing today. #wawildfire #wawx pic.twitter.com/8ydRVXZXTJ
I panic-ordered two professional air filters for my house: One is coming tomorrow night, and the other is coming Tuesday. I should have just gone with this:
Good luck out there!
Fortunately, or maybe not so fortunately, this "super-massive" cloud is moving veeery slowly: It "only moved a little," writes the Washington smoke blog this afternoon. "Here's a map of what Friday will bring," they write (that map is below). "Saturday will be worse for most areas, with few clean air getaways possible. 'Clean air' will become a relative term for most of this weekend. More details on that tomorrow." Sigh, I thought we were gonna get away with a relatively comfortable fire season this year.
Football is back: The NFL's season kicks off with the Houston Texans versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Joe Biden will air a minute-long campaign ad during the game. Trump will also have an ad.
.@chloexhalle perform the National Anthem before #Kickoff2020. pic.twitter.com/aMS45Di8qX
â NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2020
Stranger's Jasmyne Keimig is hopping on here with some CHOP-related art updates:
More meetings on what to do with CHOP's art and garden: Seattle Parks and Recreation, along with HBB Landscape Architecture and DLR Group, hosted another round of public meetings/Zoom calls for the 2020 Cal Anderson Park Project on Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon. After last month's meeting, the project sent out a survey about the park and received 3,800 individual responses, 46 percent of whom said they live within walking distance of Cal Anderson.
These meetings involved a public discussion and vote on "opportunity areas" for the placement of the community garden, protest art, and conversation corners: There was recognition that different elements could have overlap. For example, the "events" space where the Marcus Henderson-led community garden is currently located could also serve as a space to hold art, conversations corners, and cultural events. Many meeting participants seemed to favor moving the garden to the park's E Howell and 11th Ave entrance, which could be cute.
The meeting's hosts shirked any direct questions about the Shelterhouse: Simply saying that they will add human services and safety and security components to their project plans. Last week, Seattle Parks and the Seattle Police Department aggressively cleared out protesters, the homeless, and homeless protesters from the Shelterhouse after it transformed into a mutual aid station. In the meeting today, Andy Sheffer of Seattle Parks said that while the department had hired private security for "a night or two" to monitor any break-ins after boarding up buildings in the park, they are currently not relying on a private security company.OK, so what's next? There's no date set for when Cal Anderson will officially reopen, which Sheffer said was "directly related to the reduction of illicit activity in the park." He added that they still hope to add some improvements to the park by the spring of 2021. There will be a third round of meetings on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, with a new online survey dropping Oct. 9. You can still take their first survey about park use here and visit their project site for more updates.
If you're looking for a way to support the local art scene and give back to the community: You should check out Make the Bend, a project by Seattle artists Forrest Perrine and Matthew Offenbacher. It's a way for (mostly white) artists to use their material wealthâin the form of unsold paintingsâto benefit Black, Indigenous communities along with other communities of color. Since the project began in July, MtB has raised over $2000 for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)-led organizations in the city like Got Green, Potlatch Fund, and Wa Na Wari.
The process goes something like this: Every other Wednesdayâthough that timing is still flexibleâtheir Instagram account announces a pairing of one local artist and one local BIPOC-led organization with a stated donation goal. Interested parties donate directly to the org, sending their receipts to MtB as proof of payment. MtB draws names once they meet their financial goal, and a lucky donor wins the art that's up for auctionâanything from a print to gouache painting.
Currently, the artist of the moment is Kelly Bjork, who has donated five prints to raise $1,000 for Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, an organization dedicated to advancing the lives of trans women, femmes, and Two-Spirit people of color here in the state. They are almost halfway to their goalâdonate now!
Thanks, Jasmyne!
Portland's mayor is banning CS gas: It took more than 100 days of protests, but he did it. The new policy doesn't restrict other gas types, like pepper spray (OC gas) and mace (CN gas). It also doesn't limit federal police or state officers in Oregon from grabbing some gas. Seattle knows this song and dance.
The Trump campaign allegedly kicked out a New York Times correspondent from a campaign rally in Michigan today: She may have got the boot for reporting on the mostly maskless crowd.
First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out.
â Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020
Speaking of that rally... Trump loves a macho anthem, but I'm still thinking about how he plays "My Heart Will Go On" at rallies.
What pandemic? pic.twitter.com/vHY0t4H37o
â Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) September 10, 2020
A new study finds "that COVID-19 is a life-threatening disease in people of all ages": The research from Harvard "found that among 3,222 young adults hospitalized with COVID-19, 88 diedâabout 2.7%. One in five required intensive care, and one in 10 needed a ventilator to assist with breathing," summarized the New York Times.
2.5% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Washington state have died, as of Thursday's reporting from state health officials. The state added 458 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths to its totals today.
A viral headline: A Third-Grade Teacher Has Died From The Coronavirus At 28
Calling all Gregg Araki fans, wherever you are: Marc Jacobs unveiled his new, massive "HEAVEN" collection, and it features film director Gregg Araki's films and slogans. The y2k aesthetic is strong here. I like the double-headed teddy bags, the froggy designs, and the daisy rug. Browse by clicking this link. I like seeing Araki get recycled back into pop culture.