The heatwave predictions keep ticking higher: Hopefully you're not like me, living on a heat island in an apartment without AC.......
Major heat wave is almost here. Here are the highlights (or lowlights?):
â Seattle Weather Blog (@KSeattleWeather) June 24, 2021
đ„3 straight days of 100° possible (Sat/Sun/Mon)
đ„Monday likely to break all-time record high (103) with high temp near 105°
đ„Tuesday will be âcoolerââbut highs will still top out near 90°
At least we're not in Portland: It's predicted to get up to 111.
Ghouliani loses his license: Today, a New York appellate court suspended the law license of the twice-impeached former president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani. It turns out making "demonstrably false and misleading" statements and claiming widespread voter fraud when there is no widespread voter fraud has consequences, at least sometimes. The 33-page decision emphasized that "the seriousness of respondentâs uncontroverted misconduct cannot be overstated." His license is now revoked while disciplinary actions are considered. In case you forget: Giuliani is somehow a former U.S. attorney (under Reagan) and former mayor of that city where Wicked is still running. (You can jump on your brooms and return to Oz starting September 14, FYI.)
Gov. Inslee extends Washington's eviction ban through September 30: By now, you've probably heard about the cascade of evictions that could hit Washington state once our eviction moratoria expire. Those moratoriums prevent landlords from evicting their tenants based on past-due rent, and the state's moratorium was set to end on June 30. As usual with these extensions, Jay waited until the last minute to calm the nerves of the estimated 195,000 renters in Washington who are behind on rent, reports the Seattle Times. The accumulated debt is estimated to be around $1.1 to $1.2 billion so far.
Some more details from the Times:
Under Insleeâs latest order, landlords will be prohibited from evicting tenants for past-due rent accrued during the pandemic, until a rental assistance program and an eviction-resolution program are operational in their county.
That time frame includes rent that was due between Feb 29, 2020, and July 31 of this year.
Starting Aug. 1, renters will be expected to pay full rent, unless they have already negotiated an alternative with the landlord or are actively seeking rental assistance money.
Meanwhile, landlords under the new order must offer tenants a repayment plan before the eviction process is started.
California's statewide eviction moratorium also needs an extension: Although, as we mentioned earlier this week in Slog AM/PM, their State Legislature is working on "a $5.2 billion program in final negotiations... [that] would pay 100 percent of unpaid rent that lower-income Californians incurred during the pandemic and would be financed entirely by federal money," reports the New York Times. "The state is also proposing to set aside $2 billion to pay for unpaid water and electricity bills."
Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to extend regulations that protect struggling renters from eviction beyond June 30, but confusion over the rules has sowed fears. https://t.co/uo24JWNLJW
â Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 23, 2021
Zooming out: The feds extended the national eviction moratorium from June 30 to July 31. Our sister paper down south in Portland says: "It's not clear if [Oregon] will extend its moratorium to align with the federal government's, following this news. The same goes for [Portland's] Multnomah County, which is overseeing the county's dispersal of rent assistance dollars."
A ShOcKiNG tweet:
Looks like a normal teenâs bedroom, right? Think again. Coming up on @KMOV, weâll show you what parents should be looking for so they can identify signs of drug use. I was shocked at what I found in this room!!! #stl #n4tm pic.twitter.com/Df2yegDPUq
â Paige Hulsey (@paigehulsey) June 24, 2021
Congratulations to Marissa from Spokane on becoming Washington's latest $250,000 "Shot of a Lifetime" winner.
Congratulations to Shane from Illinois on becoming the 500th person arrested in connection to the Capitol Insurrection.
The new eight-story affordable housing project for queer seniors in Capitol Hill now has a name: It'll be called Pride Place, because it's a place for Pride. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reports that the building is expected to house 118 units of rental housing while also containing an LGBTQ senior community center and commercial retail space. The project, which will be located on Broadway between Pike and Pine, breaks ground this fall. Cruise these gay-ass windows...
Community preference means offering affordable units to communities with ties to the neighborhood, particularly those with a high risk of displacement. And, yes, all you comment Tuckers, it's legal. And kind of awesome https://t.co/p4TX6s2rtG pic.twitter.com/prfbQ3hke7
â jseattle (@jseattle) June 24, 2021
Gay rights have expanded too far: Well, it finally happened. I think this trailer turned me straight.
me going back in the closet after seeing the trailer for 'Q-Force', pic.twitter.com/LIahO14gip
â Amandaá” đłïžâđđ (@G0ldenSapphire) June 23, 2021
I may now be straight, but last night I was very gay: Capitol Hill's queerest dive bar, Pony, is open again. I went last night. It's got a slightly smaller patio and a redesigned entryway. There are still dick piñatas hanging from the ceiling and images of naked people on the walls. Feels like 2019 but a little cleaner.
Vaxxed up and looking for live, in-person music? Try Ballard Homestead, Dimitriouâs Jazz Alley, Owl Nâ Thistle, The Triple Door, and Drunky Two Shoes BBQ, writes Michael Rietmulder for the Seattle Times. Those places are already hosting live shows. Venues like Neumos, Barboza, and Kremwerk are fully opening up next week. We're looking forward to Chong the Nomad's show on Thursday, July 1 at Barboza.
"We have a deal," says the president. Biden and a group of senators announced that they have agreed on a bill for a $973 billion infrustructure plan ($973 billion over five years, or $1.2 trillion over eight years, explains the Chicago Tribune). Biden's original plan was set at $2.25 trillion.
"I think itâs really important weâve all agreed that none of us got all that we wanted," Biden said today.
I keep thinking about Britney: I hope this is the year she's finally freed.
Local band Prom Queen is dropping a 5-song EP and visual album of Britney Spears covers: It's called LUCKY, it comes out July 30, and a portion of proceeds will go to NASGA, the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse. Here's one of the tracks and videos, which premiered on YouTube earlier this month.