Its not like Seattle needs that space for anything else, like housing
It's not like Seattle needs that space for anything else, like housing Elizabeth Lara / Getty Images

Scientists are SHOCKED by this miracle cure for traffic. A traffic-data firm on the Eastside looked over driving data from the last few years and found that travel times improved 67% during the pandemic when everyone was working from home. Who could have foreseen that having fewer cars on the road reduces traffic jams??? If only there were some way to make the reduction in private vehicle usage last, like providing some form of robust public transportation system.

That heat wave could have gone better. Now that the dreadful heat of June is behind us and cooler, wetter weather is hopefully on the way, experts are pointing out how unprepared Seattle was. Not enough cooling centers; not enough welfare checks; not enough drinking fountains. We have earthquake and snowstorm plans; maybe it’s time to plan for Death Valley’s next visit to the PNW.

Say “West Seattle Bridge” three times in a mirror and a shrieking blog commenter will appear and drag you to hell. The world’s most painful Zoom call was held last night — a public meeting at which residents could ask questions about the West Seattle Bridge. Ryan Packer has a great rundown of concerns and responses; generally speaking, the city’s situation is “we’re working on it, please be patient,” which is what precisely nobody wants to hear.

Have you taken our Midnight Movie survey yet? We think it would be neat if midnight movies returned to Seattle. But what movies would be fun to see? Vote over here.

Nightlife is expensive. The Mercury and Neighbors, two Capitol Hill venues, are both separately raising funds to re-open. Both spots need extensive construction work before crowds can return.

Bye bye, apartment ban. Councilmembers Mosqueda and Morales held a livestreamed community meeting today to talk about eliminating the city’s exclusionary zoning policy that makes it impossible to build enough housing in many neighborhoods. Like most American policies, limits on density have an ugly racist history, and although just about anyone with any sense wants to get rid of it, City Council is taking extreme care to make sure they’re doing it in a way that minimizes displacement. I’m impatient for the work to be done and for the highrises to get built, but in the long run it’s probably best that they take it slow so NIMBY lawsuits don’t cause further delays later on.

Are you getting a check? The IRS just sent out a bunch of additional stimulus checks, part of the third round that covers around 159 million households. Most of the people in that group have already been paid, but if your tax info recently changed, you might still be owed.

Can we blame Ted Cruz for Seattle’s housing crisis? One of the many obstacles to building new homes in Seattle is a shortage of supplies — in part because of the power outages in Texas, where a lot of the country’s insulation and vinyl siding is made. There’s also a labor shortage in the glass industry, oddly enough; at every stage of the supply chain, from window manufacturing to transportation to installation, companies are failing to pay high enough wages to attract workers.

You’re voting, right? You should have your ballot by now. If not, something’s gone wrong. And hey, there’s no need to wait to vote — just copy our endorsements and then drop off your ballot today.

Not looking great for Gavin Newsom. He’s bounced back from worse than this, but for the moment it looks kind of bad: A new poll shows that a lot of voters want a conservative radio show host to replace Newsom as governor of California in an upcoming recall election. Remember when everyone thought Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t possibly win?

That bird’s lucky Fabio wasn’t there. Things could have gone much worse for a young woman and a seagull who met unexpectedly on an amusement park ride in New Jersey.

Drones that emit electrical charges? What could go wrong. The United Arab Emirates apparently has drones that can zap clouds with electrical charges to make it rain. I see no way in which this could be used for evil.

There is surely more to this miraculous bear attack story. After being stalked by a bear for days, a 50-something-year-old (or maybe 60-something) man in a remote part of Alaska was rescued by a helicopter that just happened to be in the area. I don’t have any reason to doubt that the story is true, I just would really love to fill in some of the gaps — like, who the hell was that guy and what was he doing all by himself in an otherwise-abandoned mining shack?

A man floats on Arrakis. There is only one moment that interests me in the new Dune trailer, and that’s a brief glimpse of a large man floating in the air. It will be difficult for this movie to out-weird David Lynch’s vision of Baron Harkonnen, the misunderstood hero of Dune.

Affordable housing is getting further and further away. Seattle’s housing shortage being what it is, only the very rich can afford to buy a home in Seattle now. But the same problem is spreading to the suburbs — property up to an hour away is skyrocketing in price. Hey, I wonder if that guy’s abandoned mining camp in Alaska is available.

I am going to eat Mars. Scientists have just conducted an analysis on the interior of Mars, and every illustration I can find makes it look like a delicious candy bar. Although they assure us that the planet is composed of minerals similar to Earth’s crust, hardened mud, and fractured rock, I don’t believe them — I know nougat when I see it.