You know how the people who ban books always turn out to be the good guys in history? The people somehow in charge of education in a little county in Tennessee have sided with … well … you know in banning Art Spigelman’s acclaimed comic book about the Holocaust. They didn’t like that it contained strong words like “damn.” Fundraising efforts are now underway to make copies of the book available to residents.

Big day for big streets! The Washington Transportation Committee meets today to talk about why highways suck shit. (I’m paraphrasing.) The first order of business on the agenda is SB 5853, which would help remedy the damage caused to communities — particularly to marginalized communities — when freeways were built through them. Meanwhile, WSDOT consultant WSP is telling the state to build a "pedestrian" walkway that would have people just a few feet away from cars travelling at freeway speeds.

Amy is now Jeopardy! emeritus. Amy Schneider’s incredible streak on Jeopardy! has come to an end, breaking every record except that of Ken Jennings. Over on Twitter she had some very sweet things to say about the Jeopardy! crew and her partner Genevieve.

And of course, most of all, I want to thank Genevieve. When we started dating, she knew I would be on Jeopardy, but she really didn't know what that meant. She'd never watched the show, so even once I started winning, she didn't really understand how big this was all going to get
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) January 27, 2022

Double-decker highways are double-decker-dumb. That’ll be my next t-shirt slogan. I'm still working on it. Anyway, yesterday Washington’s secretary of transportation, Roger Millar, cast some shade on two-story freeways in a recent article about how cities like Miami are trying to pave their way out of traffic jams, only to make the traffic jams worse. In unrelated news, here’s the latest news about the building of Seattle’s new waterfront freeway.

New insights into food deserts. A major new UW study provides valuable data on the relationship between a neighborhood’s demographics and the healthiness of the food available there. There’s nothing too shocking in the data — rich people eat better, no surprise — but this is the most comprehensive study to date and provides some guidance on improving neighborhood food options.

So, how are you enjoying the post-5 pm sunset? I hope you’re making good use of your couple of extra seconds of sunlight. While you’re at it, write to your City Council member and tell them to make the Stay Healthy streets permanent so we can enjoy them when the sun starts setting after 6 pm.

Alki Keep Moving street. Tons of bikers and walkers out for our first 5pm sunset of the year. #makeitpermanent pic.twitter.com/wIrmqvOmxs
— Lynn Drake (@lynndr3415) January 27, 2022

Good stuff continues to percolate at wa-law.org. Creator Scott Shawcroft made some tweaks and this citizen-created legislation-tracker is looking better than ever.

Say hello to your operators of the month. Congratulations to Vincent, Michelle, Bonnie, Turon, and all the other operators recognized this month by King County Metro. All together they represent nearly 200 years of experience (!) and get you where you need to go. You know, bus driver stuff. Check out Latrelle’s sunglasses!

Hey get your flu shot please. Washington recently logged its third flu-related death, following historically few deaths last year. The state’s asking everyone to get vaccinated because, for crying out loud, you know why. I like to get my flu shot every year on August 23, which is my birthday and the only way I’ll remember to get it. Yes, it’s a little weird to celebrate your birthday with a shot, but I think of it as a present to myself to not die.

Speaking of health … Seattle researchers recently looked into the factors that may contribute to a long recovery from COVID, and found that people with diabetes and autoimmune disorders are particularly susceptible. Also, interestingly, the COVID virus may have the ability to “wake up” the Epstein Barr virus, which is the one that 90% of people have — usually dormant — and that causes mono. Did I say “interestingly?” I meant “unsettlingly.” Watch out for that kissing disease.

Somebody please find Clayton a home. Just look at that face. Look at him! Look at him.

1/ Clayton is back at the shelter after a stint in a foster home. We hope people will see him in all his sweetness! This 8-year-old pupper can be a little shy when meeting new people, but becomes quite cuddly with patience and good pets: https://t.co/lBq6U5EllK pic.twitter.com/82klrOjTjQ
— Seattle Humane (@SeattleHumane) January 27, 2022

Don’t worry about that brief power outage on Capitol Hill last night. Transformer blew out over by Pony. It’s fine now. But maybe take this opportunity to review preparedness plans regarding power outages. While you’re at it, get an earthquake early warning app — the MyShake app was just updated to support Washington.

New park! Marra-Desimone Park down by South Park is now open! In the works since 2015, the renovation is finally complete. Nice long walkways, a picnic area, ADA accessibility — delightful! A play area is coming soon.

I could not name one single Neil Young song. As Hannah mentioned, he’s ditching Spotify, and I realized I don’t think I’d ever heard any of his songs, so I looked into them. My initial impression upon seeing a picture of Neil Young is that his songs would have titles like “Dockside Jam Jamboree” or something like that, and I was not wrong. (Did you know his middle name is Percival? Wow. What a thing to have to make up for.) Anyway, here he is on Letterman a couple years ago, showing the consequences of allowing heterosexuals dress themselves:

I want you to see these mice. That’s all.