Not the most inviting greeting for a farmers market, but thanks for the reminder
Not the most inviting greeting for a farmer's market, but thanks for the reminder Matt Baume

So did Jenny Durkan just unlock her phone and hand it to strangers or what? A forensic analysis (that was supposed to come out almost a year ago) has found that ~SoMeOnE~ manually set Jenny Durkan’s phone to delete text messages, which is a felony. The setting was changed on the same day Durkan's phone was submerged in some salt water. The report doesn’t say who changed the setting, or whether Durkan intentionally submerged her phone. “I did not change the retention settings on my phone,” she said, which must mean that someone else had access to it, right? Either that, or she’s lying to us, but she wouldn’t do that, would she? That’s what bad guys do.

Beer, the healthy choice. After Seattle passed a soda tax to encourage healthy eating habits, people just started buying more beer, according to one study with a long list of substantial limitations. Great job, everyone.

Happy 80th birthday to Andrew Robinson. The actor is probably best known for playing Garak on Deep Space 9.

LAPD fired on Super Bowl rioters. Following a victory by LA’s football team on Sunday, fans made a ruckus in the streets until cops arrived to shoot them with some unidentified projectiles. There are no reports of fatalities — unlike during the Super Bowl in 2018, when LAPD shot and killed an unarmed 16-year-old.

The watered-down housing bill is still better than no housing bill. Some bummer news from Rep. Jessica Bateman, whose “missing middle” housing bill has been scaled back by colleagues in the House to now only allow up to fourplexes (not sixplexes) within a quarter mile of transit (rather than a half mile). That’s disappointing, but if the bill doesn’t get a floor vote by tomorrow at 5 pm it’s dead for the year, so even this less-than-perfect version is an improvement over what we’ve got now. According to Bateman, one of the obstacles to building more homes has been the Association of Washington Cities.

No need to be sour about Olive. Seattle Greenways' latest project is agitating for some pedestrian improvements on Olive Way, a gross little slice of Los Angeles on the side of Capitol Hill. This weekend the group took a little stroll along the street, which has narrow sidewalks, missing crosswalks, and rampant speeding, noting all the problems. Next step: A group discussion (held this evening at 6 pm via Zoom) about what to ask the city for.

What does a city sound like? Probably something like The Urbanist’s new podcast, where they talk about urban planning, design, and legislation.

Has anyone seen 29,000 children lately? Tens of thousands of Washington kids stopped attending school during the pandemic. There are only a handful of people trying to figure out what happened to them.

Happy 80th birthday to Andrew Robinson. The actor is probably best known for playing the husband in Hellraiser.

What should we call all of the new encampments Bruce Harrell is about to create? The Mayor is going to let landlords resume evictions on March 1. Here is a 2018 study that found that a majority of people evicted in Seattle become homeless. So, what name sounds right for those ever-expanding pockets of tents near freeway ramps — Brucevilles? Harrell Housing?

Here are the four types of plants you meet in hell. For the love of God, Seattle, stop planting ivy. Here are a handful of plant species that oughta be eradicated from the city.

Get your hands dirty. The Willamette National Forest’s campground was built during the Great Depression, and could use a little fixing up. They’re looking for volunteers willing to hike out there in April and May to do some repairs. Training, food, gear, and a campsite are all provided.

Happy 80th birthday to Andrew Robinson. The actor is probably best known for playing Liberace in Liberace.