Legalize it.
Legalize it. Britt Erlanson / Getty Images
Could we PLEASE just have places to live? Time’s running out for legislators to pass ESHB1660, a bill that would allow people to build more backyard cottages and in-law apartments. Go here to express your support (and sign up for Homes4WA’s mailing list) or sign up with Habitat for Humanity, another of the bill’s proponents. Also, check out how clearly AOC explained our housing crisis: "The reason why people are on the streets isn't just some elusive housing or market phenomenon, it's also because we've chosen not to build." The deadline for passage is Friday at 5 pm.

Another shooting on 3rd. A second person has been shot to death at the corner that conservative media loves to pretend is emblematic of the entire city because it gets them nice big ratings. Something terrible is certainly happening around 3rd Ave — this is the second deadly shooting in a week. A month ago, Bruce Harrell said he would tell police to focus on high-crime areas, and yet somehow, even when an area of just a few blocks is so obviously, blatantly, self-evidently in crisis, Harrell's directive has been as effective as sneezing into an ass crack.

One more week until the mask mandate ends. King County has a FAQ on what this means. Infection rates, by the way, are still high, though nowhere near what they were in December and January — we’re still hitting around 300 cases per day, which is three times the number we were hitting over the summer. As someone in a high-risk group, I’ll be keeping my mask for the time being and sadly continuing to avoid large gatherings.

Would you like to get paid to tweet about books all day? Of course you would, that’s any sensible person’s dream come true. The Seattle Public Library is currently hiring a social media specialist (among several other positions), with applications due this Sunday. One position they’re not hiring for anymore: Head librarian, which was a whole saga.

Have you smelt the smelt? For one day only this weekend, you will be able to catch up to ten pounds of Columbia River smelt on the Cowlitz River. Hope you like waking up at 6 am to grab fish.

In other fish news: King County has completed a series of emergency fish flights, carrying 12,000 juvenile salmon from Orcas Island to Issaquah, where they’ll be raised and released. Just imagine trying to get that through TSA.

Do you recognize these cows? Five cattle were found wandering around Okanogan, which is about 200 miles to our northeast. If you want ‘em, the state Department of Agriculture will auction them off next weekend. No word on whether they’re housebroken.

Coming this month: New ORCA machines. Sound Transit will begin testing new vending machines at a handful of stations this month. For now, they’ll only dispense paper tickets, but upgrades will continue through the spring and the transition to the new ORCA system — including a better mobile app, thank GOD — should be complete by this summer. Your old card will continue to work with the new system.

Once you get your new ORCA card, will you be able to escape? The Capitol Hill Station has become increasingly difficult to exit, with nearly every accessible method of egress now out of order. There are no signs about the broken escalators or elevators until you reach them, which means you’ll have to trudge all over the station in the hopes of discovering a way out — what a fun exercise for people whose mobility is limited!

Preservationists admit: Historic designation makes housing more expensive. Hat-tip to Pushing the Needle & friends who spotted this slide in a 2019 presentation by Washington State Architectural Historian Michael Houser. According to the presentation, historic designation means “increased resale values,” which is a nice way of saying "fewer affordable homes."

Getting evicted? Get help. Now that the eviction moratorium is over, the Housing Justice Project is offering to help folks who face a loss of housing. Free legal assistance is available in King County.

Can you make ANY sense of this tweet? I have literally no idea what I’m looking at here. Thank you for everything.

Ah the lifecycle of a cat. This checks out.

Speaking of cats: Someone has GOT to adopt Sushi and set up an Instagram for him.