Look out!!!!!
Look out!!!!! Drew Angerer / Getty Images Staff

Joe Biden is coming tonight. He’s arriving in Seattle around 5 pm, and he’s expected to talk about infrastructure investment, climate change, and prescription drug coverage. He’s also going to a fundraiser, which shouldn’t be the sort of thing a president should have to waste his time with, but that’s the country we’re stuck with. Oh well!

What on Earth is local government? King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay just posted a nice Local Government 101 video where he explains just what the hell keeps him and his colleagues so busy. (More on his Instagram here.)

COVID positivity rates are climbing in King County. We’re close to where we were back in February, with positive test results over 10% and trending upward.

Today’s the big day for more Starbucks unionizing. Seattle Roastery workers will be counting ballots today at 1 pm, and you can watch the count live via Zoom. Will this be another unanimous vote? We’re about to find out. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers in the International District will continue their strike this morning, and workers at Union Station walked out after an employee was asked to leave for wearing union apparel:

Just how bad is the current wave of transphobia? Very bad! Check out this excellent new project that seeks to catalog all of the transphobic legislation popping up across the country.

There’s two major meetings for the Interstate Bridge Replacement today. A busy day! First the Executive Steering Committee will meet via Zoom and on YouTube at 10 am to talk about how many travel & transit lanes they might want to build; then they’ll have a presentation to the Bi-state Legislative Committee at 2 pm.

“Safe” for whom, exactly? Safe Seattle, the organization founded to make the lives of unhoused people even more unpleasant, posted a Facebook update this week wondering if it’s true that “Black people are genetically predisposed to commit crime.” You know, just in case you were under the impression that racism was a somewhere-else problem.

Want to see some dirty pictures? Check out Washington’s soil health initiative, which is spending $2 million to research and improve the quality of the stuff under our feet that magically produces so much of the food that keeps us alive (including worms, if you’re a bird). They’re about to embark on four areas of study this year, looking into topics like organic farming and tree fruit and wine grapes. Coming soon: Potatoes. It’s important to have exciting things to look forward to!!!

Microsoft just keeps getting bigger. Microsoft’s campus revamp is chugging along, with an expected opening date sometime next year — just in time for the nearby light rail station to begin operation. If it weren't so early in the morning, this is the point in the blurb at which I would have written a witty joke about the company’s growing footprint matching the memory usage of its operating system.

Say hello to Linda. Linda Springmann is the Port of Seattle’s new director of Cruise and maritime marketing. She previously worked for a cruise line, as well as for the Alaska Travel Industry Association. I’m sure that she tackled very impressive challenges in all of her previous roles, but can anyone truly be prepared for the might and dedication of Seattle Cruise Control?

As if Value Village being a potential milkshake duck wasn’t bad enough: Seems like there’s been a lot of bad news about local faves lately. You remember Dan Price? He’s the CEO of a local credit card processor, and he got famous a few years ago for slashing his pay and giving his employees more money. Seems like a good guy! Except that assault charges have been filed against him by a woman who met him to talk about some business stuff. He says it’s not true. Court date is tomorrow.

Watch where you swim. Some orcas have been spotted around West Seattle. Majestic! But if you are a seal, maybe it’s a good time to haul up onto land for a while.

It’s Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. Not like you needed an excuse, but now’s a fine time to carefully massage some balls. (Yours or a friend’s.) It’s also a fine time to re-listen to this interview I did awhile back with my friend, writer-performer Byron Lane, about his experience beating cancer (and being Carrie Fisher's assistant!).

Hello buns. Rabbits can be especially challenging house pets — an owner I interviewed once compared hers to perpetually moody and rambunctious teenagers — but if you’ve got a rabbit-friendly home, then these two characters look very sweet. And if you’d like to spend some time with animals but can’t bring them home, Seattle Humane Society is accepting volunteer applications now through Sunday.