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Mar 31

In #Seattle, you can find outdoor statues of otters, orcas, salmon, and at least a dozen men from throughout history. But you'll be hard pressed to find a monument to a woman. axios.com/local/seattle/ #WomensHistoryMonth

Seattle has a dearth of monuments to women

The lack of female statues and monuments reflects a power imbalance that has long existed, UW scholar says

Apr 11

After having nearly having a few corrections because I can't read the words on my laptop screen, I have taken the leap and ordered my first pair(s) of reading glasses.

After nearly a decade of planning, it's still unclear whether a new streetcar route to link Seattle's two disconnected streetcar lines will ever get built. A new cost analysis is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Inertia surrounds downtown Seattle streetcar

The plan to link the city's two disconnected streetcar lines is in doubt.

Mar 28

"We want to be clear that we are going to do everything in our power to create a safe community for trans people in our state," state Sen.

@MarkoLiias

told

. axios.com/2023/03/28/was #waleg

Washington lawmakers buck trend of anti-trans bills

As some states seek to limit gender-affirming care, Washington is going in the opposite direction.

Melissa Santos Retweeted

Christine Clarridge

Mar 27

What's a Jew to do when only kosher pizza shop in Seattle stops keeping kosher? Joke a little, cry a lot. (This leaves the city w only 4 kosher dining out options and one is a Krispy Kreme!) Loss of kosher pizza shop leaves Seattle with slimmer pickings

Mourning the loss of Seattle's only kosher pizza shop

The Seattle region's now down to four certified kosher restaurants and one of them is a Krispy Kreme!

Mar 24

The decision didn't give progressives something some have long sought: carte blanche to enact a graduated income tax targeting the wealthy. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

Washington state's capital gains tax upheld by state Supreme Court

The tax, approved by lawmakers in 2021, is projected to raise about $500 million per year for public education and child care programs.

Mar 17

That's only some of what we've put in our newsletter this week. To get

Seattle in your inbox every day, sign up here:

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Seattle. Written by Melissa Santos and Christine Clarridge.

And here are readers picks for the best parks in Seattle.

Seattle's best parks, according to readers

From Kubota Garden to Discovery Park, Seattle has lots of great places to explore.

Plus, places to go to see cherry blossoms if you don't want to fight the throngs of people at the UW campus.

Best places in Seattle and beyond to see spring's cherry blossoms

Plan day trips to see cherry blossom throughout the Puget Sound.

We also rounded up some of Washington state's most underrated parks.

Our state's most underrated (and less crowded) parks

When you don't feel like going to Mount Rainier, you have options.

study tells us more about the link between inflammation and the mental symptoms of long COVID.

New study finds link between inflammation and long covid symptoms

Researchers say some of the mental symptoms of long COVID like brain fog and memory issues are likely sparked by inflammation.

Daylight savings time came back. Here's a refresher on why we still need to change our clocks twice a year, from

Here comes the sun. But don't forget to change your clocks Sunday

Seattle will see its first post-7pm sunset of the year once daylight saving time (DST) goes into effect this Sunday.

Unionized Seattle city workers are circulating a petition objecting to the city's latest raise offer, which they said was only 1%. One worker called that "a slap in the face" given the high rate of inflation.

Seattle city workers petition for larger raises, citing high inflation

Union workers say the city is offering only a 1% cost-of-living increase in 2023.

The state House passed a ban on selling assault weapons. The bill defines that category as including AR-15 as well as many other semiautomatics. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

Ban on selling assault weapons clears Washington state House

This marks the first time such a proposal has passed either chamber of Washington's Legislature.

Yeah, this year was cold. But Seattle winters have still been trending warmer since 1970.

Seattle's winters are trending warmer

Our global refrigerator, the Arctic, is warming faster than the rest of the world.

The state is now accepting applications for 45 social equity cannabis retail licenses. And the Legislature is considering making dozens more licenses available for the program, which aims to correct inequity in the state's legal pot market. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

State's pot social equity plan hits major milestone — and could expand

The idea is to help diversify Washington's mostly white legal cannabis industry.

It's not your imagination --- new apartments built in Seattle are some of the country's smallest.

New apartments in Seattle are some of the smallest in U.S.

Among 100 metro areas, the Seattle region had the smallest-sized new units built from 2013 to 2022, an analysis finds.

In legislative news, Washington's House advanced a bill to legalize duplexes, fourplexes and sixplexes on most residential lots statewide. The "missing middle" housing bill is scaled back a bit from an earlier version. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

WA lawmakers advance plan to legalize more duplexes and quadplexes

The measure would require cities — including Seattle — to allow denser housing on lots currently zoned for single-family homes.

Seattle's getting a professional sports team named the Orcas. They'll play cricket.

Meet the Orcas, Seattle's new cricket team

They're one of six U.S. teams that will play as part of Major League Cricket's inaugural season.

Plans for a statue of native environmental leader Billy Frank Jr to represent Washington at the U.S. Capitol. are moving forward. An artist has been chosen; the statue will eventually place one of Marcus Whitman.

Plans for Billy Frank Jr. statue at U.S. Capitol move ahead

The statue of the Nisqually environmental leader will replace one of Marcus Whitman, a missionary.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell thinks Seattle is poised to get an NBA team soon -- in "a much shorter window" than 5 years.

Seattle mayor thinks a new NBA team could come soon

He said it's poised to happen in "a much, much shorter window" than five years.

That's one of the many stories we've had in

Seattle this week. A few more: Among large U.S. counties, Kitsap County had the second-largest wage growth in the U.S. last year. Competing with high-paying Seattle is part of it. By

Kitsap County had 2nd highest wage growth in the U.S. last year

The county west of Seattle saw wages jump 12.7% in 2022.

Housing is so expensive in WA that

@MountRainierNPS

had to ask nearby landlords for help housing seasonal park service workers. Otherwise, many couldn't afford to take the jobs. By

Ripple effect of Seattle's high housing costs reach Mount Rainier

Park rangers can't afford to buy or rent.

Seattle City Council members are frustrated that an alternative 911 program -- a response to 2020 Black Lives Matter protests -- is months behind schedule, with the mayor's office "behind on almost every deliverable" previously agreed to.

Seattle's alternative 911 response program falls behind schedule

Some city council members are getting frustrated with the delay.

Mar 6

To limit the reach of other states' restrictive abortion laws, Washington lawmakers are advancing bills to block police and courts from aiding other states' investigations into abortion care, and to protect data from period-tracking apps. #waleg

Bills aim to protect abortion patients who travel to Washington state

The idea is to shield doctors and patients from other states' anti-abortion laws.

Mar 6

It's springtime. You want to see blossoms. You don't want to fight the crowd headed to the cherry blossoms at UW. So, where do you go, Seattle? I'm writing a thing

Mar 2

That's not everything that's been in our newsletter this week, but a sampling. You can subscribe to

Seattle here:

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Seattle. Written by Melissa Santos and Christine Clarridge.

We also wrote about the controversy on how to update the landmark reflecting pools at

@PacSci

, which are leaking 71K gallons of water each day.

The Pacific Science Center's landmark reflective pools could get a makeover

The water feature, built for the 1962 World's Fair, is badly in need of an upgrade, PacSci officials say.

A lawsuit seeks to roll back the state's new energy-efficient building codes, which require heat pumps in most new construction --- an attempt to phase out the use of natural gas heating. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

State's plan to phase out natural gas in buildings prompts lawsuit

The suit seeks to roll back new requirements that call for heat pumps instead of fossil-fuel burning furnaces.

We also looked at how the expiration of pandemic food benefits is poised to affect Washingtonians. by

SNAP cuts could lead to "hunger cliff" in Washington

More than 520,000 low-income Washington households will have a smaller monthly food budget.

A measure to eliminate cannabis tests for pre-employment screening has gotten further than it ever has in the Legislature. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

Pre-employment pot tests could get banned in Washington state

Right now, the drug is legal statewide, but using it can still cost you a job.

A look at BlackPast.org, the locally founded encyclopedia of Black history, which now has more than 10,000 entries.

talked to the founder,

@UW

professor emeritus Quintard Taylor.

BlackPast, created by former UW history prof, fills hunger for history

Thousands of stories in the 'Wikipedia for Black folks'

Plus,

wrote about which trees you can plant now that will survive the next 100 years, despite our changing temperatures.

8 trees for Seattle that may thrive despite climate change

Think beyond conifers and natives, Arbor Day expert advises.

Climate change is shifting which trees thrive in the Pacific Northwest,

writes.

New map shows Pacific Northwest's evergreens may not survive the future

Experts say planting resilient trees is among the most important things we can do.

Gas prices crept up over the past month in the Seattle area -- but it's still far below the peaks seen last year. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

Seattle area gas prices were far above the national average last month

Local drivers spent an average of $4.26 per gallon, compared to $3.40 a gallon nationwide.

Tuesday's 1st auction of cap and trade allowances marked a major milestone for Washington state's ambitious emissions-cutting program. axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg

First cap-and-trade auction held in Washington state

Washington is the second U.S. state to enact a comprehensive cap-and-trade policy, after California.

The past week in

Seattle, we've covered: Seattleites being a top sponsors of Ukrainian refugees; the state's first cap-and-trade auction; how climate change is altering our native tree landscape, and much more. Here's a quick tour axios.com/local/seattle/ #waleg