Seattle news

• Study: Quakes spurred on faults dead for 300 million years

  01-12-2017 23:39
  DALLAS (AP) — Earthquakes that have swarmed North Texas in recent years occurred on faults awakened by human activity after they had been dormant since dinosaurs roamed the area, according to a new university study. There have been frequent earthquakes in recent years in the Fort Worth Basin, from the rural town of Venus to […]
  
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• Prosecutor declines to file sexual assault charges against Sheriff Urquhart

  01-12-2017 23:38
  The Snohomish County Prosecutor released his decision Friday not to file sexual assault charges against Sheriff John Urquhart.
  
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• King County Sheriff John Urquhart won’t face charges in alleged groping case

  01-12-2017 23:01
  Prosecutor agreed probable cause existed that crime was committed, but found alleged groping didn’t rise to felony legal standard, deadline to charge “most applicable” misdemeanor offense had passed.
  
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• Connelly: Reichert, 11 GOP House members—Don't drill Arctic Wildlife Refuge

  01-12-2017 22:55
  Eleventh hour appeals from moderate Republicans: Stop the back door effort to throw open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.  Twelve House Republicans, including Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., signed a letter to Speaker Ryan.
  
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• Inbox Jukebox: A Weekly Shortlist of Good New Music. Scarface, Ty Segall, Makaya McCraven, and More

  01-12-2017 22:45 via thestranger.com
  
  Our music critic praises hot new tracks by Scarface, Makaya McCraven, Ty Segall, and more from his overflowing inbox.by Dave SegalScarface gives us the best Public Enemy homage in a minute. Facemob Records
  Scarface, "Black Still" (Facemob/BMG). Houston rap legend Scarface (Geto Boys) repurposes Public Enemy's classic "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," spitting gravel-voiced venom against Trump, chronic racial oppression, cultural appropriation, and inadequate education while demanding reparatio
  
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• Studies find dangerous bacteria near Texas fracking sites

  01-12-2017 22:41
  ARLINTON, Texas (AP) — Two new studies from University of Texas at Arlington researchers show harmful bacteria levels in groundwater near hydraulically fractured gas drilling sites. The studies published in the peer-reviewed journal Science of the Total Environment show antibiotic-resistant bacteria exist in private water wells in the Barnett Shale and Eagle Ford Shale regions […]
  
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• Savage Love Letter of the Day: Did Her Three Year Old Just Come Out?

  01-12-2017 22:30 via thestranger.com
  by Dan Savage
  I’ve followed your column religiously for years, and it’s crazy how it’s helped someone like me, who was already very sex-positive and open-minded, to advocate for myself and others in many situations and conversations, with strength of character, good information, and the right words. Thank you for that. Now I have a question of my own and I really hope you’ll have time to respond.My almost three-year old daughter, who is all about pink sneakers and princes
  
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• Tables Aren't Homes

  01-12-2017 22:17 via thestranger.com
  
  Another task force to talk about homelessness.by Heidi GrooverPeople can't sleep here. Abraham Taherivand/getty
  Politicians around here get a lot of flak for how much time they spend talking about stuff before actually doing anything. Task forces, stakeholder groups, "bringing everyone to the table." So, you might think they would avoid drawing a bunch of attention to the fact that they're going to talk some more about one of the region's most pressing issues. You'd be wrong.
  King County Executi
  
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• Toby Whitney Drops Out of the Race for WA-8

  01-12-2017 22:08 via thestranger.com
  
  by Rich SmithNOW who's going to run the government like a business? Oh I know, every other democrat running for the seat. COURTESY OF TOBY WHITNEY CAMPAIGN
  There are six serious Democratic candidates running to replace Dave Reichert's seat in Washington's 8th congressional district. Now there are five.The Seattle Times reports that Whitney's leaving due to concerns about his family:In a statement, Whitney he’d seen 'up close the toll that 14-hour days and 7-day weeks can take on candidates
  
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• When the GOP Tax Bill Passes, It'll Be Millennials and Gen-Xers Paying for This Boomer Money-Grab

  01-12-2017 22:05 via thestranger.com
  
  by Eli SandersSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: excitedly picking the pockets of future generations. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
  Republicans say they have the votes needed to pass the Senate tax bill—which, as Ronald Brownstein at The Atlantic notes, is great news for rich Boomers. (And just about no one else.)
  The House and Senate measures shower enormous benefits on households at the top of the economic ladder, a group that by all indications is older and whiter than the popula
  
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• Nearly 894,000 Texans apply for FEMA Harvey aid by deadline

  01-12-2017 22:02
  HOUSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency says nearly 894,000 people in Texas met this week’s deadline to register for federal disaster assistance to help them recover from Hurricane Harvey. The agency said Friday more than $1.4 billion in help has been approved so far. But officials and nonprofit groups say more funding will be […]
  
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• Fired Port Employees Awarded $16 Million in Wrongful Termination Suit

  01-12-2017 21:56 via thestranger.com
  
  But some still feel that the employees should have been fired... for racial animus.by Sydney BrownstoneOy. STEPHEN BRASHEAR/THE STRANGER
  A King County Superior Court jury ruled that the Port of Seattle must pay $16 million to two former port employees after they were wrongfully fired for what the Port claimed at the time to be misuse of their official e-mail.The employees, Deanna Zachrisson and Elaine Lincoln, filed a wrongful termination suit against the port after it fired them in 2015. The ho
  
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• The Ghosts of the Past Become Clearer In the Trump Years

  01-12-2017 21:51 via thestranger.com
  
  by Charles Mudede Ignatiev/gettyimages.com
  The deeper we get into Trump's presidency, the thicker and closer the fog on the future becomes. Under Obama, one could have a reasonable idea of what the following year looked like. Even the distance of two years was recognizable. The fog completely covered the distance of five or so years. Under Trump, one can't even see the end of the day. What will America look like tomorrow? I have no idea. The fog of the unknowable is even encroaching on the hours
  
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• Democrat Toby Whitney drops out of 8th Congressional District race to succeed Rep. Dave Reichert

  01-12-2017 21:37
  The field of Democrats in Washington’s nationally watched 8th Congressional District race is shrinking by one. Toby Whitney, an Amazon manager and former congressional aide, announced Friday he’s withdrawing from the 2018 race, citing family concerns. In a statement, Whitney he’d seen “up close the toll that 14-hour days and 7-day weeks can take on […]
  
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• The Biggest December Events

  01-12-2017 21:29 via thestranger.com
  The 150 Arts, Music, Food, and Holiday Events You Need to Know Aboutby Stranger Things To Do StaffDecember in Seattle means an onslaught of festive holiday events and New Year's Eve parties—but it also means plenty of arts, music, and food events. Below, we've rounded up the 150 biggest events that you should know about, ranging from concerts like Macklemore and Industrial Revelation Plays Björk, to food events like the Miracle on 2nd Pop-Up and Feasts of the Seven Fishes, to performa
  
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• Your Complete Guide To December 2017 Events in Seattle

  01-12-2017 21:28 via thestranger.com
  
  by Stranger Things To Do StaffIf you’re feeling bummed out by the darkest days of the year and do not own a SAD lamp, the city abounds with all manner of luminous spectacles to carry you through the winter blues, including WildLights, SAM Lights (pictured), and Snowflake Lane. Courtesy of SAM
  December in Seattle means an onslaught of festive holiday events and New Year's Eve parties—but it also means plenty of arts, music, and food events. Below, we've rounded up the 150 biggest even
  
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• Drug dog in Alaska finds meth welded in heavy equipment shipped from Seattle

  01-12-2017 21:28
  KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Alaska State Troopers have seized methamphetamine welded inside heavy equipment that was shipped to Ketchikan. A 53-year-old Ketchikan man was charged with a felony drug count in the case. Officers from the troopers’ statewide drug enforcement unit, Ketchikan police and the Coast Guard took part in the investigation at a Ketchikan freight […]
  
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• Drug dog finds methamphetamine welded in heavy equipment

  01-12-2017 21:28
  KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Alaska State Troopers have seized methamphetamine welded inside heavy equipment that was shipped to Ketchikan. A 53-year-old Ketchikan man was charged with a felony drug count in the case. Officers from the troopers’ statewide drug enforcement unit, Ketchikan police and the Coast Guard took part in the investigation at a Ketchikan […]
  
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• Daddy-daughter duo Claire and the Crosbys, of YouTube fame, to sing at free Bellevue festival

  01-12-2017 21:26
  The daddy-and-daughter duo will perform at the Bellevue Festival of Nativity, a free event that's open to the public.
  
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• Sheriff: Man shot in Shoreline drove to hospital in stolen car

  01-12-2017 21:23
  A man shot early Friday morning in Shoreline drove himself to a Seattle hospital in a stolen car, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
  
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• Top 10 Albums of 2017, Local and National

  01-12-2017 21:17 via thestranger.com
  
  by The Stranger
  A conservative estimate places the number of full-length albums released in the past calendar year at roughly 13,000. This means, at the very least, that the idea of a definitive list of the year's best music, as if anyone could ever meaningfully listen to a significant fraction of such a huge and unruly accumulation of records, much less attempt to confine it within even the loosest narrative, is pure folly.
  And yet, to borrow a phrase from an artist who appears nowhere on this
  
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• Wig-wearing robber still sought in Vegas Strip casino heist

  01-12-2017 20:59
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — A getaway vehicle was found but a man who wore a wig and facial bandages was still sought after the armed robbery of a poker room casino cashier at the Bellagio resort, a Las Vegas police spokesman said Friday. The silver Chevrolet Cruz was found near a gravel pit about 8 […]
  
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• Appeal likely in ‘longshot’ income-tax case, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says

  01-12-2017 20:49
  Mayor Jenny Durkan thinks a city income tax is a “longshot.” Seattle’s measure calls for a 2.25% tax on total income above $250,000 for individuals and above $500,000 for married couples filing together.
  
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• Snow alert: Snoqualmie Pass opens for skiing Saturday

  01-12-2017 20:45
  Here's a full list of Pacific Northwest ski areas open for December's first weekend.
  
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• New land-use rules clear path for Bruce Willis’ airport in Idaho

  01-12-2017 20:40
  KETCHUM, Idaho — Central Idaho officials have changed land-use rules, clearing the way for actor Bruce Willis to finishing building a private airport. The Idaho Mountain Express reports Camas County commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the county zoning ordinance making private airports of unrestricted size and operation on AG-80-zoned agricultural land legal. Under the […]
  
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• New land-use rules clear path for Bruce Willis’ airport

  01-12-2017 20:40
  KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — Central Idaho officials have changed land-use rules, clearing the way for actor Bruce Willis to finishing building a private airport. Camas County commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the county zoning ordinance making private airports of unrestricted size and operation on AG-80-zoned agricultural land legal, the Idaho Mountain Express reported . […]
  
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• Port of Seattle reaches $8 million settlement over wrongful firings

  01-12-2017 20:38
  A jury awarded $16 million to two former Port of Seattle employees it determined were wrongfully fired, among the biggest verdicts of its kind in state history. A settlement between the plaintiffs and the Port caps damages at $8 million, with all sides agreeing not to appeal.
  
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• Port of Seattle reaches $8 million settlement after jury finds it wrongfully fired 2 employees

  01-12-2017 20:38
  The Port of Seattle will pay $8 million to two former employees whom a jury found were wrongfully fired for opposing lease concessions to certain minority businesses owned by friends and political supporters of now-former Port Commissioner John Creighton.
  
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• Important Mental Health Advice from a Post-It Stuck to a Parking Sign

  01-12-2017 20:35 via thestranger.com
  
  by Sean NelsonI have no idea who left this note here, but it's at least as important to remember as the the fact that you now have to pay for parking until 10pm on Capitol Hill.
  
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• Multiple crashes in S. Idaho as Interstate 84 turns icy

  01-12-2017 20:29
  JEROME, Idaho — Authorities responded to multiple crashes involving nine vehicles Friday morning on Interstate 84 in south-central Idaho. Idaho State Police Cpl. Steve Otto says icy, winter-driving conditions caught some motorists unaware in the seven crashes that resulted in minor injuries. The crashes happened mostly in Jerome County over a two-hour period between 5 […]
  
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• Researchers say national park fee hike could cost Montana

  01-12-2017 20:26
  MISSOULA, Mont. — University of Montana researchers say the U.S. Department of Interior’s proposal to more than double the cost of the seven-day pass for national parks could cause economic harm to neighboring communities. The Missoulian reports that economists at the university’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research say the fee increase would decrease annual […]
  
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• Redmond's Laureate Has Been Projecting Poems Onto Giant Buildings, Printing Them on Leaves, and Weaving Them Into Fabric

  01-12-2017 20:20 via thestranger.com
  
  Shin Yu Pai has been doing cool stuff with public poetry.by Rich SmithIn another project, Shin Yu Pai and Maura Donegan wove poetry into fabric in response to a hate crime in Redmond.Shin Yu Pai
  Redmond poet laureate (and Stranger Genius nominee) Shin Yu Pai presents her final project for the city at the Redmond Lights festival this Saturday, December 2. The secular winter event, which draws approximately 10,000 people, begins with the lighting of a giant oak tree and a fireworks display in the
  
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• Redmond's Laureate Has Been Projecting Poems Onto Giant Buildings, Printing Them on Leaves, and Embroidering Them Into Fabric

  01-12-2017 20:20 via thestranger.com
  
  Shin Yu Pai has been doing cool stuff with public poetry.by Rich SmithIn another project, Shin Yu Pai and Maura Donegan wove poetry into fabric in response to a hate crime in Redmond.Shin Yu Pai
  Redmond poet laureate (and Stranger Genius nominee) Shin Yu Pai presents her final project for the city at the Redmond Lights festival this Saturday, December 2. The secular winter event, which draws approximately 10,000 people, begins with the lighting of a giant oak tree and a fireworks display in the
  
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• Seattle Democrats Are the Most Likely Voters to Believe in Climate Change

  01-12-2017 20:05 via thestranger.com
  
  Ninety-three percent of Democrats in the 7th District believe climate changeby Katie HerzogLook for more of this as temperatures rise Dan Kitwood/GettyAccording to a new study out of Yale University's Program on Climate Change Communication, the belief in climate change doesn't just fall along party lines, it also falls along regional ones.Researchers analyzed how voters think about climate change in all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, and found that while 82 percent of Democrats acro
  
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• Why the I-405 toll lanes charged a weird amount today

  01-12-2017 20:02
  An unusual toll rate of $8.07 during the peak commute Friday morning on I-405 left some drivers wondering what was up, because tolls customarily rise and fall in 25-cent increments.
  
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• How Do Musicians React When Seeing Their Releases in Used Bins?

  01-12-2017 19:45 via thestranger.com
  
  How do musicians respond when they see their music in used bins? Their answers may surprise you.by Dave SegalA used Love Battery CD in the wild, going for cheap, in Seattle earlier today. Dave Segal
  Last month, I asked several musicians this question: What thoughts enter your mind when you see a release of yours in the used bins? Their responses surprised me: I expected torrents of bitter invective toward ignorant listeners who just couldn’t understand their profound creativity. Instead of
  
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• Connelly: Trump will act to slash size of two national monuments next week

  01-12-2017 19:38
  President Trump will slash national monuments on a trip to Utah next week.  Native Americans will file a lawsuit the minute he acts.
  
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• Police Reports Illustrated: Viper Vexation Clogs Commode

  01-12-2017 19:13 via thestranger.com
  
  by Callan BerryCallan Berry[ Comment on this story ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
  
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• James Comey Joins Instagram, Throws Shade

  01-12-2017 18:56 via thestranger.com
  by Katie HerzogOn the day that Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security advisor, pled guilty to lying to the FBI about meeting with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential transition, former FBI director James Comey posted his first Instagram, a photo of Great Falls on the Potomac River near D.C.
  The caption? “'But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' Amos 5:24." Hmmm, whatever could that refer to?? “But let jus
  
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• 2017 could be hottest year to date for Phoenix

  01-12-2017 18:45
  PHOENIX — This year may become the hottest on record in Phoenix’s history. The National Weather Service said Friday that a record-setting November has already led this year to tie with 2014, which is the warmest year on record. In November, records were broken for the average high, low and mean temperatures. The average high […]
  
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• Whitefish sues over payments for Puerto Rico power work

  01-12-2017 18:43
  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A small Montana company that landed and lost a $300 million contract to restore Puerto Rico’s hurricane-shattered electric grid has sued a subcontractor for allegedly interfering with tens of millions of dollars in payments. Whitefish Energy Holdings claims the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority withheld the money at the request of […]
  
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• Montana’s Whitefish sues over payments for Puerto Rico power work

  01-12-2017 18:43
  BILLINGS, Mont. — A small Montana company that landed and lost a $300 million contract to restore Puerto Rico’s hurricane-shattered electric grid has sued a subcontractor for allegedly interfering with tens of millions of dollars in payments. Whitefish Energy Holdings claims the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority withheld the money at the request of Indiana-based […]
  
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• Pot Bust Nets Over 32,000 Illegal Plants in King, Thurston, and Grays Harbor Counties

  01-12-2017 18:39 via thestranger.com
  
  Raids led to 44 arrests, and authorities suspect the operations were part of an international organized crime ring.by Katie HerzogAuthorities seized over 32,000 in illegal cannabis plants.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  This week authorities raided a large, illegal cannabis growing operation spanning dozens of homes in King, Thurston, and Grays Harbor counties.Authorities seized over 32,000 in illegal cannabis plants worth an estimated $80 million, as well as $400,000 in cash and gold, 26 vehicles, an
  
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• Mayor Durkan Agrees City Should Appeal Income Tax Ruling

  01-12-2017 18:32 via thestranger.com
  
  The tax recently lost in Superior Court.by Heidi GrooverMayor Jenny Durkan. nate gowdy
  This week, the lawyer who called Seattle's income tax defense "the biggest bunch of legal malarky that I’ve ever heard" jumped at the chance to put new mayor Jenny Durkan on the spot about the tax case. He didn't get the answer he was looking for.A King County Superior Court judge ruled against Seattle's new high earner income tax last week. That ruling was unsurprising, considering that supporters of th
  
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• Seattle rains could give way to sunshine by Monday

  01-12-2017 18:16
  Rains are set to continue at least into Sunday around Seattle, but a high pressure system may force Mother Nature's hand and give way to sunshine come Monday.
  
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• University of Oregon reaches tentative $88M deal with Nike

  01-12-2017 18:13
  EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon says it has reached a tentative agreement with Nike that increases sponsorship to $88 million in cash and gear for the university. The Register-Guard reports the university’s board of trustees will consider approving the 11-year deal next week. The university released only the agreement description on Thursday and […]
  
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• The Morning News: Michael Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying, and Oh My God, a Body on the King County Parcel Viewer

  01-12-2017 17:51 via thestranger.com
  
  The viewer. The King County parcel viewer.by Sydney BrownstoneOH MANNNNNNNNNNNN Chip Somodevilla/Getty
  HOLY MOLY MICHAEL FLYNN: Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor, pleaded guilty this morning to lying to the FBI regarding his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. "The plea by Mr. Flynn, who appeared in federal court in Washington, brings the special counsel investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election into Mr. Trump’s inner circle," the New York T
  
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• Pedestrian struck and killed by MAX train in Portland

  01-12-2017 17:04
  PORTLAND — Portland police say a pedestrian was struck and killed by a light-rail train. Officers responded at 6:13 a.m. Friday after a train operator reported that someone was down on the MAX tracks in southeast Portland. Details of the crash are not yet known, but police say it appears two trains may have been […]
  
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• Democrats in the Seattle area top nation in saying climate change is real

  01-12-2017 15:30
  Washington’s 7th Congressional District, which covers most of Seattle, Vashon Island and parts of south King and Snohomish counties, edges out California’s 12th (San Francisco) and Oregon’s 3rd (Portland) for the top spot.
  
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• Where did all the voters go? Record low turnout in last election

  01-12-2017 15:00
  Washington state has tried to make voting easy, mailing ballots to every registered voter and giving them weeks to send them in. King County and others also have expanded the use of ballot dropboxes. Yet turnout was dismal. Is it voter fatigue?
  
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