Seattle news

• As home prices hit new highs, cost of living overtakes traffic as worst part of living in Seattle area

  07-05-2018 23:58
  The median cost of a single-family home in King County was a record $725,000 last month, while home prices in Snohomish County have surpassed $500,000 for the first time.
  
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• Thief makes off with truck filled with Seattle church’s gear, but Sunday service goes on

  07-05-2018 23:56
  The white Ford truck and its contents, valued at $40,000, is believed to have been stolen late Thursday or early Friday, said Sea Church Pastor Aaron Young. The truck has Washington license plate number C78159L and has four bands of light blue lines along the top of each side.
  
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• 15-mile backup on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass

  07-05-2018 23:42
  A spun-out tractor trailer near Easton had Interstate 90 backed up for more than 10 miles Monday afternoon.
  
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• City Council Extends Statute of Limitations for Discrimination and Harassment Complaints

  07-05-2018 23:41 via thestranger.com
  
  From 180 days.by Steven HsiehCouncil member Lisa Herbold sponsored the statute of limitations ordinance. City of Seattle
  Spurred by the #MeToo movement, the City Council voted in favor of an ordinance that will give Seattle residents more time to file complaints with the city’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
  OCR investigates discrimination allegations, including sexual harassment cases, related to employment, public accommodations, housing, and contracting.
  Currently, for most cases, reside
  
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• Ta-Nehisi Coates Explains Why Kanye West Is Dying to Be White

  07-05-2018 23:20 via thestranger.com
  
  by Charles MudedeWhite cream like me... PeopleImages/gettyimages.com
  Not long after I turned 12, the world finally began to make some sense. One of the big revelations of that age occurred during my family's trip from the US to Zimbabwe. Between the capital of the US, D.C., and the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare, we had stops in two other capitals: London and Lusaka. We spent three days in London. There was lots of rain, thick clouds, and a sun that never appeared. I also noticed the white people i
  
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• Dear Dick's Drive-In: Charitable Spending Doesn't Replace Taxes

  07-05-2018 22:50 via thestranger.com
  
  by Katie Herzog
  On Sunday, KOMO aired an interview with Jasmine Donovan, executive vice president of Dick's Drive-In Restaurants, about the proposed employee "head" tax that is currently turning Seattle Nice into Seattle Go Fuck Yourself. If you haven't been paying attention, the Seattle City Council is debating a per employee tax on Seattle companies with the highest annual revenue, which will be used to raise $75 million for housing and other services for the city's poorest residents. This is
  
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• Savage Love Letter of the Day: The Hole Truth

  07-05-2018 22:30 via thestranger.com
  
  When is the best time to disclose a second vagina?by Dan Savage
  This letter was originally published June 28, 2007.
  I have two vaginas. I'd had a number of routine pelvic exams with my old doctor, but she never discovered it. My new gyno, however, discovered my "atypical anatomy" right away last week. The anatomical specifics are irrelevant to my question—everything is fully functioning, sex isn't painful, and everything externally looks completely normal.
  I'm a straight girl in my early 2
  
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• Science Says: Hawaii volcano has oozed hot lava for decades

  07-05-2018 22:27
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists are seeing a slight decrease in pressure in the volcano that’s erupting in Hawaii, but it’s likely a temporary lull. U.S. Geological Survey volcano expert Charles Mandeville said Monday that scientists won’t know for certain if things have calmed down enough for at least two months. He said it could be […]
  
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• The 35 Best Music Shows in Seattle This Week: May 7-13, 2018

  07-05-2018 22:19 via thestranger.com
  The Stranger’s music critics’ picks for this week.by Stranger Things To Do StaffThis week, our music critics have picked everything from an Oslo feminist art rocker and a Copenhagen post-punk quartet (Jenny Hval and Iceage), to a Portland garage-soul-psych-rocker (Sallie Ford, La Fonda, and Mike Coykendall), to a three-day tribute to a famed avant-garde composer (the Harry Partch Festival). Follow the links below for ticket links and music clips for all of their picks, and find even
  
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• Who's Oliver North? An Explainer for Those Born After He Was Indicted.

  07-05-2018 22:15 via thestranger.com
  
  by Eli SandersOliver North, 74, is the new president of the NRA. Mark Wilson / Getty Images
  Thirty years ago, Oliver North, the former Reagan administration official, was indicted on 16 counts for his role in the Iran-Contra Affair.Today, in keeping with Trump-era trends, North is the new incoming president of the National Rifle Association!
  But if you're under 30, you probably have no idea who this guy is or what made him so infamous. So let's review:In the 1980s, as now, the United States was
  
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• Don't Miss Sheila Heti's Reading at Elliott Bay, or the Party at The Factory Inspired by Her New Book

  07-05-2018 22:02 via thestranger.com
  
  by Christopher FrizzelleEveryone is talking about Sheila Heti's new novel, Motherhood. She's in town on Thursday, appearing at Elliott Bay Books and The Factory. Lee Tondrow
  “On the one hand, the joy of children. On the other hand, the misery of them.”
  That’s the dilemma facing the narrator of Motherhood, Sheila Heti’s brilliant, uncategorizable, funny, and profound new novel. It’s a novel that exists on the edge between fiction and nonfiction—a book that expl
  
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• Drug Testing for Weed Seems to Be Losing Favor

  07-05-2018 21:50 via thestranger.com
  
  by Josh Jardine DWGRAFIX / GETTY IMAGES
  One of the major barriers for cannabis is the dreaded work-based drug test, AKA the urine analysis (UA) test. Because there's no better way for an employer to say "we respect and trust our workers" than requiring you to empty your bladder into a small plastic receptacle so they can determine what you're doing in your off hours. You know, just like they do for alcohol. Oh... right.
  According to the Denver Post, employers are beginning to turn a blind eye to
  
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• New Amazon data centers in Umatilla County cause money spat

  07-05-2018 21:32
  UMATILLA, Ore. (AP) — Three data centers being constructed in an Oregon county for use by an Amazon data center subsidiary are creating tension between the county and the city of Umatilla. The local governments have a disagreement on how to allocate a yearly payment that’s part of the development deal, according to a report […]
  
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• Spun Out: 5 Essential Cuts Selected by Local DJ GriffinGrrl

  07-05-2018 21:28 via thestranger.com
  
  Popular house-music DJ GriffinGrrl of the Uniting Souls and LOST crews reveals her 5 hottest tracks at the moment.by Dave SegalGriffinGrrl is "a priestess and guardian of the good vibes" for house-music aficionados. Andi Dean
  GriffinGrrl (aka Emily Griffin)
  Current top 5 tracks:
  Chris Child, "Fortuna (Rene Amesz Remix)" (Witty Tunes) IDQ, "Rebels (Josh Butler Remix)" (Armada Subjekt)Illyus & Barrientos, "Strings (Camelphat Remix)" (Glasgow Underground)AC Slater & Shoffy, "Taking Off (Jay
  
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• Demonstrators arrested after disrupting Seattle traffic in protest of Trans Mountain pipeline

  07-05-2018 21:04
  Opponents of the proposed Kinder Morgan trans Canada pipeline expansion erect teepees in protest of financing of the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
  
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• Connelly: Can the NRA afford to be gunshy in this year's initiative battle?

  07-05-2018 20:55
  The signature campaign for a new gun safety initiative is about to be launched, aiming for a place on Washington's November ballot.The National Rifle Association kept its power dry as the state passed two previous initiatives, notably the 2014 measure to require criminal background checks for those purchasing firearms on line or at gun shows.With the stakes so high this year, can the NRA afford to stay out?
  
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• Take Our Calendar Survey to Enter to Win Tickets to Beyoncé, Beerfest, and More Awesome Events

  07-05-2018 20:53 via thestranger.com
  
  by Stranger Things To Do StaffWant to go do things like this in Seattle for free? Take our survey.
  If you read The Stranger and you live in Seattle, you probably know about our Things To Do calendar. We work hard to make sure it's always the most useful possible resource for people who are looking for events to go to in Seattle, and we'd love to hear your feedback.
  To that end, we'd like you to take our survey. If you use the Things To Do calendar, we want to know what works for you and what you
  
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• Cops seek shooter who left man for dead in SeaTac

  07-05-2018 20:39
  The King County Sheriff's Office continues to look for the shooter who left a 20-year-old man shot in a car early Saturday morning outside a house in SeaTac.
  
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• The Bluths Are Back on Netflix This May

  07-05-2018 20:30 via thestranger.com
  by Leilani PolkEven if you didn't like the individual character arc format of Arrested Development's season four reboot in 2013, there's no denying the irrepressible charm of the Bluth family and the high entertainment value of their absurd missteps and misadventures. After much buzz about a forthcoming fifth season—and the release of a fourth season remix, with the original 15 episodes re-edited into a more chronological and easier-to-digest 22—a release date was confirmed by way of
  
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• Central Oregon museum picks ‘Klondike Kate’ sculpture

  07-05-2018 20:16
  BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Deschutes Historical Museum has selected an Oregon City artist to create a sculpture honoring ‘Klondike Kate,’ a vaudeville actress in the Yukon Territory who later moved to Oregon. The Bulletin reports that Kate Rockwell became famous during the gold rush and after the rush was over, she moved to Oregon […]
  
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• County Council to Consider Free Postage for Ballots

  07-05-2018 20:15 via thestranger.com
  
  The proposal faces skepticism from Washington's Republican Secretary of State, Kim Wyman.by Heidi GrooverTime to get rid of that "postage required" box? Christopher Frizzelle
  The King County Council will vote today on whether the county will issue prepaid envelopes with voters' ballots. The proposal faces skepticism from Washington's Republican Secretary of State, Kim Wyman.
  The ordinance on today's agenda, sponsored by the county council's six Democrats, would direct $381,000 to the county elec
  
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• The Winner of This Year's Miss Bacon Strip Literally Failed

  07-05-2018 20:04 via thestranger.com
  
  Seattle drag had its Steve Harvey moment.by Chase BurnsStrawberry Shartcake* (left) is a former Miss Bacon Strip title holder. So is Miss Texas 1988* (right). Marc Castillo
  The weeks leading up to Miss Bacon Strip, Seattle's weirdest drag pageant, were more controversial than a vegan spitroast.It all started when Michael James Strangeways—the editorial director of the LGBT website Seattle Gay Scene, which sponsors Miss Bacon Strip—suggested a contestant's partner was "jealous" and "b
  
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• Poet Tommy Pico Shows His Junk

  07-05-2018 19:31 via thestranger.com
  
  Playing show and tell with Tommy Pico, author of Junk.by Rich SmithPico launches his third book on Tuesday (tomorrow!) at Mount Analogue Beowulf SheehanWhat, like I’m not going to make a dick joke about Tommy Pico’s new collection of poetry just because he won the prestigious Whiting Award this year? Please. Making phenomenal dick jokes in the marbled halls of poetry is one of the reasons Pico has come so far—well, making dick jokes and writing hysterically funny, nervy poems a
  
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• 2 people rescued after personal watercraft accident on Columbia River

  07-05-2018 19:07
  The two people use the personal watercraft to commute to work from the Vancouver, Washington side of the river, authorities said.
  
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• Climber rescued after fall from Index Town Wall

  07-05-2018 19:03
  The climber suffered a back injury after he slipped and fell about 20 feet at the Index Town Wall.
  
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• In May, After More Than Three Decades of Operating in the International District, Phnom Penh Noodle House Will Close for Good

  07-05-2018 19:00 via thestranger.com
  
  by Sophia Stephens Courtesy of Phnom Penh
  Inside the lively, bustling Phnom Penh Noodle House dining room, Diane Le gestures for me to sit down at the table where her husband, Vinh, and their young twin sons are waiting. Diane’s older sister and co-manager of Phnom Penh, Dawn Ung, continues running the restaurant as we eat, as she has done in the years since her father and founder of Phnom Penh, Sam Ung, retired and moved back to Cambodia.
  I inhale the scent of something delicious, and my
  
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• After More Than Three Decades of Operating in the International District, Phnom Penh Noodle House Closes for Good This Month

  07-05-2018 19:00 via thestranger.com
  
  by Sophia Stephens Courtesy of Phnom Penh
  Inside the lively, bustling Phnom Penh Noodle House dining room, Diane Le gestures for me to sit down at the table where her husband, Vinh, and their young twin sons are waiting. Diane’s older sister and co-manager of Phnom Penh, Dawn Ung, continues running the restaurant as we eat, as she has done in the years since her father and founder of Phnom Penh, Sam Ung, retired and moved back to Cambodia.
  I inhale the scent of something delicious, and my
  
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• Years after son’s death, Oregon mom keeps hoping for answers

  07-05-2018 18:37
  ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — Tony White Jr. was engaged to be married and working at Nygaard Logging in April 2005 when he took a nighttime stroll home from a friend’s place in Svensen. White, who was also scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan with the Oregon National Guard, was trying to improve his life and leave […]
  
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• Memorial service for Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney to be held Tuesday morning

  07-05-2018 17:56
  Memorial services will be held at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall for the Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Kinney, the Seattle civil-rights leader and pastor who died at the age of 91.
  
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• Major heat expected in Phoenix this week

  07-05-2018 17:22
  PHOENIX (AP) — Forecasters say Phoenix won’t break any heat records this week but will be unseasonably warm again. The predictions come after the city broke a 70-year-old record on Sunday, when it reached 106 degrees (41 degrees Celsius). This week will see temperatures between 100 and 105 degrees, which is about 10 degrees hotter […]
  
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• Slog AM: Head Tax Puts Mayor Durkan In Tough Spot, Facebook Poaches Professors For AI Research

  07-05-2018 16:30 via thestranger.com
  
  Things are hot on the Big Island, in the Bering Sea, and in today's Seattle Weatherby Nathalie GrahamJenny, where do your loyalties lie?Nate Gowdy
  Caught between a rock and a head tax: The stakes are high from Mayor Jenny Durkan. Seattle faces a homelessness crisis that’s only getting worse, a plethora of skeptical citizens, and a billion dollar company throwing a temper tantrum. Amazon made it clear last week that it is not a fan of the head tax which would have it paying $500 per worker.
  
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• Truck driver causes Seattle crash during medical emergency

  07-05-2018 16:16
  SEATTLE (AP) — Three people were taken to the hospital after a truck driver had a medical emergency that caused him to crash into other cars. KOMO-TV reports that the truck driver hit other cars and ran into highway supports about 2 p.m. Sunday under the Battery Street Tunnel. The Seattle Fire Department says the […]
  
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• Man injured when roof collapses in Federal Way

  07-05-2018 16:09
  The man, who is in his late 50s or early 60s, suffered "fairly significant" head trauma and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
  
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• Seattle gets swept up by sumo

  07-05-2018 15:00
  Standing toe to toe with a three-time U.S. Sumo Open champion and third-place heavyweight in the world, Ashleigh Lansing sounded confident. The emcee asked how she had prepared for the match. Lansing said she’d been doing yoga. Not completely true — she also walks and jogs daily. Most Read StoriesAfter 14 years, I’ve had it. […]
  
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• Durkan’s dilemma: Seattle mayor caught between fury over head tax, push to help homeless

  07-05-2018 15:00
  Mayor Jenny Durkan is facing a homeless crisis, residents and business owners questioning Seattle’s spending, and City Council members pushing a tax on large employers that would raise $75 million a year for housing and homeless services.
  
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• Battling homeless crisis, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan weighs new head-tax proposal, spending criticism

  07-05-2018 15:00
  Mayor Jenny Durkan is caught between a homeless crisis showing no signs of abating, residents and business owners questioning Seattle’s spending, and City Council members pushing a tax on large employers that would raise $75 million a year for housing and homeless services.
  
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• A reader asks: A patch of I-90 near Factoria is deteriorating. Are any repairs planned?

  07-05-2018 15:00
  This section of roadway is actually a bridge. About 150,000 cars and trucks traveling in both directions passed over Interstate 90 near Interstate 405 each day in 2016, the state says.
  
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• State WGU leader aims to double student enrollment

  07-05-2018 14:00
  Tonya Drake, the chancellor of Western Governors University’s Washington affiliate, wants to see enrollment double at the online nonprofit school.
  
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• Commentary: Microsoft’s turnaround could have started sooner

  07-05-2018 14:00
  Some government bureaucrats in the antitrust department of the Justice Department might have had a better feel for how Microsoft could improve its business model than Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer did.
  
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• ‘This is heartbreaking’: Lava burns more homes on Hawaii’s Big Island as new fissures form

  07-05-2018 13:50
  Less than a week ago, Leilani Estates was the picture of serenity on Hawaii’s Big Island, a subdivision in the island’s eastern Puna district filled with wooden homes nestled in tropical plant-filled lots. The latest eruption of the island’s most active volcano changed everything. Shortly after Kilauea erupted Thursday, the ground split open on the […]
  
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• Slopes of volcano offer lush, affordable piece of paradise

  07-05-2018 07:04
  For many outside Hawaii, it's hard to understand why anyone would risk living near an active volcano with such destructive power. But the slopes of Kilauea offer affordable land and a lush, rural setting that attract a hardy breed of Hawaiian.
  
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• Kilauea volcano claims more than two dozen homes in Hawaii

  07-05-2018 07:04
  PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has destroyed 26 homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting […]
  
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• Hawaii volcano destroys dozens of homes, forces evacuations

  07-05-2018 07:04
  PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano destroyed 26 homes and spewed lava hundreds of feet into the air, leaving evacuated residents unsure how long they might be displaced. In revised figures Sunday, Hawaii County officials said another four unspecified structures were covered by lava. Hawaii officials said the decimated homes were in the Leilani […]
  
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• She started a pageant for girls with disabilities. Now, this college student is watching it grow

  07-05-2018 05:38
  Miss Exceptional, created by Sami Schubert in 2015 with the Exceptional Families Network, recognizes girls with disabilities by giving them a platform to be themselves and develop self-confidence.
  
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• Business is booming at center to help ill Hanford workers

  07-05-2018 05:32
  Help is available to people ranging from the survivors of 1940s workers at the site who developed cancer to current workers submitting compensation claims for exposure to chemical vapors at Hanford.
  
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• Marchers in Seattle commemorate Allies’ triumph over Nazis with Victory Day gathering

  07-05-2018 03:59
  Northwest Russians mark the anniversary of the Nazi surrender to the Allies in 1945.
  
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• Marchers commemorate triumph over Nazis with Victory Day gathering

  07-05-2018 03:59
  Northwest Russians mark the anniversary of the Nazi surrender to the Allies in 1945.
  
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• Yakima taking another look at 30-year-old ban on pit bulls

  07-05-2018 03:34
  As Yakima considers whether the pit bull ban should end, city staff is looking at Tacoma’s dangerous-dog ordinance as a possible replacement. A dog’s behavior, not breed, is the focus in Tacoma.
  
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• Bicyclist killed in Federal Way crash

  07-05-2018 03:19
  Westbound South 320th Street, between 21st Avenue South and Pacific Highway South, was closed for about two hours Sunday afternoon while police investigated.
  
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• Facebook opening new AI lab in Seattle as it hires UW professor

  07-05-2018 02:00
  Facebook is opening new AI labs in Seattle and Pittsburgh, after hiring three professors from the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon University. Its efforts are adding to pressure on universities and nonprofit AI research operations that are struggling to retain talent.
  
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