Seattle news

• House panel introduces new ballot initiative legislation

  28-03-2019 21:41
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A House committee on Thursday proposed changing a ballot initiative bill that critics say makes the process so difficult that it violates Idaho’s Constitution. The House Ways and Means Committee sent to the full House legislation that increases the length of time to gather signatures and cuts the number of legislative […]
  
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• Friday’s Ballot Drop Is Here

  08-08-2026 02:21 via thestranger.com
  
  From the left, Kelabe Tewolde has officially knocked 27-year-incumbent Sharon Tomiko Santos out of first place. He leads with 51 percent to Santos’s 48 percent. An educator beating the politician who isn’t funding education. That’s going to be interesting in November. Tewolde is one of several young, progressive first-time candidates challenging Democratic incumbents this year, and he is the most successful of the bunch by a long shot. Overtaking the incumbent in her own
  
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• Everything We See at the Capitol Hill Block Party

  08-08-2026 01:24 via thestranger.com
  
  Gates are open at the Capitol Hill Block Party, and the revelry has officially begun! We’re down here giving away candy and our Block Party zines, and selling all kinds of merch, including HUMP!-branded cumrags. (Seriously.)If you’re headed to Capitol Hill this weekend and still putting together your list of must-see artists, check out our recommendations here! There’s a little something for everyone, including electro-dance music for vampires and pop anthems for sugar fiends.
  
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• I Saw U: Pushing a Float at the Solstice Parade, Watching Mexico vs. England Outside Merchant’s Cafe, and Almost Hitting Me With Your Prius

  07-08-2026 23:00 via thestranger.com
  
  Vaguely Androgynous Deckhand at Fremont Solstice Parade
  U, sweeping street while pushing the pirate float. Me, wearing a “protect your nuts” muscle tank and drinking a cider at 1:30 PM. Sweep my deck?Credit: Cara WangSporting a Mexico jersey and an amazing afro at the Merchant Cafe.
  Watching the Mexico v England game outside of The Merchant Cafe. You were weaing a Mexico jersey and had a beautiful afro, long legs, and white AF 1s.Carrying your fly fishing rod case onto Alaska flight
  
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• Things to Do in August: Literature

  07-08-2026 21:20 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Puget Sound Book Festival
  Aug 9
  The Puget Sound Book Festival bills itself as the “supersized, all-ages book fair of your dreams.” Located on the Bremerton waterfront, it features over a dozen indie bookstores in one place, plus author appearances and food and drink vendors. Participating booksellers include the romance bookstore Wicked
  
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• Things to Do in August: Film

  07-08-2026 21:20 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
  Opens Aug 13
  Never in my life have I been so seated for a film as I am for I Saw the TV Glow director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest release, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. It contains all my favorite things: queer horror, psychosexual obsession, a sultry sapphic age-gap pairing, X-Files icon Gillian Ander
  
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• Things to Do in August: Visual Art

  07-08-2026 21:16 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Perimeter Road at 13th & Greely
  Aug 7–21
  In April, I wrote about Marcellus Bonow-Manier’s residency at the Georgetown Steam Plant, which has stretched out over the past year as the artist haunted and documented the darkened corners of our city’s iconic industrial cathedral. Now his photographs are being exhibited onsite in two
  
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• Things to Do in August: Performance

  07-08-2026 21:16 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Ishmael Houston-Jones + Keith Hennessy
  Aug 6
  Dancer, choreographer, and writer Ishmael Houston-Jones has pursued experimental dance since the early 1970s, notably starting the gay men’s performance collective Two Men Dancing while living in Philadelphia. After he moved to New York City in 1979, Houston-Jones’s dance style became influenc
  
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• Things to Do in August: Music

  07-08-2026 21:16 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.Sérgio Mendes Band – Celebrating 60 Years of Brasil ’66
  Aug 6–9
  Sérgio Mendes (1941–2024) played a major role in popularizing Brazilian music in the US in the 1960s, fusing bossa nova with Anglo-American pop, rock, jazz, and soul. The bandleader/keyboardist and his talented players and singers—including the distinctiv
  
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• Things to Do in August: Food & Drink

  07-08-2026 21:15 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Sushi Kaiju with James Head
  Aug 5–9
  For five nights, the Carlile Room is unleashing Sushi Kaiju upon the city, a wacky pop-up from head chef J.R. Head that crosses his meticulous culinary artistry with his love of giant monster movies. Inspired by Japanese kaiju films and especially Gojira (aka Godzilla), the menu features concoctions like spi
  
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• Things to Do in August: This & That

  07-08-2026 21:14 via thestranger.com
  
  Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food & Drink, and This & That.Antique Doll & Toy Market
  Aug 16
  With the show flyer touting, “We’re looking for a new mama! If you see her, tell her to come to the Antique Doll & Toy Market,” I am doing my due diligence to help these antique dolls find loving homes. The Lynnwood Embassy Suites’ showroom will fill with approximately 50 vendors peddl
  
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• The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Seattle This Weekend: Aug 7–9, 2026

  07-08-2026 20:00 via thestranger.com
  
  Marine air should sweep some of the smoke from Seattle this weekend, clearing the way for you to hit up events from the Seahawks Football Fest to the Picklr’s Courtside Bash and from Hot Jimothy Summer at the Crocodile to Smol Art Mart. For more ideas, check out our top picks of the week.FRIDAYPARTIES & NIGHTLIFEHot Jimothy Summer
  Let’s face it, Seattle’s obsessed with Jimothy. Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck officially declared it “Jimothy Summer,” the Mar
  
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• Seattle Should Build a Model of Itself in The Pit and Let It Decay

  07-08-2026 19:16 via thestranger.com
  
  I wrote this in The Stranger nearly 20 years ago: “…Seattle has three buildings by famous contemporary architects: Seattle Art Museum (Robert Venturi), Experience Music Project (Frank Gehry), and Seattle Central Library (Rem Koolhaas). In 2011, this small list will be increased by one with the completion of a skyscraper at 601 Fourth Avenue… [Its architect] Norman Foster.” The building did not materialize. Nor did the one that was planned during the second half of the
  
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• Slog AM: The Farm Workers Are Coming for Their Republican Legislators, a Spokane Local Wins Poker’s Biggest Game as the City Burns, and Democrats in Montana Invent Yet Another Way to Lose an Election

  07-08-2026 18:30 via thestranger.com
  
  Some relevant non-Seattle election news: Another big primary election ballot drop will come later today, and in the meantime you can get up to speed with our coverage of yesterday’s vote count. We only cover Seattle-area elections, but it turns out they have elections in other parts of Washington too (who knew?), and there are some highlights.Republicans have no path to pick up a state senate seat: Democrats hold a 30-19 majority in the upper house, and it’s not going anywhere. Give
  
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• Thursday’s Ballot Drop Is Here

  07-08-2026 01:59 via thestranger.com
  Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos supporters are in despair. Kelabe Tewolde, the progressive first-time candidate running in the 37th Legislative District, within 249 votes of the 27-year incumbent and chair of the House education committee. Since Tewolde’s base is young and progressive, his vote share will likely grow with each successive drop.With 21.5 percent of the vote, progressive Hannah Sabio-Howell is headed to the general election in the 43rd Legislative District far behind State Senate
  
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• Ticket Alert: Skrillex, Lord Huron, and More Seattle Events Going On Sale This Week

  06-08-2026 23:31 via thestranger.com
  
  Are you ready for the bass drop? Legendary DJ and producer Skrillex returns to Seattle for the first time in 14 years, bringing Porter Robinson, Underscores, and more friends for hisGas Works Day Party. Indie rockers Lord Huron will warm us up next winter with two shows at the Paramount. Plus, folk singer-songwriters Cat Clyde and Dean Johnson co-headline a North American tour this fall. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.ON SALE FRIDAY, AU
  
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• Good Grief

  06-08-2026 20:31 via thestranger.com
  
  In 2024, while leaving my birthday party, my sweet friend Vlora was killed in a motorcycle accident. I’d always had a severe aversion to people who ride motorcycles for this very reason. Growing up in Arizona, where state law does not require helmets for those over age 18, I’ve seen some motorcycle accidents that still haunt me to this day. But who could say no to a friend like Vlora? Not me. Vlora was 10 years younger than me and loved life more than anyone I knew.They weren’
  
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• What Happens When We Go?

  06-08-2026 20:30 via thestranger.com
  
  Three things are certain in life: death, summer music festivals, and the absolute poetry that The Stranger’s death-themed issue is my last at this paper. Our August issue’s feature package started with a pitch for a photo series from photographer Madison Kirkman. Two years ago, they lost a dear friend, quickly and unexpectedly. The grief hit them like a Mack truck. And because we don’t learn how to grieve before it happens, no one showed them how to keep it from isolating
  
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• Slog AM: Wyoming Trans Woman Charged for Pulling Gun on (Alleged) Douchebags, It’s Smoky as Hell, and the Mariners Go Furry

  06-08-2026 18:55 via thestranger.com
  
  Good morning! A heat advisory is still in effect today, until 10 pm Friday, and smoke from the fires in Spokane will likely linger into the weekend. A little good news on that end is that temperatures in Spokane have gone down a bit, allowing crews to contain three of the fires. A little bad news is that a fourth wildfire started on Wednesday, prompting further evacuations. That fire has since been contained, too.Officials say the three main fires were started by humans, but only one so far, th
  
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• Wednesday’s Ballot Drop Is Here

  06-08-2026 02:47 via thestranger.com
  
  Not a whole lot changed after Wednesday’s relatively small ballot drop, which is typical of the first drop after election day, says King County Elections. (At the county level, only 63,000 ballots were included in today’s update.) Most of the ballots put in drop boxes on Election Day are only just starting to be processed, and will be included in much larger drops on Thursday and Friday.  King County Elections spokesperson Halei Watkins says she anticipates total county turnout
  
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• Neumos Security Staff Unionize

  06-08-2026 01:49 via thestranger.com
  
  Gathered around a music stand serving as a podium on 10th and Pike, security staff at Neumos, Barboza, and The Runaway announced at a Wednesday afternoon rally that they have unionized as the Neumos Security Union and have filed to hold an election with the National Labor Relations Board.The Neumos Security Union is a separate entity from the previously established Neumos Workers United group, which isn’t technically a union but was formed earlier this year to advocate for workers in all
  
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• Big Beanie Baby

  06-08-2026 00:00 via thestranger.com
  
  To the West Seattle dad in the beanie and SUV who laid on the horn (and I mean LAID ON THE HORN, in an extended fashion) at me in the roundabout:A couple things: First, are you okay?? That was pretty intense, bud. Second, roundabouts are great. They’re safer and more efficient than stop signs, as they keep the flow of cars moving. You might recall, when I approached from the south, and you approached from the west maybe just a split second after, we were both able to navigate the roundabo
  
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• Pop Loser: Give Yourself Over to Absolute Pleasure

  05-08-2026 21:54 via thestranger.com
  
  Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, I’ll share my thoughts on Ariana Grande’s new album Petal and give an Unsolved Mysteries-style update on Linda Perhacs. I’ll reveal the 1973 lyrics I want written on my tombstone. Plus, there is so much great live music happening this week, including Den Fest and Capitol Hill Block Party. Let’s get into it.Subscribe to Pop Loser here!This Week in Music: Den Fest is this weekend, which is the perfect alternative for anyone a
  
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• The Stranger’s Guide to the 2026 Capitol Hill Block Party

  05-08-2026 21:00 via thestranger.com
  
  This weekend, August 7–9, the Capitol Hill Block Party will take over Pike Street with three days of more music than you can fit into your summer-drunk brain. Allow us to be your pocket-sized pal who’ll tell you where to find all the good shit happening throughout the weekend. We’ve plucked out the dream of the crop, highlighting the acts you cannot miss, plus some tips on where to escape to dark, cool air-conditioning. While you’re at the fest, swing by the Stranger boo
  
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• Blankets Get Cold, Too

  05-08-2026 20:00 via thestranger.com
  
  There’s a work of art at the Henry Art Gallery I can’t stop thinking about. It’s a sheet of plastic—thick, construction-grade—suspended from the ceiling with all the pomp of a medieval tapestry hanging at the Met. It’s clear, but slightly milky in places where the translucence has turned mottled and hazy from use. Its polyethylene edges have been meticulously whipstitched with undyed white twine, the corners embellished with braided hemp tassels.It’s pa
  
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• Slog AM: Election Takeaways, Spokane’s Suspected Fire Bug, and Three Dead Lions

  05-08-2026 18:30 via thestranger.com
  Genius alert: The Seattle Times’s Danny Westneat marveled at last night’s election results. Democrats, especially the victories of those who supported the millionaires tax and those who campaigned against anti-millionaire tax candidates. Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the tax’s author and lead sponsor, won 71 percent of the initial vote against two challengers. Talking about an income tax used to be political poison, Westneat wrote. Not anymore. Think about it: Why do bank robbers rob b
  
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• The Stranger’s 2026 Primary Election Night Extravaganza

  05-08-2026 02:22 via thestranger.com
  
  We’ve lint rolled the ashy remnants of Eastern Washington off our slacks, we’ve taken a fat rip from the office’s Simply Orange gravity bong (we’re smokemaxing), and we’re ready to raid the buffet tables at candidates’s respectable election night parties.Where will we be? None of your business! You should be busy voting, especially if you’re a young whippersnapper under the age of 65. Here is our primary endorsement guide, our cheat sheet, and, if you&r
  
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• LIVE: The Stranger’s 2026 Primary Election Night Extravaganza

  05-08-2026 02:22 via thestranger.com
  📌 We’ve lint-rolled the ashy remnants of Eastern Washington off our slacks, we’ve taken a fat rip from the office’s Simply Orange gravity bong (we’re smokemaxing), and we’re ready to raid the buffet tables at candidates’ respectable election night parties.Where will we be? None of your business! You should be busy voting, especially if you’re a young whippersnapper under the age of 65. Here is our primary endorsement guide, our cheat sheet, and,
  
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• A Speakeasy, an Anti-AI Art Show, and My Gen Z Fever-Dream Art Fair Hangover

  05-08-2026 01:48 via thestranger.com
  
  I don’t know about you, but I’m still a little art-hungover from Seattle Art Fair week. My notes app looks like a graveyard of half-jotted thoughts and memories I absolutely must remember, like the observation that Chloe King—while not an actual resident of Seattle, currently—is very much the king of Seattle right now. Their color-soaked, Gen Z fever dream-scapes at the ARTXIV booth at Seattle Art Fair was one of the highlights of the weekend. Meanwhile, at Assembly
  
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• PHOTOS: The 30th Annual Dead Baby Downhill Race

  04-08-2026 20:43 via thestranger.com
  
  Photography by Jake NelsonOn Saturday, August 1, the Dead Baby Bike Club marked three decades of their infamous Dead Baby Downhill race. That’s 30 years of bombing down Seattle’s hills, from White Center to Georgetown, and celebrating survival with music, jousting, drinking, bike throwing, and general revelry.
  The Stranger‘s own Nathalie Graham, who joined the Dead Babies for her Play Date column in 2023, summed it up nicely: “There are no rules, and there’s no rou
  
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