The Stranger’s morning news roundup.

by Ashley Nerbovig

Good morning! Expect a rainy day today after 10 am and a high of 59 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. I really need summer to come a little faster because they’ve turned off the central heat in my apartment building. 

City Council to vote on rolling back “Pay Up” ordinance: The council plans to vote at 2 pm today on Council President Sara Nelson’s bill to lower the minimum wage for gig workers in Seattle. Lots to watch here. Will Council Member Tanya Woo vote on the bill despite a conflict of interest? Which amendments does Council Member Tammy Morales plan to introduce? If the bill passes, will Mayor Bruce Harrell veto it and earn his MLK Labor Oscar? Hannah will have a play-by-play. 

Speaking of the council fucking over people: Alleged bad boss Council Member Maritza Rivera wants to stop funds to 50 equitable development projects meant to benefit communities of color in Seattle. 

NEW: CM Maritza Rivera proposed a last minute amendment to Carryforward ORD that would put funds of equitable development projects in jeopardy. If passed, this could massively fuck over more than 50 capital projects specifically for communities of color pic.twitter.com/jnlgjqN0iU

— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) May 25, 2024

Look at what Maritza Rivera pulled on the Friday of a holiday weekend when no one’s paying attention: trying to defund anti-displacement & housing measures for POC on the southend. Ghoulish https://t.co/tK6lFGy3Ny

— Brett Hamil (@BrettHamil) May 27, 2024

Last note on council stuff: Central staff plans to brief the council’s Public Safety Committee today at 9:30 am with the latest staffing numbers and projections for the Seattle Police Department (SPD). TL;DR is that staffing has basically stayed relatively flat since the big departures in 2020, though the department has consistently fallen short of its hiring goals.

Six King County Sheriff Deputies shot and killed someone during an eviction: On Friday, the King County County Sheriff’s Office placed six deputies on administrative leave after they shot and killed someone during an eviction in Auburn. The department released few details on what led to the shooting, though PhotogSteve18 reported that the person may have shot at deputies first. 

UPDATE: King County Deputies shot someone during an eviction. Six deputies placed on administrative leave. No other details regarding what led deputies to shoot. https://t.co/LR9Or9jw5L pic.twitter.com/dNL35SAy3V

— Ashley Nerbovig (@AshleyNerbovig) May 24, 2024

Woman missing, feared to have drowned in Lake Washington Monday: Seattle Fire Department (SFD) officials said that a 24-year-old woman who went for a swim off a boat in Lake Washington may have drowned. SFD responded to a call about the woman at about 10 am, and by 11:30 pm officials told KOMO that rescuers had shifted to focusing on recovering the woman’s body. 

Fare inspection expanding on light rail: Sound Transit has plans to direct its fare inspectors to ask people waiting on the platform whether they have paid their fare, according to the Seattle Times. The new systems give people the option to go up and pay the fare rather than be cited, but it also gives people the option to say, “Hey it’s a free country, I’m just standing here watching the trains, why don’t you kick rocks?” 

Israel kills dozens in Rafah airstrike: At least 45 people died Monday, including women and children, after an Israeli airstrike hit a camp of displaced Palestinians, setting the temporary structures ablaze, according to the BBC. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike a “mistake” and said the country has tried to avoid hitting civilians, even as incident after incident shows Israel consistently killing civilians. The Biden Administration needs some time to mull over whether it will make good on its threat to withhold some weapons from Israel for attacking Rafah, or whether it will just keep sending Israel money and weapons to carry out genocide.

Jury to deliberate Donald Trump hush-money trial: Attorneys gave their closing arguments in the Trump hush-money trial today, and jurors must soon decide whether to convict former president Trump on charges he falsified business records to pay Stormy Daniels some, as I call it, shush money. If convicted, Trump would become the first former president to become a felon. 

Basketball Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton dies: The 71-year-old basketball champion, sports broadcaster, and all-around good guy by all accounts died Monday after a long fight with cancer, according to the Associated Press. To be honest, I could not have picked this man out of a line-up before today, but apparently he protested the Vietnam War, and attracted the attention of the Portland Police Bureau for his support of the American Indian Movement. We love a pot-stirrer. RIP Walton. 

Bill Walton supported the American Indian Movement when he lived in Portland. This attracted the attention of the Portland Police Bureau, which surveilled his (wholly legal) activities. Walton was a one-of-a-kind guy. RIP [document from the Portland Archives & Records Center] pic.twitter.com/dqR4hnA4mD

— Jules Boykoff (@JulesBoykoff) May 27, 2024

Poor eastern side of the country: The weather really did a number on our other half over the weekend. Storms killed more than 20 people in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, according to USAToday. Twisters and tornados also killed people in parts of Texas and the mid-south. Now, Florida and Texas have to deal with a heat wave.

I survived COVID-19: After managing to avoid succumbing to the virus for about four years, I fell last week. I’m now insanely behind on all things except Stardew Valley and napping with my cat. I’m testing negative now, which is exciting. Anyway, enjoy listening to Narpy’s Cozy album, which I basically played on a loop all weekend as I slept. Stay healthy.

The Stranger