“Federal prosecutors on Monday charged Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County with criminal contempt of court, saying he willfully defied a judge’s orders to stop targeting Latinos — including citizens and legal immigrants — in traffic stops and other law enforcement efforts, behavior the judge said showed a pattern of discriminatory policing,” The New York Times reports.
LaunchJoe Fitzgibbon rebuts Reuven Carlyle: Sound Transit’s property taxing authority does not poach education dollars
State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon has responded to Reuven Carlyle’s recent guest post for Publicola opposing Sound Transit 3, saying Carlyle outlined a “false choice” in his piece. “This does a disservice both to our region’s residents who have waited 40 years too long for a regional transit system and our state’s public school children, parents, and educators who have waited 40 years too long for full public education funding,” Fitzgibbon argues.
LaunchThis Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working.
This Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working. The Washington Post’s Colby Itkowitz explains how
Launch‘We should be screaming’ with outrage: Washington State doing little to protect schoolkids from earthquakes, tsunamis
The Seattle Times reports on Washington’s failure to seismically retrofit public schools and ensure schoolchildren in tsunami hazard zones have a way to get to higher ground.
LaunchTwo thumbs up for Sound Transit’s Link light rail
My husband and I went on an adventure on our bucket list, riding the Link light rail. We were so impressed with everything, from the
LaunchClarence Castile: We’ve got rogue U.S. police officers acting as “executioners, judges, and murderers”
I saw a young man, shot, helpless — shot for no apparent reason. I saw my nephew shot by a man, clinging to his life
Launch‘He’s got a gun! Gun’: Video shows fatal confrontation between Alton Sterling, Baton Rouge police officer
Two reporters for The Advocate of Baton Rouge explain what is known so far about the killing of Alton Sterling, a thirty-seven year old black man who was killed by police in Baton Rouge without justification.
LaunchFireworks “accidents” send at least eighteen people to Harborview’s emergency room
Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center has treated a number of people for injuries stemming from careless or improper use of fireworks, the hospital says.
LaunchWhen you dial 911 and Wall Street answers
“Since the 2008 financial crisis, private equity firms have increasingly taken over public services like emergency care and firefighting, often with dire effects,” The New York Times reports.
LaunchThe Seattle Seawards (another must-watch segment from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)
Five councilwomen in Seattle have been receiving a lot of hate for the insidious crime of doing their jobs. Samantha Bee noticed, and created a must-watch segment for her show mocking the angry misogynist horde for its nastiness.
LaunchHorrific Fort McMurray fire spreads to 85,000 hectares; thousands stranded to be airlifted
“Authorities prepared to airlift thousands of people stranded in camps north of Fort McMurray as officials warned that the fire engulfing the region will continue to grow amid strong winds,” The Globe and Mail reported Thursday.
LaunchResidents of Alberta’s Fort McMurray flee devastating wildifre that threatens to destroy entire city of 80,000+
This striking image depicts the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta, a community of more than 80,000 people. The entire municipality was ordered to empty as one of the worst fires in Canadian history threatened to consume the city and its environs. Fleeing residents passed very close to the fire on their way out of danger on Highway 63.
LaunchTake a virtual tour of the Alaskan Way tunneling operation, courtesy of WSDOT’s drone
“Just a few days before the SR 99 tunneling machine started tunneling under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the Washington State Department of Transportation flew a video-equipped drone through the SR 99 tunnel to show Seattle Tunnel Partners’ construction progress. On an average day, the tunnel is bustling with construction. To avoid disrupting crews, this video was recorded in between regular work shifts.”
LaunchGerman automakers who once laughed off Elon Musk are now starting to worry
“Some in Germany are now, rather belatedly, seeing Tesla as a long-term threat to the pride and joy of the country’s economy: the car industry that employs 750,000 workers and indirectly accounts for 1 in 8 jobs,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
LaunchTim Eyman declares war on Sound Transit — again
The Stranger talks to NPI and Transportation Choices Coalition about Tim Eyman’s latest destructive initiative, which would wipe out billions in funding for multimodal transportation projects, eviscerating money for transit, bike paths, trails, and infrastructure for pedestrians.
LaunchSound Transit to add longer trains to meet unexpectedly high demand for light rail
University Link only opened to the public last Saturday, but already, it’s so popular that Sound Transit has decided to begin permanently lengthening trains to accommodate a surge in ridership.
LaunchUniversity Link can get you from the UW to Capitol Hill in about four minutes or less
Sound Transit built University Link with the promise that trains would offer a speedy underground ride between Westlake Center, Capitol Hill, and the University of
LaunchMillennials flee Canada’s Vancouver for more affordable cities
The cost of living in British Columbia’s largest city has gotten so high that many millennials and startups are choosing to leave, Bloomberg Business reports. British Columbia’s capital and second largest city, Victoria, has been the primary beneficiary of this trend
LaunchRecall effort in Michigan intensifies pressure on Rick Snyder
The New York Times reports on the progress of efforts to recall Republican Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan, led by the Reverend David Alexander Bullock. It was actions taken by Snyder and his cronies that led to the poisoning of Flint’s water supply.
LaunchWatch the final landing and taxi of the first Boeing 727
Yesterday, the very first Boeing 727 airliner made its final flight from Everett’s Paine Field to Seattle’s Boeing Field to become part of the Museum
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