Seattle

Petition link: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-king-county-city-of-seattle-no-public-money-for-musk?source=direct_link

I'm generally not a big fan of online petitions, because they often feel about as useful as screaming into the void. But I think this one might be a little different. The idea is that the organizations behind the petition are going to start making the case directly to Seattle city council members to stop giving city funds to Musk's businesses. And if they can go into those discussions armed with thousands of petition signatures, that's going to make their case that much stronger.

So if you're sick of Musk and his bullshit, please consider giving the petition a look. And if you're wanting to get more involved with this effort than just signing a petition, feel free to DM me and I'll get you plugged into the group.

EDIT: Some additional background on the general Divest Musk effort: https://www.teslatakedown.com/divest

Intriguing match-ups in the fall elections emerged Friday as Democrats look to retain control of several seats in the Washington state Legislature.

Two Senate contests should provide a test of voters’ views on new laws, higher taxes and spending decisions pushed through by the majority Democrats over the objections of Republicans.

Races for two other legislative seats will showcase strains within the Democratic Party between its progressive and moderate factions.

Three appointed Democratic lawmakers are breathing easy. They drew no challengers before the filing window closed Friday.

This all but assures the trio — state Sens. Tina Orwall of Des Moines and Emily Alvarado of Seattle, and Rep. Brianna Thomas of West Seattle — will retain their seats for the 2026 session.

Here’s where things stood Friday. Candidates have until Monday to formally withdraw from any of the races.

More details in the article.

Archive link: https://archive.is/r8s9n

Two Bremerton women face 14 federal charges in connection with a “massive” identity theft scheme involving over 270 victims, acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced Tuesday.

Investigators believe Heather Marquis, 36, and Emily Vranic, 33, defrauded at least 278 people across Kitsap and Mason counties from April 2019 to November 2024. Authorities say they stole about $620,000.

Marquis and Vranic used mail and personal documents to access credit cards and online bank accounts, according to a news release.

“The pair would have documents related to their activities mailed to a third-party victim’s address, where they would intercept the mail again,” the release reads. “Once they had fully taken over a stolen identity, statements and other records were mailed directly to their own Bremerton address.”

Archive link: https://archive.is/UCf8k

SEATTLE — Washington landlords can no longer raise rents by more than 10% per year under landmark legislation Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Wednesday.

Effective immediately, House Bill 1217 caps residential rent hikes during a 12-month period at 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower. The limit will last 15 years. The bill also restricts manufactured home rent increases to 5% with no expiration date.

“I’m confident that this legislation is going to work for everybody in our state,” Ferguson said Wednesday at Blake House, the first affordable high-rise apartment building constructed in Seattle in half a century, which opened in 2023. “Too many folks are getting priced out, and we can’t have that, right? That’s not an option.”

Rent increases are also prohibited for the first year of a tenancy under the new law. But when a renter moves in, landlords can set the initial rate however they please.

Archive link: https://archive.is/GuAWH

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/29114735

Summary courtesy of CantStopPoppin:

On February 1, 2025, a disturbing campaign of surveillance began targeting a Spokane family. According to firsthand accounts, ICE agents started shadowing the family nearly two months before the dramatic incident. In a calculated move, one of the agents even pretended to hit the family’s parked car. This staged accident was designed to give them a pretext to detain the husband on the spot while investigators “looked him up” as part of their covert operation.

Then, on April 30, 2025, the situation escalated dramatically. ICE agents arrived at the Diaz home without a warrant and refused to properly identify themselves. In the ensuing chaos, Martin R. Diaz—a devoted business owner, long-time U.S. resident of over 33 years with no connection to any gangs—was brutally tackled and restrained right outside his home. Witnesses report that this aggressive intervention was the culmination of a meticulously planned operation that had been in motion for weeks.

After the violent confrontation, Diaz was swiftly transported to a high-security facility in Northern Idaho, a detention center known for hosting individuals with links to extremist groups, including members of the Proud Boys. The combination of prolonged stalking, deceptive tactics, and forceful detention has raised significant questions about ICE's methods and the apparent disregard for due process.

A TikTok video capturing parts of these unsettling events has gained widespread attention for showing the shocking tactics employed by the agents. You can view the TikTok coverage here.

For a detailed report and further analysis of this case, including interviews with community members and legal experts, please read the in-depth coverage by KREM here.

https://www.tiktok.com/@kendall.diaz6/video/7499238185369734430

This incident has ignited fierce debate among civil rights advocates, community leaders, and legal experts, as many call for a thorough investigation into ICE's practices. As the community seeks answers and accountability, this case serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences when law enforcement agencies overstep established legal boundaries.

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For those who may not have heard of it, and who are looking for answers about the Seattle area, this site covers -just about all of it- on any topic. Right down to buildings and statues and little businesses like Dick's.

It doesn't have a search engine, so if you use a search engine, start your search with 'site:historylink.org' and then add your topic. It's pretty amazing.

Sound Transit has received the Federal Transit Administration’s Record of Decision for the West Seattle Link Extension project. This major milestone allows the project to advance into the next stage of development, the design phase.

The 4.1-mile West Seattle light rail extension was approved by voters in 2016 as part of ST3, and today’s approval of environmental work is the culmination of the planning phase that began in 2017. In that time, the project team has worked closely with the West Seattle community and agency partners to develop an alignment and future station locations that will serve more than 24,000 riders a day and cut travel times from Alaska Junction to Westlake in half, while enhancing station access and the transfer experience from buses to light rail.

With this record of decision, Sound Transit will advance engineering and design on the route and station locations selected by the Board in October 2024. At the same time, Sound Transit is continuing work to inform a financially sound West Seattle Link Extension project, including financial, programmatic and project-level measures to improve affordability.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/42999669

International shipping to the USA has slowed dramatically and the word is this is just the beginning. This is extremely rare to see these docs without cargo.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tariff-tit-for-tat-has-seattle-waiting-for-the-ships-to-come-in/

Molly Moon's ice cream will be opening a shop in the Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola, the weird black open structure located by the water taxi entrance.

It's an interesting location being pretty far south, but I'm happy to see more stuff activate the Waterfront area.