Hen Watching
When the Storm chosen Sue Hen with the primary choose of the 2002 WNBA draft, expectations had been excessive. 20 years later, Hen retired as a five-time gold medalist, four-time league champion, and the sort of Seattle icon youngsters and adults admire equally. Now, she’s additionally the sort of icon who will get positioned below the tree as a Christmas present. The “Barbie Sue Hen Inspiring Ladies™ Doll” options Hen rocking not Storm colours, however a crimson, white, and blue jersey together with her iconic quantity 10, and features a little basketball, too.
Your Pleasant Neighborhood Kinkajou
Drivers stopping for a breather at a relaxation space close to Yakima on Interstate 82 had been handled to a uncommon sight just lately—a small, raccoon-like creature with sharp tooth, a protracted tail, and large spherical eyes clinging to a signpost. The animal turned out to be a kinkajou—a tropical rainforest mammal whose habitat stretches from Mexico to Brazil. The way it ended up in an arid valley in Central Washington stays a thriller. But it surely was rescued by the Division of Fish and Wildlife and despatched to the Level Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma for care.
Tower Time
For a very long time, probably the most iconic constructing in Seattle wasn’t the Area Needle—it was the Smith Tower, as soon as the tallest constructing on the West Coast, with its pyramid pointing as much as the sky. Since its building in 1914, the skyscraper has lived many lives. For twenty years, it was owned by native restaurateur Ivar Haglund, then by Samis—the inspiration left behind by the eccentric Pioneer Sq. landlord Sam Israel. Now it has been bought by a gaggle of buyers led by holding firm GT Capital. No phrase but on what they’ve deliberate for the penthouse.
Fall 2024
Twice Is Good
We’ve been enjoying baseball or some type of it for greater than 150 years. And but the game will all the time provide you with one thing you’ve by no means seen earlier than. Living proof: Mariners fan Josh George caught a foul popup from third baseman Josh Rojas within the first inning of a house sport towards the Royals. Then, on the very subsequent pitch, George received one other foul popup off the bat of Rojas. The following day, the Mariners invited the fortunate fan out to throw not one, however two ceremonial first pitches.
Ramps to Nowhere No Extra
For many years, silly Seattleites have jumped off the “ramps to nowhere” on the Washington Park Arboretum and into the murky waters under. The ramps had been a remnant of a north-south freeway undertaking that was halted by neighborhood activists within the ’60s and ’70s. And now, lastly, they’ve been eliminated: casualties of the 520 bridge substitute. Town stored one of many former bridge helps in place, with plans to make it a monument to the profitable freeway revolt.
A Striped Star
It began out as a novelty. Then it grew right into a phenomenon. 4 zebras escaped from a trailer pulled over off I-90 in North Bend, sauntering out into the woods. Three had been captured comparatively rapidly. However the fourth didn’t flip up. For days. “He may very well be going to Cle Elum by now, he may very well be up by Rattlesnake, he may very well be taking a drink out of the lake…we don’t know,” North Bend mayor Mary Miller informed FOX 13 Seattle. On social media, footage of Shug the zebra appeared on a ferry, atop the Area Needle, at Dick’s. It turned out he was simply hanging round North Bend, the place ultimately native residents discovered Shug—a feminine, opposite to early reviews—in good well being.
Summer time 2024
Bombs Away
You by no means know what’s laying round within the neighbor’s storage. A Bellevue resident handed away just lately and left his neighbor answerable for his belongings—together with a rusted, navy grade missile. After the neighbor known as a museum in Ohio to ask about it, the museum reached out to native police. Seems the missile, a Douglas Air-2 Genie designed to hold Chilly Warfare–period nuclear warheads (however not carrying one), was inert.
Carroll Carousel
The 2024 Seattle soccer panorama will look lots totally different. However not that totally different. Solely every week after legendary Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was ousted after 14 years, and the one Tremendous Bowl victory in franchise historical past, the Washington Huskies employed his son Brennan to be their offensive coordinator. (In addition they added Steve Belichick, son of former Patriots coach and Seahawks nemesis Invoice, to steer their protection.)
Testing, Testing
4 years after the nation’s first identified case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Washington, our state is introducing merchandising machines to dispense free take a look at kits, amongst different well being provides. Shut your eyes and suppose again to early 2020. This isn’t the longer term you’d have imagined. The machines, unveiled by the Division of Well being, will likely be in public locations, managed by native well being jurisdictions and Tribal nations.
Spring 2024
Barging In
A runaway barge drifting perilously near vacationer points of interest on the Seattle waterfront? Feels like a state of affairs dreamed up for a Gray’s Anatomy episode. But it surely really occurred late final yr. Earlier than the huge barge loaded with empty containers may smash into the Nice Wheel or Seattle Aquarium, the captain and crew of a close-by King County Water Taxi acted quick, utilizing their very own vessel to push the barge north towards an remoted space. Remarkably, no one was injured.
Radio Radio
For the previous three many years, Seattle’s beloved indie radio station KEXP has been slowly rising its footprint: more and more massive transmitters, a brand new house in Seattle Heart, a preferred YouTube channel for its dwell performances, possession of a second radio station within the Bay Space. Wait, what? Yep. KEXP bought KREV 92.7 out of receivership for $3.75 million. The brand new KREV will broadcast KEXP programming in and round San Francisco and ultimately launch a neighborhood Bay Space music present. How did KEXP pay for it? With assist from a $10 million bequest left by an nameless donor—so don’t fear, Amplifiers, your {dollars} are staying native.
Pac-2
The once-storied West Coast school sports activities convention that was house to the College of Washington, UCLA, Stanford, and others has been cannibalized by larger, wealthier conferences with extra profitable TV offers. The result’s that 10 of its 12 applications are on their method out the door, leaving solely Washington State College and Oregon State College holding the (empty) bag. The logistics are complicated, and the authorized struggle is ongoing. However search for Pac-2 soccer in 2024, whereas the Huskies break new floor within the Large Ten, which is definitely going to be nearer to a Large 20.
Bartell Them Goodbye
A pandemic-era Capitol Hill landmark is gone, and a historic native chain is struggling. The Ceremony Assist with the “Come Get Sh_t_ Right here” marquee turned the most recent in a wave of closures amongst Seattle-area drug shops for the reason that pharmacy big declared chapter. Ceremony Assist—which purchased Seattle-founded Bartell Medication in 2020—has been shuttering areas of each chains for months, together with shops in Everett, Bellevue, and Redmond.
Winter 2023
Cretaceous Race
Tons of of vicious dinosaurs (individuals in massive, inflatable costumes) descended on Emerald Downs racetrack for the T-Rex World Championship Races, which included each child and grownup occasions. Amid the stumbling grownup dinos, a trio sprinted to the entrance of the pack for a photograph end within the closing contest. “I’ve been coaching for this all my life,” stated winner Boto Rex (actual identify Ocean Kim) from atop the rostrum, his little dino arms hoisting an enormous inexperienced trophy.
Stepped in It
It’s a unclean job however any person’s received to do it. Pooper Trooper, based mostly in Lynnwood, filed swimsuit towards Scoop Troop, a Spokane firm, for infringing on its model identification and trademark. Each companies concentrate on canine waste elimination, a surprisingly profitable and aggressive business. The case was settled out of court docket when Scoop Troop agreed to alter its identify to Swoop Scoop—which they don’t imagine will throw their prospects for a loop.
Recreation Misconduct
This one is truthfully arduous to clarify. The Seattle Kraken discovered themselves mired in a social media controversy after embracing a subset of romance novel followers on TikTok who solid professional hockey gamers in steamy subplots as a type of fan fiction. The Kraken invited TikTok customers to video games and posted memes that includes their gamers—however then some of us received carried away. Felicia Wennberg, the spouse of Kraken middle Alex Wennberg, requested followers to cease posting “predatory” and sexualized messages. Influencers shot again. Perhaps all of us want a while within the penalty field to chill off.
Roll Up
Scorching canine. Rooster bake. Sashimi? The Issaquah Costco turned the corporate’s first U.S. location with its personal in-house sushi counter that includes actual dwell cooks slicing fish and assembling rolls for every day buy. To date, contemporary sushi hasn’t appeared in another native Costcos.
Fall 2023
Level Break In
On Might 25, a gaggle of moist swimsuit–clad burglars broke into an occupied waterfront house in Yarrow Level at about 4am. They stole roughly $20,000 in money from a protected, made their method onto kayaks, and paddled off into the darkness. Officers from the Clyde Hill Police Division stated they believed the burglars had been headed north on Lake Washington towards, of all locations, Kirkland.
Doodle Dandy
Rebecca Wu, a Bellevue sixth grader, gained the annual “Doodle for Google” competitors, together with her drawing known as “My Sweetest Recollections.” Along with seeing her art work on Google’s homepage for a day, she additionally gained a $30,000 school scholarship and a $50,000 grant for her college. Wu says her successful entry was impressed by her sisters.
Fleeced?
In a battle between two manufacturers on the coronary heart of Seattle’s identification, Patagonia is suing Nordstrom for promoting what it claims are counterfeit gadgets at Rack shops. Patagonia claims that, after an 11-year partnership between the businesses ended, Nordstrom Rack continued to promote 1000’s of mislabeled sweatshirts and T-shirts, typically produced from inferior supplies.
The Subsequent Apple
Horticulturalists from Washington State College have unveiled the state’s latest apple variant. At present dubbed WA 64, it’s a hybrid of two standard varieties: the Honeycrisp and the Cripps Pink (also called the Pink Girl). The WA 64 is the product of years of growth and can take nonetheless extra years to hit your native farmers market, as bushes get planted and mature. By then it is going to have a catchier identify.
Summer time 2023
Highway Rank
It’s not your creativeness: Washington is among the worst states to drive in, at the least based on private finance web site WalletHub. The Evergreen State got here in forty ninth place in a 2023 rating that accounted for visitors, infrastructure, security, and the price of proudly owning and sustaining a automobile. Hey, at the least we beat Hawaii.
Buckling Down
Seattle is suing Kia and Hyundai as a result of, as metropolis lawyer Ann Davison places it, the automobile producers “minimize prices on the expense of their prospects.” The lawsuit alleges {that a} lack of anti-theft expertise in these autos is why town’s seen a 363 % enhance in stolen Hyundais and a 503 % surge in pilfered Kias from 2021 to 2022.
Sounders F-U
In January, the Sounders introduced Windfall as their principal package sponsor…and it didn’t go over effectively. Supporters decried the religiously affiliated well being group’s anti-abortion and anti-transgender stance—one thing at odds with the soccer membership’s public overtures to the LGBTQ neighborhood. Some followers even went as far as to create their very own customized “pro-choice” jerseys.
Evening Streaking
A inexperienced fireball—brightly blazing house particles that explodes within the higher layers of Earth’s ambiance—lit up sprint cams and residential safety methods throughout Western Washington final January. As proud residents rushed to put up their footage on Twitter, the American Meteor Society merely recorded it as Occasion 314-2023 in its fireball log. Method to make us really feel particular.
USPS SOS
Native porch pirates have apparently set sail for wider waters as a string of mail truck thefts final winter despatched cops scouring Beacon Hill and West Seattle for the boxy white autos. In all cases, the mail carriers had been unhurt and the vans had been ultimately recovered—sans a number of packages.
Spring 2023
Flipping the Hen
Elon Musk’s chaotic Twitter takeover included an endeavor to promote blue verification checkmarks for $8, leaving manufacturers to cope with IRL fallout from digital impersonators. A faux account for Redmond-based Nintendo of America posted a pic of its iconic Italian plumber extending the center finger.
Misinformation Thriller
Web scuttlebutt of a serial killer on the unfastened in Seattle appeared to unfold sooner than one may say “faux information” this fall. A notable Instagram account with 157,000 followers on the time posted in regards to the rumor, and anxious service business vets handed phrase on to patrons. A College of Washington researcher later picked aside the report’s zero sources and doubtful gossip community development.
Ticket to Refund
Seattle’s parking enforcement officers have lastly discovered a everlasting spot—again with the Seattle Police Division—after a shift to the Division of Transportation below former mayor Jenny Durkan led to an enormous mistake: a authorized technicality that compelled town to nullify almost $4.5 million in parking tickets.
Grocery store Sweep
Shareholders of grocery retailer chain Albertsons must wait a bit longer for a $4 billion payout from a proposed merger with Kroger. Washington’s lawyer basic Bob Ferguson filed for a brief restraining order till state regulators may evaluate the deal. In response to The Seattle Occasions, greater than half of Seattle-area households regularly store at a retailer owned by the 2 corporations.
What a Hoot
“Warning Aggressive Owl” learn indicators posted by the Division of Fish and Wildlife at North SeaTac Park, the place a hostile fowl defending its nest was reportedly harassing passersby. Walkers had been inspired to slowly wave their arms overhead, put on a hat or helmet, or deploy an umbrella in the event that they needed to cross paths with the feathered defender.
Winter 2022
Slimy Seattle
For weeks Reddit ran wild with theories a couple of mysterious crimson goo clinging to sidewalks in Wallingford. Was it Tubifera ferruginosa, a raspberry mildew? An homage to a wacky podcast sketch? Simply melted sweet? One courageous soul seems to have confirmed the globs are Swedish Fish, the Wallingford Purple Goo Instagram account reviews. However its origins stay unknown.
Amazon vs. Microsoft Canceled (Actually)
After the Museum of Museums introduced a name for artwork completely from Amazon and Microsoft staff, many social media commenters dragged a present designed “to recalibrate the narrative round what an enormous tech employee is,” citing the business’s ties to the gentrification pushing artists out of town. The exhibit, slated to debut this fall on the First Hill artwork house, was swiftly nixed.
Bahhhhd Selections
A Nigerian Dwarf goat was stolen from the Grays Harbor County Honest. The suspects then took Penny to a Walmart in Lacey (naturally) earlier than the native sheriff’s workplace recovered the three-month-old animal and returned it to its homeowners. The heist wasn’t the one native goat drama. A number of days later, three runaways trotted alongside Freeway 12 in Brady. A state trooper gave them a trip house.
The AI Singer
Neglect about these Dall-E Mini artwork memes. Synthetic intelligence can also be coming for the performing arts. A latest New York Occasions characteristic captured the oddity of watching a jazz fusion band carry out on Maury Island with a machine, Desdemona, as its lead vocalist. The not-yet-sentient singer crooned in regards to the day when engineers can not management their creations.
Bizarre Flex
In late August, the third Seattle-area location of a “premier assisted stretching boutique” opened in Issaquah. StretchLab provides private coaching periods with Flexologists and touts a machine that, after simply three squats, can assess one’s mobility, activation, posture, and symmetry. Memberships begin at $179 per thirty days.
Fall 2022
Hybrid Commuting
E-bike batteries. A stripped-down mobility scooter. An outdated love seat. Put all of it collectively and you’ve got the motorized sofa Kass Hodorowski has jury-rigged to wheel across the Metropolis of Future. The three-mile-per-hour pleasure rides of Tacoma Sofa Man have each amused social media and highlighted the sorry state of native sidewalk accessibility.
Hulled Up
Angelyn and Richard Burk, previously of Tukwila, will spend their retirement years dwelling completely on cruises. Angelyn, an accountant, says it’s extra reasonably priced to perpetually ship off for Sydney and different coastal locales than to abdomen the bonkers value of dwelling on shore.
Drawing the Traces
The Seattle Division of Transportation has eliminated a “guerrilla crosswalk” at Greenwood Avenue North and North 83rd Road, The Seattle Occasions reviews. Thick white traces confirmed up one September day throughout a thoroughfare that’s overdue for a everlasting crossing. It’s being known as an act of tactical urbanism.
Et Tu, Apple?
Uncared for produce in warehouses and transport containers will get wasted much less now, because of a neighborhood startup just lately featured by GeekWire. Strella Biotechnology makes use of sensors to watch ranges of ethylene, a gasoline that fruits exude, to trace which Granny Smiths are ripe or rotten as they slog by way of the availability chain.
Cat-Paw-Tol Hill
The wanderlust of an orange tabby cat has captured the creativeness of a Seattle neighborhood. A quickly rising Fb group dedicated to Lord Byron, a five-year-old feline named for the adventurous British Romantic, paperwork sightings in every single place from road corners to inside random individuals’s houses. Lord Byron’s proprietor informed The Seattle Collegian the cat has even hopped into the vehicles of unsuspecting drivers.
Summer time 2022
Boxed In
Police rescued an 80-year-old lady in Illinois from a hostage scenario after her Seattle-based daughter seen she hadn’t texted her every day Wordle rating. Unanswered messages prompted her youngsters to alert the authorities. No indication of what number of five-letter phrases the previous trainer considered through the many hours a unadorned, scissors-wielding man locked her in a rest room (she was unhurt), however some four-letter ones will need to have come to thoughts.
KOMO Axes Its Tourism Bureau
Broadcast information fixated on crime downtown early in 2022, and no one was extra obsessed than KOMO reporter Jonathan Choe. Throughout one dispatch, he stood throughout from police on Third Avenue and queried a visiting couple, “You guys aren’t afraid to stroll by way of all this?” The vacationers, befuddled, stored strolling. Choe was later fired after a number of incidents.
Flightmare Gas
Pilots have skilled some surprising air visitors within the neighborhood of Jet Metropolis. The rollout of AT&T and Verizon’s 5G wi-fi providers grounded all passenger flights at Paine Subject earlier this yr as a result of it probably interfered with important security tools. And somebody educated a inexperienced gentle on a number of planes approaching Sea-Tac in harmful (and legal) “laser strikes.”
Caught on KUOW
A glitch in Mazdas of a sure age just lately examined the bounds of our public radio fandom. Drivers turning to the NPR station in vehicles made between 2014 and 2017 despatched their infotainment methods into a brand new iteration of the Seattle Freeze. The issue stays one thing of a thriller, however native dealerships have begun putting in substitute components freed from cost to appease the aggrieved tote-clutchers.
Not a Prime Supply
Jeff Bezos has provided to pay for the deconstruction of a historic bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to accommodate the cargo of his $485 million superyacht. In protest, 1000’s of Fb customers have pledged to egg the 417-foot vessel because it makes its method by way of the Dutch port. In unrelated information, Bezos’s ex MacKenzie Scott has donated extra to charity since their break up than the Amazon founder.
Editor’s observe: This listing is up to date quarterly with information gadgets of questionable import however indubitable resonance within the Seattle zeitgeist. When you’ve got any odd native anecdotes to share that haven’t made headlines but, be at liberty to ship them to [email protected].
