Free Rider Crack Down: King County Metro (KCM) will begin reminding folks that the bus, in actual fact, will not be free. In keeping with KCM’s estimates, about 34% of riders do not pay to journey. Fare inspecting will start beginning March 31. That final time KCM did any type of fare inspecting was earlier than the pandemic—over 5 years in the past (yeah, the pandemic began 5 years in the past). Fare evaders obtain two warnings earlier than they’re charged with a $20 nice. Nonetheless, fare evaders can have the choice of loading $20 on an Orca card slightly than paying a nice. Nonetheless, you could by no means see a fare inspector; KCM plans to deploy 30 inspectors throughout 139 routes and 920 in-service buses.
The Climate: Vital rain is anticipated by Tuesday. Winds may even whip by the world. Stormy!
U-District Hit and Run: On Friday, a driver in a white Kia struck three pedestrians in a crosswalk on the intersection of fifteenth Avenue Northeast and Northeast forty seventh within the College District. The motive force reportedly sped round a bus, crossed a double yellow, and hit two 21-year-old males and a 20-year-old girl. In keeping with the Seattle Instances one man suffered damaged bones and a attainable head damage, the strike broke each of the lady’s femurs and likewise incurred a head damage, and the opposite man has a damaged arm and leg. One man and the lady are in passable situation, whereas the opposite man stays in severe situation. Police arrested a 15-year-old who was believed to have stolen a white Kia earlier that day in reference to the crash.
Federal Firings Hit Washingtonians: In keeping with KUOW, 362 federal staff have utilized for unemployment in Washington state since Trump took workplace. This similar time final yr noticed 200 fewer unemployment purposes for federal staff.
Supervisor of the 12 months: Talking of this administration’s (mis)administration of the federal workforce, on Friday, Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity despatched out an e mail to all federal staff asking them to report their accomplishments and achievements that week or threat firing. After backlash, Musk says the e-mail was a ruse to see if the employees had been “able to responding” and to see in the event that they “had a pulse.” Positive. Or, he is only a horrible supervisor and has no concept this isn’t truly what administration seems to be like.
At the very least the dumb e mail made good jokes: Hehehehe.
Pricey Supervisor,
1. I drank a whiskey drink.
2. I drank a vodka drink.
3. I drank a beer drink.
4. I drank a cider drink.
5. I sang the songs that remind me of the nice instances; I sang the songs that remind me of the higher instances.— Will Burrows 🖖🍞🥀 (@bajoran-orbison.bsky.social) February 23, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Greenpeace at Battle: The environmental group faces a $300 million lawsuit in North Dakota over its protests of the Dakota Entry Pipeline. The swimsuit filed by the corporate behind the pipeline, Vitality Switch, alleges the protesters tenting close to the pipeline development web site delayed progress for months and value the undertaking $300 million. A federal court docket knocked down an identical swimsuit in 2017, however an identical one filed in North Dakota courts in 2019 is now headed to trial. If it is profitable, the lawsuit might power the group to close down. Greenpeace says that is meant to muzzle free speech.
The suitable workforce received! The Philadelphia Eagles will reportedly reject the White Home’s invitation to go to after the workforce’s Tremendous Bowl win. The final time they received the massive recreation was additionally throughout a Donald Trump presidency and the Eagles additionally refused the invitation. We love a workforce with morals. You simply know the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs would have been all up within the White Home had they received.
Holt Out: Lester Holt is stepping down from NBC Nightly Information after almost a decade of regular, scandal-free anchoring. Nonetheless, he’s sticking round to anchor Dateline, presumably to ship extra ominous narrations about suburban crime sagas.
Killing Us Softly, One Final Time: Roberta Flack, the previous schoolteacher who schooled the music business with “The First Time Ever I Noticed Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly,” has died at 88. With a voice that might soften hearts and win Grammys, she proved that you simply don’t must shout to depart an unforgettable mark.
Misery Name Coming from Yosemite: Yosemite Nationwide Park staff hung an the other way up American flag, an indication of misery, off of the Yosemite Valley’s well-known granite rock face, El Capitan. The protest comes within the wake of federal firings of parks staff. “We’re bringing consideration to what’s taking place to the parks, that are each American’s properties. It’s tremendous essential we deal with them, and we’re shedding individuals right here, and it’s not sustainable if we need to preserve the parks open,” a park upkeep mechanic informed CNN.
El Capitan shows an enormous American flag the other way up—the normal sign of misery or excessive emergency.
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— Alt Nationwide Park Service (@altnps.bsky.social) February 23, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Vouching for it: Candidate Rory O’Sullivan introduced that he grew to become the primary particular person within the metropolis legal professional race to qualify for Seattle’s democracy voucher program. Any campaigns claiming in any other case are improper, in response to the O’Sullivan camp.
Pray for the Pope: In the event you’re into that kinda factor. However, yeah, 88-year-old Pope Francis appears to be circling the drain. He is reportedly in “vital situation” from a yucky mixture of double pneumonia and bronchitis. He additionally has a “kidney drawback.” He is on his tenth day of hospitalization and is awake and resting. It appears we could have a Conclave state of affairs arising quickly.
Heartstring-Tugger: An NPR host’s girlfriend was on the American Airways flight concerned within the helicopter crash in Washington D.C. He remembered her right here.
Proper-Wing Podcaster Chosen as Deputy Director of FBI: Dan Bongino, the right-wing commentator, 2020 election conspiracy theorist, and host of The Dan Bongino Present, is now in control of supervising all home and worldwide operations of the FBI. Bongino has run for Congress thrice and misplaced. He misplaced a swimsuit towards the Day by day Beast for defamation after the location reported the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation fired him for being “unfit for his duties.” Neither of the 2 individuals chosen by Trump to guide the FBI have any expertise. What might go improper?
In the meantime: The Worldwide neo-Nazi group, the Base, appears to be rebuilding each globally and within the US as the brand new regime on the FBI rolls again longstanding efforts to counter far-right extremism.
Rightward Shift in Germany: The mainstream center-right conservative social gathering received Germany’s nationwide election which implies social gathering chief Friedrich Merz will turn into chancellor. In disturbing information, Germany’s far-right social gathering, Different for Germany Occasion (AfD), got here in second place within the election. The AfD had the strongest displaying for its social gathering since World Battle II. You already know, again when the far-right social gathering was the Nazis.
Layoffs at Starbucks: Our native espresso peddler is chopping 1,100 company staff in a bid to “simplify its construction” and create “smaller, extra nimble groups.”
A track on your Monday: Type is heading again towards the twee of the mid-aughts. Meaning folks music goes to rear its head once more. Get forward of the curve and begin listening to North Carolina folks husband and spouse duo, the Chatham Rabbits.
