Step proper up: Need to be a part of the Seattle Metropolis Council and fill outgoing council member Tammy Morale’s District 2 seat? Functions opened on Thursday for anybody—effectively, U.S. residents who’re registered to vote in Washington and stay in District 2—who needs to hitch the council. The remaining council has 20 days after Morale’s final day on Jan. 6 to fill the seat. Apply! Be the change you need to see and all of that. As a reminder, Morales peaced out of her function as a result of the present council was allegedly horrible towards her. All potential candidates ought to have that information. Ship a resume, cowl letter, and a accomplished monetary curiosity assertion type through e mail to councilvacancy@seattle.gov.
New president for Seattle faculties: The Seattle College Board picked West Seattle lawyer Gina Topp as the brand new president of the physique forward of a yr the place Seattle Public Colleges faces an estimated $94 million funds deficit.
The climate: It’s going to be moist with temperatures hovering within the excessive 40s. That is downright balmy compared to the remainder of the nation.
Child, it is chilly exterior: Beginning this week, locations east of the Rockies will expertise three weeks of bitter, arctic-like chilly. With the frigid temperatures comes journey disruption in addition to strains on energy grids and better pure fuel costs.
Amazon is again on the workplace: Seattle’s favourite native begin up required its employees to return to 5 days of in-person workplace work beginning within the new yr. Up to now, nothing in South Lake Union appears tremendous totally different or notable within the wake of the mandate. Perhaps the hustle and bustle will return. Perhaps all the work-from-home Amazonians will repair all their potassium deficits as soon as they begin consuming free bananas once more. That is the extent I learn about working at Amazon.
Inching nearer: Within the wake of the New Orleans assault, the calls to ban vehicles from Pike Place Market are again. Good. Vehicles do not belong there. If we had a metropolis council that wasn’t full of people that solely drive to Entire Meals for his or her groceries (I am making this up, nevertheless it appears proper?) then perhaps one thing like this might occur. (Psst: Perhaps you can make it occur? Apply to be on the council. Provided that you do not suck, although.)
Even folks with worms for brains agree:
It’s unfathomable incompetence that police nonetheless do not take sufficient measures to make sure vehicles can’t entry streets (together with sidewalks) the place crowded occasions are happening. Permitting Pike Place Market, for instance, to proceed to be open to vehicles is a particular sort of silly. https://t.co/9kxZ5a9Ode
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) January 1, 2025
Whereas we’re at it: Let’s go even additional.
You need to pedestrianize Pike Place, I need to pedestrianize everything of Western Avenue from Yesler Method to Bell Road.
— Ryan Packer (@typewriteralley.bsky.social) January 2, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Automotive-less futures can be simpler with a useful transit system: The sunshine rail can be hell for 2 months as Sound Transit executes deliberate service disruptions and slowdowns. These are essential to maintain increasing the road, nevertheless it nonetheless sucks and makes it laborious to develop a devoted ridership when the service is not dependable. Do not even learn the information in regards to the new high-speed prepare from Paris to Berlin that just lately opened. It’ll solely make you upset.
Updates on the horrors: Officers now imagine the driving force within the New Orleans terrorist assault that killed 14 folks acted alone. The person, killed after a shootout with police, was recognized as eight-year Military veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, from Texas. Authorities reported that he was impressed by ISIS to hold out the assault. Switching over to the Las Vegas cybertruck explosion, police recognized the driving force as an Military grasp sergeant from Colorado on go away from energetic responsibility. He reportedly shot himself within the head earlier than the explosion.
Oopsy: Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the tech firm’s voice assistant, Siri, of recording non-public conversations and promoting them to 3rd events for focused promoting. After 5 years of litigation for a proposed class motion lawsuit, Apple paid up, however admitted no fault. As an alternative, Apple mentioned Siri recorded folks “unintentionally.”
Biden blocks Nippon Metal acquisition: Japan’s Nippon Metal wished to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Metal for a cool $15 billion. President Joe Biden—a title we are able to use for less than a smattering of days—blocked the deal to make sure do-it-yourself metal stays nearly all of the US’s steelmaking capability. Moreover, as of final month, the Committee on International Funding in america (CFIUS) could not attain a consensus on the safety dangers of the acquisition.
No internet neutrality: Regardless of a 2021 Biden govt order for the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) to reinstate open web guidelines, a US appeals court docket dominated the FCC didn’t have that authority. The ruling was primarily based on a Supreme Court docket case this previous summer season often known as Loper Vibrant the place the Court docket overturned a 1984 precedent “deference to authorities companies in deciphering legal guidelines they administer.” The Supreme Court docket continues to whittle away the facility of presidency companies. So, now web service suppliers do not must deal with all customers equally. They’ll sluggish speeds or block content material.
Huge wave alert:
A 23-year-old Santa Cruz native caught a towering wave close to Half Moon Bay that was just lately estimated to be 108 ft tall, which might make it simply the world’s largest wave ever surfed.
The present world document is 86 ft.
Learn extra: https://t.co/CjAtWnApdI pic.twitter.com/isw9NFwktk
— KSBW Motion Information 8 (@ksbw) January 2, 2025
Guess what? Tonsil regrowth happens in roughly 1% to six% of people that have had their tonsils eliminated.
Congress to vote on Speaker of the Home: Later in the present day, we’ll get to see how the brand new Republican majority in each homes of Congress flexes its energy. With a slim 219-215 majority, Home Republicans ought to be capable of safe Speaker Mike Johnson’s return to the function, however these Republicans are squirrely. Trump endorsed Johnson on Monday, writing on-line that Johnson “is an effective, laborious working, spiritual man. He’ll do the suitable factor, and we’ll proceed to WIN.” I am hoping for drama.
Alcohol causes most cancers: This shouldn’t be stunning. Alcohol isn’t solely dangerous for you, it is one of many main preventable causes of most cancers. U.S. Surgeon Normal Dr. Vivek Murthy, mentioned “alcohol immediately contributes to 100,000 most cancers circumstances and 20,000 associated deaths every year,” in response to the New York Occasions. He needs alcohol labels up to date to element the “heightened danger of breast most cancers, colon most cancers, and not less than 5 different malignancies” that come from consuming alcohol. Nonetheless, solely Congress could make these adjustments to warning labels. And, simply so we’re clear, these results come from reasonable ingesting, not simply extreme ingesting. Perhaps it is best to take into account extending your Dry January.
