Renton’s minimal mistake: In keeping with the Elevate The Wage Renton marketing campaign, the Metropolis of Renton calculated the 2025 minimal wage incorrectly. Renton billed the brand new wage at $20.90 per hour, utilizing a 3% improve from 2024’s wage. Seems, they used the fallacious proportion as a result of they weren’t calculating the rise on the right progress charge. They wanted to spice up the wage by 4%. With this transformation, Renton minimal wage staff would make $21.10 per hour.
Mild rail strikes man in wheel chair: The sunshine rail struck a 67-year-old man in a wheel chair whereas he crossed the rails between Othello and Columbia Metropolis stations. He’s in severe situation. As King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay mentioned in a tweet, “the overwhelming majority of pedestrian and car collisions within the Sound Transit system happen in South Seattle.” The one elements of the sunshine rail system are at-grade (immediately on avenue degree) are in South Seattle. An at-grade system will increase the chance for collisions, be it with automobiles or pedestrians.
Neglect the EV future: The Trump administration will make it more durable for electrical car (EV)-usage to broaden throughout the nation. The administration introduced it could block $5 billion in Biden-era federal funds for putting in EV chargers and creating an EV charging community throughout the nation. In Washington, meaning the $71 million in grant cash earmarked to construct chargers alongside Interstate 5 and different highways will not see the sunshine of day. You’d assume with Elon Musk, the person who popularized EVs together with his shitty little Teslas, can be all for EV growth. However, seemingly, Musk—whose automobiles solely run on Tesla-specific chargers—needs to impede competitors.
In the meantime, in Idaho: The legislature is making an attempt to make dying by firing squad the de facto execution methodology within the state due to its fast effectivity and certainty. Um, no matter you say, Idaho Home Republicans, who handed it by means of to the state Senate. All 9 Home Democrats opposed the invoice. Solely 5 states enable execution by firing squad, nevertheless it isn’t the first dying penalty methodology in any of these states. There are at the moment 9 folks on dying row in Idaho.
Extra in Idaho: The Idaho legislature can also be contemplating a invoice that can make abortion medicine labeled as a managed substance. If handed, this may imply abortion tablets must be locked up in hospitals and an information base would maintain an inventory of people that prescribe or take the tablets, that means extra surveillance for abortions. Texas is contemplating comparable laws. It is already in impact in Louisiana.
Talking of Abortion: I extremely suggest you learn “Abortion, Each Day,” a e-newsletter about all of the methods reproductive well being is underneath assault on this nation.
Have You Voted? Election day is on Tuesday, February 11, so dig that poll out of your pile of unpaid payments, take a look at our voter information, and get to it.
Congrats to Amazon: Wow, good job, quarterly income exceeded $20 billion for the primary time. It’s so good they’ve all that cash to allow them to proceed to do good issues like *checks notes* fully change human habits and switch us all into delinquent slaves to comfort whereas making wealthy males richer and altering the make-up of the cities they inhabit.
Brrrrr: My sources say it’s frigid on the market this morning. The roads are seemingly frozen over with pesky black ice. Sit back when you’re on the roads. Emergency extreme climate shelters are nonetheless open if you do not have anyplace heat to be.
NCAA kowtows to Trump: On Thursday, the NCAA banned trans-women from competing in school sports activities, a transfer made within the wake of Trump’s govt order directing the withdrawal of federal funding from establishments permitting trans-athletes to compete in athletics. Beforehand, the NCAA left the choice about whether or not trans-athletes might compete as much as particular person sports activities’ governing our bodies. Not any longer. In keeping with the president of the NCAA, final 12 months “there have been fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the many 500,000-plus college students who play N.C.A.A. sports activities.” Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t coverage to guard girls and women and their athletic pursuits. That is harming a small minority for political acquire.
Russ Vought to Lead Workplace of Administration and Funds: The lead architect of Undertaking 2025 “who detailed how the price range company might be used to withhold cash appropriated by Congress and get rid of dissent inside companies by purging them of staff” was simply accepted by the Senate in a 53-47 vote. Vought has referred to as the OMB the “nerve middle” to make sure Trump’s insurance policies are enacted by means of authorities companies, in response to nineteenth Information.
Sawant Denied Indian Visa: Former Seattle Metropolis Councilmember Kshama Sawant is reportedly unable to go to India to go to her sick mom as a result of the Indian consulate will not grant her a visa. Sawant has utilized and been rejected for a visa thrice. She mentioned the consulate instructed her she is on a “reject record.” Sawant, a socialist, has been outspoken about India’s Narendra Modi-led authorities and its insurance policies. In 2023, whereas on the council, Sawant proposed a profitable decision outlawing caste discrimination.
Pressured Depart at USAID: Musk and Trump’s gutting of the U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement—the largest supply of overseas help donations on this planet—continued Friday. Of the round 8,000 direct hires and contractors working for USAID—5,000 of whom are overseas—the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) will solely maintain 300 employed. The Trump administration gave USAID staff overseas 30 days to pack up and return again to the US. The federal government will foot the relocation prices by means of these 30 days, however not after. Will the US nonetheless dole out overseas help? Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned help will proceed “however it’s going to be overseas help that is sensible and is aligned with our nationwide curiosity.” In an administration that appears to be bursting on the appears with white nationalists and racists, I do not even need to contemplate what “our nationwide curiosity” means nowadays.
Oh, possibly that is “our nationwide curiosity?” Trump imposed sanctions on the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC) as a result of the ICC is investigating Israel for genocide and has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The sanctions impose journey bans for ICC officers, their family, and anybody who helped with ICC investigations. They may additionally affect the ICC’s technical and IT features and have a chilling impact on victims of atrocities’ willingness to return ahead. The United Nations is asking Trump to reverse these sanctions.
A Scandal in Italy: An Italian radiologist is underneath investigation for taking his injured cat into work throughout off-hours and administering a CAT scan after which performing a small surgical procedure to empty fluid from her lungs. “If I hadn’t achieved every little thing I might…and my cat had died, I might by no means have been capable of forgive myself, significantly as my kids adore her,” he mentioned. The hospital mentioned he might face expenses for “losing public cash and depriving sufferers of important providers.”
A tune to your Friday: That is one among my favorites off of Thunderpussy’s latest album. Listening to it after being within the unhealthy information trenches seems like a salve. A minimum of in unhealthy occasions there’ll all the time be artwork. Proper? Effectively, we’ll see what occurs to free speech.
