At the very least, I hope they get to the bottom of whatever that was dripping down his face. Drew Angerer / Getty Images Staff
Gleeful popcorn eating dot gif. Bad news today for Rudy Giuliani, America’s used car salesman. The panel investigating the January 6 insurrection has subpoenaed him and a couple of his friends, including disguised clown Sidney Powell. If it was Trump getting this treatment, we could roll our eyes, knowing that he’ll just find a way to weasel his way out of any consequences; but Giuliani’s grift is clumsy enough he’ll probably incriminate himself even worse than Joss Whedon giving an interview to New York Magazine.
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Time to make bosses everywhere sweat. The Washington State Labor Council is currently accepting applications for an online crash course in running for office as a labor-friendly candidate. Classes will be held March 23 to 25, and will teach union members and community activists how to run a political campaign. Seats are limited.
Car talk. Incoming state Transportation Chair Marko Liias seems to be experiencing a fairly intensive traffic safety boot camp. Last week we published an interview in which he made some controversial remarks about traffic safety, and today he tweeted out that he just met with the head of the National Traffic Safety Board, who presumably had some THOUGHTS on the topic, lol. Look, we all share the same goals here — zero traffic injuries and fatalities — and while there may be a lot of different approaches to that destination it’s encouraging to see the right people talking to each other.
Thanks to Chair Homendy from the @NTSB for meeting with me yesterday! I was so excited to talk about the Safe System Approach and other ways we can improve our transportation infrastructure to meet #TargetZero. #WaLeg pic.twitter.com/ez8MohOeYD
— Sen. Marko Liias (@SenMarkoLiias) January 18, 2022
Make your movie in Washington state. Please? Washington’s film incentive program has been overshadowed by more tempting offers from Vancouver for decades, so it’s nice to see lawmakers at least TALKING about getting more productions into the state. A key grip is the person in charge of where everybody puts stuff, Senator.
Beyond that, mostly uneventful. Everyone seems supportive of Wellman’s bill to increase the incentive program from 3.5 million to 20 million (SB 5760) and Mullet thinks they can get this out of committee next week.
— Chase Burns (@chaseburnsy) January 18, 2022
Here’s Chase with a little more:
Maybe you, like us, have wondered why former Slogger-turned-bloggerstar Lindy West filmed and set her hit Hulu show Shrill in Portland, when it was so obviously based on her time working at The Stranger in Seattle? There’s an easy answer. It’s because Washington state offers shit incentives for film and TV productions, especially compared to our neighbors to our north and south. Oregon’s motion picture competitiveness program annually throws around $20 million. And in Vancouver, British Columbia, they’re playing with a limitless pot of cash. Meanwhile, in Washington, we’re stuck at $3.5 million. Sure, ours was nice when it started in the 2000s—filmmakers across the state described it as transformational—but it’s since become one of the smallest in the nation.
This year, Washington legislators say they’re ready to run with the best of them again. There are two companion bills from Democrats Rep. Riccelli and Sen. Wellman working through the House and Senate that would bump up our incentives to match Oregon’s, at $20 million—and they’ve already got bipartisan support. Initially unaware of Wellman’s bill, Republican Sen. Short also drafted a bill to increase Washington’s film incentives, and she and other Republicans now say they support the Democrats’ bills. Wellman’s Senate bill will likely make it out of committee before the end of January, so maybe one day soon we’ll see a TV show about The Stranger that’s actually set in Seattle.
Read more about what’s going down in Olympia from Rich here.
Go look at a tree. Today King County Parks launched a pretty nifty online tool that shows maps of their efforts to rehabilitate green spaces and improve equity. Highlights include Des Moines Creek Park, Eastrail (slated for completion in 2024), and Maury Island Marine Park (which grows by 15 acres this year), among others.
An environmental tip o’ the hat. The Sierra Club has honored Senator Mona Das and Rep Jessica Bateman for their work on enviro bills this session. The two are pushing legislation on issues ranging from housing to compost (which I guess is the same issue if you’re a worm).
We’re proud to honor @senmonadas and @jessdbateman with our 1st ever Environmental Champion of the Week award! They have been consistent champions in #WaLeg in building support for the policies we need to address our interconnected housing and climate crises. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/38Hx2Jz7pS
— Sierra Club Washington State (@SierraClubWASt) January 18, 2022
Speaking of worms … Try to contain your excitement, but SoilCon is coming in just a few short tasty weeks. An international online conference hosted by the Washington Soil Health Initiative, registration is now open.
Why is everyone so worked up about getting cars out of Pike Place Market? Well I mean just LOOK at this comparison. Come on, what are we waiting for! The kickoff meeting for greening downtown streets is tomorrow afternoon.
now, our market vs theirs. pic.twitter.com/H4FDeIHwkz
— Pushing The Needle (@pushtheneedle) January 18, 2022
That’s no cougar, that’s my wife. Big cat sightings around West Seattle were probably not a cougar, experts say. What was it, then? Hard to say, but maybe just a very large domestic cat, felis catus — you know, an endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature.
Who’s responsible for defacing the MLK mural? Here’s what the CD woke up to on MLK Jr. Day:
Yesterday while hundreds gathered at Garfield High School to uplift the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Someone vandalized the MLK mural on MLK and Cherry in the #CentralDistrict. This mural has been here for decades untouched. We discuss this more at 11am. #WWConverge pic.twitter.com/RhjyNRI87S
— Omari Salisbury (@Omarisal) January 18, 2022
Play safe. Planning to go out for some winter fun while the mountain snow lasts? Check out this online seminar about how to not die in wintery weather, hosted by Vive NW and the US Forest Service. You’ll learn how to drive safe on winter roads, what to pack in an emergency kit, permits for accessing natural areas, and more. Plus! A raffle to win a gift card! Well, I was interested when it was about not dying, but the gift card sealed the deal.
Make it so. There’s lots of Star Trek happening right now, with Discovery announcing a fifth season, Picard’s season 2 debuting on March 3, and Strange New Worlds dropping in May. Lower Decks is also getting a third season this summer, and Prodigy wraps up Season 1 over the summer. MORE TRIBBLES, PLEASE.
The @StarTrek Universe is boldly going into 2022 with a slew of exciting announcements, including release dates and season renewals for your favorite shows on @ParamountPlus! Learn more here: https://t.co/e09KcutQlT pic.twitter.com/YKZDADJnIQ
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) January 18, 2022
COVID tests! Get ’em here, but be careful typing in your address, renters:
This order page has been live for like 10 seconds and I’ve already heard from a friend who lives in a triplex that she and another unit can’t order tests, because the third unit in their triplex had already ordered first. So, three households, but only one order allowed. Cool.
— ✨taylor – she/her ✨ (@TaylorrObvi) January 18, 2022
