New Police Hire, Soaring Travel Costs & More
The top Seattle news stories you should be reading today
By Alene Bouranova June 17, 2015
New Police Hire: The Seattle Police Department has hired community leader Habtamu Abdi as a civilain liaison between the department and the city’s East African community. Abdi was chosen out of close to 300 applicants to reconnect the department with the East African population. “I want him to foster relationships and trust within our very large East African community,” said Deputy Chief Carmen Best. “We hope to have a police department that reflects the community that we serve.” Read the full story here.
Bad News for Tourists: TripAdvisor named Seattle as the most expensive U.S. city to visit this summer, reports Globe Newswire. The travel site’s annual TripIndex Cities report compares travel costs for key domestic and international tourist cities; Seattle came out as the priciest U.S. destination (beating even New York!) with a whopping $1,300 expected cost for a three-day trip for two. At least this should keep Pike Place less crowded this summer, right..?
Higher Ferry Fees: Washington State Ferries officials are proposing increased travel fares, says the Associated Press. Officials are proposing a 2.5% fare increase for vehicles and a 1% increase for passengers in order to generate enough funds for the 2015-17 ferry budget. Public meetings about the proposal will be held in July; if approved, the proposal will become official in August.
Seriously Toxic Shellfish: This year’s toxic algae bloom could be the largest poison shellfish bloom ever recorded on the West Coast, says the Seattle Times. The Pacific Ocean algae bloom stretches all the way from California to Canada, shutting down both commercial and recreational shellfish harvests along the way. Scientists expect unusually high temperatures could be contributing to this year’s staggering effects. Read the full story here.
Lawsuit Settled: The Seattle Police Department has agreed to pay almost $2 million to settle an excessive force lawsuit. SPD is paying Nathaniel Caylor $1.975 million for a suit against officers Eugene Schubeck and Don Leslie over a 2009 shooting that resulted in Caylor’s injury. Read the full story here.
Follow Us
Studio Sessions: Jade Solomon Curtis
With an interest in how bodies retain memory, emotion, and experience, the award-winning choreographer and interdisciplinary artist Jade Solomon Curtis presents an immersive work at Seattle’s historic Union station.
Discover choreographer Jade Solomon Curtis and her immersive dance installation, Keeper of Sadness, at Seattle’s historic Union Station this August.
Northwest Tune-Up Bike and Music Festival Brings Big Air and Loud Sets to Bellingham
The three-day festival celebrates its fifth year with bike competitions and a genre-spanning music lineup—plus one unforgettable band of mummies.
If I were to summarize the sensation of attending Northwest Tune-Up, Bellingham’s three-day bike and music festival, in one image, it would be watching Tomomi Nishikubo—a Japanese street trials biker—doing acrobatic acts of derring-do on his bike while Seattle rockers Thunderpussy shred in the distance. My second lasting impression of the festival would be rounding…
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…