Seattle’s Iconic Gum Wall Gets Cleaned Up & More News

Since its construction in 1962 the Space Needle has been an icon of the future and technology in Seattle. According to CBS News Correspondent Ben Tracy, our city’s beloved landmark is getting a much needed upgrade into the modern era. Visitors can now login to a 20 foot long digital guestbook or take a selfie with a 3-D image of the Space Needle. A virtual reality experience of the “Halo Walk”, a view from 520 feet above Seattle, is currently in development. Michael Franz, the co-founder of Panog, the company spear heading the re-vamp, told CBS “We want to give people an experience of somewhere they can’t get.”

New legislation focusing on the housing needs of low income families was unanimously passed Monday by City Council members. According to Mayor Ed Murray “Private developers will build or contribute to affordable housing with every new apartment building or office building.” In opposition to the new ordinance is Roger Valdez of Smart Growth. He believes that this legislation may result in an increase in rent for those who do not qualify for affordable housing. Valdez explained to King5 News that “Every time you build another floor or more in a project in means additional construction costs; more materials, more labor, more time. Those additional costs have to be absorbed somewhere and usually they’re absorbed in additional rent.”

Crews began the process of cleaning the iconic Seattle gum wall Tuesday morning. According to Kirotv the cleaning will continue through Wednesday and Thursday. Much to the dismay of some long time Seattleites the decision was made due to potential damage to the bricks of the wall caused by sugars. However, citizens and tourists are encouraged to replenish the gum wall. “We love the gum wall and we want it to come back. It just seemed like a good time to let the wall re-emerge,” said Emily Crawford with Pike Place Market.

Seattle workers took to the streets Monday in support of better working conditions. The main objective of this march, according to Komo News was to encourage congress to pass a higher minimum wage. Traffic was halted as the demonstrators chanted their way down First Avenue holding signs demanding better hours and scheduling. Tyler Klein, a former Starbucks employee, spoke about his personal experience. “People are getting one to two days notice on their schedules changing sometimes- and that’s not acceptable. We have lives, too, and families that we need to take care of. We need to fight for better scheduling.” Similar protests were held in Olympia, Spokane, and Yakima.