Museums’ reckoning, locally at the Burke

Real Change
West Seattle Bridge on schedule, according to SDOT

By Samira George | July 28, 2021

City officials will not expand vehicle access ahead of repairs

On July 21, the Seattle Department of Transportation held a public Zoom meeting about the repair effort of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge, and more than 250 community members joined. The meeting also included information regarding use of the lower Spokane St. Swing Bridge, various transportation projects under way in King County and a period of public comment. ...
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Real Change
Medicare for All gaining grassroots traction

By Hannah Krieg | July 28, 2021

In January, Ricky Dunlop and Shareef Snuggs held signs on the streets of Queens, just the two of them, advocating for Medicare for All. According to Dunlop, their efforts came when Sen. Bernie Sanders’ loss in the 2020 Democratic primary appeared to squash hopes for universal health care and when COVID-19 ravaged the globe. Dunlop said the issue could not wait for another candidate like Sanders to bring the topic back to the forefront. ...
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Real Change
4 shootings Sunday | Public health officials rerecommending masks

By Samira George | July 28, 2021

4 shootings Sunday

On July 25, four unrelated shootings killed five people and wounded nine in and around Seattle’s downtown between 1:40 and 4:40 a.m, according to Mayor Jenny Durkan. The shootings took place in the Belltown, Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. ...
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City primary: Incumbents, personalities and populists vie for attorney and council seats

By Hannah Krieg | July 28, 2021

Seattle voters have one week left to submit their ballots for the 2021 primary election. While the mayoral race following Mayor Jenny Durkan’s controversial one-term incumbency has caught the attention of voters and many, many candidates, there are plenty of other important races to follow. Here’s what’s on your ballot for city attorney and the two citywide council seats.

Attorney ...
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Real Change
Amazon’s new boss, same as the old boss: Union voices on Bezos and Andrew Jassy

By Hannah Krieg | July 21, 2021

On July 5, exactly 27 years after starting what would become the world’s largest online retailer, Jeff Bezos stepped down as the CEO of Amazon, though he will continue to have major influence as the executive chair of Amazon’s board of directors. Andy Jassy, who joined Amazon in 1997 when it had just over 600 employees, will now lead the e-commerce giant’s more than 1.29 million employees. ...
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Libraries are opening up for new stories and returning patrons

By Samira George | July 21, 2021

Out of 27 Seattle Public Library branches that can be found in the city, 22 have reopened. Seattle Public Library Head of Communications Laura Gentry explained the goal is to have as many libraries as possible open with pre-pandemic operating hours ahead of the new school year. Currently, hours of operation vary from location to location, which is something Gentry attributes to low staffing numbers due to budget cuts. ...
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Emergency heat and wildfire regulations | Wildfire smoke rules

By Samira George | July 21, 2021

Emergency heat and wildfire regulations

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has adopted new emergency rules that will be in effect each year May through September to protect workers in agriculture, construction and other outside jobs from exposure to extreme heat. New wildfire smoke regulations will remain in effect for the rest of the fire season. ...
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Real Change
Regional primary: Narrowing in on Seattle and King County executive races

By Hannah Krieg | July 21, 2021

Newspapers have made their endorsements, ballots have hit mailboxes and pretty soon, campaign yard signs will start to lose some diversity. Local primaries are here, and there’s a lot going on: The King County executive race is seeing its first well-funded challenger in 12 years; two citywide council seats are up for grabs; the Seattle mayor is vacating and city attorney is being challenged from both the left and right. ...
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‘Return’ to art with the first Real Change zine

By Ainsley Meyer and Ari Shirazi | July 21, 2021

During a time when it seemed things might not return to any semblance of normalcy, it felt important to give the Real Change community a reminder of light at the end of the tunnel — and to imagine moving past simply surviving toward something greater and well deserved. ...
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Real Change
Museums’ reckoning, locally at the Burke

By Samira George | July 14, 2021

Museum curators worldwide are deliberating over what to do with controversial artifacts and sensitive materials, such as human remains, that under today’s lenses would be deemed unethical to display. Peter Lape, an anthropology professor at the University of Washington and archaeology curator at its Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, said this is an ongoing conversation among museum workers in Seattle, especially within the walls of natural history museums. ...
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