On the waterfront: The contractor hired to rebuild Pier 58 is suing the City, claiming it never paid them for extra work done to accelerate construction. After months of back and forth this year, the City allegedly never delivered Pacific Pile and Marine a promised updated order that would allow it to bill them. That delay allegedly caused “irreparable damage” to the company, which is requesting a monthly 1% interest on the final cost of accelerated work. Pier 58 has been a troubling pier. It began to crumble into the Puget Sound in 2020, and during its demolition, imploded, sending workers and heavy machinery into the water below. Nobody died, but the workers did sue the City for negligence.
Upthegrove squeaks through: It appears Washington voters won’t have to choose between two Republicans for Commissioner of Public Lands this November. The unofficial results show that Democrat Dave Upthegrove took second place over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, and will advance to the general election against former Republican congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. The initial count found only 51 votes separated the two candidates. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is expected to certify the results today.
The library is fully operational: YAY! For the past four months, the Seattle Public Library has dealt with the aftermath of Memorial Day ransomware attack. Hackers took down its website, public computers, its loaning system, Wi-Fi, and e-book and audiobooks. The library kicked the Wi-Fi back on last month, and now public computers are back. It’s still working with forensic specialists to determine who launched the attack and the full extent of what the hackers got their hands on.
Today is the day: public computers, SPL Lockers, and Suggest a Title are back! That means that all of our services are back online and ready for you to use. Thank you for your patience, support and kind words this summer as we worked to restore our services. Welcome back! pic.twitter.com/ZmMXcoaICJ
— Seattle Public Library (@SPLBuzz) September 3, 2024
Auburn considering stricter homelessness ordinance: Under Auburn’s current homelessness ordinance, the City must provide at least 48 hours notice before trespassing someone, but the City is considering an amendment that would ban people from sleeping overnight in city areas and parks, Fox 13 reported. The City would also add a $1,000 fine for violations, which Mayor Nancy Backus acknowledged people would most likely not be able to pay. As a result, one fine could divert people to community court. Repeated offenses could land people in jail. Backus told the station that “jail may be the right answer for some” and called Auburn’s “tough love” approach compassionate. Auburn’s City Council is set to vote on the ordinance on September 16.
Boeing stocks tumbled: Boeing shares fell to their lowest value since November 2022 Tuesday after Wells Fargo analyst Matthew Akers downgraded the value of its stock from Equal Weight to Underweight—terms which describe how a stock is expected to perform relative to the market. Akers noted risk in the company’s grueling labor problems, decline in aircraft demand and design issues with its 777X jetliner and Starliner spacecraft, and recommended investors sell their stock. Boeing’s bad year and 38% stock plunge began this January when an improperly bolted door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines jet.
Emu on the loose: Puyallup area residents should keep an eye out for an enormous bird. It’s about 5’5” and resembles an ungroomed eyebrow on spindles. Her owner Rachelle Cassidy told King 5 she last saw the emu in her backyard on Friday, and strongly implied that someone must have let her out (emu do not have hands). So if you happen to see this emu on a hike or on the road, Cassidy published her number online. One ring and she’ll come get her.
Have you seen this emu? Bird reported missing from Puyallup area since Saturday https://t.co/YnRWpjNr6H
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) September 3, 2024
Illegal side hustle: Federal prosecutors accused Linda Sun, the former deputy chief of staff for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, of working as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government while holding jobs in New York state government. A federal indictment alleges Sun kept representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting New York state officials and shaped New York state messaging to align with the Chinese government’s priorities. In exchange, China allegedly provided the couple tickets to visiting Chinese ballet groups and orchestras, sent salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official’s private chef to Sun’s parents, and aided her husband Chris Hu’s business activities in China, which prosecutors say allowed the couple to buy a 2024 Ferrari and a condo in Hawaii.
Don’t trust AI on the presidential race: A Proof News analysis found that the AI models that tech companies swear up and down will reduce election misinformation regularly mix fact and fiction, responding to the nonprofit news studio's queries with false claims. Five of the largest AI models gave clear, accurate answers to just 70% of Proof's questions, on average. For example, Google's Gemini couldn’t produce clear answers about Harris’s racial background (she’s Black and Indian) and eligibility for office (she is), while OpenAI's GPT-4 falsely asserted that Harris voted in 2011 to cut Medicare, six years before she became a US Senator in 2017. When asked about the attempt on Trump’s life on July 13th, all five models tested denied it had happened.
Russian missile blast kills at least 50 Ukranians, wounds 271: The strike on a military institute in the town of Poltava is the single deadliest of the year so far, according to Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that the “Russian scum will definitely be held accountable for this strike.” The defense ministry said more people may still be trapped under rubble. Overnight, aerial strikes from Russia killed seven people in Lviv, a city ordinarily far from the fighting. The attacks came as Zelenskyy planned to reorganize his cabinet in an attempt to “bring a new energy” to his administration. At least six senior officials have tendered their resignations.
UK suspends some arms exports to Israel: The country suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licenses for Israel after a legal review found some exports carried the risk of being used to “commit or facilitate a serious violation” of the international humanitarian laws Israel claims not to be breaking. This is not an arms embargo and the UK is not one of Israel’s biggest suppliers–that would be us and Germany. But it is nonetheless a shift in UK foreign policy. Israel’s Prime Minister called the decision “shameful” and said it will embolden Hamas, while Amnesty International said the suspension is too weak, especially because it allows the country to sell F-35 jet components to Israel.
Meanwhile: Israeli attacks killed 42 and wounded 107 in the last 24-hour reporting period, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The campaign in the occupied West Bank entered its eighth day, where Israel has killed at least 33 Palestinians and wounded more than 100 more. In total, Israel has killed 40,681 Palestinaians and wounded 94,398 others since the Hamas-led attack on October 7 of last year.