Teresa Mosqueda is running for King County Council District 8: The Seattle City Council Member wants to sit in the seat King County Council Member Joe McDermott plans to vacate at the end of this year. Read all about it here. If she wins, which, at the moment, seems like a pretty good bet, then the next council will appoint a replacement, who will serve until the 2024 general election. If she loses, then she keeps her own seat.

So far, only Council Members Tammy Morales and Andrew Lewis want to keep their jobs. The rest of the district members plan to leave, except for Dan Strauss, who hasn't made a public decision. Yesterday, he ignored my text asking about his plans, and I'll never forget that. 

Surprise, Bruce Harrell is upset about an encampment: KOMO says the Mayor is "ready to go to Olympia" about an encampment under the Ship Canal Bridge on WSDOT property. The neighbors are upset, and they're *this* close to getting it: "Residents speculate that the encampment grew in part after the city's removal of the longtime Woodland Park encampment." Hmmmmmm! It's as if sweeping homeless people simply uses the state's monopoly on violence to aimlessly push people up and down streets... I guess there's nothing we can do except hire more police officers to push poor people around and watch as the Parks Department trashes their few remaining possessions. 

Have you sampled The Stranger's food issue yet? Do yourself a favor and eat and/or drink everything on these lists. 
 
I'm not really a dog guy, but the photos in this Seattle Times story look like stills out of a lifetime movie that would shatter me. On Wednesday, Seattle firefighters responded to a fire at The Dog Resort in Lake City. Medics took four injured dogs to a veterinary hospital, while others ended up in boarding facilities or reunited with their owners. In one of the photos, two firefighters give a husky oxygen while a goldendoodle appears to look concerned. 
Ban right on red: Lawmakers in Olympia are talking about doing it near "schools, parks, libraries, and senior centers," KING 5 reports. Bike and pedestrian advocates say one in five collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians happen in intersections. The bill language includes no information on penalties. If this passes, it'll be interesting to see who cops bust for it—and how, and how often. Hopefully they can enforce this rule with traffic cameras instead. 
 
Cuts at REI: The Washington-based outdoor store laid off 167 people based in Kent, which amounts to 8% of its corporate workforce, according to MyNorthwest. CEO Eric Artz told employees the layoffs were "organizational changes ... to focus resources on areas of highest impact." If someone said that to me I'd scream. 
 
Witchcraft: This morning, Punxsutawney Phil climbed out of his tree stump at Gobbler's Knob and witnessed his shadow falling before him, portending six more weeks of winter. Though I don't normally trust rodents to be honest about the weather, this one might be right this time. After an unseasonably dry January here in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Times expects the monocloud to move in on Friday afternoon and drizzle on us for a week. Better catch that green comet while you can. 
 
 
At least Phil made it out alive: Quebec's equivalent to Punxsutawney Phil, Fred la marmotte, died before his morning debut, "casting a shadow on Groundhog Day," according to the CBC. The whistle-pig likely died during hibernation, said Roberto Blondin, who runs Quebec's show. "In life, the only thing that's certain is that nothing is certain. Well, this year it's true. It's true and it's unfortunate. I announce to you the death of Fred," he said before the crowd this morning. 
 
Sen. Patty Murray among those trying to avoid a "spending train wreck" in DC: The New York Times profiles the women leading congressional spending committees. Murray told the Times that the lawmakers "often think of our families in our communities," and that she sees "the appropriations as an opportunity for women to really work on making sure their country is OK. Are we investing adequately in those places that help ensure that our grandkids have those communities?” Alright! 
 
Yes, yes. More, more! Former South Carolina Governor and former United Nations Ambassador (lol I forgot about that) Nikki Haley will very likely finally announce her decision to run for President on the Republican ticket. According to the BBC, Trump blessed her run, saying, "Look, you know, go by your heart." Tim Scott, a Senator from South Carolina, is also considering a run. 
 
Capitalism, baby!
 

US expands empire, beats war drum for China: The Philippines will allow the US military to use four more of its bases in case China invades Taiwan and we want to, uh, go to war with China over that violation of sovereignty and our interest in semiconductors something something democracy, according to the New York Times. Though the US maintains a "strategic ambiguity" approach to war with the rising super-power over this issue, President Biden keeps publicly saying we'd "intervene" even though all we'd legally need to do is arm the Taiwanese. If you're a podcast person, I found this Ezra Klein Show episode with Jessica Chen Weiss and this American Prestige episode helpful in thinking about this. 

Hunter Biden goes on the attack: I have never read a single story about Hunter Biden because I could not give a single fuck, but I love when someone goes on the attack, so I clicked on this report from the Washington Post. I regret it. His lawyer sent a bunch of letters asking other lawyers to investigate a computer store owner and the right-wing operatives who spread images, emails, videos, and other stuff that may or may not have originated from a lap top that Biden may or may not have dropped off at a computer shop in Delaware when he was zooted out of his mind. His lawyer also wants Tucker Carlson to issue a retraction for spreading false statements.

Justice for Alicia Day: Russian authorities in Moscow arrested the New Jersey vegetarian for walking a cow named "Doctor Cow" through Red Square, shouting "animals are not food," and allegedly resisting arrest, Politico reports. A court fined her about $280. 

Ukraine thinks Russia will launch "major new offensive" soon: In a couple weeks, Russia's war in Ukraine will turn one year old, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov thinks Putin will use the occasion to hit the country harder than he's already been hitting it, according to Al Jazeera. That said, the Russians have less sentimental reasons for a renewed push; longer-range bombs from the US and other weapons President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested will arrive shortly.

Let's end AM with "Anchin Kfu Ayinkash" from Hailu Mergia and Dahlak Band. It's going to put you right where you need to be.Â