Whoa, bare minimum alert: Seattle Police Department commanders recommended discipline for Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer, who laughed and joked about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student struck and killed by a speeding police officer. The commanders recommended SPD Chief Adrian Diaz suspend Auderer without pay for 30 days or fire him. In the recommendation, they said Auderer's explanation for the incident didn't "excuse the callousness of your comments... nor does it explain your full-bellied laughter." As a reminder, Auderer said Kandula was "just 26" and "had limited value" so the city should "just write a check." Diaz will hold a disciplinary hearing for Auderer on March 4. Maybe I'm a cynic, but given how consequences seem to slip off cops like water off a duck's back, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for adequate justice here.Â
No trains again: The Amtrak route between Seattle and Portland shut down for a second weekend in a row due to “previous weather events causing an unforeseen track closure," according to the Seattle Times.Â
More train problems: If you're trying to take the light rail between University Street and Capitol Hill stations, forget about it. According to a Sound Transit alert, "shuttle buses will be replacing the 1 line... until further notice."Â
Refugees living in Kent hotel face eviction: Earlier this month, during a cold snap, 90 migrant families from Venezuela, some of whom lived in tents outside a church, relocated to the Quality Inn, a family-run business in Kent. The $3 million in funding the King County Council secured for hotel rooms for the migrants back in December didn't cover the Quality Inn rooms. According to the owner, they have been housing the migrants for three weeks without asking for any payment, expecting lawmakers to step up and cover the bill. Without any additional funding for the rooms, the Inn's owners will evict the migrant families on Tuesday.Â
The calm before the atmospheric river: Today should be dry, cloudy, and 60 degrees. Tuesday and Wednesday? That's another story completely. Another atmospheric river will hit then. Wear your goulashes. Gear up with gore tex.Â
Dems call for ceasefire: The central committee for the Washington State Democrats passed a ceasefire resolution over the weekend. Â
BREAKING: the Washington State Democrats central committee just passed a resolution, 75-54, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. @PattyMurray, @RepAdamSmith, @MariaCantwell, the world —- and now your state party —- is watching. https://t.co/FxvHMsWqWU pic.twitter.com/Ki6qJ9wXF9
— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) January 28, 2024
Israel accuses UN workers of helping with Hamas attack: An Israeli document claimed 12 United Nations employees working for a UNWRA, an agency that employs 30,000 people who aim to help Palestinian refugees, participated in the Oct 7 attack. Without evidence, the document stated, "Seven stormed into Israeli territory, including two who participated in kidnappings." The UN fired nine of the 12 named workers and froze funding for UNWRA, an organization which is "a lifeline for desperate Palestinians in Gaza," according to the Associated Press. Israel and UNWRA have had a tense relationship for years.Â
An Olympic disqualification:Â Two years after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Russia will lose its gold medal in the figure skating team event because the Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualified Russian skater Kamila Valieva for doping. Valieva, 15, tested positive for a banned heart medication hours before she competed. Since the US won silver in the event, the team has now won gold by default.Â
Look at the sky:Â Did you catch a glimpse of the glorious sunrise this morning?Â
Monday mornings aren’t always so bad pic.twitter.com/fxmIipgtVT
— Seattle Weather Blog (@KSeattleWeather) January 29, 2024
Missing woman just stuck on gondola: While on a ski trip with friends in Lake Tahoe, California, a woman hitched a ride on a gondola down the mountain instead of skiing the rest of the slope herself. She never showed up. Her friends reported her missing. The next day—15 hours later—when the gondolas started running again, she showed up again. She'd been stuck on the gondola, fighting the cold, screaming for help until she lost her voice, swaying on a cable, through the night.Â
Sorry, Seahawks fans: Unfortunately, the wretched San Francisco 49ers will play in the Super Bowl this year. (I'm told Seahawks fans abhor the Niners.) With any luck they will lose horribly and embarrassingly to the Kansas City Chiefs. Will that make things better for you, sweet sweet 12s? No? Nothing can fill your hungry hearts?
Want to feel scared? Try this New York Times quiz to see if you can tell which faces are real people and which are AI-generated. I scored a 60%.Â
E. Jean Carroll wins $83 million:Â The writer who Donald Trump sexually assaulted won her defamation trial against the former president. A jury awarded Carroll $65 million in punitive damages and $18.3 million in compensatory damages for defamatory statements. Trump said he'll appeal the decision. "I think they said 'enough,'" Carroll said of the jury's decision. "Enough saying horrible, slimy, terrible things about me."
More neighborhood cafes? A bill in the Legislature would change zoning laws in all Washington cities and towns "to permit the operation of a neighborhood cafe in a residential zone, regardless of whether the zone allows other business uses." That would mean more little pop-ups on neighborhood streets since, in this case, cafe means any business offering "a limited menu of food." Little shops near your home? A place for a bite within walking distance? Somewhere to stop in for a brew and then take it for a stroll? Think of the texture, the quirk. I want that! Â
A song for your Monday:Â We would all benefit from starting our week with a little Robyn.Â
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