A New Chief for SPD: The Seattle Police Department's new boss will be sworn into the role Friday. Shon Barnes is the former chief in Madison, Wisconsin, a much smaller city than Seattle with a police department half as big. He worked in Greensboro, N.C. as an officer and commander before that. Barnes, who has a doctorate in management and used to be a history teacher, could be a much-needed fresh perspective for our pals over at SPD. Or, at least that's what the public relations messaging says. As long as he doesn't allegedly harass women and have a secret affair with one of his underlings or bungle an entire protest response as his most recent predecessors did, Barnes may already be a step ahead.
Count Your Days, Tipsy Drivers: The bill that would lower the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit from .08 to .05 and reduce impaired driving deaths advanced out of Olympia's Senate Law & Justice Committee into the Senate Transportation Committee where lawmakers heard testimony Thursday. Next week the House Committee on Community Safety will vote on it. This is the third year the bill has been put forward. Each year, it dies. Will that happen this year? Stay tuned.
Snow???? According to KING5 the chances for lowland snow are growing. It seems like Sunday will be the best bet for any sort of Seattle snow. This won't be a legendary storm, but there should be some accumulation. Yesterday, Mudede told you about the poem Seattle snow reminds him of. It's not so highbrow for me. Snow in Seattle—like proper "strap your skis on and shred Queen Anne Hill" snow—feels like a Dr. Seuss book.
If You're a Visual Learner: Here's what the snow system looks like.
Resolution matters!
— Shannon O'Donnell (@ShannonODKOMO) January 31, 2025
A peek at various forecasting models for❄️on ground by noon Sunday:
1) American model, breaking terrain into 25km squares...blobby
2) European, 9km...better detail
3) Graf, 4km...nice focus that accounts for our complex marine/mountain locale
ALL show low ❄️. pic.twitter.com/Obpku1oO1U
Possible Filicide in Beacon Hill: Police have arrested a 29-year-old mother over suspicions she may have killed her 14-year-old son. Officers responded to a domestic violence call and found the boy with multiple injuries and unresponsive.
Light Rail Comes to Redmond: On May 10, downtown Redmond's two-station light rail segment will open. The stations mark the eastern terminus of Sound Transit's 2 line and the first completed part of ST3, the ballot measure passed nine years ago. As The Urbanist points out, the opening of these stations "sets the stage for the full extension of the 2 Line across Lake Washington into Seattle and up to Lynnwood." Sound Transit is still planning for that to happen in 2025, a timeline pushed back after construction issues led to delays.
The D.C. Plane Crash Dead: All 67 aboard both the American Airlines flight and the Army helicopter that collided Wednesday are dead. Among the passengers of the plane were 14 members of the figure skating community including two teenage skaters, their mothers, and their coaches. A group of hunters returning from a hunting trip perished as well. Parents, students, a group of union members, and two Chinese nationals were also killed. Here is footage of now-deceased 13-year-old Jinna Han skating,
Yesterday we lost so many bright talents, among them thirteen year old Jinna Han. Every testimony about Jinna regards her as a selfless, positive, and extremely hard working person. Jinna would’ve turned junior next season and we honour her and her immense talent today 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/PbUTyo2Ivt
— jr skaters archive (@jrskating) January 30, 2025
Meanwhile: Without a shred of evidence, Donald Trump blamed the crash on diversity initiatives. He then signed an executive order after the crash to "stop woke policies in federal aviation."
This is Journalism: Reporters pushed back on Trump's claims that diversity was to blame. You can read the full transcript here. Trump is a blowhard and his rhetoric, talking about how diversity inhibits "superior brainpower," is dangerous. It must be pushed back on, even if the people who most need to think critically about Trump and his actions, the Fox News acolytes, never will.
A quick check on how the FAA began a pilot program during Trump’s first term to hire air traffic controllers with the conditions that he criticized yesterday. pic.twitter.com/m0k4iAsq6s
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 31, 2025
Gird Yourself for Higher Prices: Trump said he will impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting Saturday.
Leadership Purge at FBI: Six senior FBI leaders were ordered to "retire, resign, or be fired." They must do so by Monday. The leaders ranked at the executive assistant director level or special agent in charge level. They oversee cyber, national security, and criminal investigations. The move caused consternation inside the bureau since none of these leaders were involved in investigating Trump for any of his various crimes. However, the ousting is part of a Trump plan to push out leaders promoted by the former FBI director, Christopher Way. The hundreds of agents who did investigate Trump and the Jan. 6 insurrection remain fearful that they will be next as Trump continues to deliver retribution to an organization that attempted to hold him accountable to the law.
Again, No Choice but to Stan: Costco, proving yet again it is a store for the people, will raise its wages for hourly workers in most US stores to $30. I say we should all have Costco hot dogs for lunch today.
Welsh Woman Harasses Boyfriend's Ex via Fart: A 25-year-old woman in Wales was sentenced to12 months of community service and a £100 fine after she sent multiple videos of herself smirking and farting—panning the camera down to her butt for the fart—to her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.
A Nirvana Reunion for Your Friday: Well, as much of a reunion as we'll ever get. The band played to raise money for Los Angeles fire relief.