Mad That We Didn't Get the Storm We Were "Promised"? Are your lights on this morning? Is your water safe to drink? Are most of the trees around your home still standing? Great! Enjoy your stockpiles of wine and coconut water and stop complaining.
Because Weather Forecasting Is an Imperfect Science: Although the storm largely missed Western Washington, Seattle still had record rainfall on Thursday and Friday with some strong winds. "Weâre not happy with how the forecast turned out, but weâre happy we didnât get too much damage, and people took our message seriously and were prepared for the storm," Dana Felton, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, told KOMO.
What Does Weather Fanboy Cliff Mass Have to Say About It? "This was not a failure so much of the models, but of communication of uncertainty. My profession has to stop providing the worst case or most probable weather evolution, but provide society with full probabilistic guidance. ... The media, such as the Seattle Times and several TV stations, were happy to hype up the storm because of all the interest in such events," he wrote on his blog.
The Seattle Times Says Yes to Statewide Living Wage: Initiative 1433, which will be on your ballot (mailed out Friday, Oct. 21!), seeks to increase Washington's minimum wage from $9.47 to $13.50. Currently, the Times notes, about 730,000 workers currently earn the state minimum wage. "If a worker didnât take a single hour of vacation in a year, theyâd earn $19,697, which is below the poverty line for a family of three," the editorial board notes. "I-1433 is a big experiment. But for the sake of hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers, Washington should give it a try."
Speaking of Endorsements: The Stranger Election Control Board's general election endorsements are coming out on Wednesday! We spent hours locked in a carpet-walled conference room, so for the love of god, please read them and VOTE.
Bernie Sanders Booed at Rally for Pramila Jayapal: The Vermont senator's fans weren't particularly pleased when he publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. When Sanders attended a rally for Jayapal, Berners were still upset. "At one point during Sanders' speech, as referenced the 'rigged economy,' someone shouted 'they rigged you!'" Heidi Groover reported.
A Better Approach to Keeping Kids out of the Justice System: Rimon, 15, had never been arrested when he was brought in for stealing some shoes and a cellphone from another teen. Because of this, King County prosecutor Jimmy Hung saw a unique opportunity. Hung didn't want Rimon to serve two years in jail and then a "lifetime of notifying potential employers, landlords and schools of his status as a felon," the teen would go through a restorative justice program, he told The Seattle Times. Instead, Hung recommended that the county try an alternative approach: "a series of intensive conversations, family-counseling sessions and self-reflection aimed at altering his understanding of himself and his crime." For Rimon, it was a success. Let's hope this model is adopted elsewhere, too. Read the rest of story here.
Get Ready for More Traffic in Downtown: Specifically around Denny Way and Minor Avenue as Seattle City Light prepares to construct the Denny Substation, an electrical utility. The project, which costs more than $200 million, is underway to provide reliable light service as Seattle's population continues to boom, KING 5 reports.
Did You Miss KUOW's Radio Special on The Jungle? You don't want to miss the culmination of reporters Joshua McNichols' and Kate Walters' excellent reporting on life and eviction from Seattle's most infamous tent encampment. Listen to it here.
On Reproductive Justice and Women's Rights: Journalist Brie Ripley discusses that and more as she documents her struggle to convince a doctor to sterilize her in her radio documentary "Tie My Tubes." If you missed the live broadcast on Hollow Earth Radio this weekend, you can listen to the first episode here.
