A concept for a ‘car-free Aurora Avenue;’ the state predicts our current bad COVID wave will continue; mayoral candidate Lorena Gonzalez reveals her big homelessness strategy; the Kraken is born.

Seattle’s four decades as the ‘Hollywood of video games;’ how locals have long rebelled against public health directives; cultural leaders push back against Durkan’s latest Office of Arts & Culture appointment; Amazon’s workforce diversity’s still mostly at the bottom ranks.

Recalling a scandalous 1935 kidnapping case; 30 years of a Seattle ‘alternative’ institution; the city eviction moratorium’s extended until mid-January; no more ‘764-HERO’ (the phone hotline, not the local band).

Heatwave-decimated snowpacks on Mt. Rainier; King County to require vax proof for many indoor and outdoor public spaces; waiting for the big rain/wind storm to show up; Inscape art studios endangered.

Seattle’s ‘biggest band’ (by number of members) has never all met in person; COVID hospitalizations ‘level off’ at a still-too-high mark; big construction-workers’ strike starts; Macklemore’s golf-themed apparel brand has a pop-up store.

Montlake highway ‘lid’ project to get bigger in nine years; WA hits another cruel COVID mark with over 7,000 deaths; is Rep. Jayapal a cruel boss or a victim of sexist double standards?; how ‘hesitancy’ can be manipulated, exploited.

A Tacoma park’s old storybook statues are up for auction; Cafe Racer’s ready for its re-re-reopening; Microsoft’s keeping office workers at home for ‘the foreseeable future’; and, yes, there’s that grim anniversary.

New nonlinear film explores Billy Tipton’s life and secrets; hospitals overflow with COVID patients again, as local sports teams demand attendees be vaxed; Rep. Jayapal wants to declare Amazon an ‘illegal monopoly.’

Judge tosses shelters-and-sweeps charter amendment initiative; Seahawk-turned-doctor hospitalized with COVID, as cases exceed region’s hospital capacity again; Oly protest derides mask/vaccine mandates.

Rare/important John Coltrane Seattle live set unearthed; UW team predicts a not more US COVID deaths; trouble for Puget Sound’s underwater ‘forests;’ what the homeless crisis isn’t (or shouldn’t be) really about.

Mt. Rainier’s a lot less snowy and icy these days; state auditor’s office sez city’s ‘Black Brilliance Project’ grants were barely within the law; Portland police allowed far-right rally members to mostly just do their thing; 15 writers in search of Utopia.

Firefighters’ determination is visually captured; there was another far-right rally (and counter-rally) in Portland; hospital workers endure the current COVID explosion; remembering the good news behind much of the bad news.

Art-world celeb and UW grad Chuck Close dies; frustration among doctors, nurses as delta variant rages on; why encampment residents don’t want to move into shelters; Redhook (and the Seattle microbrew scene) turn 40.

Mudhoney bassist (and Harborview ER nurse) Guy Maddison tells COVID tales in a podcast; area health leaders blame public gatherings for COVID resurgence; Amazon now outsells Walmart (sort-of); Afghan refugees are headed our way.

New magic-themed bar prepares to open; Census data reveals how much we’ve grown around here; state Supreme Court rules in favor of vehicle dwellers; non-teaching Seattle school workers will need vaccines this fall.