🐋 Why are whales dying here?

Thursday, April 23

Hey Seattle! Liam here. Did you miss me? I missed you. And I missed Seattle during my week away. Glad to be back, because we’re in the final stretch of our spring membership campaign and I really think you (yeah, you!) should become a Neighbor today.

One of my favorite things about living here is that everyone has their favorite spot you may have never heard of before. It could be a place where you can find new board games to play with your family (I have an 8-year-old now and we’re finally playing games, so thank you, Blue Highway Games in Queen Anne!) or a spot to hang and listen to music (Kid A with top-notch speakers and NO ONE TALKING??! Love you, Shibuya HiFi).

Hearing about and checking out these spots changes our lives and makes us a part of the different areas of Seattle we may not always experience. And you can help us find a new spot to love as a City Cast Seattle Neighbor! Neighbors get the chance to shout out a local business, nonprofit, or person doing something great. Then, we’ll share it in the newsletter and on the podcast. It’s a simple way to shine a light on what makes your city special.

Our neighbor Nancy recommends Friends of the Seattle Public Library, a fantastic gift shop with friendly staff, and all sales benefit the library. Check it out at friendsofspl.org. I personally want to do everything I can to support my beloved library.

Today’s Must-Know

Someone’s hand holds up a sign in the shape of a whale’s tail that says save the whales

This is how we’re all feeling in the City Cast Seattle “office.” (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Warming Oceans Means Less Whales and More Sea Lions

We have some good news and some bad news about Puget Sound. The good news is we got some sea lions hanging around in Ballard. The (very) bad news is that we could set a record for whale deaths in the region. The reason in both cases? You guessed it: ocean warming.

Thirteenth dead whale found: Last year, WA state set a record for 18 dead whales found along our coast or within Puget Sound, and we’ve already discovered 13 this season, which usually peaks in June. The whales have been returning from their winter mating season in Mexico, and are dying from starvation, which means they didn’t get enough food in Alaska and the Arctic Circle, which is being warmed by climate change. [KING 5]
Why are there so many sea lions? While the whales are heading home from their mating season, a large group of sea lions has parked themselves in Ballard to feed and bulk up before heading down to Mexico and California for mating season. As the water warms, more sea lions are heading north and hanging out here. That could attract more orcas to the region, as well as tourists, all good for the local economy. [FOX 13]
What to do: If you see a dead whale, don’t touch it. Contact the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 1-866-767-6114 to report any dead, injured, or stranded animals. Read more here.

What Seattle’s Talking About

🏫 DOJ to investigate UW: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into UW’s ‘handling of antisemitism.’ In a tweet/X post in which she announced the investigation, Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon connected it to an off-campus event put on by a group the university is no longer affiliated with: Super UW. The university has already established a campus-wide civil rights training after being accused of allowing antisemitism on campus. [KUOW]

An image of the W at the UW campus with the sun gleaming on it from behind

The DOJ is investigating UW’s handling of antisemitism. (Karina Matias / City Cast Seattle)

⚕️Families sue WA State: Families of children with developmental disabilities have brought a class action suit against Washington State for not giving their children adequate nursing and care services. Washington compensates parents only if their children are over 18, not under. The state attorney general’s office and Health Care Authority have not commented. [Washington State Standard]

🪱 Will Bait Shop leave? The nautical-themed Bait Shop has to move because the building is being demolished for a mixed-use residential apartment building and retail space. Hopefully, it can stay on Capitol Hill, as the owner is “trying to kind of serve the community; the kind where we can all just do our little weird things in a little weird space.” [The Stranger]