Your Daily Guide

Data Centers, Buses, and Flips With Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck

Today we have an exclusive interview with Alexis Mercedes Rinck where we talk the latest on data centers, transportation, and of course, her friendship with Sal the Salmon.

• 📈 Data Center moratorium: Per the news that five large data centers are being considered for Seattle, Councilmember Rinck said that the city had received thousands of letters (81 thousand!) from concerned citizens. The most likely place a moratorium would come is from the City Light committee or the Land Use Committee.
• 🚌 Seattle Transit measure up for renewal: Councilmember Rinck says she would like to see the measure fund more bus service (currently the measure funds 55% of bus service) and return to pre-pandemic levels, and additionally, would like to see more county-wide bus options to help people who have moved outside the city commute for work.
• 🤸 Flip Your Trip (literally): If you haven’t seen the recent Flip Your Trip video where Councilmember Rinck and Sal discuss the updates on buses, it includes a pretty impressive cartwheel. But the original planned move was a lot more dangerous. Hear all about it on today’s podcast.

➕ WA to take legal action against ICE: Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown have filed a motion in federal court against Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Detention Facility for not allowing state health inspectors to enter the facility, despite a law allowing Department of Health inspects to enter private detention facilities. The Department of Health has received 3,500 complaints about the facility. [KING5]

🇵🇭 Seattle resident killed: 26-year-old Seattle resident and activist Kai Sorem was killed last week by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. At the time of her death, Sorem had moved to the Philippines to immerse herself with the rural population and help the peasants of the Philippines. Our contributor Guy Oron covered a vigil held at the Othello Playground last weekend and spoke with those who knew Sorem. [Seattle Times]

🚫 Trump admin denies aid: FEMA has denied WA state’s request for funding to help prepare for future flooding. The letter said it was ‘not warranted.’ Washington state has 30 days to appeal the decision. Governor Ferguson’s request for this funding cited the fact that a floodwall in Mount Vernon protected Everett from even worse flooding. [KUOW]