Slog AM at The Stranger: Grump's No Good Day, Etc.

Slog AM: Grump's No Good Day, Etc, The Stranger

My go-to source for a local news perspective, at least since 2018 when the Seattle Times endorsed bigot homophobe Dino Rossi. (During the Trump era, no less!) The Times judgement has always been cowed by corporate rule and a stodgy conservatism, and an obstacle to liberal progress in Seattle. Not my first time giving up on them in frustration. And this isn't to suggest The Stranger doesn't have some annoying tics and limitations of its own. Dan Savage's snark and fondness for curse words are pervasive elements of style at the weekly paper and at times wearying and distracting. And I wish The Stranger could call out the hypocrisies and elite bias in Seattle's ruling institutions without the petty name-calling, even if the police and big business often resort to the same or even start it.  

And so another hot take from Okay Boomer, I know. Anyway, their Stranger Election Control Board reports are not to be missed.

And The Stranger's morning newsletter, Slog AM, works for me. They can be funny, if a little hit and miss, based on the flow of breaking news that day and the mood of the reporter. But this one, Friday, 5/31, Nathalie Graham on the beat, is a doozie and as good as any to share. Highlights: 

• First POTUS to be convicted as felon in American history: "Mother Theresa couldn't beat these charges," exclaims a punchdrunk and notably disheveled Trump. 
• SPD cop that ran over pedestrian in 2023 was previously fired by the Tucson, AZ police department after five internal investigations. 
• SPS is set to close 20 schools but doesn't appear to have a very clear idea why or how they propose to do it. Note: In the middle '00s the District came to a similar conclusion. They needed to shutdown and sell-off a bunch of school buildings because of declining enrollment but then reversed the decision and were expanding again by 2010. If nothing else, let's just say maybe SPS needs better long-term number-crunching planners? 
• Dave Reichert, Repug candidate for Gov, showed up to an interview with the Seattle Times wearing a gun on his hip. He said he was packing because he doesn't like the Seattle Times. I don't either but this is a crazy violent fascist stunt and I hope most people, the electorate, have enough common sense to know this is NOT the way we want to go. Please don't bring your guns to town!
• Includes video of 12 year-old Spelling Bee champ spelling 29 hilariously obscure and un-pronounceable words in 90 seconds. More impressive than AI!

And there's more. Check it out.