u/TVDinner360

I mean, surely you’ve heard the “arp arp arp” echoing around the isthmus for the past week or so. My only request is can we give it either a gender-neutral or female name? I’m so tired of the default assumption of animals being masculine. As far as I know we don’t know the sea lion’s gender, and this hungry beast could just as easily be a queen as a king in there, snarfing up all the salmon.

Please put your suggestions in the comments and upvote your favorites. If I get my act together, I’ll update the post on Monday with a winner. That “if” is carrying a lot of weight here. No promises. I got grass to touch.

I found this wonky article about how WSDOT has been building under- and overpasses for wildlife really interesting and thought others might, too. Careful planning over several years has resulted in significantly expanding habitat for many species.

This is the kind of dedicated, unglamorous work state employees do day in and out, year in and out. It makes a real difference. I hope they win a fair contract.

As a bonus, it’s really worth clicking through to the author’s story about rescuing a domestic cat he spotted on a wildlife cam living in a wildlife crossing area. Scroll to the bottom for that.

Consider applying to join Intercity Transit’s Community Advisory Committee

TLDR: should improve on-time reliability of existing routes. No route changes.

TLDR: sediment samples for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project

I was curious and thought others might be too

This was posted to the city’s website, and I thought it was interesting enough that you guys might want to read it. I have no idea if the mayor is on Reddit, so if you have comments for him, his email address is posted on the website.

Please be civil. Being the mayor is supposed to be a part time gig, but it’s a lot more than that, and it’s often a thankless one. Whether you agree or not, he’s a human being who’s working to serve his community.

Hi neighbors! Women, trans people, gender non-conforming, 2-spirit and femmes are welcome to this class on learning how to do an ABC quick check on your bike for safety. Tap or click through to learn more.

I made the transition from vegetarian (37 years) to fully plant-based on January 1st this year as an experiment just to see how it went. It’s gone so well, and this community has been absolutely key. Thank you, all of you who cook, are cheap, and have amazing food hacks. I have found my people.

Today I had a personal victory. I took plant-based peanut butter cookies to an event and bravely labeled them vegan. I was worried people wouldn’t eat them, but they were demolished. Thanks, y’all, for teaching me so much!

I’m sorry I don’t have the recipe handy. I printed it off a blog some time ago and just veganized it using Plants Melt butter and Animal Free egg whites. That stuff is pretty bomb, although Bob’s egg substitute works well for baking and is cheaper. Friday was payday and i was feeling profligate.

Thought you guys might be interested in this story from The Olympian about the West Bay Yards project. It’s a gift link, so you should be able to click through.

Hi everyone! I just got an email from Ecology that says they’re planning to draw down Capitol Lake next week to do some field work as part of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project. The email says they’ll be doing visual surveys along the shoreline and structural assessments between July 22 - 24.

You can sign up to get these emails yourself at deschutesestuaryproject.org.

This is about DES (there’s no DES flair).

To be fair, I think agency heads have the right to go on leave for personal, medical, family reasons or whatever without getting into specifics, but DES hasn’t even said that its director is on leave for some kind of vague reason. They’ve given no reason at all.

About the source: Washington State Standard is a non-profit, non-partisan news source that’s part of the States Newsroom network. I can’t post another link, but you can learn more about them on their website. I find them to be a great news sources for state news. They have a pretty great newsletter you can subscribe to, if you want.

Since this question comes up a lot, I thought I’d share my experience with Stelle 2 in 1 running shorts. I have pretty thick thighs, and I’ve seen them recommended here.

I’ve tried to make them work. I really have, but I’ve found that they ride up and leave me chafed. I’m officially throwing in the towel on these and going back to my cheap bermuda shorts from Amazon. The Stelles were more expensive, I found the pockets were less functional, and they failed in their most important purpose: to keep me comfortable and focused on running. I spent time having to stop and pull them down, and I just cut my run short because my thighs were chafed. Boo!

Congrats to the journalists at The Olympian, Tacoma News Tribune, Bellingham Herald and Tri-City Herald for winning their contract fight! Here’s the recent message they sent the contributors to their recent GoFundMe:

We did it! After more than a year of grueling bargaining with McClatchy Media, we are happy to share that the union members of five newspapers in Idaho and Washington have voted to ratify a new three-year contract. We secured guaranteed raises and some of the strongest protections against artificial intelligence in the news industry. Our biggest wins include:

-Guaranteed raises of 7.2% to 15.5% over the next three years, including immediate raises of 3% to 11.1%
-$52,000 minimum salary for current employees
-Ban on AI being used to replace staff, decrease pay or reduce working hours
-Ban on forcing reporters to do their work using AI
-Ban on publishing deepfakes, impersonating union members without our consent or creating fake AI journalists
-Ban on mandatory production quotas in performance reviews
-Minimum annual training budget ($4,000 in Idaho, $7,500 in Washington)
-Improved just cause and discipline protections

As we wrap up this journey, we wanted to send a final thank you to all of you. The news industry across the United States continues to be deeply harmed by private equity companies who care more about their bottom line than quality journalism. If it was up to them, they'd be happy to let our historic newspapers devolve into AI clickbait if it meant cutting costs. But our new contract shows that solidarity works. It wasn’t just the unity of our members that made a difference. We couldn’t have done this without our communities and those who care about the longevity of journalism.

You helped us raise more than $15,000 so we could go on strike in May. Whether it was donating money, raising awareness or emailing company executives, your support allowed us to fight harder than we ever could have alone. Our newspapers have been bringing vital information to our cities for more than a hundred years. We hope every time you see an in-depth article or video by one of us, you’ll feel pride in knowing you played a role in making sure these are the kinds of quality stories that continue to be told. So thank you again, and here’s to a hundred more.

Sincerely,
The union members of the Idaho Statesman, The Olympian, The Tacoma News Tribune, Tri-City Herald and Bellingham Herald

Hey all, I just received an email alert from Thurston County Public Health that the parasite that causes swimmer’s itch appears to be in Ward Lake. You can sign up to get these and other important algae alerts at their website: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/public-health-and-social-services/environmental-health/water/water-recreation

The text of the email:

6/17/2026

Possible Parasites in Ward Lake

OLYMPIA – Thurston County Public Health and Social Services advises members of the community that the parasite that causes swimmer’s itch appears to be present in Ward Lake. A report was received from an individual who swam at Ward Lake and appears to have swimmer’s itch. Additionally, swimmers at any freshwater lake need to be aware that this parasite may be present and there are ways to avoid being infected by it.

Swimmer’s itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, appears as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain microscopic parasites that infect some birds and mammals. These parasites are released from infected snails into fresh and salt water (such as lakes, ponds, and oceans). If the parasite comes into contact with a swimmer, it burrows into the skin causing an allergic reaction and rash.

Swimmer’s itch generally resolves on its own without lasting health effects, although it can cause discomfort. Common symptoms include tingling, burning, or itching of the skin. Individuals are advised to avoid scratching the affected area, as this may lead to secondary infection. In cases of severe itching, a healthcare provider may recommend prescription-strength creams or lotions to alleviate symptoms.

Law 1: whatever you need from the pannier is at the bottom

Law 2: the day you have the important meeting with the boss is the day you forget to pack your work shoes

Law 3: it’s a good idea to make friends with your coworker who has spare shoes in her cubicle and wears the same size

Law 4: the day you decide it’s spring-like enough to not wear the balaclava is the day there’s a freak hail storm and you get the singular experience of hail balls melting into your scalp after they’ve fallen into the holes of your helmet

Law 5: you will get a flat tire on the day you absolutely, cannot be late for work

Law 6: it’ll be the rear tire

Law 7: you’ll have the spare tube for your other bike that doesn’t fit the rim for this bike

Law 8: the bus stop is a 30-minute walk, and you’ll ruin your rim if you don’t take the 30-pound panniers off the rear rack, so you’ll need to carry those. That won’t be awkward while you’re walking your bike.

Law 9: don’t explain to your coworkers why you have backup underpants and socks in your desk drawer (and now shoes), and ffs keep them hidden in a brown paper bag

Law 10: very few waterproof mascaras really are waterproof

These are a few of the immutable laws of bike commuting I’ve learned after 37 years of doing it. What are a few of yours?

ETA: yes, I have forgotten my pants. More than once.

This is a very men’s hockey-oriented profile of him from during the Olympics when he was coaching the women’s Team USA, but by all accounts he sounds amazing. Please try to overlook the Hughes focus of it all.

Dear Hockey Gods: can we have him, please?

Confidential to Mr. Wroblewski: Seattle is wonderful. You’d love it. Look! We’re even learned how to spell your name!