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Fifty years after Sohappy vs. Smith
This summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of the federal court ruling of Sohappy vs. Smith, which eventually led to a series of rulings that recognized tribal rights to fishing in the Pacific Northwest. The Yakima Herald has more on the landmark ruling, which came after Yakama tribal members David Sohappy Sr. and Richard Sohappy were arrested for gillnetting salmon out of season. The ruling recognized tribal rights to fish and hunt not just on reservations but on lands where Indigenous people seasonally traveled to, such as the former Celilo Falls on the Columbia River
Yakama Nation member and writer Emily Washines will be leading a guided walk and talk about Sohappy vs. Smith on Tues. Aug 20 from 11 am to 2pm at Columbia Hills (Horsethief) state park near Dallesport, WA. For more info, call the Yakama Nation at (509) 865-5121 extension 6757.
“OG Bird Rescue Man,” poetry Robert Lashley
This weekend, take a moment to read Bellingham poet Robert Lashley’s brilliant poem online now at Cascadia Magazine: “OG Bird Rescue Man,” in which an elder gangster serves as a would-be savior in a broken neighborhood:
“The arcs of the busted jungle gym
lift and re-sheath their pipe swords,
lift every rock that interacts with his ash
as the swing set chains stop their hanging.”
Read the full poem, paired with gorgeous multi-media art by Seattle’s Barry Johnson here.
Seattle looks to limit campaign spending
After a costly primary campaign for Seattle city council included lavish spending by Amazon and a secretive group called Moms for Seattle, a Seattle city council member is pushing for new limits on spending. But Erica C. Barnett notes that even if passed, they could be vulnerable to legal challenges. Crosscut has more on the effort, and whether it would could find a loophole in the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which allowed unlimited corporate contributions.
BC timber mills continue to lay off workers
Andrew Kurjata at CBC reports on 3,900 timber mill jobs lost this summer in northern British Columbia, due to lower demand, wildfire damage, and the end of mountain pine beetle salvage. In related news, Siuslaw News profiles Dan Waggoner, a sixth-generation logging contractor based in Reedsport, OR who specializes in getting timber out of steep terrain.
Can tiny houses solve affordability in Eugene?
As housing prices climb in Eugene, Oregon (median house price is now $301,000 and median rent $956) and wages stay flat, some nonprofit groups are experimenting with building low-cost tiny houses across the city, Eugene Weekly reports. Among those profiled is drag-queen Labaux, who lives in a little pink home: “I’m living the best version of me now. I should be on Oprah.” Meanwhile, Crosscut looks at a new low-income housing project in Seattle that will provide housing and health care to 177 elderly residents.
Blue whales sighted off Cascadia Coast
Northwest News Network reports rare sightings of blue whales–the world’s largest creature–off the coast of Oregon and Washington this summer. The whales’ range has moved northward, and this is only the fourth confirmed sighting of a blue whale off Washington in 50 years. Meanwhile humpback whales are making a comeback in the Salish Sea, OPB reports, and biologists are studying the creatures to find out why. And High Country News looks in depth at why gray whales are dying in large numbers off the Cascadia coast.
Two new new movies set in Seattle from books set in Seattle
Two new movies opened this week that are based on books set in Seattle: The Art of Racing in the Rain and Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Moira Macdonald has a preview and finds that of course the movies weren’t actually filmed in Seattle: Racing was filmed in Vancouver, and Bernadette was filmed in Pittsburgh and Vancouver. The Stranger’s Ned Lannamann has a review of Richard Linklater’s version of Bernadette, while the Seattle Times reviews Racing.
Poetry by Fiona Tinwei Lam
At Ricepaper, you’ll find Vancouver poet Fiona Tinwei Lam’s “Invisible,” in which she remembers growing up with a single mom whose brash behavior at home, in restaurants and in shopping malls was difficult to bear:
“Tired, so tired,
held up by fraying strings,
she’d drag us through throngs
at sales. We’d shrivel,
she’d fume. “Service!
I need service!””
Read the full poem here. For more of Fiona’s work read “Ode to a Crow,” and “Sea Star” at Cascadia Magazine.
Correction: yesterday’s newsletter mentioned an article at the Seattle Times about a program that helped people struggling with homelessness and addiction get their lives together by climbing Mount Baker. The link was incorrect; you can find the article here.
That’s today’s assortment of news, arts, and culture from across the Pacific Northwest. Have a great weekend! –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: Portland tiny house by Wikimedia user Tammy CC BY-SA 2.0