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“Inauguration Day,” by Melinda Price Wiltshire
Now online at Cascadia Magazine, you’ll find British Columbia poet Melinda Price Wiltshire’s “Inauguration Day,” a moody, contemplative poem that captures a moment in the Pacific Northwest when Donald Trump was inflicted upon the world:
“When the man took office
I was driving down the road in another country—
Cascadia, warm wet slide along the western wall.”
The poem is accompanied with a lovely photo by Jon-Mark Wiltshire, Melinda’s son.
Read the full poem here.
Why does the city of Seattle invest in private prisons?
Guy Oron at the Seattle Globalist finds that the city of Seattle’s pension fund invests in private prisons, including $750,000 in stock in GEO, which owns and operates the controversial Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Former Seattle mayor Mike McGinn notes on Twitter that the person who led the effort to fight divestment was former council member Tim Burgess, who now backs a slate of pro-business candidates for the council.
Will a measure decriminalizing drugs get on the OR ballot?
A national group associated with liberalizing drug policy is considering pushing a ballot measure that would decriminalize many drugs (heroin, meth, and Ecstacy) in Oregon. The bill would impose small fines and push treatment efforts. In related news, Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart has called on the Canadian federal government to provide legal, safe supplies of heroin to drug users to combat overdoses from tainted black market drugs.
Court rules BC pipeline must re-issue environmental certification
Last week, British Columbia’s highest court ruled that BC must reconsider approval of expansion of the TransMountain pipeline across the province, because it was based on an assessment that was quashed by the courts. The ruling could continue to delay work on the pipeline, which would increase tanker traffic in the Salish Sea seven times over. The Edmonton Journal reports that the Canadian federal government believes it can proceed without additional BC approval.
Yakima’s homeless crisis
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports on the increasing numbers of residents without shelter in Yakima, WA… and how the city can move beyond criminalization of sleeping outside (city officials are carefully watching a court case that found Boise, Idaho was inflicting cruel and unusual punishment by arresting the homeless when no shelters are available). In related news, Seattle city council member Kshama Sawant writes an op-ed for Crosscut in support of tiny house villages to fight homelessness.
Spokane needs strip clubs!
Over at the Inlander, you’ll find a great essay by Elissa Ball arguing that Spokane needs real, authentic, strip clubs (and no, topless espresso stands don’t count). “I want a butt-shaking, nipples-out strip club, with dark mirrors and a strict no-photography policy — within city limits.”
A Haida manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
SAD Magazine reviews BC author/artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’s new graphic novel, Carpe Fin, a Haida manga that’s a prequel to his highly acclaimed RED. “Drawing a distinction between ancient wisdom and current events requires us to be the arbitrator of time. The inclination is to divide events into separate, disconnected chambers,” writes the author. Seattle Art Museum has commissioned a new mural by Yahgulanaas, and it will debut at a public event Nov 1.
That’s your curated collection of news, arts, environmental reporting, and poetry from across the Pacific Northwest. See you tomorrow! –Andrew Engelson
Photo credits: Northwest Detention Center by Common Language Project via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0