Seattle Bans Plastic Straws, Utensils at Restaurants, Bars
Looking for a plastic straw to sip your soda? It’s no longer allowed in Seattle bars and restaurants.
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Seattle Plastics Ban
Eight years after passing a law to ban straws and plastic utensils in Seattle’s bars and restaurants, the ban took effect Sunday and businesses that don’t comply now face $250 fines.
Read moreSeattle City Leaders Sued for Violating Public Meetings Law
The Seattle City Council violated public meetings laws by deliberating in private before a special vote on Tuesday that repealed the newly passed employee head tax on large businesses, a suit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court claims.
Read moreSeattle Homeless Tax Repealed After Pushback From Businesses
In a surprise move, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to repeal a $275-per-employee homeless services tax on the city’s largest businesses passed unanimously just weeks ago.
Read moreRide-Hails Can’t Hide Behind Trade Secrets in Public Records Spat
The city of Seattle might have to hand over data from ride-hail companies like Lyft to a private citizen as part of a records request, even though the records may contain the companies’ trade secrets, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Read moreSeattle Passes Tax on Big Business to Fight Homelessness
The Seattle City Council voted today to fund homeless services with a $275-per-employee tax on the city’s largest businesses, including Amazon.
Read moreNinth Circuit Revives Fight of Seattle Ride-Hail Union Law
The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s challenge to Seattle’s ordinance allowing app-based drivers like Uber and Lyft to unionize, finding the law could violate federal antitrust rules.
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The Rental Housing Association of Washington and others sued Seattle on Tuesday in King County Court, saying the city’s “Fair Chance Housing Ordinance” unconstitutionally prohibits landlords from screening applicants for criminal records.
Read moreDefamation
Seattle police officers Scott Miller and Michael Spaulding claim in a federal complaint that Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant defamed them by calling them murderers and racial profilers after they shot a violent felon and rapist as they tried to arrest him, and that she did so “for personal gain.”
Read moreUS Expels 60 Russian Diplomats, Shutters Seattle Consulate
The Trump administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close, as the United States and European nations sought to jointly punish Moscow for its alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain.
Read more$1.5M Reward Offered in US Attorney Murder Investigation
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced additional reward money totaling $1.5 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for murdering federal prosecutor Tom Wales.
Read moreSeattle Pot
Following San Francisco’s lead – and five years after Washington state legalized recreational marijuana – Seattle is looking at automatically clearing past misdemeanor convictions for pot possession.
Read moreSeattle Faces Challenge to Ride-Hail Unionizing Ordinance
An appellate panel grilled attorneys representing Seattle in a hearing over the constitutionality of the city’s first-of-its-kind ordinance allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize, repeatedly asking why the rules didn’t violate antitrust laws.
Read moreTrain Speeding 50 MPH Over Limit Before Deadly Derailment
Federal officials confirmed an Amtrak train was hurtling 50 mph over the speed limit when it careened off an overpass south of Seattle, spilling cars onto the highway below and killing at least three people.
Read morePolitical-Spending Voucher Program Upheld in Seattle
Two Seattle taxpayers lost their constitutional challenge to a voter initiative that sends vouchers to residents so they can financially support political candidates.
Read moreHome Prices Rose in August Despite Sales Decline
Home prices rose across the United States in August compared to a year earlier, but those rising prices may be slowing sales, Standard & Poor’s reported Tuesday.
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Seattle Mayor Resigns as Sex Abuse Claims Mount
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned Tuesday in the wake of new allegations reported by the Seattle Times that he molested a teenage cousin in the 1970s, when he was in his 20s.
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