JR Mayer

Public school enrollment was declining in West Virginia even before its voucher program was established. But things have only gotten worse. Since 2019, 70 public schools have closed in the state, and up to 20 more schools are in jeopardy. w/ @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social

Hard agree. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s because Meta sued the author and got a gag order that prevents her from saying a single word about her own book. Mark Zuckerberg is a threat to human rights and democracies the world over, including ours. It is vitally important you know how and why.

❗❗❗Mark Zuckerberg's meta just suspended the No Kings Instagram account. I just rushed back from my local No Kings to jump on this. Bottom line, would be helpful for all pro-No Kings folks to elevate the issue and help us get the word out about No Kings today. The Nerd Reich strikes again.

Finally, I think it’s incredibly important that we provide accurate information to the public about the budget. And the fact is that the proposed budget (which again is just a proposal) does not defund SPD.

NEW: WA Ferries wanted you to think their workers are whiny babies who make $350k. The truth is more complicated and more sympathetic --- workers making $65k, engine room paid 20% less than above deck, and those making the big bucks working 70 hour weeks. www.theburnerseattle.com/post/washing...

Cool interactive circuit board of seattle rail and ferries. www.seattletransitlive.com

Subverting democracy isn't new to John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, or Amy Coney Barrett. All three were on George W. Bush's "Florida Recount Team," which lay the groundwork for stopping vote counting in Florida—and Bush v. Gore, the politically-motivated SCOTUS decision that gave Bush the election.

"You might expect something like this in countries where women don’t enjoy equal rights. But in a country where the Secretary of Defense is a testosterone-pushing reactionary who was credibly accused of rape and whose own mother publicly denounced him for mistreating women? Color me surprised."

Just a reminder that people don’t always realize they were raped in the immediate aftermath. It can take hours, days, months, and even years to realize you were raped, and it doesn’t make it any less true. There are many kinds of responses, including fawning and trying to appease your rapist

Selfishly, part of my "why" in urban planning is personal: when I grow older, I want to preserve my independence, dignity, and mobility. By building better cities with abundant transit and housing, we create an accessible world—not just for our future selves, but for generations yet to come.

The major platforms—Facebook, YouTube, and X—are all refusing to show the trailer for the upcoming documentary that eviscerates the ridiculous pest Elon Musk. So I guess we have to do our part to make sure it is seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_8...

Here's my coverage of the full timeline (based on documents and contemporaneous messages, not a comment in a meeting), which shows that the vast majority of the delay was due to SPD personnel who put out no information for many hours after posting about a mass shooting. publicola.com/2026/09/04/m...

#OnThisDay in 1972, King County voters approved the creation of Metro Transit. historylink.org/File/1998

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

YES THIS IS AMAZING DO IT NOW. Also, it should include landmarked streets not necessarily located in historic districts (such as Queen Anne Boulevard, where the Landmarks Board rejected a fully funded safe routes to school project). @alexis4seattle.bsky.social

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” —FDR, 1944

Just did a quick look around and I don't see very many headlines about the President of the US making people pledge allegiance to him personally while telling everyone to commit election fraud and "cheat like hell" to support his party. Seems like it should be a story?

In which WSDOT plans to add bike lanes to just 0.8 miles of a 2.75 mile repaving project and "defer" the rest, in spite of the 2022 Complete Streets mandate. Why? Because the department doesn't want to touch the existing lane configuration.

The article mentions the area was once home to dozens of strawberry farms owned by Japanese immigrant families who were dispossessed of their land during their WWII internment. It fails to mention that Freeman's grandfather founded the Anti-Japanese League that advocated for internment. Weird.

I wrote about Dolly Parton in my latest @nytopinion.nytimes.com column. Thank you. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o...

If your state is controlled by Democrats, there is no reason that they shouldn't pass legislation allowing direct-to-consumer vehicle sales to put a significant source of Republican donations out of business for good.

One of my closest friends is dealing with a recurrent brain tumor and has been unable to work for the past 6 months. I know there is a world of need out there right now, but if you have any dollars to send her way, it would ease this difficult time. www.gofundme.com/f/rallying-f...

Another perspective on former police chief Shon Barnes: www.theurbanist.org/op-ed-police...

My $0.02 if you're voting in Seattle today: I found The Stranger and the Washington Progressive Voters Guide to be, at best, center-left and, at worst, moderate, in some of their choices. If you want a true progressive voting guide, I recommend the Lefty Cheat Sheet: electioncheatsheet.org

Good framing.

Going through my political mailers and Rep. Santos in #waleg sent one out claiming her priorities include “public transit & pedestrian street safety". Here is what she was primary sponsor of in 2025-26 session which does not show that focus: app.leg.wa.gov/bi/report/Bi...

Now this is an excellent, fair, independent story covering the events this week in a way that is comprehensive and informative. TV and corporate media could learn something from this!

Danny Westneat joins the Seattle Times in full scale war against Mayor Katie Wilson, which is no surprise but another example of the Brandi Kruse-ification of local establishment media. They've gone from providing independent reporting and analysis to using their perches for a partisan agenda.

(Free access) Many of the workers voted for Donald Trump, believing his vow to halt offshoring of U.S. manufacturing. But billionaire hedge-fund owner John Paulson — a Trump adviser and one of his biggest fundraisers — had other ideas, closing the Ohio facility and moving its operations to China.

Black Panthers Had It Right — Feed All Kids

Shrinking it to save $12 a year in sales tax, meaning no new transit service and thus costing people hundreds of dollars a year or more in gas, would be a genuine act of madness by the Seattle City Council.

RIP Bonnie Tyler. And RIP Tandi Iman Dupree. This remains the best stage entrance by a drag queen of all time, even some 25 years later, and the best use of Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” ever. youtu.be/IHQA5vqn6rw?...

GET A GRIP Ireland is building a battery that contains no lithium. No cobalt. No rare-earth metals. Instead, it stores energy using carbon dioxide. The project is designed to hold 200 megawatt-hours of electricity, making it one of Europe’s largest long-duration energy storage systems.

Seattle was electric during the World Cup. To support 750,000 visitors, the city pedestrianized streets, activated public spaces, and removed parking. Rather than revert these changes, city leaders should identify what worked and make those changes permanent. seattletransitblog.com/2026/07/09/s...

Why did Greenwich Village become the heart of New York City's bohemia? Because it was home to a woman's court and prison, which brought gender non-conforming women - many of them queer and/or trans - to the Village from every other corner of the city www.gothamcenter.org/blog/village...

futurism.com/future-socie... lol

Incredible moment where Fox News puts up a graphic with all the reasons it opposes the DSA and why people should be afraid of them

Anyway, if you'd like to read a story actually providing some context to the claims raised at the hearing, I have you covered. www.theurbanist.org/misinformati...

Folarin Balogun, who is a US citizen because he was born here, scores a go-ahead goal for the US team in a knockout game. Score one for birthright citizenship.

We got a big bump in traffic yesterday when people learned about us on NPR. Thank you to @npr.org for covering our launch and bringing our story to people's attention! And thank you to all our new followers. We can do this together! 🌍️🧪💪 #ClimateAction #ClimateForUs #ProtectScience

“I will be one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights. And I will stand firmly against bigotry aimed at Jews. Those are not two different jobs. They are the same job,” Brad Lander said.

What is a street? A place for cars, parking, and traffic? Or a place for children, greenery, and civic life?