Jayapal desperately trying to distinguish the dems from the republicans PHOTO BY DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES

The pandemic continues: Experts have an eye on a subvariant of omicron known as BA.2, which appears to be even more transmissible than the original strain. This strain is taking a toll in Asia and Europe. Hong Kong’s total case count just exceeded 1 million. According to the AP, nearly 97% of those cases come from the current outbreak. In Germany, a nation of 83 million people, more than 250,000 new cases emerged Friday with 249 deaths.

While it is “unclear” if this subvariant will make people extremely ill, many but not all of the

A sort of homecoming. I’m returning to Seattle from Portland. The sun is river dancing somewhere close to Vancouver. Charles Mudede

Today, Pelosi decided to kill two birds (Saint Patrick’s Day and Ukraine) with one stone. That stone happened to be a poem by the lead singer of U2, Bono.

Aren’t things bad enough already? https://t.co/hqoLcW23HO
— Doug Henwood (@DougHenwood) March 17, 2022

But Bono has one fine poem to his name. It is in the tune “A Sort of Homecoming”:

And you know it’s time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of morning to a light that’s in the distance.
And you hunger for the time
Time to heal, ‘desire’

There’s much to be excited for this week, starting with Washington-born electronic duo ODESZA’s announcement of two massive homecoming shows at Climate Pledge Arena. Rock fans will be delighted to see all eras of the genre covered, with classic rock icon Daryl Hall, celtic punk legends Flogging Molly, early aughts rockers Franz Ferdinand, and folk punk trio Violent Femmes all announcing tours. On the jazz front, look forward to lauded saxophonist Kamasi Washington stopping by this summer. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, like the immersive space exhibit THE INFINITE and A Conversation with Janelle Monáe and Yohanca Delgado, plus some news you can

Cheers! Transit advocates Jamie Pedersen (cool sweater), David Hackney (cool beard), Liz Berry (cool sneakers), and Marko Liias (left early) Matt Baume

Last night saw a major milestone for Seattle Subway — their first in-person event of 2022, and an opportunity to award “Transit Rider of the Year” certificates to legislators who have supported efforts to get more people moving through subterranean tunnels.

About a hundred local underground-enthusiasts gathered Wednesday evening at Optimism Brewing, just a few blocks from the Capitol Hill station, among them Senators Marko Liias and Jamie Pedersen and Representatives Liz Berry and David Hackney (all SECB endorsees). Those four radicals were instrumental in passing a bill

They’re holding out for Ranked-choice voting. Courtesy of the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County

The League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County (LWVSKC) does not want you to sign Initiative 134, a ballot measure to bring Approval voting to Seattle elections.

“It’s not really so much that we hate Approval voting, but we need to have really high expectations for our election systems, and so it’s really about advocating for the most equitable model we can implement,” LWVSKC President Heather Kelly said over the phone.

While signature gatherers for the measure have earned a reputation for advertising Approval voting as an election system similar to Ranked-choice voting (RCV),

Plans for free fairs came to a screeching halt after lawmakers, uh, just sorta checked in with relevant parties. 400tmax/Getty Images

Free tickets to Washington State Fairs and free parking at Washington State Parks ranked among the most highly coveted items in the $63.4 billion supplemental budget proposed by Senate Democrats.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig called the yearlong programs “popular,” and said he’d received “supportive communication from constituents” after the news of the plan broke in a February 23 press release from Christine Rolfes, the chief budget negotiator for the Senate Dems.

Indeed, after initially dismissing the free passes as an empty gesture, Seattle real estate developer

Congrats to Rep. Liz Berry, one of Seattle Subway’s Riders of the Year honored last night at Optimism Brewing. Matt Baume

Happy Transit Operator Appreciation Day. On Friday, tip your hat to your bus driver, ferry captain, and streetcar conductor. It’s the 13th annual Transit Operator Appreciation Day, a global celebration that started in Seattle. If you’re really feeling generous, then fill out a Driver Commendation Form.

Behold, SDOT’s bike lane to nowhere. Work continues on the Alaskan Way Traffic Trench, the multi-lane speedway that will replace the elevated viaduct. The latest forehead-slapping innovation is a pretzel of a bike lane that absolutely nobody will use. You see, at one