The City Attorney’s Office has published a report for its criminal division Q2/2022 activities, as required by the Seattle City Council. It contains a wealth of information about cases, referrals, decisions as to whether to file charges, use of alternative programs, and demographic profiles. The City Attorney’s Office has also …
Continue readingMonth: August 2022
2019 Justice Department memo on Mueller investigation
Today, thanks to CREW’s efforts, the Justice Department released its 2019 memo advising then-Attorney General William Barr as to whether charges should be filed against Trump for obstruction of justice and other allegations. At the time, Barr cited the memo in his decision not to prosecute Trump, though he would …
Continue readingSeattle preliminary tree canopy assessment
Today the City of Seattle released the preliminary results of its tree canopy assessment, in which it found that between 2016 to 2021 the city lost 255 acres of trees. I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support …
Continue readingSDOT nominee Q&A
Mayor Harrell’s nominee for SDOT Director, Greg Spotts, has provided answers to a long list of questions posed by the City Councilmembers in advance of his confirmation hearings and the Council’s vote on whether to confirm his nomination. I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take …
Continue readingTrump motion for “judicial oversight” of materials seized by FBI from Mar-a-Lago
Today former President Trump’s attorneys filed a motion on his behalf asking a federal court to impose a Special Master to oversee the FBI’s review and processing of the materials it seized at Mar-a-Lago two weeks ago. Trump is also asking for a more detailed receipt of the materials that …
Continue readingJudge’s order on unsealing of affidavit related to Mar-a-Lago FBI search warrant
This morning U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart issued an order laying out his thoughts on whether to unseal the FBI’s affidavit in support of its search warrant on Mar-a-Lago. Generally he sides with the FBI, though he orders the agency to produce a redacted version that he may decide to …
Continue readingSound Transit construction issues
Last week Sound Transit came clean on a couple of big issues it’s having with the East Link and Federal Way Link extension construction projects. On the East Link project, there are issues with plinths — concrete blocks that the rails sit on — along the I-90 segment. Those will …
Continue readingSeattle city budget woes, spelled out
Last week the City Council was updated on 2022 city spending and the latest projections for revenues and expenditures for the next few years. The news was not good. In short: inflation has driven up expenses quickly, and the economic recovery is slower than prior forecasts predicted. So revenues are …
Continue readingKing County Regional Homeless Authority “summer update”
Last week the King county Regional Homeless Authority provided an update to the Seattle City Council on its recent and planned activities. Of note: as part of writing its five-year plan, it intends to create a comprehensive “gap analysis” on housing and homeless shelter. I hope you found this article …
Continue readingDOJ filing opposing unseal affidavit related to Mar-a-Lago search warrant
This afternoon the Department of Justice filed a response to several motions to unseal the affidavit it used to convince a judge to issue a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago. The DOJ opposes unsealing the affidavit, arguing that it has “a compelling, overriding interest in preserving the integrity of an ongoing …
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