Cascadia today: Seattle bans data centers + tiny BC owls under threat + Seattle's Crocodile music venue saved

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Seattle votes to ban data centers for one year

The Seattle city council voted yesterday to place a moratorium on new data centers in the city as well as limiting expansion of existing data centers, KUOW reports. The bill, expected to be signed by mayor Katie Wilson, will place a pause on at least two proposed projects, including with south of downtown and one at the site of the Cannonball arts center downtown. Good for Seattle. Let's hope the Washington legislature listens to the state's residents rather than the tech industry – as it did earlier this year when it failed to pass regulations on AI data centers.

Civil authority restored to Umatilla tribes

Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that Oregon governor Tina Kotek has agreed to a request to return civil legal authority to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. It's the first request by one of Oregon's nine federally recognized Indigenous nations to re-assert sovereignty as authorized in a law passed by the legislature in 2025. The move will return authority to the tribe to hear matters such as divorce, child custody, and personal injury lawsuits.

This is a good step forward. As Cascadia asserts its independence, affirming and increasing the sovereign rights of Indigenous nations across our bioregion is critically important.

Seattle settles harassment lawsuits against SPD

KUOW reports that the city of Seattle has settled four sexual harassment lawsuits filed by women police officers against former police chief Adrian Diaz, former assistant chief Dan Nelson and current lieutenant John O'Neil. The payout of $2.6 million addresses accusations of improper advances, comments, and touching as well as workplace discrimination. O'Neil, who was once the head of SPD's public affairs department (and refused nearly my all requests for interviews or basic answers to questions while I was a reporter for PubliCola) is still employed by the department.

Tiny owls under threat in BC

The Tyee reports on the decline in Western screech owls in British Columbia, a pint-sized bird that's nicknamed the Brad Pitt of the avian world for its muscled body and rakish plumage. I'm not quite seeing the resemblance but anyway, let's work to protect its habitat!

Seattle's Crocodile music venue saved by new owner

Seattle's iconic live music venue, the Crocodile, has been saved from closure after being purchased by an out-of-town group of music promoters (including a former CEO of The Onion), The Stranger reports. The take the venue out of $1.6 million in debt, and the new owners hope to keep producing music shows and potentially doing comedy shows in the downstairs space known as Madame Lou's.

Support live music! Buy tickets to a show.

Thanks for reading. Keep fighting and keep loving. -Andy