Cascadia today: Blazers hold PDX hostage + wildfires spread in Cascadia + the Blue Angels suck for south Seattle
If you haven't read it yet, please check out yesterday's feature article, in which I look at the balance of federal taxes paid versus funds and services returned to Cascadia. The data seems to show that Washington and Oregon combined paid $51 billion more in federal taxes than our region received back in funding in 2025. This, as the Trump regime has denied multiple requests for FEMA disaster relief, including two requests for wildfires that have burned 320,000 acres in Oregon. It's why I believe it's urgent for or region to seriously talk about separation from the United States.
Andrew Engelson
Blazers hold PDX hostage, WNBA faces anti-trans protests
The top news stories in Cascadia today have to do with sportsball: in Portland, pressure is growing from the owners of the NBA TrailBlazers for the city to use massive amounts of public funding to renovate their arena, Moda Center. Faced with an estimated cost of $575 million, the Blazers' owner Tom Dundon is playing hard ball (sorry, mixed metaphor!) and suggesting the city, already facing a budget deficit, should pick up the entire tab, OPB reports. The New York Times has a great primer on the situation and the team's threat to move to Kansas City. It's time to stop this nonsense and require teams pay for their own venues.
Meanwhile, in WNBA news, one of the co-owners of the Seattle Storm has been fined and banned from five games after confronting two girls sitting courtside who were protesting in support of Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who's made multiple anti-trans comments. Apparently, the girls' tickets were paid for by a donor, and local right-wing hack Brandi Kruse held a tiny rally outside Climate Pledge area to try to stoke fake outrage among the Fox News crowd.
It's a dumb distraction. We want universal health care, paid college, affordable housing, and a reliable, sustainable transportation system – not attacks on trans people.
All hands on deck for Cascadia wildfires
Washington State Standard reports that leaders in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington are joining forces to confront more than 2 million acres burned in wildfires so far this year, and that Oregon is the number one US priority. Weird, since the Trump regime this week rejected two requests for FEMA wildfire disaster funds from Democratic governor Tina Kotek.
Police chief resigned, wasn't fired
Turns out Seattle police chief Shon Barnes, was not fired but resigned. Still, it's because he seemed more intent on spending time in Chicago than in Seattle. PubliCola has all the details, including his temporary replacement, deputy chief Andre Sayles.
The Blue Angels suck for Seattle's south end
At the South Seattle Emerald, Glenn Nelson writes about Seafair, the Blue Angels, noisy hydroplane races and how the annual Seafair "celebration" hammers Seattle's diverse south end. Nelson says the militaristic, climate-killing, noisy display 0f force needs to end.
"Pull the plug on the annual environmental pillaging and redistribute the funds and burdens to hatch a truly citywide celebration." – Glenn Nelson
On that note, I hope some of you will join us for Cascadia Democratic Action's water bottle and N-95 mask drive for people living without shelter, Water Not Jet Fighters, from noon to 4 pm Saturday, Aug 1 at Seattle's Cal Anderson park on Capitol Hill. We'll have earplugs!
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend, and as always, keep loving and keep fighting. --Andy
Do you appreciate Cascadia Journal's exclusive reporting on the ways the Pacific Northwest is pushing back against US fascism? If you have the means, please consider a paid subscription of just $5 per month. Each subscription helps me produce original reporting and opinionated notes on Cascadia's fight to build a more resilient and autonomous bioregion. And to those who already subscribe, thank you! --Andrew
