Cascadia today: Starbucks to close 250 stores + Eugene votes on clean energy fund + get ready for Portland Book Festival
Starbucks to close 250 stores
According to the AP, Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks will close 250 "underperforming" stores in North America. According to the article, Starbucks Workers United, which is attempting to unionize baristas, says that 20 coffee shops that have unionized are among those closing. Earlier this year, Starbucks let go 300 employees in its Seattle corporate office. In other coffee news, 70 bikini baristas in the greater Seattle area will likely recover $1.8 million from a chain of stores that engaged in wage theft violations.
Eugene to vote on clean energy fund similar to Portland's
The Portland Mercury reports that this November, Eugene voters will decide whether to create a clean energy fund similar to PCEF in Portland. The measure would impose a 2 percent tax on corporate profits at companies operating in Eugene that have more than $1 billion in profits in the US. The tax would generate $15 - $40 million per year and be used to offer grants to nonprofits working to transition Eugene to green energy sources.
Did BC premier David Eby make a huge mistake?
The Tyee reports that days after British Columbia premier David Eby called a snap election to take place Oct 24, a new poll found that the BC Conservatives lead by 4 points. Eby and the BC NDP had hoped to take advantage of chaos within the conservative party, which has lost about a dozen MLAs in recent months (though some have since returned). However, a different poll found BC NDP at 41%, BC Conservatives with 36%, BC Greens at 12% and Centre BC with 4%. So who knows? Regardless, vote BC Greens.
In other election news, OPB looks at Portland's upcoming city council election, which is the second under a new ranked-choice system. Six seats in districts 3 and 4 are open, and candidates need to win 25% of the vote to take a seat in their regional district. Candidates and voters are still trying to understand the politics of ranked-choice: "No one knows how it will turn out," said current councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane.
BC govt sues OpenAI for role in Tumbler Ridge shooting
CBC reports that the British Columbia government is suing OpenAI for the role its ChatGPT platform played in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in February, in which six kids, two adults, and the shooter died. The government claims OpenAI didn't alert police to disturbing chats the shooter had with AI prior to the rampage. Survivors of the shooting have filed 30 separate lawsuits against OpenAI for its role in assisting the shooter.
Will Idaho soon accept tons of nuclear waste?
Idaho Capital Sun looks at the possibility that Idaho will be selected for a new nuclear development project that will also mean it must accept massive amounts of of spent nuclear fuel from other states. One critical issue is potential impacts on the east Snake plain aquifer, the source for much of the Snake River. Republican governor Brad Little has said he'll oppose any waste stored over the aquifer: "that’s a nonstarter," Little said.
Both the Hanford site in Washington and the Idaho National Laboratory are already having to deal with massive amounts of dangerous radioactive waste, so the Cascadia bioregion (which includes much of Idaho) must insist on no new nuclear waste shipments here.
Portland Book Festival is Nov 2 - 8
Oregon Arts Watch looks at the upcoming Portland Book Festival, which takes place November 2 -8 and will including readings and talks by Colin Meloy, CarsonWith both Ellis, actor Ke Huy Quan, Valeria Luiselli, Andrew Sean Greer, Anand Gopal, Patrick deWitt, and many others. For more info, visit the Portland Book Festival website.
Thanks for reading! Keep fighting and keep loving. --Andy
