Cascadia today: Will we limit surveillance cams? + SeaTac is fine in shutdown + Big-scale art in greater Vancouver
Will Cascadia limit surveillance cams?
After Seattle mayor Katie Wilson paused installation of new police security cameras but expressed support for the cams if an audit showed the data could be kept secure, a debate is again erupting over whether surveillance is a good idea in Cascadia. PubliCola suggests that Wilson now buys the argument that surveillance makes it easier for cops to solve crimes. Meanwhile, Sharon Yoo at KING-5 got Washington governor Bob Ferguson saying on record he wouldn't keep the state's license plate reader data from federal immigration authorities. This, even though WA passed some restrictions on ALPRs and a UW report found that the feds have regularly accessed the data.
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Want to ask questions of mayor Katie Wilson on surveillance cams? She'll be in conversation with the executive director of the South Seattle Emerald, Florangela Davila and take public questions at Town Hall in Seattle at 6 pm, Friday March 27. The event is free but you need to register for tickets here.
SeaTac airport fine in TSA shutdown
Kudos to the Port of Seattle for planning ahead and hiring additional staff at SeaTac airport during the temporary government shutdown that's causing huge lines across the US and one fatal crash at LaGuardia airport in New York. Wait times at SeaTac are normal, KUOW reports. Also, ICE goons haven't deployed here to stand around looking at their phones because of that advance planning. The airport has even set up a food pantry for TSA employees working without pay during the shutdown. You can drop off un-perishable food or $25 gift cards at the SEA Conference Center weekdays 8 am to 4 pm.
Faculty & staff at Portland Community College strike
OPB reports on a strike by faculty, employees, and staff at Portland Community College over wages at the state's largest institution of higher education. Members of the Portland city council sent a joint letter in support of the striking workers, urging the college to get its finances in order and pay its workers a fair wage.
Studying "fire fungi" and forest recovery
An article at the Tyee profiles Monika Fischer, a mycologist at the University of British Columbia who studies mysterious "fire fungi" – mushrooms and other fungi that are key early colonizers after forest fires and which are critical to forest recovery. In related news, researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that invasive grasses, if not carefully controlled, can take hold after forest fires.
Big scale arts exhibits in greater Vancouver
The Tyee has a review of several large-scale art exhibits in the lower mainland of British Columbia, including "Photolythics," multi-genre work at Polygon Gallery that includes massive Coast Salish blanket patterns and other Indigenous-inspired motifs by Tania Willard, who is of Secwépemc and Scottish ancestry.
