Cascadia today: A great panel discussion! + BC muni election this weekend + poetry by Deepa Bhandaru

Good morning! Thanks to all who attended Cascadia Democratic Action's panel on soft secession and Indigenous sovereignty. It was a fun evening and an honor to dive deep into Cascadia resistance tactics with Christopher Armitage and Nadine Maestas. Many thanks to them and to Folio Seattle for hosting!

I'll be linking to an audio recording of the discussion soon, and CDA will be organizing future panels, so stay tuned. It's because of my generous readers that I can organize events like this as well as produce this newsletter. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5 or $10 per month so I can continue to do this! Thanks! --Andy

BC municipal elections are this weekend

Cities across British Columbia are holding municipal elections on Saturday October 17, and the Tyee has a guide to all BC residents need to know to cast their votes. In Vancouver, Cascadia Journal recommends a vote for Pete Fry for mayor. It's time to vote out Ken Sim, a center-right pro-business leader who wants more funding for cops and to turn a former hospital into a mental health prison. You should also vote no on that ballot initiative.

For Vancouver city council, Cascadia Journal recommends voting for the COPE slate of progressive candidates, including Sean Orr for city council and Derrick Jensen for school board.

Meanwhile, BC is also preparing for a provincial election later this month, and the Tyee reports on the debate between the NDP, BC Conservatives, and the BC Greens.

OR governor pauses new data centers

Oregon Capital Chronicle reports on Oregon governor Tina Kotek's executive order halting all new data centers in the state until July 1, 2027. By pausing issuance of air and water permits, Kotek has effectively stopped all new centers – which have become increasingly controversial for their energy and water consumption. Data centers have become an issue in the governor's race, with Oregon Capital Chronicle reporting that in the final debate in the race, Kotek's opponent, Christine Drazan, is more supportive though also skeptical, saying "no community should have to have a data center shoved down its throat. We need to reset the table here.”

Today is the Great Shakeout in WA

Today in Washington state is The Great Shakeout, a day set aside to think about earthquake and tsunami planning. Several tests of tsunami and lahar warning systems will be tested on the coast and in Pierce county. It's a great chance to plan your earthquake drill (where will you drop cover and hold on if it happened at this moment?). It's also a good time to ensure you've got emergency food, water, first aid kit and other supplies ready in your home. Find out more at the Be 2 Weeks Ready website.

2 million invasive green crabs trapped in WA

KUOW reports that the Washington department of fish & wildlife's program to trap invasive green crabs caught a record 2 million of them between July 2025 - June 2026. The crabs threaten young native Dungeness crabs as well as salmon fry. NOAA has more on the persistent pest from Europe, which came to North America with human colonizers.

Poetry by Deepa Bhandaru

At Poetry Northwest, read Seattle-based poet Deepa Bhandaru's poem "Vasco," about city noise, Portuguese colonizer Vasco dd Gama, and a pesky fly.

"I’m susceptible
to other people’s work schedules
to poor sleep
I could use another hour at least"

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