Cascadia today: Seattle donates one ton of food + marmots invade BC cemetery + poetry by Portland's Sid Ghosh

Cascadia Democratic Action collects one ton of food!

Seattle, I'm proud of you. On Saturday, people came from all over the city to the SNAP to Action food drive, donating what we estimate was 2,000 pounds – one ton! – of non-perishable food to assist our neighbors who may lose SNAP food benefits if the Trump administration shuts down the program. Thank you SO MUCH to the volunteers who quickly came together to collect and pack more than 25 boxes of canned and dry goods, diapers, and feminine care products. They'll be delivered to Rainier Valley Food Bank and the Jewish Family Service food bank on Capitol Hill.

Our food drive even got a bit of media coverage, with KING-5 News, FOX 13, and the Seattle Times all covering our event. Meanwhile, two federal judges ruled over the weekend that the feds must use contingency funds set aside for SNAP during the government shutdown, with one judge noting " “There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown."

Seattleites donate food for those who rely on SNAP benefits

Cal Anderson Park in Seattle was busy today with community members organizing a food drop off as the government shutdown squeezes resources for people experiencing hunger across the United States.

FOX 13 SeattleShirah Matsuzawa

To learn more about Cascadia Democratic Action and future mutual aid efforts, sign up for email alerts here.

Election day is tomorrow in key WA state races

Ballots are due tomorrow in Washington's off year elections, with a close race for Seattle mayor coming down to the wire. The contest for King County executive, a high-profile job that's often a launch pad for higher offices, is neck and neck between county council members Girmay Zahilay and Claudia Balducci. The Urbanist looks at six other key local races in tomorrow's election, including Bremerton, Issaquah, Burien, and Kirkland. Meanwhile, RANGE Media looks at how WA Republicans – you know, the ones who hate drag queens and children's books about diversity – are attempting to gain majorities in rural school districts.

Ruling on Guard deployment expected this week

Federal judge Karin Immergut extended an injunction against the Trump administration's planned deployment of the National Guard in Portland and said she hopes to have a final ruling by this Friday, the Portland Mercury reports. In an article at OPB on the ruling, Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield said, “From the beginning, this case has been about making sure the facts—not the President’s political whims—guide how the law is applied."

Angry marmots invade BC cemetery

The Tyee reports that marmots have taken over a cemetery in Merritt, a town in south central British Columbia, and efforts to deter them with sprayed coyote urine and decoy coyotes has proved futile. It's indicative of a larger trend of increasing interaction with urban residents and wildlife – including, the article goes on to note, aggressive deer and Canada geese, also known as "cobra chickens."

Disabled Portland poet Sid Ghosh's first book

Willamette Week has a profile of Portland poet Sid Ghosh, who is 18 years old, autistic, has Down syndrome as and non-verbal. He writes using Rapid Prompting Method, pointing to letters on a screen and his linguistically playful short poems sound amazing. His debut collection, Yellow Flower Gills Me Whole, was published in August by Milkweed Editions:

“Again the lotus/reminds the rose/‘Remain above the mud’”

Thanks for reading! --Andrew