💸 Can Trump withhold funds from Seattle?

What’s Going On With Our Seattle Institutions?

As always, Seattle institutions are undergoing changes: cosmetic, financial, and otherwise. Here’s the latest:

• Seattle Center is at a Crossroads: Seattle Center’s infrastructure needs some TLC, and under former mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration, the plan was to raise $1 billion via tax levy and public/private funding to restore it. Now, with Mayor Wilson in office and shifting priorities, it is unclear what will happen with the funds necessary to reinvigorate Seattle Center. Wilson says it is ‘on our radar’ but hasn’t commented otherwise. [Seattle Times]
• Red Light Founder Wants To Buy Back Her Shop: Tacee Web, the founder of Red Light Vintage in the U District, is trying to buy back the Seattle location after originally selling to open another store in Portland. She’s currently raising money to buy it. Support the fundraiser to keep the ‘naked shopping spree’ alive! [KING5]
• Who Wants To Buy the Crocodile? Late last year, news broke (via City Cast Seattle) of the closure of Here-After and Madame Lou’s, and now the Crocodile is up for sale. COVID, decreased attendance, and lower alcohol sales have made keeping the business profitable a challenge, and it has $1.6 million in debt, mostly to TicketWeb. [Seattle Times]

Seattle Children’s Theater Withdraws From Kennedy Center Run 🐉

Seattle Children’s Theater has decided to withdraw from a two-week run of “Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story” at the Kennedy Center in DC, which co-commissioned the show. The theater said, “This is not the right time to transfer an SCT production to the Kennedy Center.” The show is popular and selling out all of its school shows, so it may be extended here in Seattle. Go see it if you can! [KUOW]

What WA State and Its Citizens Are Doing About ICE 🧊

As we are seeing more reports of ICE in Seattle, Washington State is seeking to regulate how automatic license plate reader data can be shared with federal immigration enforcement. The Driver Privacy Act would put protections in place for how long data is retained and with whom it is shared. In addition, local citizens are making whistle kits to alert their neighbors to ICE activity.

Trump Once Again Threatens To Withhold Funds From Sanctuary Cities 🏙️

President Trump wants to withhold “significant” funding from sanctuary cities that aren’t cooperating with ICE. The deadline to cooperate with this order is Feb. 1. Previous attempts at withholding funds from states have been defeated in court. [KUOW]