👠 Betty Wetter tells us what to do

Drag Queen Betty Wetter Shares Her Seattle Favorites

Betty Wetter has been hosting and organizing the monthly drag and variety show TUSH for 8 years, and in that time has created a staple and spotlight for some of the best (and queerest) artistry Seattle has to offer. And she hasn’t stopped there. Along with performance duo Drama Tops, she created the Queer Sick Pay Fund – a nonprofit initiative that offers financial support to queer performers when they miss a gig due to illness or injury, and more recently another grant offering financial support to trans people seeking gender-affirming procedures. Betty shared some of her favorite Seattle gems with us for our running series “Seattle According To.” [City Cast Seattle]

• ☕ Favorite Coffee Shop: “Squirrel Chops has the best crew in town. Always putting a smile on my face. If I want a cozy spot to read, I am actually gonna get my cold brew to go and sit in the park.”
• 🥇 Seattle Hero: “I consider Dina Martina to be the mother of Seattle drag, though she refuses to take the DNA test. Look around the audience she attracts to each show and you won’t see one specific demographic. She brings so many people together for a good laugh. She is a true gift.”
• 💎 Hidden Gem: “Grab a pre-roll and a friend and get yourself to Collide-o-Scope. This found footage fantasy is the perfect Monday night experience. It feels like someone found all of the best corners of the internet and put them into the silliest 2 hours ever.”
• To see the rest of Betty’s recommendations check out the full article.

🏢 Mayor replaces chief of staff: The decision came after months of friction between city council and the mayor’s team. Kate Brunette Kreuzer will be replaced on an interim basis with Esther Handy, the former head of City Council Central Staff. Handy is currently one of six “executive operations managers” overseeing several city departments. [PubliCola]

📰 Real Change doubles price: For the first time since 2013, the nonprofit weekly paper is charging more. Vendors will double their income, but they also fear the change in prices will stop readers from buying the paper in the first place. Guy Oron shared more insights about this on today’s podcast 🎧. [Seattle Times]

💰 New investments for historic downtown: Chinatown International District and Pioneer Square will be receiving two major investments over the next few years. One comes from a bill passed earlier this year which allocates 30% of retail sales tax from stadiums to the neighborhoods through 2037. The other is a series of grants supporting small businesses and community development projects from the Department of Neighborhoods. [International Examiner]