🏙️ More Aurora side streets close

Two Seattle Neighborhoods Designated Art Districts

Georgetown has been named one of Seattle’s five arts and cultural districts, and Pioneer Square has been named one of Washington state’s 25 creative districts. Those designations mean funding and recognition for both neighborhoods. [Seattle Times]

• Georgetown: Georgetown will receive a $25,000 grant in July from Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, which is an addition to an initial 10K grant they received in 2024. All this can be applied to growing arts projects in the neighborhood, which will be easier to coordinate as they will be assigned a staff member from the Office of Arts & Culture to work with other city departments. Creative happy hours, hiring local artists for projects and continued funding for arts programs will follow.
• Pioneer Square: The historic downtown neighborhood has already received $5,000 of a $10,000 startup grant in May, and the second half of will be available in 2027. The area will also get access to capital funds to fund specific projects.
• Later this week: Pioneer Square will have its monthly first Thursday art walk (City Cast creative producer Sam’s zine will be available there!) And check out Seattle-born photographer Eirik Johnson’s show PINE at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Georgetown.

🗳️ Trump voting order squashed: A Massachusetts judge has issued a decision that blocks parts of a March executive order requiring states to submit names of likely voters before providing ballots to the state. It also stops DHS from creating lists of voters in states. A few weeks ago, WA Attorney General Nick Brown asserted that states get to decide how to run elections. [KUOW]

👮 SPD staffing and overtime overspend: According to a report from Seattle City Council, SPD’s plans for hiring this year will amount to $1.7 million in overspending. They are on track to spend $55.8 million on overtime, more than doubling the rate since 2022. According to PubliCola, those hiring costs are “strictly related” to salary increases won by the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild from the Harrell administration.

🧱 Additional barriers in Aurora: Last Thursday, city crews put up concrete barricades on North 96th, 98th, 100th, and 102nd streets as part of calming measures on Aurora Avenue. After shootings in the area in May, neighbors installed planters on several to prevent shootings from spilling onto side streets but were removed by the city, and have now been replaced with new barricades. The closures will stay up through the summer. [Seattle Times]