Stranger Suggests: Travis Thompson, Seattle Pride Classic 2024, Seattle Bakes Back!, Georgetown Carnival, The Stranger's Burger Week 2024 - Seattle news - NewsLocker (2024)

One really great thing to do every day of the week.by Audrey VannWEDNESDAY 6/5
Travis Thompson
(MUSIC) There is little difference between Travis Thompson’s character on Season 2 of Reservation Dogs and the reality Thompson describes in his Pacific Northwest hip-hop masterpiece, "Need You." The world we enter in this beautifully booming track is very down-to-earth. These are not the First World problems of a tech and gentrified city. The rapper comes from a place, the suburbs, s

Movie Madness

Please continue going to movies and having a good time, but be aware that literally no one else in the theater cares what you have to say.by AnonymousWhat is with Seattle movie-goers not knowing how to behave at a movie?! I go to The Beacon a lot–support local indie movie theaters!—and I don't know if it's something the staff puts in the popcorn, but it's like people forget how to behave in public.I get that a movie is about entertainment and enjoying yourself, but can you please do

50 Years of Queers

It's The Stranger's 2024 Queer Issue!by Vivian McCallThe first time I imagined the future, I was a seven-year-old boy sitting on an airplane, thumbing through the pages of a kid’s science magazine. Inside, the writers offered a glimpse of what life would be like when I was 40. Their world had flying cars, medicines that healed wounds instantaneously, robots, and, inexplicably, bodysuits. No futuristic vision is complete without rubbery, skin-tight clothing. I totally believed them, but now

VIDEO: Two Seattle Police Officers Caught on Camera Repeatedly Hitting Suspect

SPD policy allows officers to use force, such as hitting, punching, knee strikes, and batons in order to arrest someone as long as officers use necessary and proportional force. Officers may not kneel on a person’s neck, though it’s unclear if that’s what happened in this video.by Ashley NerbovigOn May 31 a person riding the Route 7 bus southbound shot a video of two Seattle Police Department officers forcing a man to his stomach by punching him, kneeing him, and hitting him th

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Slog AM: BIPOC Organizations Embarrass Maritza Rivera, Western Heat Wave, Probably No FDA MDMA for Us

The Stranger's morning news roundup.by Vivian McCallSeems a little cozy: In private group chats with Seattle Police Department leaders, Federal Monitor Antonio Oftelie (the person in charge of federal oversight to the department) described a disconnect between what the apparently ignorant public wanted to see from the department (accountability) and the “systemic learning” he wanted to see (no accountability but somehow things get better?). He also replied “Sigh 😖&rdquo

What’s Next for Denny Blaine?

The trouble started in November when the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation announced its plan to build a privately funded, nature-themed children’s “play area” at the historically queer nude beach.by Vivian McCallBasil Mayhan stands at Denny Blaine Park before a tangle of Himalayan blackberries. The blackberries like to grow along the shore of Lake Washington and intermingle with native wild roses, but they’ve got to go. So does the English holly and the English

The Reality Behind the Story I Told The Stranger

That Stranger article gives an incomplete impression of who I am in large part because of how I represented who I was when Herzog interviewed me.by Ky ScheversOriginally published in Reclaiming Trans.
Back when I was still a detrans woman, I was interviewed a few times by journalists for articles on detransitioning. An article in The Stranger written by Katie Herzog drew the most attention and the strongest reactions. Many trans people and their allies found the article offensive and transphobic

The Gays Who Slayed andthe Gays Who Betrayed

Not Every Queer Politician Is an “Ally”by Hannah KriegThe Stranger will go on the record saying we love gay people. We love being gay people, being friends with gay people, dating gay people, and, heck, we even love electing gay people!But none of that stops us from critiquing Seattle’s first lesbian Mayor for tear-gassing the gayborhood during Pride Month, and we certainly don’t want to see the likes of former Mayor Ed Murray creeping back into the halls of power.
Just l

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The Futures of Seattle’s Gayborhood

Big gay cities like ours change, and so do their gayborhoods.by Rich SmithSeattle’s gayborhood, located on Capitol Hill spiritually if increasingly less so demographically, certainly isn’t what it used to be in the early 2010s, which wasn’t what it used to be in the early ‘00s, which definitely wasn’t what it used to be in the ‘90s, or the ‘80s, or the ‘70s. And before that, the gayborhood wasn’t even on Capitol Hill! It was in Pioneer Square

The Future of HIV Treatment Is Injectable

Promising drugs being developed at the UW could expand HIV treatment—if we get out of our own way.by Vivian McCallAs Sidney Adjetey laid on an exam table at Harborview Medical Center with his T-shirt hiked up, research clinician Phoebe Bryson-Cahn examined injection sites on either side of his belly button. In April, University of Washington researchers at the UW Positive Research clinic injected Adjetey with about a teaspoon of a new and experimental long-acting HIV treatment as part of a

The Biggest Pride Month 2024 Events in Seattle

Festivals, Parties, and More All Throughout Juneby Audrey VannThe last weekend of June is Pride Weekend in Seattle, when the Seattle Pride Parade sashays through the streets and there are a whole bunch of other events and block parties spread out across Capitol Hill and the surrounding areas. But before going out with a glittery bang, there are plenty of other gagworthy Pride Month events worth getting snatched for. We've rounded up the best and brightest so you can mark your calendars for commu

Out of This World

SassyBlack will host a reading of her new musical, Emerald Jett, on August 9 at Northwest Film Forum.by Catherine "SassyBlack" Harris-WhiteWhen I moved to Seattle from the Big Island, Hawaii, in 1997, was 10 years old and expecting to go to school and live a life not unlike Lisa Turtle’s in Saved by the Bell. I thought I would be a cool kid. I didn’t even realize Seattle was a real place until I moved here, I thought it was just a made-up city used as a backdrop for Sleepless in Seat

Letters to Our Younger Trans Selves

The five trans people sent us five moving letters concerning the body, the spirit, and what joy awaited them in their futures.by Vivian McCallA lot of weirdos want cis people to believe that trans people hate our bodies, which would be laughable if their narrative were not so damn dangerous. Saying we hate our bodies is a lot like claiming your uncle hates the muscle car he endlessly tinkers with. He loves that thing, even when it gives him trouble, or when it’s up on cinder blocks in the

Getting High with Seattle Cheer

Basket tosses! Basket tosses! Basket tosses!by Nathalie GrahamSometimes on a Sunday night you find yourself holding a woman up by the soles of her feet.I gripped Stevie Escobedo, 33, by her white sneaker. Beside me, Anthony Alston, 53, cradled her other shoe. He breathed the counts of the routine we had just rehearsed in pantomime. I couldn’t remember the counts, so I mimicked Alston, keeping one eye on him and the other on Escobedo, who, from my vantage point, was all leg. Her torso and h

Dave Upthegrove Wants to Save the Trees

Upthegrove faces stiff competition in the upcoming August primary, including a timber industry willing to pay to put a chainsaw in office.by Rich SmithAfter speaking on behalf of south King County residents for the better part of 22 years as a State Representative and as a King County Council Member, Dave Upthegrove now wants to speak on behalf of the trees as Washington’s next Public Lands Commissioner.The position would put him in charge of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), whic

Can Seattle Drag Afford to Stay Weird?

Artistic experimentation feels riskier when rent’s rising.by Adam WillemsIn the fall of 2022, Seattle drag queen and then-newcomer This Girl encountered a dancing dialectic in the Kremwerk basem*nt. Rowan Ruthless was doing a comedic Fergie cosplay number as part of a Black Eyed Peas-themed drag night, using a water bottle to simulate wetting her pants.
Reading Ruthless’s faux pee against the grain, This Girl interpreted her seasoned colleague’s urine-forward number as a lesson

The Plight of the Long-Haired hom*o

On the Magnum: Comedian Jared Goldsteinby The StrangerDan takes on a couple of heavy calls this week. A woman learned that her ex-boyfriend of eight years was convicted on child p*rnography charges. He will almost certainly go to prison. He was once her fiancé. Rough stuff.
Then, Dan helps a woman make the heart-breaking choice between a single or a double mastectomy.Our guest this week is the sharp, hilarious comedian, Jared Goldstein. He and Dan talk about how gay men reject long-haired

Serial Killer Robert Pickton Is Dead

The police were repeatedly informed of a potential serial killer for years, but the department did next to nothing with the information.by Charles MudedeAnd so this is how Robert Pickton's life ends. He was killed by an inmate at a maximum security prison in Quebec. The details of the attack, which happened on May 19, were revealed on the day he died (Friday, May 31) by Rick and Lynn Frey, the father and stepmother of one of Pickford's confirmed victims, Marnie Frey.
Rick Frey to CTV News:The gu

Long Live Heavy Metal

3 Inches of Blood are back with catchy metal anthems with unapologetically nerdy lyrics straight out of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.by Kevin DiersTwenty-one years ago, a 12-year-old kid from Seattle named Wyatt Olney stood outside the original Hell’s Kitchen location on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma, where 3 Inches of Blood were playing a show. Olney was too young to get inside, but his newfound love of the Vancouver, BC heavy metal heroes was enough to keep him glued to the back door, catchi

Text Messages Show Federal Monitor Expressing Little Concern about Claims of Racial Discrimination at Seattle Police Department

Oftelie’s apparently casual response to a longtime SPD detective raising concerns about possible systemic racism in the department raises questions about how critically he’s monitoring the department. Meanwhile, dismissive remarks from SPD leadership in the group chat might back up some of Bouldin’s allegations of age discrimination from SPD leadership.by Ashley NerbovigFederal Monitor Antonio Oftelie had a pretty muted response in 2023 to tort claims from Seattle Police Depart

Remember the Seattle Lawsuit that Ended School Integration?

Lewis Powell’s oligarchic legal attack machine continues to target Washington schools with manufactured legal battles.by Austin FieldLast month marked the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the unanimous 1954 Supreme Court opinion declaring racially segregated schools unconstitutional. Brown v. Board’s 70th anniversary is a somber one, as one of America’s most celebrated legal decisions faces a legacy of failure. The Supreme Court justices who unanimously condemne

Slog AM: Fire Kills One in Roosevelt, Biden to Crack Down on Asylum-Seekers at Mexico Border, Superior Court Changes Rules Around Evictions

The Stranger's morning news roundup.by Ashley NerbovigHeyoo, good morning. Damn, the National Weather Servicesays maybe some thunderstorms today with a high near 63 degrees, with winds reaching 25 miles per hour. Make sure your smols stay indoors today, or else the winds could lift them away.
Vacant building fire:One person is dead and another is in critical condition this morning after an apartment building on Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 63rd Street caught fire

Kent Police to Sweep 200 Migrants Sleeping Outside of Empty Hotel

This chaotic situation marks only the latest episode of instability and uncertainty for the 200 migrants.by Hannah KriegKent police officers delivered a 48-hour eviction notice Sunday afternoon to about 200 asylum-seekers mostly from Angola, Congo, and Venezuela, who set up camp in a field next to the Kent Econo Lodge hotel on June 1. If the refugees don’t leave by Tuesday at 3:17 pm, then they will be subject to arrest for trespassing.
According to a Monday Instagram post, the asylu

The Top 47 Events in Seattle This Week: June 3–9, 2024

Hannah Gadsby, The Black Trans Comedy Showcase, and More Top Picksby EverOut StaffWelcome to the first full week of June! Spend some time at tip-top events from Hannah Gadsby: Woof! to to Jon Batiste's Uneasy Tour and from TRANSlations: 19th Annual Seattle Trans Film Festival to Lavender Rights Project Presents The Black Trans Comedy Showcase. For a look at what's in store for the rest of the month, check out our June event guide.
MONDAY
LIVE MUSIC
Echo & The Bunnymen
You can easily identify

PNB's Coppélia Revels in Humanity's Triumph over AI

Just Go With Me on This Oneby Rich SmithYeah, okay, sure, on one level, George Balanchine's Coppélia, which runs at McCaw Hall through June 9, is ultimately one of those goofy 19th-century fairy tale ballets with gorgeous sets, coquette aesthetics, an insane plot, and long stretches of time when the whole town engages in an elaborate dance-off. With the exception of a few ad-libbed contemporary gestures, Pacific Northwest Ballet's production holds true to Balanchine's revision of the old

New Summer Hours Show Service Cuts Continue at the Seattle Public Library

Eight Weeks Are Up, but Hours Are Still Downby Hannah KriegThe Seattle Public Library (SPL) did not bounce back after its planned eight weeks of rolling closures from April 12 to June 2. With significantly less fanfare than their announcement in April, SPL unveiled new summer hours starting June 20 that reshuffle the closures but cut an additional 11 hours of service per week across its 27 locations. SPL did not give The Stranger a clear end date to the service cuts, but it doesn’t seem as

Slog AM: A Big Weekend for Car Crashes in Western Washington; Mexico Elects First Woman President; Missouri Cop Kills Blind Dog, Incites Police Abolition Movement

The Stranger's morning news roundup.by Nathalie GrahamDid you have a nice atmospheric river?Sunday's rain broke June rainfall records in Seattle, Olympia, and Hoquiam, but the system isn't done. Precipitation should return Monday evening. Western Washington could see its typical amount of total rainfall in June across just three days. As for Monday in Seattle, it'll be gusty, one of those days that makes your blinds snap if you leave the windows open.With 0.65” of rain, yesterday was

Will Your AI Ghost Pay Your Debts After You Are Dead?

"The growth potential is endless, endless, endless."by Charles MudedeThe word on the (virtual) street is that AI has transformed the science fiction of digital ghosts into a reality. The technology can, it is claimed, convincingly imitate those who are no longer with us, the living. Their afterlife is provided by "re-creation services." They are called deadbots (or griefbots). They can interact with and send emails to those who are stuck in the time of the departed, which is, of course, the past

Ticket Alert: Justice, Dwight Yoakam, and More Seattle Events Going On Sale This Week

Plus, Ellen's Last Stand...Up and More Event Updatesby Audrey VannFrench electronic duoJusticewill make you D.A.N.C.E this fall in support of their forthcoming album,Hyperdrama. Country music legendDwight Yoakamhas also announced a stop in Everett this July. Plus, legendary bully Ellen Degeneres will drop by on herEllen's Last Stand...Uptour. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.
Tickets go on sale at

The From Far It All Seems Small Comp Defines a Healthy Portion of Seattle's Rock Scene

The best new music to hit Dave Segal's inbox this week.by Dave SegalTV Star, "Ride" (KR Records)
Supercrush, "Lost My Head" (KR Records)
The desire to curate scene-defining compilations has existed in Seattle since at least 1988's Sub Pop 200. Nearly 30 years later in 2017, Crane City Music spotlighted the Emerald City's underground hip-hop movement with Solar Power: New Sounds in Seattle Hip-Hop. Now, Supercrush member Mark Palm's KR label is releasingFrom Far It All Seems Small, a 14-tra