If Eastern Washington ever does become a separate state, as some Republican politicians want, it would help the national Republican Party but hurt the people living there. (But then again, what political trends in America these days wouldn’t do that?) And we also discuss the attempt to rehabilitate the image of Pepe the comics frog; still more Seattle Times layoffs; an ex-Seahawk’s gender talk and its discontents; and whether or not Snowmaggedon ’16 will finally occur.

Snow in Seattle is rarely forecast. Those forecasts, in turn, often don’t come true. What will happen this time? Further topics today include a victory (for now) at Standing Rock; a big “March Against Hate;” Airbnb working with the Urban League; another longtime local biz asking for your help; and Husky and Seahawk football blowout wins (albeit the latter with a price).

Seattle’s supposed to now be a “brain magnet,” which means the zombies will likely attack here first. And WSU’s breeding super bees (you know how that story usually ends in films). In less speculative news, we observe those pushing for human rights by pushing for “cities’ rights;” the “Hamilton electors” on a last-ditch crusade to prevent the new dark times; and, alas, another stupid shooting.

Even if there was the political will to “break up” Amazon, as one group wants, how would that apply to its bookselling operations, and would it do the book biz good or ill? We additionally ramble on about where all our construction dirt goes; an endangered butterfly living at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; memories of the local “sex industry” in the ’40s; and a tour of the Krusteaz pancake-mix factory!

Let’s face it: a lot of the GOP’s rural success is due to “branding.” They’re the party “for” rural whites; just like there are cigarettes “for” women. And with similar results among the end users. Further topics today: A hate crime right here in Seattle; why one white woman believes white people SHOULD march with Black Lives Matter; rebranding STEM education with eco-conservation (or vice versa); and the revenge of the WTO.

This day’s subjects include the “Hands Across Green Lake” silent protest; the Asian-Canadian (female) producer behind “augmented reality porn”; a major “fake news site” right here in Seattle; the racial disparities in homelessness; and Sharon Jones RIP.

Should we form an indie nation of western states? Join up with Canada? Do you know how darn-near impossible it’d be? In more real-world coverage, we view a settlement in the coal-train suit; EMP becoming “MoPOP” (no relation to KEXP’s show “WoPop”); King County’s aging homeowner population; and a wood-fueled jet plane!

It’s the last day to save the American democracy as we know it. You’ve no excuse to not do your part. Once you’ve done that, you can read here about the guerrilla beautification of a vacant lot off Aurora Ave.; the return of the coal-train fights; Boeing’s attrition of skilled workers; potentially scary news about sexual assault rates; and the Seahawks barely pulling one off.

The Everett Massacre occurred 100 years ago this Saturday.

It was the bloodiest labor dispute in Northwest history.

It’s something even some people who grew up here don’t know about. But it’s important.

The short version:

The International Workers of the World (IWW or “Wobblies”) was (and is) the most radical labor group America ever had. Its ultimate stated goal was not to reform the capitalist system but to replace it with a “workers’ society,” built around “one big union of all the workers.” The IWW had gained a local foothold among loggers. It attracted the interest of many (abused, underpaid) workers, and the ire of corporate leaders and the politicians they owned.

In 1916, IWW people wanted to intervene in a months-long strike by workers at a Everett shingle mill. The strikers weren’t just looking for more money, but to reform a factory setup that led to amputated fingers through saws and respiratory deaths from breathing sawdust.

The strikers were violently opposed by Snohomish County Sheriff Donald McRae and the Everett Police.

On Nov. 5, 1916, some 250 IWW organizers came from Seattle to Everett on the steamships Verona and Calista. They intended to stage a public demonstration supporting the strikers.

Sheriff McRae and some 200 volunteer “citizen deputies” met the Verona at the dock. Harsh words were exchanged. Someone fired a first shot. Other shots came in response.

Five Wobblies and two “deputies” were killed. Others were deliberately injured when they were forced to run a gauntlet of anti-union goons.

National Guard troops were sent to Everett.

When the Verona returned to Seattle (the Calista didn’t even try to land), 74 IWW members were arrested. One, teamster Thomas Tracy, was charged with the deputies’ murder. An IWW trial lawyer achieved his acquittal.

No deputies were arrested or charged.

(Everett Herald) (SeaTimes) (Everett Public Library) (HistoryLink) (UW Libraries) (The Stand)

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There’s a commemorative concert tonight at the historic Everett Theater (my ol’ childhood movie spot). It includes Jason Webley, Kevin Murphy (Moondoggies), Tomo Nakayama, and even NY composer Kate Copeland.

A new documentary by Denise Ohio about the incident, Verona: The Story of the Everett Massacre, screens Saturday at the Everett Public Library and Sunday at the Everett Theatre.

Mukilteo inventors have designed a sturdy, spherical refuge for humans in case of tsunami. Further subjects today include a really wide waterfront highway plan and its discontents; Paul Allen’s settlement over his mega-yacht’s coral-reef trashing; Amazon’s real-life bookstore quietly raising its prices (to non-“Prime” people); and an opera with only one man and one woman playing one role.

A new month, and the last week of Campaign 2016, have arrived; and we study little-kid ghost sightings; icky stuff from our road surfaces that gets into our waters; alleged racism in WSU student discipline; two more doomed local bars; and an idea to replace KeyArena with housing.

We say goodbye to John “Buck” Ormsby—a Fabulous Wailers member, a partner in a pioneering artist-owned record label, and one of the inventors of Northwest rock. We also speak of the end of the little cable-news channel that could; racists falsely claiming police support; a new deal for the Public Safety block; and Huskies and Sounders triumphing while Seahawks go pffft.

We’ve got a plethora of Halloween weekend events and a few costume-related pleas. We additionally have stuff about more attention given toward the opioid crisis now that upscale white people are in it; Metro scrapping problematic old buses while confronting problematic new buses; the brief life of the “V2” pop-up arts space; Amazon’s grocery ambitions; and the Sounders living to play another day.

There’s a baseball stadium that’s been in use for 103 years, none of which featured a championship home team. But it might soon. Closer to home, we mention attempts to heal the state’s political divisions (or at least understand them); a bus-shelter removal plan put on hold; a search for an alert system for sexual-assault attackees; and a guy turning unwanted LPs into visual art. Plus: the death of America’s most hate-filled cartoonist.

Tie scores are a lot rarer in pro football than they used to be, but the Seahawks managed to achieve one (in a game they objectively should’ve lost). We additionally take peeks at the latest media mega-merger deal; anti-you-know-who slogans good and less-good; more details of Mayor Murray’s homelessness master plan; a violent-crime allegation buried in media side topics; and a remembrance of newspaper “consumer” columns and of one of their best curators.