Chess Club as the new midweek bar craze; Amazon’s projected layoffs climb to 18,000 globally; Tina Podlodowski quits as state Democratic chair; Harrell’s vow to have 2,000 fewer unhoused people in a year falls short.

Local Xmas records of note; downtown crime is apparently ‘on the decline;’ area hiring remains strong despite tech layoff; massive waterfront highway gets an Indigenous ‘honorary name.’

Psychiatric nurse helps the homeless, and seeks help for her own burnout; more about the almost-final city budget plan; injury pauses Sunny Day Real Estate’s reunion tour; Cafe Nordo’s last act (for now).

Starbucks workers strike on ‘Red Cup Day;’ how GOP pollsters exaggerated Tiffany Smiley’s chances; Native American cafe to open in Pioneer Square; state agencies prep for the possible end of Twitter.

Works by past and present incarcerated artists at UW Law School; new attempts to end gun violence in schools; a grim new record in local homeless deaths; climate change is killing trees in the Arboretum.

The UW’s big new greenhouse; post-‘emergency’ COVID era here begins on the Day of the Dead; Lavender Country singer (a lifelong gay activist) dies at 78; Tiffany Smiley’s debate prevarications.

Another concept for ‘reviving’ Third Ave.; Mariners drag it out to the bitter (elongated) end; grocery clerks’ union opposes Kroger/Albertsons merger; King County scraps expanded-shelter plan in SoDo.

Local doc profiles railway tycoon James Hill; labor judge slams Starbucks’ union busting; Nazi-sympathetic blogger had short-lived job with state GOP; security guard reportedly assaults handcuffed woman.

William Shatner on the sadness of space as seen from Jeff Bezos’ rocket; Seattle’s COVID ‘state of emergency’ to end; another post-CHOP report instructs SPD to ‘repair public trust;’ city of SeaTac to get the nation’s highest minimum wage (at least for some occupations).

What’s in the auction from Paul Allen’s art collection; Constantine proposes tax levy for behavioral-health care; Starbucks says it’s now ready to talk with unions; Esquire insists Seattle’s a fashion capital.

Gates Foundation visitors tell their COVID stories on price tags; NYT reports on Providence’s aggressive collections tactics (even among patients who qualify for free care); report shows many 911 calls don’t require police; I-90 traffic gets backed up for hours on Mercer Island.

Teamsters march en masse at Amazon HQ; acting SPD chief Diaz picked for permanent job; Boeing outsourcing corporate jobs to India; Nordstrom moves to stop a Mexican company from taking it over.

West Seattle Bridge to finally reopen; a lot of Seattle still works from home; Pierce County to dispense antidote drug Narcan from vending machines; Guild 45th theaters coming down.

Amazon Prime Video documentary probes 737 MAX crashes’ aftermath; possible teachers’-strike breakthrough; Seahawks fans got their boos’ worth vs. Russell Wilson; dance club Neighbors to get new owners.

Will Seattle teachers walk out today?; 1 dead, 9 missing in Puget Sound plane crash; Pacific Place downtown mall won’t be turned into offices after all; striking Starbucks workers find support on social media.