I think pretty much all of us (even Sounders FC and Husky football fans) would consider this past year to have been, overall, a dud, a bomb, a Dumpster® fire; with even scarier days looming ahead. Nevertheless, we have news items to discuss in the here-n’-now, such as St. Mark’s Cathedral calling bigotry a sin; the pre-upzoning U District as America’s most competitive housing market; Mt. Rainier as one of the world’s “most dangerous volcanoes;” and dozens of places to go on the big night.

We need all the socio-political allies we can get these days, even within the pages of Teen Vogue! We look as well at Amazon’s at-long-last charitable streak; a church sex-abuse victim who doesn’t like what the church said about her legal fight; the governor proposing a “carbon tax” while a state investment board puts money into the petrochemical biz; and a (justly) long-forgotten novelty sport.

Finally! Snow in the city, spectacular and beautiful (and rare and very temporary). Non-meteorological topics this day include gift books for the budding political activist in your family; a new, almost-1,200-unit residential complex; another local alt-media source needing support; a woman who videoed her own racial hate crime; and the usual umpteen weekend things-2-do.

Another day of no white stuff on the ground (probably) sees us discussing a GOP legislator’s attempt to negate public-school funding (and non-discrimination); an aborted scheme to put surveillance cams into a middle-school cafeteria; and Amazon’s latest “real world” retail concept.

Howard Schultz, aka The Man Who Sold (Out) the Sonics, will step aside as Starbucks’ CEO. In further news, we peruse UW football’s next step toward a possible trip to Title-town; why remembering the Seattle of old is NOT a futile gesture; potentially huge Seattle school budget cuts; Seattle U’s student-body prez outs himself as “undocumented”; the obscure Seattle past behind a national icon; and scads of weekend events. And we just might have a little snow.

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!

The Wacky Weather Weekend® is well upon us. Be safe; if you’re supposed to go anywhere, make sure what you’re going to is still going on. Otherwise, you can always stick around and read about dueling encampment proposals; an affordable-housing project that’ll also be a center for the Black community; an idea to hip-ify Bremerton (could it ever happen really?); and the centennial of one of the region’s ugliest events.

As well as more reports of icky behavior by you-know-who, we also consider the maybe-coming storm; what’s to be done with Steinbrueck Park; a minister’s account of police (non-)accountability; local screenwriters who’ve found an unexpected market for their work; a vintage video-game champ; and how the one percent flies. Oh, and also my (not really) secret past.

Serious weather’s coming to this corner of the nation (though not nearly as deadly as the weather in the opposite corner). As we wait for the storm to pass (if it even shows here), read up about Amazon moving into space built for that previous “shop at home” king; Sound Transit’s booming popularity; a video-game giant accused of aiding online-gambling sites; a victory for oil-train foes; and more school-funding fuming.

Someone (actually, the incredible shrinking Seattle Times) actually looked for answers to some of our city’s problems toward another city that isn’t San Francisco! Amazing! Also in your midweek missive: More Orlando reaction (not all of it healthy); no Seattle NHL team this year; Boeing (heart)s Iran; Rhapsody doesn’t want you to call it Rhapsody anymore; and Amazon’s $350,000 fine over a gallon of drain cleaner.

A “slow news” weekend ends with the the Viaduct’s surprise early reopening (unless they’d secretly planned it this way all along). Also: Creamed Cornish?; Boeing’s greatest fiscal hits and misses; the potential start of another Wash. wildfire season; and how to sneak an arena proposal past today’s City Council.

We welcome spring, and the expanded local light rail, with chatter about a way to prove your Northwest-bred-ness on your vehicle; a whistleblower’s blast against Hanford’s waste-treatment project; a resource center for Af-Am entrepreneurs; a new way to keep sea lions from decimating fish stocks; and a plethora of weekend activity choices.

Our last newsletter before the start of Daylight Savings Time springs ahead with the Legislature’s continuing impasse; a Microsoft-planned “smart city” (really a suburb); the start of Greenwood’s rebuilding; Bieber’s Belltown boo-boo; and a lovely old building that keeps getting moved.

Tim Eyman’s convoluted screw-the-state initiative is just as unconstitutional (and sleazy) as we all knew it was. Also in your weekend digest: A planned office tower’s big middle finger to the streetscape; another scheme to tilt the Electoral College rightward; plans for the world’s biggest ethanol refinery; the 747’s slow demise; the usual scads of weekend stuff-to-do.

Midway through another short work week, and we’ve got: A big hop crop (but not as big as planned); a WSDL might not get you on domestic plane trips; Seattle’s gay-rights record honored; we’re building homes for the homeless but the homeless population gets bigger anyway.