The Pulse: Smells Like Spring
Surveillance debates and a Jurassic-sized surprise
By Sarah Stackhouse April 25, 2025
It’s been warm enough to eat outside, so we did: enchiladas and cucumber salad on the deck last night, with a light chicken manure breeze for ambiance. No shade to the neighbors — it’s garden season, and I support it 100%.
Here’s what’s going on around town…
Spice Waala’s soft serve flavor this week? Turmeric milk. Yes, please.
The mayor is out here being incredibly sweet with kids, and we kind of love him for it.
A Seattle law firm is trying to block several Trump-era executive orders. Love to see it.
This dystopian novel was inspired by one of Seattle’s wealthiest suburbs. Might be a good one to pick up on Indie Bookstore Day this Saturday.
A fancy little boat with big floating energy has arrived on Lake Union. Shout-out to my girl Beverly.
The feds might cancel a major women’s health study led by Fred Hutch. Stay informed. Stay angry.
Turns out we’ve got the smallest new apartments in the country.
Dinosaurs are invading Woodland Park Zoo.
Someone hacked Bezos’s voice into crosswalk buttons throughout the city.
Two big-name Washington breweries are expanding in Seattle. This is never bad news.
Cameras are going up in Chinatown-International District, and debates about safety and surveillance are heating up.
This new play blends Black history, laundry, and capitalism. It opens tomorrow. Let’s go see it.
The city just launched plans to cut transportation-related climate impact. Clapping for you, Seattle.
Rhein Haus in Capitol Hill is offering free meals for kids 12 and under on Mondays, which might be the best sentence parents will read all week.
It’s time to start planning for SIFF, and if you’ve ever fantasized about blowing your budget on a festival pass and seeing everything, now’s the time.
And Free Comic Book Day is almost here. Stock up, nerd out, have fun.
Reader Comment of the Week:
On our story Tapped Out about Washington’s proposed beer and wine tax hike:
We feel you. Let us keep our beer and our delusions.
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