Cascadia Daily, May 9, 2018

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Cascadia Magazine

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Heated debates over taxes in Oregon & Seattle

OPB reports on how Oregon governor Kate Brown’s proposed business tax cut, which will be voted on in a special legislative session this month, is dividing Democrats. OregonLive points out the cut would mostly benefit wealthy business owners. Meanwhile, the debate over Seattle’s proposed employee “head tax” to fund affordable housing grew heated as a labor group called on the WA attorney general to charge Amazon with a felony for halting construction of its headquarters in protest of the tax. And Portland city council candidate Jo Ann Hardesty slammed mayor Ted Wheeler for failing to back a tax that would benefit minority communities and eco-friendly jobs.

BC residents worried about housing affordability

CBC reports on a new poll that finds 90 percent of British Columbia residents are concerned about housing affordability. And The Georgia Straight points to a new study finding that BC has the highest rate of people paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent in Canada.

Chinook tribe fights for federal recognition

The Chinook tribe of southwest Washington, whose people have long resided on the shores of the Columbia River, had a day in court, according to OPB, arguing for federal designation, which has never been granted by the US, and would give them fishing and reservation rights. Meanwhile, Anna King, writing for OPB, reports on how Indigenous tribes across Cascadia are working to re-introduce traditional use wildfire to improve forest ecosystems.

A Cascadia no-hitter for the Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton threw a no-hitter yesterday, only the sixth instance in the baseball franchise’s history. The day was significant for Cascadia as Paxton was born and raised in Ladner, British Columbia, and pitched for Seattle against the Tornto Blue Jays. Paxton also earned respect for keeping his cool earlier this season when a bald eagle tried to land on his shoulder during the national anthem. Nothing more Cascadia than that!
All this begs the question: why do Vancouver baseball fans root for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team 3,000 km and three time zones to the east, when there’s a team right here in Cascadia?
Oh, and Portland’s bid to get a Major League baseball team is a long shot.

An artist whose materials are foraged from the Salish Sea

City Arts has a profile of Jill Bliss, an artist on Washington’s Lummi Island, who creates beautiful on-site collages/mandalas made from natural materials foraged from the Salish Sea. “There’s such a disconnect between how a lot of people live versus the natural world they live in.”

Poetry by Ian Williams at The Capilano Review

Over at The Capilano Review, you can read a poem online by Ian Williams, “And Finished Knowing — then–” a slightly surreal meditation on our online-social media lifestyles. “…then my inbox filled with ears underwater…” That’s it for today’s arts, culture, and news from Cascadia.

Be sure to show a little love and donate to Cascadia Magazine during Give BIG today!  –Andrew Engelson

Photo credit: Seattle skyline by Wikimedia user Cacophany CC BY-SA 3.0

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