Planet Seattle

Vancouver nurses have announced picketing due to staffing shortages. Police are searching for a woman whose car was found on a ferry. Switzerland’s national team advanced to the Round of 16 at the World Cup. British Columbia nurses announce picket outside Vancouver hospital: strike escalation The British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU) announced that it will begin picketing Vancouver General Hospital starting Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. local time. It is the first time since 1989 that nurses have taken...

In this edition: B.C. nurses step up their protest with a picket at the province’s largest hospital; the government buys unsold condos for affordable housing, but developers criticize the plan; Fraser Valley home prices are down 26% from the 2022 peak, and the market remains sluggish due to high interest rates. B.C. nurses escalate strike: picket planned at Vancouver General Hospital The British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU) says it plans to hold a picket at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) on...

The governments of British Columbia and Ottawa have struck a series of agreements: buying unsold condos to create affordable housing, a multi-billion-dollar deal to develop ports with a ban on oil tankers, and a framework for developing Vancouver Island. Eby compares the condo purchase plan to a “liquidation sale”: government buys unsold housing below construction cost British Columbia Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping program to buy unsold condos and turn...

Restaurants and bars in Vancouver are seeing record revenue thanks to Canada’s national team matches, but hotels and shops on Granville Island are facing a drop in demand due to high prices and the way fans are spread across the region. Provincial authorities, despite an uneven impact, are forecasting a long-term tourism boom and are already building mini-fields as a legacy of the tournament. Vancouver’s World Cup promises an economic boom—but delivers uneven results British Columbia is...

The Vancouver Giants are relocating to Surrey with a new 10,000-seat arena; British Columbia developers are skeptical about the Carney-Eby housing deal to reduce development fees; and a search continues off the coast of Vancouver for six people who went missing after four were rescued. Vancouver Giants Move to Surrey: 10,000-Seat Hockey Arena The Western Hockey League (WHL) Vancouver Giants are preparing for another move — this time to Surrey, one of the fastest-growing cities in British...

Search operations off British Columbia have been paused for six people missing after the charter vessel crash. Meanwhile, a Vancouver man is helping victims of the earthquake in Venezuela. Search for six missing after charter boat sinks off B.C. coast is suspended Rescue operations off British Columbia, where a charter fishing vessel sank last week, have been temporarily suspended. As reported in a CTV News story, six people are still listed as missing, and authorities made the difficult...

In today’s digest: Vancouver residents are protesting the construction of AI data centres over environmental risks; football fans combined watching a match involving the England national team with panoramic views from Grouse Mountain; and a guide to free Canada Day 2026 events across Metro Vancouver — from fireworks and drone shows to concerts and inclusive programming. Protest in Vancouver: Hundreds took to the streets against AI data-centre construction Last Saturday in Vancouver, a major...

British Columbia’s premier clarified details of a program to buy unsold homes for rent-to-own, insisting it isn’t a bailout for developers. Meanwhile in Nanaimo, teenagers are terrorizing a neighborhood as part of a dangerous challenge—kicking in doors, frightening residents, and causing damage. British Columbia weighs a questionable deal to buy up unsold condominiums British Columbia Premier David Eby offered unexpected clarifications about a proposed government program to buy unsold condos...

At first glance, these three pieces of news seem almost unrelated: Serena Williams is forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles tournament due to a knee injury, Kelsey Pfendler—a California rafting guide—sets a record by crossing the Pacific Ocean alone, and a live Fox News broadcast with Bret Baier is interrupted by a hailstorm warning. But if you zoom out, all three stories say the same thing: even the most prepared people—athletes, travelers, journalists—remain subject to physical...

In three very different news stories — about a shooting in Hampton, about a record-breaking solo crossing of the Pacific, and about a celebratory fireworks show in Washington — a single common thread unexpectedly emerges: how people and society live through the limits of what they can do. In some places, that limit is tied to violence and anxiety; in others, to physical and psychological endurance; and in still others, to the technological and symbolic scale of a national holiday. In one case,...

The American news gathered in these three pieces, at first glance, is about completely different events: a festive Independence Day program in Washington, a large-scale patriotic project by an artist, and a solo ocean swim that ended with a historic record. But if you look more closely, all three texts are about the same thing—how, in the United States today, national identity is lived not only as an abstract idea, but as public action, spectacle, and a personal challenge. Here, patriotism,...

Perhaps the main shared thread across these three pieces isn’t simply breaking news from different sectors, but a story about how large systems respond to pressure, crisis, and the need to rebuild. In one case, it’s healthcare: Epic is preparing for the departure of one of its key leaders, yet it’s showing a level of resilience rarely seen in the industry and a long planning horizon. In another, it’s transportation infrastructure—brought to an instant stop by an accident on I-71/75 in northern...

Three different reports — about a protest by Venice residents in Los Angeles, about record heat across the Washington region, and about a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence found in a British archive — at first glance seem almost unrelated. But on closer inspection, they are united by one big theme: how communities endure a moment of strain when the usual order breaks down, forcing people to redefine who they can trust, what they must fight for, and what they consider a shared...

The first summer weeks in the US and beyond are forming a picture in which several different events are being pulled under the same umbrella: how easily modern infrastructure, public safety, and even sporting ambition prove vulnerable to physical wear, extreme conditions, and the human factor. On one end is the scandal over damage to the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial, where the dispute is about not only who damaged what, but also how the condition of symbolic sites is being...

At first glance, these three stories have nothing to do with each other: in New Jersey, a new giant amusement ride is being built; in the US, investigators are still probing a mysterious disappearance of an elderly woman; and in central Damascus, an explosion has occurred. But if you look more closely, all three are bound by a single theme—living in a state of uncertainty, when society is simultaneously waiting for a spectacle, searching for answers, and trying to maintain a sense of control...

On the summit of the Empire State Building, several storylines converged in the space of a single day: a brazen breach at one of the world’s most recognizable skyscrapers, a public demonstration carrying an anti-establishment message, an unexpected engagement at nearly 500 meters, and an immediate police response. The story, reported by CBS News, NBC News and briefly by CNN, reads at once like a city incident, a performance, and an extremely risky act. But if you look past the flashy image, the...

If you look at these three reports together, they seem very different: in Pittsburgh, a contractor was killed in a fall from a ladder; in Atlanta, police are investigating a death at a home in Buckhead; and the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on birthright citizenship. But they share a common thread: in each case, a system—whether law, policing, or workplace safety rules—sets the boundaries of what is permissible and tries to deal with the consequences when those boundaries are...

In Venezuela, there has long been a habit of blaming the state for all the country’s troubles. But the problem runs deeper: many private institutions—professional associations, trade chambers, unions, opposition parties, and even non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—copy the same flaws as the authorities. Their leaders remain in place without change, elections are held only in form, staff and ideas are hardly ever renewed, and the organizations often serve merely as tools to obtain privileges...

In recent days, the Oman route in the Strait of Hormuz has moved into the stage of practical trials: dozens of vessels began using it despite Tehran’s open dissatisfaction, which insists on coordinating all transits through the strait. Against the backdrop of fears that, without agreement with Iran, vessel safety cannot be guaranteed, many ships have started reconsidering their routes between the Iranian and Omani zones. According to data collected by Al Jazeera’s analytical division via the...

The anniversary of the United States on a 250-year scale is turning into a stage for a battle over meanings: some see what is happening as a demonstration of strength and national unity, while others view it as the harsh politicization of a holiday and an opportunity for criticism. The focus is on how Trump turns the celebration into a theatrical proof of the “greatness of America,” framing his message with symbols, rhetoric, and an atmosphere of confrontation, where tough language about the...

Large-scale funerals for Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei are continuing, taking place amid serious political tension both inside the country and beyond its borders. Tens of thousands of Iranians are streaming into Tehran’s spacious prayer hall to bid farewell to the late leader. The ceremonies, which began on Friday, will run until 9 July. Mourners carry portraits of Khamenei, his son, and his alleged successor Mojtaba Khamenei; many are dressed in black and wrapped in Iranian flags. In this...

Venezuelan authorities officially denied the false information spread by journalist Maibort Pety about alleged organ seizure from an Indian citizen in Caracas. In a statement published on social media, it is stressed that the sailor Rakesh Chauhan did not die during the seismic event on June 24, and that his body was not handled by state agencies—fully absolving the government of responsibility for rumors about illegal medical procedures.

Tehran is preparing for an unprecedented, on a massive scale, send-off ceremony for the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. The mourning events are expected to draw between 20 and 30 million people. The authorities are seeking not only to organize a mass procession, but also to turn it into a powerful demonstration of political and military unity. According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent, these funerals have temporarily frozen international negotiations, but the political subtext remains...

Several weeks have passed since the announcement of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding on June 17, and its implementation is moving forward, albeit with extreme caution. Early results are already visible on the ground: the ceasefire regime is being observed, there have been no reports of large-scale military clashes, the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened to navigation, and the “risk premium” on oil markets has fallen. In addition, the sides have established a permanent negotiation...

Spanish journalist Javier Negre said that the team of Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado has instructed its supporters and social media influencers to intensify criticism of Donald Trump’s administration. According to him, the goal of this campaign is to warn the White House: if Washington does not provide decisive support for Machado’s return to active political life, it could prove costly for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections in November. In his address to Latin...

The United States is preparing to mark the 250th anniversary of independence— the longest-lasting attempt at republican rule in modern history. Yet behind the celebratory narrative lies a deep historical contradiction: the rhetoric of freedom and equality sharply contrasts with the genocide of Indigenous peoples carried out before the country was founded and with repressive practices afterward. The text recalls that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” coexisted with an economy built...

Imagine a road that wasn’t built from stone or asphalt—it was laid out of massive, grease-smeared logs so that the cut trees could slide straight to the sea. This road existed in Seattle more than 150 years ago, and for a long time the city tried to forget it. But when historians and archaeologists started digging—literally, with shovels—they uncovered something unexpected: on this slick, tar- and resin-smelling street, something rare and very important once took place. A Road Where Trees Were...

Imagine a bridge that doesn’t sit on the bottom of a lake, but simply… floats. Like a giant raft. Like a massive little ship you can drive across. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale—but such bridges really do exist in Seattle, and their story didn’t begin with a grand invention. It began during a very difficult time, when many people lost their jobs and didn’t know what to do next. When everything fell apart In 1929, a major disaster struck America. It’s called the Great Depression....

Imagine a vast forest — larger than more than one hundred thousand football fields. It is home to bears, eagles, elk, and salmon. Clean rivers run through it, and trees rise higher than any house. And the strangest part: almost nobody is allowed to enter. A lock hangs on the gate. Guards watch over the paths. The forest exists right next to a major city — Seattle — but most residents have never seen it. It’s called the Cedar River watershed. And it has a secret that, for a long time, nobody...

Imagine that one morning your family lost everything: your home, your money, your job. And it wasn’t just one family—it happened to thousands of people in the same city at once. What do you do? You can give up. Or you can take old planks, rusty sheets of metal, and scraps of tarpaulin and build an entire new city. That’s exactly what Seattle residents did in the 1930s. And what they came up with changed the city forever. When Money Disappeared for Everyone at Once In 1929, the United States...

Picture this: you open a thick catalog—almost like a toy catalog—and choose yourself a home. Not a picture of a house, not a fantasy about having a home, but a real house. You tick the box next to the one you like, mail in your money, and within a few weeks a freight train pulls up to your street. From the cars, massive crates are unloaded. Inside are all the parts of your future house: boards already cut to exact size, windows, doors, nails, an instruction manual. All that’s left is to...

If you stand on the Seattle waterfront and look out over Elliott Bay, you can only see gray-green water and a few gulls. But put on a mask and dive, and you’ll find a real forest. Only the trees aren’t oaks or firs—they’re enormous kelp plants that grow up ten to fifteen meters, sway in the currents like grass in the wind, and hide hundreds of different creatures inside. This forest nearly disappeared a hundred years ago. And then it came back—not because scientists in labs brought it, but...

Imagine this: you walk into a store to buy a backpack — and suddenly you see, right in front of you, a real cliff. Not a picture, not some toy little hill, but a huge stone wall as tall as a six-story building, which people are climbing right now. Next to it there’s a cycling path with bumps and turns, where you can ride a bicycle even before you’ve bought it. This isn’t an amusement park. It’s a store in Seattle called REI. And it’s set up in such an unusual way for one very important reason:...

Представь: ты живёшь в городе, где есть маленький музыкальный клуб на твоей улице. Там каждую пятницу выступают живые группы, соседи заходят выпить чаю, а на стенах висят самодельные афиши. Кажется, что это просто клуб — ничего особенного. Но в Сиэтле учёные и экономисты выяснили кое-что удивительное: когда такой клуб закрывается, вместе с ним начинает умирать целый квартал. А когда он остаётся — квартал живёт, дышит и даже становится зелёнее. When grunge made the city famous—and brought...

Imagine that one day you buried your favorite toy in the garden, forgot about it, and then—sixty years later—someone dug up the earth and found it. Something like that happened in Seattle. Only instead of a toy, it was trams. And instead of a garden, it was the whole city. A City Where Trams Sang More than a hundred years ago, Seattle was a special kind of city. Trams glided along its streets—quiet, smooth, almost like boats. There were a lot of them: by 1910, more than two hundred miles of...