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OPINION | To the Class of 2026: Your Actions Can Help Shape Our Future

Black and Brown Youth in the South End Find Their Voices Through Spoken-Word Poetry

Brian Heywood could become the man who financed WA’s first statewide vote backing an income tax in nearly a hundred years

The right wing mega millionaire is betting that Washington voters will nix the state's recently levied million dollar earners tax, given an opportunity to repeal it with Initiative to the People 645 (IP26-645). Heywood speaks as though he simply can't lose. But he made a similar bet in the 2024 cycle that backfired spectacularly, with his money helping prove that progressive ideas like the capital gains tax funding the Education Legacy Trust, the Climate Commitment Act, and the WA Cares Fund were actually popular with voters. Brian Heywood could become the man who financed WA’s first statewide vote backing an income tax in nearly a hundred years is a post from NPI's Cascadia Advocate, the journal of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March of 2004, NPI's Cascadia Advocate provides thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world politics. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a contribution to sustain NPI's research and advocacy here.

The Electric Sculptures of Black Artist Tom Lloyd Illuminate the Frye

An exhibition at Frye Art Museum called "Tom Lloyd" is a fascinating exploration into the career of Lloyd, an early pioneer of light art who has remained obscured from broader art history.

DOOM LOOP: Public Outreach

A concerned resident demands a greater role in neighborhood planning.

COLUMN | Federal Way Students Build Their Futures by Trying the Trades

What if the future of work in America is not being coded in a South Lake Union skyscraper, but framed with a nail gun inside a high school shop class in South King County?

The Roundup: The Op-Ed That Caused an Uproar

In this week's edition of The Roundup, Mike Davis talks about op-eds published over the past week regarding the Lake Washington Boulevard closure to cars — and readers' response to one op-ed in particular.

Book Review: The lie of the footprint in Auden Schendler’s “Terrible Beauty”

Schendler’s book challenges the effectiveness of incremental reforms and highlights the need for substantial systemic change, urging a shift from profit-centric capitalism to a more sustainable model. It succeeds as a corporate autopsy, but falls short as a roadmap. Book Review: The lie of the footprint in Auden Schendler’s “Terrible Beauty” is a post from NPI's Cascadia Advocate, the journal of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March of 2004, NPI's Cascadia Advocate provides thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world politics. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a contribution to sustain NPI's research and advocacy here.

Donald Trump’s lawless and corrupt regime dealt three big defeats in federal court as May 2026 draws to a close

On Friday, federal judges delivered three sharp rebukes to the Trump regime, reopening his sham IRS case, freezing his taxpayer-funded “Anti-Weaponization” slush fund, and ordering his name removed from the Kennedy Center. The rulings are not the final word, but they show that the courts can still enforce the law against corruption, self-dealing, and authoritarian overreach. Donald Trump’s lawless and corrupt regime dealt three big defeats in federal court as May 2026 draws to a close is a post from NPI's Cascadia Advocate, the journal of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March of 2004, NPI's Cascadia Advocate provides thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world politics. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a contribution to sustain NPI's research and advocacy here.

Sound Transit Votes to Fully Fund Graham Street Station; Completion Expected in 2031

In a unanimous vote, Sound Transit plans to pay for the station, in part with a federal grant and a $30 million commitment from the City of Seattle.

Sound Transit Board adopts resolution formally scaling back 2016 ST3 system expansion plan and declaring Ballard Link unfunded

At their May meeting, directors approved a resolution to adjust the agency's ambitious system expansion program amid a $34.5 billion fiscal shortfall. The new plan for the ST3 plan categorizes projects into several tiers: fully funded, partially funded, construction not affordable within existing resources, and defer until resources identified. Sound Transit Board adopts resolution formally scaling back 2016 ST3 system expansion plan and declaring Ballard Link unfunded is a post from NPI's Cascadia Advocate, the journal of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March of 2004, NPI's Cascadia Advocate provides thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world politics. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a contribution to sustain NPI's research and advocacy here.

What Mayor Katie Wilson Says About Graham Street Station, Lake Washington Boulevard, and South End Issues

From long-delayed transit projects to encampments, surveillance cameras, and neighborhood concerns, Mayor Katie Wilson answers readers' questions about issues shaping South End communities.