Police are responding to multiple shootings downtown. Traffic is a mess. There are multiple victims.
Police are responding to shootings downtown. One person is dead and seven people are critically wounded, according to Police Chief Best. ANSEL HERZ

Okay, we'll get to the heavy news (impeachment, downtown shootings) in a second, but first: Seattle made national news for the second day in a row today, and this time it wasn't for a scary coronavirus from China, but for... mobile voting! It's sent everyone into a tizzy. The King County Conservation District, previously unknown, is now having its 15 minutes of fame because it's testing out our country's first all-digital election. What could go wrong! The Stranger's Lester Black has more. Take it away, Lester...

A tiny election in the Seattle area just got national attention: The King County Conservation District, which up until very recently held elections that saw less than 4,000 votes cast, is holding the country’s first digital election. That means all 1.2 million eligible voters for the public agency can vote by phone. It’s being called a “historic” moment for elections but not everyone is happy. State Rep. Gael Tarleton, a Democrat running for Secretary of State, blasted the current Secretary of State Kim Wyman for allowing this to happen. Tarleton said in a press release that this digital election could be “easily hacked and compromised.”

“Wyman knows this technology cannot be counted on and is unsecure, but allowed it anyway,” Tarleton said.

Thanks, Mr. Black.

New streaming service's CEO allegedly compares journalists to sexual predators: Gizmodo's headline reads, "Personally, I Would NOT Compare Journalists to Sexual Predators as the Quibi CEO Reportedly Did." That CEO is Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard. Way to go, Meg. People are strangely excited about Quibi, but you could call this a bit of a hiccup.

Oh wait, Lester is back with another update: The mic is yours, bud.

Actually Kim Wyman had nothing to do with this new digital election: The Secretary of State, a position which runs most elections in Washington, is legally blocked from regulating elections for agencies like the King County Conservation District. That means, contrary to what Rep. Tarleton claimed in that earlier blurb, Wyman had nothing to do with today’s election announcement and is actually opposed to digital voting, saying these methods are “too risky for voting" in a press release that followed Tarleton's press release. It would probably be a good idea for Tarleton to know what a political office does before she runs for it.

Lol. More from the Seattle Times on Wyman's questioning of the digital-only voting here.

There was an officer-involved shooting in Belltown this afternoon: There aren't many details immediately available, but the shooting involved Seattle police and the King County Sheriff's Office, reports Seattle Times. The suspect was taken to Harborview Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries, per the SPD's Twitter. One witness told the Times that he “heard six rounds, a pause, and then eight more rounds."

BREAKING: Another shooting. Fuck. This is on top of the shooting yesterday at Westlake Center. There are currently traffic delays downtown due to the shootings and the suspect remaining at large. UPDATE: Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best has confirmed that one person is dead and 7 are injured. The suspect is still being sought.

Okay, impeachment: Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, delivered his opening statements today. The presentation was lengthy, much like Trump's list of lies...



The next few days are going to be real rough for Republicans: House Democrats "have exclusive access to the microphone" for the next three days, notes the New York Times in their live updates. Today, one of the big stories was the impeachment managers accusing Trump of using his power "to cheat" in the election.

The trial is still happening: Watch it live, below.

Pivoting to Coca-Cola, which says it won't stop using single-use plastic: Why? Because consumers love the plastic bottles, they say.

There's a phishing scam going around that involves FedEx packages: Don't get scammed.

Miami hotels are quickly selling out as we prepare for this year's Super Bowl: But you can still find rooms at the Trump International Beach Resort Miami, FYI.

Seattle's Red Door bar in Fremont will close: It's been open since 1988. They will close when their lease ends on March 8. “We take our stewardship of this historic building and business seriously, but we just aren’t able to make it work financially,” the owners said a press release. “We are grateful for you, and each and every person who has come through our doors – whether customer, supplier or team member—and will miss being a part of our wonderful Fremont community.”

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Friends, It is with great sadness that we share that we will be closing the Red Door at the end of our current lease, and our last day of business will be Sunday, March 8th. We take our stewardship of this historic building and business seriously, but we just aren’t able to make it work financially. We notified our team in person today and will be doing anything we can to support them in this transition. We are grateful for you, and each and every person who has come through our doors – whether customer, supplier or team member – and will miss being a part of our wonderful Fremont community. Please join us often between now and March 8th to raise a glass and celebrate the 31 years we’ve had together. With gratitude, Pete and Emily

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