Bill Withers, circa 1973.
Bill Withers, circa 1973. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

A labor union is accusing Portland's Powell's Books of misleading the public about its recent rehires: The iconic bookstore announced two weeks ago that it would have to lay off most of its staff. Then, the bookstore announced last Sunday that “we have over 100 folks working at Powell again—all full-time with benefits." The labor union says only 49 of those 100 staff members were laid off, the rest were "management staff, doing frontline bookseller, shelver and shipping work, instead of the union workers who were trained to do this work and did that work every day."

Catch up on the latest COVID-19 updates: Riiiiiiiiight here.

Are you stressed out? You're in good company. Everyone is stressed out, even Bill Gates: "I never lived through anything this dramatic,” Gates said today. "When I wake up in the morning, I think, ‘Is this a nightmare?'"

Bill Withers is dead at 81: The three-time Grammy winner's last album was released in 1985, but that doesn't matter. He was the definition of timeless. The evocative, gritty singer is indelibly connected to the soundtrack of the 1970s. He died on Monday in Los Angeles. His son said he had heart problems. Pour one out and revisit the hits:



Tom Douglas is opening a takeout spot in Ballard: It's called SeriousTakeOut. It is expected to open April 8.

Washington's Supreme Court rejected Seattle's bid to reinstate an income tax on rich Seattleites: The state's wealthiest residents can breathe yet another sigh of relief.

It's time to revisit that Instagram famous morning cosmo from Ina Garten: Is it any good? Should you really drink a gigantic booze bucket at 9 in the morning? Grub Street dives deep.

Disney executives are reportedly unhappy about their proposed pay cuts: The executives and senior leaders will face a 20 to 30 percent pay cut. Boo hoo. The Hollywood Reporter estimated that an executive vp at Disney can have a salary up to $700,000.

Your $1,200 coronavirus stimulus check is exactly how much it costs to build a... guillotine.

Stuck indoors with kids or teens? Our sister paper The Portland Mercury has a list of over 40 great educational documentaries.

Have you had to change birthday plans because of the coronavirus pandemic? Did you throw a virtual Zoom party instead? How do you celebrate during social distancing? Let us know!

I went live on the radio today via Zoom.
I went live on the radio today via Zoom. David Kroman's Zoom

We recorded Week in Review on KUOW over Zoom this afternoon: KUOW's Bill Radke, Crosscut's David Kroman, Geekwire's Monica Nickelsburg, and I chatted about our stay-home extension, the future of Seattle, and—this one's my fault—Animal Crossing. Listen here.
Getting my furloughed boyfriend to leave our bedroom before noon was more of a struggle than I thought.
Getting my furloughed boyfriend to leave our bedroom before noon was more of a struggle than I thought.

Pandemic radio.
Pandemic radio.

ViacomCBS is acquiring a 49 percent stake in Miramax: The deal was $375 million and gives ViacomCBS access to titles like Pulp Fiction, Chicago, Scream, and Good Will Hunting. Miramax was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979.

I really want one of these cakes from Bakery Nouveau: I woke up super early to get one last week but they were sold out :(

Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch seem to be preparing for public-interest lawsuits over coronavirus misinformation broadcast on Fox News: The moguls are reportedly stockpiling attorneys. A lawsuit against Fox News was filed in King County on Thursday.

Brooklynn Prince, the girl from The Florida Project, stars in a new show set in Washington: She plays a kid journalist in the fictional town of Erie Harbor. The character is inspired by real-life kid reporter Hilde Lysiak. Here's a trailer.