(Don’t) take a seat: Downtown Mall still lacks public benches

Last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation installed 18 new bike racks on a stretch of pavement underneath Highway 99. However, the racks were not meant to provide more resources for cyclists—but to prevent the homeless people who had been camping there from coming back. Seattle is just one of many cities known to use […]

Curriculum crusade: Spanish as elective perturbs parents

Come this fall, Walker Upper Elementary, which serves the city’s fifth and sixth graders, will drop its Spanish language requirement for a focus on math and science instruction. During a January school board meeting, Principal Adam Hastings said the change, which the school board approved in February, was prompted by “a need for students to […]

Windfall blowback: UVA donation spurs backlash

UVA announced the biggest donation in its history, from hedge fund quant Jaffray Woodriff, with much pomp and circumstance, including an appearance by Governor Ralph Northam. But not everyone was happy with the McIntire alum’s decision to spend $120 million on a School of Data Science. Some feel Woodriff’s donation could have served better causes. […]