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“I consider it a newspaper for the mundane”: dispatches from Seattle Walk Report

Taking a walk on the overlooked side with the viral Instagram project. Washington’s former state transportation head says that when it comes to pedestrian deaths, enough is enough. Gender markers on driver’s licenses: more options, more problems? And, should Narcan be in schools?

Listen to the full show by clicking the play button above, or check out one of the show’s segments below. You can also subscribe to The Record on your favorite podcast app.

Susanna Ryan, Seattle Walk Report

A couple of years ago, an Instagram account popped up. It catalogued things like the number and type of dogs sighted on a walk through Capitol Hill, or where you can find a statue of a man staring at his hands in the Central District. Their creator was long anonymous, but she’s come out of the shadows with the publication of the project’s eponymous book. Bill Radke spoke with artist Susanna Ryan.

Seattle pedestrian fatalities

Last night, another Seattle pedestrian was struck and killed in a car crash near Greenlake. One of the people who walked by the scene was the former head of the Washington state transportation department. Doug MacDonald’s open letter to the city was titled “The Latest Pedestrian Fatality. Enough.”

Expanded gender options on state ID

Washington has a new gender marker for driver’s licenses: in addition to M and F, now you can choose the option X. The department of licensing says it’s a matter of basic human rights.” But should we have gender on our state IDs in the first place? Dean Spade, associate professor at Seattle U Law School, argues that we should not.

Narcan in high schools

Starting next fall, 2/3 of high schools in the state will be require to keep Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal medication, in stock. Meg Carlson is a school nurse at Lincoln High School; Lynne Oliphant is a nurse at an alternative high school, Interagency Academy, whose campuses include a drug recovery school.

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