Seattle Times

Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and a prominent leader of both business and philanthropy in the Seattle area, stamped his mark on the city’s economy and culture as well as its skyline as he pursued a wide range of passions from science to sports.

When Seattle librarians visited the gated cluster of tents and tiny houses that make up Camp Second Chance in White Center, they brought Star Wars comics, Dean Koontz books and Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” for homeless campers to check out. But the most popular item was­n’t a book. It was a Wi-Fi hotspot in a lockbox with a combination.

Seattle (WA) Mayor Ed Murray has directed that curbs be imposed on internet providers to protect customers’ data privacy. Under a new rule scheduled to take effect May 24, the three companies that have cable franchise agreements with the city must get customer permission if they want to sell personal information or web browsing details.

The city privacy protections come after President Donald Trump signed a bill in April rolling back upcoming federal measures that would have stopped internet companies from collecting and selling customer information without permission. “Where the Trump administration continues to roll back critical consumer protections, Seattle will act,” Murray said.

Washington State Sen Don Benton (R-Vancouver) is weighing a new “litter fee” that would apply only to The Columbian and cost the newspaper $150,000 a year. The Columbian reports the fee is one of several ideas floated by Benton’s environmental services department to pay for a costly settlement the county incurred for violations of the Clean Water Act. Other options include fee increases to homeowners and owners of private roads. The $150,000 annual fee would apply to “daily newspapers that are produced and distributed in Clark County with a circulation of more than 28,500. Only The Columbian meets those parameters,” the paper notes. Sen Benton claimed the newspaper is among the “top five” polluters, but the county’s public works director told the Columbian he wasn’t aware of newspapers being a problem. The city attorney added the litter fee may not be legal.